1986Flipped from RepublicanFinal results
1986 election for U.S. Senate in Maryland
U.S. Senate · Maryland
Barbara A. Mikulski (D) won with 60.7% of the vote, defeating Linda Chavez (R) by 21.4 points, a seat Republicans won last time.
Barbara A. MikulskiDemocrat · winner
60.7%675,225
Linda ChavezRepublican
39.3%437,411
1,112,637 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1986
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
Barbara A. MikulskiLinda Chavez
$2.2M
Raised by the campaign
$1.7M
$2.1M
Spent by the campaign
$1.7M
$103.6K
Cash on hand
$14K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1986.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1986