1988Final results
1988 election for U.S. Senate in Maryland
U.S. Senate · Maryland
Paul Sarbanes (D) won with 61.8% of the vote, defeating Alan L. Keyes (R) by 23.6 points.
Paul SarbanesDemocrat · winner
61.8%999,166
Alan L. KeyesRepublican
38.2%617,537
1,617,065 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 1988
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.
Paul SarbanesAlan L. Keyes
$1.5M
Raised by the campaign
$684.5K
$1.5M
Spent by the campaign
$662.8K
$11.4K
Cash on hand
$23K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1988.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1988