1988Flipped from DemocraticFinal results
1988 election for U.S. Senate in Montana
U.S. Senate · Montana
Conrad Burns (R) won with 51.9% of the vote, defeating John Melcher (D) by 3.7 points, a seat Democrats won last time.
Conrad BurnsRepublican · winner
51.9%189,445
John MelcherDemocrat
48.1%175,809
365,254 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.
John MelcherConrad Burns
$1.2M
Raised by the campaign
$1.1M
$1.3M
Spent by the campaign
$1.1M
$10.3K
Cash on hand
$23.9K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1988.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1988