1988Final results
1988 election for U.S. Senate in North Dakota
U.S. Senate · North Dakota
Quentin Burdick (D) won with 59.4% of the vote, defeating Earl Strinden (R) by 20.4 points.
Quentin BurdickDemocrat · winner
59.4%171,899
Earl StrindenRepublican
39.1%112,937
Kenneth C. GardnerLibertarian
1.5%4,334
289,170 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.
Quentin BurdickEarl Strinden
$1.8M
Raised by the campaign
$908.6K
$2M
Spent by the campaign
$906.8K
$25.2K
Cash on hand
$1.8K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1988.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1988