1998Flipped from DemocraticFinal results
1998 election for U.S. Senate in Alabama
U.S. Senate · Alabama
Richard C. Shelby (R) won with 63.2% of the vote, defeating Clayton Suddith (D) by 26.6 points, a seat Democrats won last time.
Richard C. ShelbyRepublican · winner
63.2%817,973
Clayton SuddithDemocrat
36.7%474,568
1,293,405 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 1998
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.
Clayton SuddithRichard C. Shelby
$16.2K
Raised by the campaign
$3.5M
$16.3K
Spent by the campaign
$1.9M
-$64
Cash on hand
$4.6M
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1998.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1998