Muriel Humphrey Democratic (DFL) David Durenberger Ind.-Republican The 1978 United States Senate special election in Minnesota was held on November 7, 1978.

This became a well played issue by the Republicans—a billboard put up across the state read, "The DFL is going to face something scary -- an election".

Short was rather conservative by DFL standards of the time, and his positions on hot button issues such as abortion, motorboat usage in the Boundary Waters Canoe area, and government spending gave more liberal DFLers pause.

As a result, Durenberger won in a 26.9-percent landslide as the governorship and both U.S. Senate seats switched into Republican hands.

The results in Minnesota marked the first time the GOP had held all three offices since Joseph H. Ball left the Senate in January 1949.