Senator Gordon J. Humphrey decided to retire and not run for re-election to a third term.

Republican Bob Smith won the open seat, easily defeating the Democratic nominee, former senator John A. Durkin.

Durkin told reporters interviewing him, "If you want a Jap in the United States Senate, then vote for Bob Smith".

"Jap" is a term that was frequently used in WWII to describe the Japanese, and was, by 1990, considered racist terminology.

The quote destroyed Durkin's campaign and he ended up losing to Smith by a more than 2-to-1 margin, a devastating blow for the ex-Senator.