1988 United States Senate elections

1988 United States Senate elections

← 1986 November 8, 1988 1990 →

33 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate
51 seats needed for a majority
  Majority party Minority party
 
Leader Robert Byrd Bob Dole
Party Democratic Republican
Leader since January 3, 1977 January 3, 1985
Leader's seat West Virginia Kansas
Seats before 54 46
Seats after 55 45
Seat change Increase 1 Decrease 1
Popular vote 35,137,786 31,151,251
Percentage 52.1% 46.2%
Seats up 18 15
Races won 19 14

1988 United States Senate election in Arizona1988 United States Senate election in California1988 United States Senate election in Connecticut1988 United States Senate election in Delaware1988 United States Senate election in Florida1988 United States Senate election in Hawaii1988 United States Senate election in Indiana1988 United States Senate election in Maine1988 United States Senate election in Maryland1988 United States Senate election in Massachusetts1988 United States Senate election in Michigan1988 United States Senate election in Minnesota1988 United States Senate election in Mississippi1988 United States Senate election in Missouri1988 United States Senate election in Montana1988 United States Senate election in Nebraska1988 United States Senate election in Nevada1988 United States Senate election in New Jersey1988 United States Senate election in New Mexico1988 United States Senate election in New York1988 United States Senate election in North Dakota1988 United States Senate election in Ohio1988 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania1988 United States Senate election in Rhode Island1988 United States Senate election in Tennessee1988 United States Senate election in Texas1988 United States Senate election in Utah1988 United States Senate election in Vermont1988 United States Senate election in Virginia1988 United States Senate election in Washington1988 United States Senate election in West Virginia1988 United States Senate election in Wisconsin1988 United States Senate election in Wyoming
Results of the elections:
     Democratic gain      Democratic hold
     Republican gain      Republican hold
     No election

Majority Leader before election

Robert Byrd
Democratic

Elected Majority Leader

George Mitchell
Democratic

The 1988 United States Senate elections were elections for the United States Senate. Held on November 8, 1988, the 33 seats of Class 1 were contested in regular elections. In spite of the Republican victory by George H. W. Bush in the presidential election, the Democrats gained a net of 1 seat in the Senate. 7 seats changed parties, with 4 incumbents being defeated. The Democratic majority in the Senate increased by one to 55–45.

This is the last Senate election cycle in which California voted for a Republican, and the last in which Texas and Maine voted for the Democrat[a], and the last time Arizona voted Democratic until 2018. This would also be the last Senate election cycle until 1998 to not have at least one special election during that cycle.

This is also the last Senate election cycle in which no woman was elected to the Senate from either party as all of the winners were men.
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