1996 United States Senate elections

1996 United States Senate elections

← 1994 November 5, 1996 1998 →

34 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate
51 seats needed for a majority
  Majority party Minority party
 
Leader Trent Lott Tom Daschle
Party Republican Democratic
Leader since June 12, 1996 January 3, 1995
Leader's seat Mississippi South Dakota
Seats before 53 47
Seats won 55 45
Seat change Increase 2 Decrease 2
Popular vote 24,785,416[1] 23,951,995[1]
Percentage 49.5% 47.8%
Seats up 19 15
Races won 21 13

1996 United States Senate special election in Kansas1996 United States Senate election in Alabama1996 United States Senate election in Alaska1996 United States Senate election in Arkansas1996 United States Senate election in Colorado1996 United States Senate election in Delaware1996 United States Senate election in Georgia1996 United States Senate election in Idaho1996 United States Senate election in Illinois1996 United States Senate election in Iowa1996 United States Senate election in Kansas1996 United States Senate election in Kentucky1996 United States Senate election in Louisiana1996 United States Senate election in Maine1996 United States Senate election in Massachusetts1996 United States Senate election in Michigan1996 United States Senate election in Minnesota1996 United States Senate election in Mississippi1996 United States Senate election in Montana1996 United States Senate election in Nebraska1996 United States Senate election in New Hampshire1996 United States Senate election in New Jersey1996 United States Senate election in New Mexico1996 United States Senate election in North Carolina1996 United States Senate election in Oklahoma1996 United States Senate election in Oregon1996 United States Senate election in Rhode Island1996 United States Senate election in South Carolina1996 United States Senate election in South Dakota1996 United States Senate election in Tennessee1996 United States Senate election in Texas1996 United States Senate election in Virginia1996 United States Senate election in West Virginia1996 United States Senate election in Wyoming
Results of the elections (excluding Oregon's Senate special election):
     Democratic gain      Democratic hold
     Republican gain      Republican hold
     No election
Rectangular inset (Kansas): both seats up for election

Majority Leader before election

Trent Lott
Republican

Elected Majority Leader

Trent Lott
Republican

The 1996 United States Senate elections were held on November 5, 1996, with the 33 seats of Class 2 contested in regular elections. Special elections were also held to fill vacancies. They coincided with the presidential election of the same year, in which Democrat Bill Clinton was re-elected president.

Republicans held a 54–46 majority going into 1996, however, a January special election in Oregon resulted in Democrats reducing the majority to 53–47. Despite the re-election of Clinton and Gore, and despite Democrats picking a net 2 seats up in the elections to the United States House of Representatives held the same day, the Republicans had a net gain of 2 seats in the Senate, following major Republican gains 2 years before in the 1994 elections. As such, Clinton became the only president to be re-elected without ever having any Senate coattails since the ratification of the 17th Amendment.

The Republicans won open seats previously held by Democrats in Alabama, Arkansas, and Nebraska. The only Democratic pickup occurred in South Dakota, where Democrat Tim Johnson narrowly defeated incumbent Republican Larry Pressler. The cycle featured an unusually high number of retirements, with 13 in total.

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