2012 United States Senate elections

2012 United States Senate elections

← 2010 November 6, 2012 2014 →
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33 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate 51 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Harry Reid Mitch McConnell Party Democratic Republican Leader's seat Nevada Kentucky Seats before 51 47 Seats after 53 45 Seat change 2 2 Popular vote 49,988,282[1] 39,128,301[1] Percentage 53.4% 41.8% Seats up 21 10 Races won 23 8   Third party   Party Independent Seats before 2[a] Seats after 2[b] Seat change Popular vote 961,284[1] Percentage 1.0% Seats up 2 Races won 2
Results of the elections:      Democratic gain      Republican gain      Independent gain      Democratic hold      Republican hold      Independent hold      No election
Majority Leader before election Harry Reid Democratic Elected Majority Leader Harry Reid Democratic

The 2012 United States Senate elections were held on November 6, 2012, with 33 of the 100 seats in the Senate, all Class 1 seats, being contested in regular elections whose winners would serve 6-year terms beginning January 3, 2013, with the 113th Congress. Democrats had 21 seats up for election, plus 1 Independent, and 1 Independent Democrat, while the Republicans only had 10 seats up for election. The presidential election, elections to the House of Representatives, elections for governors in 14 states and territories, and many state and local elections were also held on the same day.

The Democrats gained Republican-held seats in Massachusetts and Indiana and one from an Independent Democrat in Connecticut, leaving them with a total of 53 seats. Additionally, they held open seats in Hawaii, New Mexico, North Dakota, Virginia, and Wisconsin. The Republicans, despite losing 2 of their seats, picked an open seat in Nebraska up and retained open seats in Arizona and Texas, ending with a total of 45 seats. The Independents retained a seat in Vermont and gained an additional seat from the Republicans in Maine, bringing their total to 2 seats. Both Independents would caucus with the Democrats, forming a majority caucus with a combined total of 55 seats.

As of 2024^[update], this was the last time the Democrats won seats in Florida, Indiana, Missouri, and North Dakota. It was also the last time the Republican Party won a seat in Nevada. The Democrats would not win control of the Senate again until 2020^[c] and would not win an outright majority again until 2022. This is also the last time a Democrat flipped a Senate seat in a state that they lost in the concurrent presidential election, and the last time that any party has done so.

Additionally, this was the first time since 1936 that a 2-term Democratic presidential candidate had Senate coattails on both occasions. (Although Franklin Roosevelt won third and fourth terms in 1940 and 1944, respectively, he lost Senate seats on both occasions.) This was also the first time since 1964 in which either party had to defend more than two-thirds of the Senate seats up for grabs but managed to make net gains.^[2][3] As of 2024^[update], this is the last election cycle in which an incumbent senator lost renomination (Richard Lugar of Indiana).

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