United States Senate elections, 1876

United States Senate elections, 1876

1874 ← November 1876 → 1878

? seats in the United States Senate   Majority party Minority party   Party Republican Democratic Last election 46 seats 28 seats Seats won 40 35 Seat change -6 +7

Majority Party before election Republican Party Elected Majority Party Republican Party

The United States Senate election of 1876 was an election in which the Democratic Party gained three seats in the United States Senate, and which coincided with Rutherford B. Hayes narrow election as President.

As this election took place prior to the ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by State legislatures.

Results

45th Congress (1877–1879)

• Majority Party: Republican (40)
• Minority Party: Democratic (35)
• Other Parties: Independent (1)
• Total Seats: 76

Change in Senate composition

Senate composition before the elections

Before the elections
D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	r	V
R
	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R

Senate composition as a result of the elections

In the next Congress
D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
R	R	I	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
R
	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R

Key:	D = Democratic R = Republican r = Independent Republican I = Independent V = Vacant

See also

• United States presidential election, 1876
• United States House of Representatives elections, 1876

References

• Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present, via Senate.gov