United States Senate elections, 1996

United States Senate elections, 1996

1994 ← November 5, 1996 → 1998

Class II (33 of the 100) seats in the United States Senate and one mid-term vacancy from Class III 51 seats needed for a majority   Majority party Minority party   Leader Trent Lott Tom Daschle Party Republican Democratic Leader's seat Mississippi South Dakota Last election 52 seats 48 seats Seats before 53 47 Seats won 55 45 Seat change 2 2 Popular vote 24,211,395 23,490,651 Percentage 49.4% 47.9% Swing 0.5% 3.9%

Republican hold   Republican pickups   Democratic hold   Democratic pickup

Majority Leader before election Trent Lott Republican Elected Majority Leader Trent Lott Republican

The 1996 elections to the United States Senate coincided with the 1996 presidential election, in which Democrats Bill Clinton and Al Gore were reelected President and Vice President of the United States, respectively.

Despite the reelection of Clinton and Gore, and despite Democrats picking up a net two seats in the elections to the United States House of Representatives held the same day, the Republicans had a net gain of two seats in the Senate, following major Republican gains two years previously in the 1994 elections.

The Republicans captured the open seats in Alabama, Arkansas, and Nebraska. In South Dakota, Democrat Tim Johnson defeated incumbent Republican Senator Larry Pressler.

Results summary

Does not include Oregon's January 1996 special election, which was not held at the same time as this election.

Parties		Last election: 1994	End of last (104th) Congress	Not Up	Up	Incumbent retired		Incumbent ran			Summary			Elected	Result	Change	Popular Vote
						Held by same party	Replaced by other party	Won re-election	Lost re-election	Lost renomination, but held by same party	Won	Lost	Gained				Votes	Share
	Republican	53	53	34	19	4	0	13	1	1	18	1	3	21	55	2	24,211,395	49.41%
	Democratic	47	47	32	15	5	3	7	0	0	12	3	1	13	45	2	23,490,651	47.94%
	Libertarian	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	362,208	0.74%
	Other	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	939,895	1.92%
Total		100	100	66	34	9	3	20	1	1	30	4	4	34	100	—	49,004,149	100%

Sources:

• Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present, via Senate.gov
• Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 5, 1996, via Clerk.House.gov

Change in composition

Senate composition at the end of the 104th Congress R1 R11 R21 R31 R41 R51 D40 D30 D20 D10 R2 R12 R22 R32 R42 R52 D39 D29 D19 D9 R3 R13 R23 R33 R43 R53 D38 D28 D18 D8 R4 R14 R24 R34 R44 D47 D37 D27 D17 D7 R5 R15 R25 R35 R45 D46 D36 D26 D16 D6 R6 R16 R26 R36 R46 D45 D35 D25 D15 D5 R7 R17 R27 R37 R47 D44 D34 D24 D14 D4 R8 R18 R28 R38 R48 D43 D33 D23 D13 D3 R9 R19 R29 R39 R49 D42 D32 D22 D12 D2 R10 R20 R30 R40 R50 D41 D31 D21 D11 D1		Senate composition at the beginning of the 105th Congress R1 R11 R21 R31 R41 √ R51 O D40 O D30 D20 D10 R2 R12 R22 R32 R42 √ R52 O D39 √ D29 D19 D9 R3 R13 R23 R33 R43 √ R53 + D38 √ D28 D18 D8 R4 R14 R24 R34 R44 √ R54 + D37 √ D27 D17 D7 R5 R15 R25 R35 √ R45 √ R55 + D36 √ D26 D16 D6 R6 R16 R26 R36 √ R46 √ D45 + D35 √ D25 D15 D5 R7 R17 R27 R37 √ R47 O D44 O D34 √ D24 D14 D4 R8 R18 R28 R38 √ R48 O D43 O D33 √ D23 D13 D3 R9 R19 R29 R39 √ R49 O D42 O D32 D22 D12 D2 R10 R20 R30 R40 √ R50 O D41 O D31 D21 D11 D1
Key Parties Results R = Republican √ = Party hold: Incumbent re-elected D = Democratic O = Party hold: New Senator elected from same party   + = Party gain: New Senator elected from different party   No tag = Seat not up for election this year

Notable races

Democratic gains

• South Dakota: Three-term Sen. Larry Pressler (R-SD) faced a tough challenge from Rep. Tim Johnson (D-SD). Johnson would defeat Pressler by 2 points and become the only candidate to defeat an incumbent in this year's election cycle.

Democratic holds

• Georgia: Incumbent Senator Sam Nunn decided not to run for re-election and gave his endorsements to Max Cleland the democratic nominee, however Cleland faced a tough election against Republican Businessman Guy Milner who accused Cleland on rejecting war request and raising taxes for the rich. However Cleland claimed Milner was rich already and if elected would use the advantage of the senate for his wealth.

Republican gains

• Alabama: Sen. Howell Heflin (D-AL), one of the last conservative Democrats in the Senate, retired after three terms. Republican nominee Jeff Sessions, the state Attorney General, defeated Democratic State Senator Roger Bedford in the general election
• Arkansas: Popular Sen. David Pryor (D-AR) chose not to seek a fourth term. The Democratic Party in Arkansas had been badly damaged by the resignation of Governor Jim Guy Tucker after being convicted of mail fraud. This helped Rep. Tim Hutchinson (R-AR) defeat Democratic state Attorney General Winston Bryant to become Arkansas' first Republican Senator since Reconstruction.
• Nebraska: Democratic Governor Ben Nelson was expected to easily win the race to succeed retiring Sen. J. James Exon (D-NE). Republican businessman Chuck Hagel, however, made it a highly competitive race and pulled off a huge fourteen point upset over the popular governor (Nelson won election to Nebraska's other Senate seat four years later).

Summary of contests

Separate election

Date	State (Linked to individual election articles in bold)	Incumbent	Party	Result	Candidates
January 30, 1996	Oregon (Class 3: Special)	Bob Packwood	Republican	Resigned Democratic pick-up	Ron Wyden (Democratic) 47.8% Gordon H. Smith (Republican) 46.2% Karen Shilling (American Independent) 2.1% Gene Nanni (Libertarian) 1.3% Vickie Valdez (Socialist) 0.7% Lou Gold (Pacific Green) 0.6%

November elections

State (Linked to individual election articles in bold)	Incumbent Senator	Incumbent party	Result	Candidates (Winning candidates in bold)
Alabama	Howell Heflin	Democratic	Retired Republican pick-up	Jeff Sessions (Republican) 52.5% Roger Bedford (Democratic) 45.5% Mark Thornton (Libertarian) 1.4% Charles R. Hebner (Natural Law) 0.6%
Alaska	Ted Stevens	Republican	Re-elected	Ted Stevens (Republican) 76.7% Jeff Whittaker (Green) 12.5% Theresa Obermeyer (Democratic) 10.3%
Arkansas	David Pryor	Democratic	Retired Republican pick-up	Tim Hutchinson (Republican) 52.7% Winston Bryant (Democratic) 47.3%
Colorado	Hank Brown	Republican	Retired Republican hold	Wayne Allard (Republican) 51.4% Tom Strickland (Democratic) 45.7% Randy MacKenzie (Natural Law) 2.9%
Delaware	Joe Biden	Democratic	Re-elected	Joe Biden (Democratic) 60% Raymond J. Clatworthy (Republican) 38.1% Mark Jones (Libertarian) 1.2% Jacqueline Kossoff (Natural Law) 0.6%
Georgia	Sam Nunn	Democratic	Retired Democratic hold	Max Cleland (Democratic) 48.9% Guy Millner (Republican) 47.5% John Gregory Cashin (Libertarian) 3.6%
Idaho	Larry E. Craig	Republican	Re-elected	Larry E. Craig (Republican) 57.0% Walt Minnick (Democratic) 39.9% Mary J. Charbonneau (Independent) 2.0% Susan Vegors (Natural Law) 1.0%
Illinois	Paul Simon	Democratic	Retired Democratic hold	Dick Durbin (Democratic) 56.1% Al Salvi (Republican) 40.7% Steven H. Perry (Reform) 1.4% Robin J. Miller (Libertarian) 1% Chad Koppie (U.S. Taxpayers) 0.4% James E. Davis (Natural Law) 0.3%
Iowa	Tom Harkin	Democratic	Re-elected	Tom Harkin (Democratic) 51.8% Jim Ross Lightfoot (Republican) 46.7% Sue Atkinson (Independent) 0.8% Fred Gratzon (Natural Law) 0.3% Joe Sulentic (Independent) 0.2% Shirley E. Pena (Socialist Workers) 0.2%
Kansas	Nancy Kassebaum	Republican	Retired Republican hold	Pat Roberts (Republican) 62.0% Sally Thompson (Democratic) 34.4% Mark S. Marney (Reform) 2.3% Steven Rosile (Libertarian) 1.2%
Kansas	Sheila Frahm	Republican	Defeated in Primary Republican hold	Sam Brownback (Republican) 53.9% Jill Docking (Democratic) 43.3% Donald R. Klaassen (Reform) 2.8%
Kentucky	Mitch McConnell	Republican	Re-elected	Mitch McConnell (Republican) 55.5% Steve Beshear (Democratic) 42.8% Dennis L. Lacy (Libertarian) 0.7% Patricia Jo Metten (Natural Law) 0.6% Mac McElroy (U.S. Taxpayers) 0.4%
Louisiana	Bennett Johnston, Jr.	Democratic	Retired Democratic hold	Mary Landrieu (Democratic) 50.1% Woody Jenkins (Republican) 49.9%
Maine	William Cohen	Republican	Retired Republican hold	Susan M. Collins (Republican) 49.2% Joseph E. Brennan (Democratic) 43.8% John Rensenbrink (Green) 4% William P. Clarke (U.S. Taxpayers) 3%
Massachusetts	John Kerry	Democratic	Re-elected	John Kerry (Democratic) 52.2% William Weld (Republican) 44.7% Susan Gallagher (Conservative) 2.7% Robert Stowe (Natural Law) 0.3%
Michigan	Carl Levin	Democratic	Re-elected	Carl Levin (Democratic) 58.4% Ronna Romney (Republican) 39.9% Kenneth L. Proctor (Libertarian) 1.0% William Roundtree (Workers World) 0.3% Joseph S. Mattingly (Natural Law) 0.3% Martin P. McLaughlin (Socialist Equality) 0.2%
Minnesota	Paul Wellstone	Democratic (DFL)	Re-elected	Paul Wellstone (Democratic-Farmer-Labor) 50.3% Rudy Boschwitz (Republican) 41.3% Dean Barkley (Reform) 7% Tim Davis (Grass Roots) 0.6% Roy Ezra Carlton (Libertarian) 0.2% Steve Johnson (Natural Law) 0.2% Thomas A. Fiske (Socialist Workers) 0.1%
Mississippi	Thad Cochran	Republican	Re-elected	Thad Cochran (Republican) 71.0% James Hunt (Democratic) 27.4% Ted Weill (Independence) 1.6%
Montana	Max Baucus	Democratic	Re-elected	Max Baucus (Democratic) 49.5% Dennis Rehberg (Republican) 44.7% Becky Shaw (Reform) 4.7% Stephen Heaton (Natural Law) 1%
Nebraska	J. James Exon	Democratic	Retired Republican pick-up	Chuck Hagel (Republican) 55.4% Ben Nelson (Democratic) 44.6%
New Hampshire	Robert C. Smith	Republican	Re-elected	Robert C. Smith (Republican) Re-elected 49.3% Dick Swett (Democratic) 46.2% Ken Blevens (Libertarian) 4.5%
New Jersey	Bill Bradley	Democratic	Retired Democratic hold	Robert Torricelli (Democratic) 52.7% Dick Zimmer (Republican) 42.5% Richard J. Pezzullo (Independent) 1.8% Mary Jo Christian (Independent) 0.8% Paul A. Woomer (Independent) 0.5% Olga L. Rodriguez (Independent) 0.5% Mark Wise (Independent) 0.5% Wilburt Kornegay (Independent) 0.4% Steven J. Baeli (Independent) 0.3%
New Mexico	Pete Domenici	Republican	Re-elected	Pete Domenici (Republican) 64.7% Art Trujillo (Democratic) 29.8% Abraham Guttman (Green) 4.4% Bruce M. Bush (Libertarian) 1.1%
North Carolina	Jesse Helms	Republican	Re-elected	Jesse Helms (Republican) 52.6% Harvey Gantt (Democratic) 45.9% Ray Ubinger (Libertarian) 1.0% J. Victor Pardo (Natural Law) 0.4%
Oklahoma	Jim Inhofe	Republican	Re-elected	Jim Inhofe (Republican) 56.7% James Boren (Democratic) 40.1% Bill Maguire (Independent) 1.3% Agnes Marie Regier (Libertarian) 1.2% Chris Nedbalek (Independent) 0.7%
Oregon	Mark Hatfield	Republican	Retired Republican hold	Gordon H. Smith (Republican) 49.8% Tom Bruggere (Democratic) 45.9% Brent Thompson (Reform) 1.5% Gary Kutcher (Green) 1.0% Paul Mohn (Libertarian) 0.9% Christopher Phelps (Socialist) 0.4% Michael L. Hoyes (Natural Law) 0.3%
Rhode Island	Claiborne Pell	Democratic	Retired Democratic hold	Jack Reed (Democratic) 63.3% Nancy J. Mayer (Republican) 35% Donald W. Lovejoy (Independent) 1.7%
South Carolina	Strom Thurmond	Republican	Re-elected	Strom Thurmond (Republican) 53.4% Elliot Close (Democratic) 44.0% Richard T. Quillian (Libertarian) 1.1% Peter J. Ashy (Reform) 0.8% Annette C. Estes (Natural Law) 0.7%
South Dakota	Larry Pressler	Republican	Lost re-election Democratic-pick-up	Tim Johnson (Democratic) 51.3% Larry Pressler (R) 48.7%
Tennessee	Fred Thompson	Republican	Re-elected	Fred Thompson (Republican) 61.4% J. Houston Gordon (Democratic) 36.8% John Jay Hooker (Independent) 0.8% Bruce Gold (Independent) 0.3% Robert O. Watson (Independent) 0.3% Greg Samples (Independent) 0.2% Philip L. Kienlen (Independent) 0.1%
Texas	Phil Gramm	Republican	Re-elected	Phil Gramm (Republican) 54.8% Victor Morales (Democratic) 43.9% Michael Bird (Libertarian) 0.9% John Huff (Natural Law) 0.4%
Virginia	John Warner	Republican	Re-elected	John Warner (Republican) 52.5% Mark Warner (Democratic) 47.4%
West Virginia	Jay Rockefeller	Democratic	Re-elected	Jay Rockefeller (Democratic) 76.6% Betty Burkes (Republican) 23.4%
Wyoming	Alan K. Simpson	Republican	Retired Republican hold	Mike Enzi (Republican) 54.1% Joyce Jansa Corcoran (Democratic) 42.2% W. David Herbert (Libertarian) 2.5% Lloyd Marsden (Natural Law) 1.2%

See also

• United States House elections, 1996
• United States presidential election, 1996
• United States gubernatorial elections, 1996
• United States Senate elections, 1994
• United States Senate elections, 1998