1828–29 United States Senate elections

United States Senate elections, 1828 and 1829
16 of the 48 seats in the United States Senate (plus special elections); 25 seats needed for a majority
Majority party before election; Jacksonian;	Elected Majority party ; Jacksonian;

In the United States Senate elections of 1828 and 1829, the Jacksonian coalition, despite its leader's victory in the presidential election, lost a seat in the Senate to the opposing Anti-Jacksonian coalition.

As these elections were prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by State legislatures.

Results summary

Senate Party Division, 21st Congress (1829–1831)

Majority Party: Jacksonian (26–25)
Minority Party: Anti-Jackson (22)
Total Seats: 48

Change in Senate composition

"Adams" and "Anti-Jacksonian" are interchangeable in these charts.

Senate composition before the elections

After the August 26, 1828 resignation of a Jacksonian senator.

						A₁	A₂	A₃	A₄
A₁₄	A₁₃	A₁₂	A₁₁	A₁₀	A₉	A₈	A₇	A₆	A₅
A₁₅	A₁₆	A₁₇ Ran	A₁₈ Ran	A₁₉ Ran	A₂₀ Unknown	A₂₁ Retired	V₁ J Resigned	J₂₆ Ran	J₂₅ Retired
Majority →									J₂₄ Ran
J₁₅	J₁₆	J₁₇ Ran	J₁₈ Ran	J₁₉ Ran	J₂₀ Unknown	J₂₁ Retired	J₂₂ Ran	J₂₃ Unknown	J₂₄ Ran
J₁₄	J₁₃	J₁₂	J₁₁	J₁₀	J₉	J₈	J₇	J₆	J₅
						J₁	J₂	J₃	J₄

Senate composition as a result of the elections

						AJ₁	AJ₂	AJ₃	AJ₄
AJ₁₄	AJ₁₃	AJ₁₂	AJ₁₁	AJ₁₀	AJ₉	AJ₈	AJ₇	AJ₆	AJ₅
AJ₁₅	AJ₁₆	AJ₁₇ Re-elected	AJ₁₈ Re-elected	AJ₁₉ Re-elected	AJ₂₀ Gain	AJ₂₁ Gain	AJ₂₂ Gain	J₂₆ Gain	J₂₅ Gain
Majority →									J₂₄ Hold
J₁₅	J₁₆	J₁₇ Re-elected	J₁₈ Re-elected	J₁₉ Re-elected	J₂₀ Re-elected	J₂₁ Re-elected	J₂₂ Hold	J₂₃ Hold	J₂₄ Hold
J₁₄	J₁₃	J₁₂	J₁₁	J₁₀	J₉	J₈	J₇	J₆	J₅
						J₁	J₂	J₃	J₄

Key:

A_#	= Adams
AJ_#	= Anti-Jacksonian
J_#	= Jacksonian
V_#	= Vacant

Race summaries

Bold states link to specific election articles.

Special elections during the 20th Congress

In these special elections, the winners were seated during 1828 or before March 4, 1829; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Georgia (Class 2)	Thomas W. Cobb	Jacksonian	1824 (Special)	Incumbent resigned before November 7, 1828. Winner elected November 7, 1828. Jacksonian hold.	√ Oliver H. Prince (Jacksonian) [data missing]
Ohio (Class 3)	William Henry Harrison	Adams	1824	Incumbent resigned May 20, 1828 to become U.S. Minister Plenipotentiary to Gran Columbia. Winner elected December 10, 1828. Adams hold.	√ Jacob Burnet (Adams) [data missing]
North Carolina (Class 3)	Nathaniel Macon	Jacksonian	1815 (Special) 1819 1825	Incumbent resigned November 14, 1828. Winner elected December 15, 1828. Jacksonian hold.	√ James Iredell, Jr. (Jacksonian) [data missing]
Maine (Class 1)	Albion K. Parris	Jacksonian	1827	Incumbent resigned August 26, 1828 when appointed to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. Winner elected January 15, 1829. Adams gain.	√ John Holmes (Adams) [data missing]
New York (Class 1)	Martin Van Buren	Jacksonian	1821 1827	Incumbent resigned December 20, 1828 to become Governor of New York. Winner elected January 15, 1829. Jacksonian hold.	√ Charles E. Dudley (Jacksonian) [data missing]
New Jersey (Class 1)	Ephraim Bateman	Adams	1826 (Special) 1826	Incumbent resigned January 12, 1829 due to failing health. Winner elected January 30, 1829. Jacksonian gain.	√ Mahlon Dickerson (Jacksonian) [data missing]

Races leading to the 21st Congress

In these general elections, the winner was seated on March 4, 1829; ordered by state.

Note: Senators who called themselves "Adams," "Adams Men," or "National Republicans" returned to being called "Anti-Jacksonian." In this table, this change of name is not considered a change in party.

All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Alabama	William R. King	Jacksonian	1819 1822	Incumbent re-elected in 1828.	√ William R. King (Jacksonian) [data missing]
Delaware	Henry M. Ridgely	Jacksonian	1827 (Special)	Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1829. Anti-Jacksonian gain.	√ John M. Clayton (Anti-Jacksonian) [data missing]
Georgia	Oliver H. Prince	Jacksonian	1828 (Special)	Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election. Winner elected in 1828 or 1829. Jacksonian hold.	√ George Troup (Jacksonian) [data missing]
Illinois	Jesse B. Thomas	Adams	1818 1823	Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1828 or 1829. Jacksonian gain.	√ John McLean (Jacksonian) [data missing]
Kentucky	Richard M. Johnson	Jacksonian	1819 (Special) 1823	Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1829. Jacksonian hold.	√ George M. Bibb (Jacksonian) [data missing]
Louisiana	Charles D.J. Bouligny	Adams	1824 (Special)	Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election. Winner elected in 1828 or 1829. Jacksonian gain.	√ Edward Livingston (Jacksonian) [data missing]
Maine	John Chandler	Jacksonian	1820 1823	Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1828 or 1829. Anti-Jacksonian gain.	√ Peleg Sprague (Anti-Jacksonian) [data missing]
Massachusetts	Nathaniel Silsbee	Adams	1826 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected as an Anti-Jacksonian in 1829.	√ Nathaniel Silsbee (Anti-Jacksonian) [data missing]
Mississippi	Thomas Hill Williams	Jacksonian	1817. 1823	Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election. Winner elected in 1828. Jacksonian hold.	√ Thomas Buck Reed (Jacksonian) [data missing]
New Hampshire	Samuel Bell	Adams	1823	Incumbent re-elected as an Anti-Jacksonian in 1828 or 1829.	√ Samuel Bell (Anti-Jacksonian) [data missing]
New Jersey	Vacant			Incumbent Jacksonian had resigned January 30, 1829 to be elected to the class 1 seat. Winner elected in 1828. Anti-Jacksonian gain.	√ Theodore Frelinghuysen (Anti-Jacksonian) [data missing]
North Carolina	John Branch	Jacksonian	1822	Incumbent re-elected in 1829.	√ John Branch (Jacksonian) [data missing]
Rhode Island	Nehemiah R. Knight	Adams	1821 (Special) 1823	Incumbent re-elected as an Anti-Jacksonian in 1829.	√ Nehemiah R. Knight (Anti-Jacksonian) [data missing]
South Carolina	Robert Y. Hayne	Jacksonian	1822	Incumbent re-elected in 1828.	√ Robert Y. Hayne (Jacksonian) [data missing]
Tennessee	Hugh Lawson White	Jacksonian	1825 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1829.	√ Hugh Lawson White (Jacksonian) [data missing]
Virginia	Littleton Tazewell	Jacksonian	1824 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1829.	√ Littleton Tazewell (Jacksonian) [data missing]

Special elections during the 21st Congress

In these special elections, the winners were elected in 1829 after March 4; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Tennessee (Class 1)	John Eaton	Jacksonian	1818 (Appointed) ? (Special) 1821	Incumbent resigned March 9, 1829 to become U.S. Secretary of War. Winner elected October 19, 1829. Jacksonian hold.	√ Felix Grundy (Jacksonian) [data missing]
Georgia (Class 3)	John M. Berrien	Jacksonian	1825	Incumbent resigned March 9, 1829 to become U.S. Attorney General. Winner elected November 9, 1829. Jacksonian hold.	√ John Forsyth (Jacksonian) [data missing]
North Carolina (Class 2)	John Branch	Jacksonian	1822 1828	Incumbent resigned March 9, 1829 to become U.S. Secretary of the Navy. Winner elected December 9, 1829. Jacksonian hold.	√ Bedford Brown (Jacksonian) [data missing]

References

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