1908–09 United States Senate elections

U.S. Senate elections, 1908 and 1909

Various dates
30 of the 92 seats in the United States Senate 46 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Party Republican Democratic Last election 61 seats 31 seats Seats won 60 32 Seat change 1 1
Majority Party before election Republican Elected Majority Party Republican

The United States Senate elections of 1908 and 1909, some states elected their Senators directly even before passage of the 17th Amendment in 1913. Oregon pioneered direct election and experimented with different measures over several years until it succeeded in 1907. Soon after, Nebraska followed suit and laid the foundation for other states to adopt measures reflecting the people's will. By 1912, as many as 29 states elected senators either as nominees of their party's primary or in conjunction with a general election. The Republicans lost one seat to the Democrats.

Results summary

Senate Party Division, 61st Congress (1909–1911)

• Majority Party: Republican (60 seats)
• Minority Party: Democratic (32 seats)
• Other Parties: 0
• Total Seats: 92

Change in Senate composition

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 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 R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

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 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 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	Majority divider

Race summaries

Special elections during the 60th Congress

In this election, the winner was seated during in 1908 before March 4; ordered by state.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Rhode Island	Vacant			Legislature had failed to elect. New senator elected January 22, 1908. Republican gain.	√ Martin N. Johnson (Republican) [data missing]

Races leading to the 61st Congress

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1909; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 3 seats.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
California	George Perkins	Republican	1895 (Special) 1897 1903	Incumbent re-elected January 12, 1909.	√ George Perkins (Republican) 88 votes Unknown 40 votes.
Colorado	Henry M. Teller	Democratic	1885 1891 1897 1903	Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1909. Democratic hold.	√ Charles J. Hughes Jr. (Democratic) [data missing]
Florida	William Milton	Democratic	1908 (Appointed)	Interim appointee retired. Legislature failed to elect. Democratic loss. New senator appointed to start the term, and subsequently elected, see below.	None
Louisiana	Samuel D. McEnery	Democratic	1896 1900 (Early)	Incumbent re-elected May 19, 1908.	√ Samuel D. McEnery (Democratic) Unopposed
New Hampshire	Jacob Gallinger	Republican	1891 1897 1903	Incumbent re-elected in 1909.	√ Jacob Gallinger (New Hampshire)258 votes Oliver E. Branch (Democratic) 108 votes
North Dakota	Henry C. Hansbrough	Republican	1891 1897 1903	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1908 or 1909. Republican hold.	√ Martin N. Johnson (Republican) [data missing]

Connecticut, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Iowa, North Carolina, Utah, and Washington all elected in 1909.

Illinois elected January 19, 1909.

New York elected January 19, 1909.

Oregon elected January 19, 1909.

Elections during the 61st Congress

In these elections, the winners were elected in 1909 after March 4; ordered by date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Florida (Class 3)	Duncan U. Fletcher	Democratic	1909 (Appointed)	Interim appointee elected April 20, 1909 to finish the term.	√ Duncan U. Fletcher (Democratic) [data missing]

See also

• United States elections, 1908
  • United States House of Representatives elections, 1908
  • United States presidential election, 1908
• 60th United States Congress
• 61st United States Congress

References

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