1990 United States Senate elections
Appearance
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Class 2 (33 of the 100) seats in the United States Senate, one mid-term vacancy from Class 1, and one mid-term vacancy from Class 3 51 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Democratic hold Democratic gain Republican hold | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The United States Senate elections, 1990 were held on Tuesday, November 6, 1990. The Democratic Party increased its majority with a net gain of one seat from the Republican Party. The election took place in the middle of President George H. W. Bush's term, and, as with most other midterm elections, the party not holding the presidency gained seats in Congress.
Only one seat changed parties in this election, as Democrat Paul Wellstone defeated incumbent Republican Rudy Boschwitz (R-MN). Democrats would gain a 57th seat after Harris Wofford won a 1991 special election to replace H. John Heinz III (R-PA), who had died in a plane crash.
Results summary
56 | 44 |
Democrat | Republican |
Parties | Total Seats | Popular Vote | ||||||||
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1988 | 1990 | +/- | Vote | % | ||||||
Democratic Party | 55 | 56 | 1 | 17,907,544 | 51.12% | |||||
Republican Party | 45 | 44 | 1 | 16,494,624 | 47.09% | |||||
Independent | - | - | - | 222,534 | 0.64% | |||||
Libertarian Party | - | - | - | 142,003 | 0.41% | |||||
Others | - | - | - | 260,665 | 0.74% | |||||
Total | 100 | 100 | - | 35,027,370 | 100.0% | |||||
Source: Election Statistics – Office of the Clerk |
Change in Senate composition
Senate composition before the elections
D1 | D2 | D3 | D4 | D5 | D6 | D7 | D8 | D9 | D10 |
D20 | D19 | D18 | D17 | D16 | D15 | D14 | D13 | D12 | D11 |
D21 | D22 | D23 | D24 | D25 | D26 | D27 | D28 | D29 | D30 |
D40 | D39 | D38 | D37 | D36 | D35 | D34 | D33 | D32 | D31 |
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D41 | D42 | D43 | D44 | D45 | D46 | D47 | D48 | D49 | D50 |
Majority→ | D51 | ||||||||
R41 | R42 | R43 | R44 | R45 | D55 | D54 | D53 | D52 | |
R40 | R39 | R38 | R37 | R36 | R35 | R34 | R33 | R32 | R31 |
R21 | R22 | R23 | R24 | R25 | R26 | R27 | R28 | R29 | R30 |
R20 | R19 | R18 | R17 | R16 | R15 | R14 | R13 | R12 | R11 |
R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | R9 | R10 |
Senate composition as a result of the elections
D1 | D2 | D3 | D4 | D5 | D6 | D7 | D8 | D9 | D10 |
D20 | D19 | D18 | D17 | D16 | D15 | D14 | D13 | D12 | D11 |
D21 | D22 | D23 | D24 | D25 | D26 | D27 | D28 | D29 | D30 |
D40√ | D39√ | D38 | D37 | D36 | D35 | D34 | D33 | D32 | D31 |
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D41√ | D42√ | D43√ | D44√ | D45√ | D46√ | D47√ | D48√ | D49√ | D50√ |
Majority→ | D51√ | ||||||||
R41√ | R42O | R43O | R44O | D56+ | D55√ | D54√ | D53√ | D52√ | |
R40√ | R39√ | R38√ | R37√ | R36√ | R35√ | R34√ | R33√ | R32√ | R31√ |
R21 | R22 | R23 | R24 | R25 | R26 | R27 | R28√ | R29√ | R30√ |
R20 | R19 | R18 | R17 | R16 | R15 | R14 | R13 | R12 | R11 |
R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | R9 | R10 |
Key: |
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Gains, losses, and holds
Democratic gains
- Minnesota: Sen. Rudy Boschwitz (R-MN) lost to his Democratic opponent, college professor Paul Wellstone. Wellstone ran a campaign highlighted by a unique series of political advertisements that helped him pull from behind to defeat two-term incumbent Boschwitz.
Democratic re-elected
- New Jersey: The usually safe Sen. Bill Bradley (D-NJ) suddenly became very vulnerable in the face of an unpopular income tax hike. Bradley refused to take a stand on the tax hike, initiated by Democratic Governor James Florio, which helped his Republican opponent Christine Todd Whitman. Bradley narrowly held his seat, but Whitman used this momentum to defeat Governor Florio in the 1993 gubernatorial election.
Republican holds
- North Carolina: Conservative Sen. Jesse Helms (R-NC) narrowly won re-election over former Charlotte Mayor Harvey Gantt (D). The race featured a late-running ad attacking Gantt's support for affirmative action.
Complete list of races
A bolded state name indicates an article about that state's election.
State | Incumbent | Party | Result | Candidates |
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Alabama | Howell Heflin | Democratic | Re-elected | Howell Heflin (Democratic) 60.7% William J. Cabaniss (Republican) 39.3% |
Alaska | Ted Stevens | Republican | Re-elected | Ted Stevens (Republican) 67.2% Michael Beasley (Democratic) 32.8% |
Arkansas | David Pryor | Democratic | Re-elected | David Pryor (Democratic) Unopposed |
Colorado | William L. Armstrong | Republican | Retired Republican hold |
Hank Brown (Republican) 55.7% Josie Heath (Democratic) 41.6% John Heckman (Concerns of People) 1.5% Earl Dodge (Prohibition) 1.2% |
Delaware | Joe Biden | Democratic | Re-elected | Joe Biden (Democratic) 62.7% M. Jane Brady (Republican) 35.8% Lee Rosenbaum (Libertarian) 1.5% |
Georgia | Sam Nunn | Democratic | Re-elected | Sam Nunn (Democratic) Unopposed |
Hawaii (Special: Class 1) |
Daniel Akaka | Democratic | Appointee elected to finish the term ending January 3, 1995 | Daniel Akaka (Democratic) 54.0% Pat Saiki (Republican) 44.6% Ken Schoolland (Libertarian) 1.4% |
Idaho | James A. McClure | Republican | Retired Republican hold |
Larry Craig (Republican) 61.3% Ron J. Twilegar (Democratic) 38.7% |
Illinois | Paul Simon | Democratic | Re-elected | Paul Simon (Democratic) 64.9% Lynn Morley Martin (Republican) 35.1% |
Indiana (Special: Class 3) |
Dan Coats | Republican | Appointee elected to finish the term ending January 3, 1993 | Dan Coats (Republican) 53.7% Baron Hill (Democratic) 46.3% |
Iowa | Tom Harkin | Democratic | Re-elected | Tom Harkin (Democratic) 54.0% Tom Tauke (Republican) 46.0% |
Kansas | Nancy Landon Kassebaum | Republican | Re-elected | Nancy Landon Kassebaum (Republican) 73.6% Dick Williams (Democratic) 26.4% |
Kentucky | Mitch McConnell | Republican | Re-elected | Mitch McConnell (Republican) 52.2% Harvey I. Sloane (Democratic) 47.8% |
Louisiana | Bennett Johnston Jr. | Democratic | Re-elected | Bennett Johnston Jr. (Democratic) 53% David Duke (Republican) 44% |
Maine | William Cohen | Republican | Re-elected | William Cohen (Republican) 61.4% Neil Rolde (Democratic) 38.6% |
Massachusetts | John Kerry | Democratic | Re-elected | John Kerry (Democratic) 56.9% Jim Rappaport (Republican) 43.1% |
Michigan | Carl Levin | Democratic | Re-elected | Carl Levin (Democratic) 57.5% Bill Schuette (Republican) 41.2% Susan Farquhar (Workers World) 1.3% |
Minnesota | Rudy Boschwitz | Republican | Lost re-election Democratic gain |
Paul Wellstone (Democratic) 50.4% Rudy Boschwitz (Republican) 47.8% Russell Bentley (Grassroots) 1.6% |
Mississippi | Thad Cochran | Republican | Re-elected | Thad Cochran (Republican) Unopposed |
Montana | Max Baucus | Democratic | Re-elected | Max Baucus (Democratic) 68.1% Allen C. Kolstad (Republican) 29.4% Westley Deitchler (Libertarian) 2.5% |
Nebraska | J. James Exon | Democratic | Re-elected | J. James Exon (Democratic) 59.1% Hal Daub (Republican) 40.9% |
New Hampshire | Gordon J. Humphrey | Republican | Retired Republican hold |
Bob Smith (Republican) 65.1% John A. Durkin (Democratic) 31.3% John Elsnau (Libertarian) 3.3% |
New Jersey | Bill Bradley | Democratic | Re-elected | Bill Bradley (Democratic) 50.4% Christine Todd Whitman (Republican) 47.4% John L. Kucek (Populist) 1.0% Louis M. Stefanelli (Libertarian) 0.7% Don Mackle (Socialist Workers) 0.4% |
New Mexico | Pete Domenici | Republican | Re-elected | Pete Domenici (Republican) 72.9% Tom R. Benavides (Democratic) 27.1% |
North Carolina | Jesse Helms | Republican | Re-elected | Jesse Helms (Republican) 52.6% Harvey Gantt (Democratic) 47.4% |
Oklahoma | David L. Boren | Democratic | Re-elected | David L. Boren (Democratic) 83.2% Stephen Jones (Republican) 17.8% |
Oregon | Mark Hatfield | Republican | Re-elected | Mark Hatfield (Republican) 53.9% Harry Lonsdale (Democratic) 46.1% |
Rhode Island | Claiborne Pell | Democratic | Re-elected | Claiborne Pell (Democratic) 61.8% Claudine Schneider (Republican) 38.2% |
South Carolina | Strom Thurmond | Republican | Re-elected | Strom Thurmond (Republican) 64.2% Bob Cunningham (Democratic) 32.5% William H. Griffin (Libertarian) 1.8% Marion C. Metts (American) 1.4% |
South Dakota | Larry Pressler | Republican | Re-elected | Larry Pressler (Republican) 52.4% Ted Muenster (Democratic) 45.1% Dean L. Sinclair (Independent) 2.5% |
Tennessee | Al Gore | Democratic | Re-elected | Al Gore (Democratic) 67.7% William R. Hawkins (Republican) 29.8% Bill Jacox (Independent) 1.4% Charles Gordon Vick (Independent) 1.0% |
Texas | Phil Gramm | Republican | Re-elected | Phil Gramm (Republican) 60.2% Hugh Parmer (Democratic) 37.4% Gary Johnson (Libertarian) 2.3% |
Virginia | John Warner | Republican | Re-elected | John Warner (Republican) 80.9% Nancy B. Spannaus (Independent) 18.2% |
West Virginia | Jay Rockefeller | Democratic | Re-elected | Jay Rockefeller (Democratic) 68.5% John Yoder (Republican) 31.5% |
Wyoming | Alan K. Simpson | Republican | Re-elected | Alan K. Simpson (Republican) 66.4% Kathy Helling (Democratic) 33.6% |