1994 United States Senate elections

1994 United States Senate elections

← 1992 November 8, 1994 1996 →
← 1993 (TX)
35 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate 51 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Bob Dole George Mitchell (retired) Party Republican Democratic Leader since January 3, 1985 January 3, 1989 Leader's seat Kansas Maine Seats before 44 56 Seats after 52[a] 48 Seat change 8 8 Popular vote 29,155,739[1] 25,627,430[1] Percentage 50.0% 44.0% Seats up 13 22 Races won 21 14
Results of the elections:      Democratic hold      Republican gain      Republican hold      No election Rectangular inset (Tennessee): both seats up for election
Majority leader before election George Mitchell Democratic Elected Majority leader Bob Dole Republican

The 1994 United States Senate elections were held November 8, 1994, with the 33 seats of Class 1 contested in regular elections. Special elections were also held to fill vacancies. The Republican Party took control of the Senate from the Democrats. Like for most other midterm elections, the opposition, this time being the Republicans, held the traditional advantage. The congressional Republicans campaigned against the early presidency of Bill Clinton, including his unsuccessful health care plan. Democrats held a 56-44 majority, after having lost a seat in Texas in a 1993 special election.

The Republicans successfully defended all of their seats and won eight from the Democrats by defeating the incumbent Senators Harris Wofford (Pennsylvania) and Jim Sasser (Tennessee), in addition to picking up six open seats in Arizona, Maine, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. Notably, since Sasser's defeat coincided with a Republican victory in the special election to replace Al Gore, Tennessee's Senate delegation switched from entirely Democratic to entirely Republican in a single election. That would not happen again until 2021, when the Democrats flipped Georgia's delegation in the state's regularly-scheduled and special Senate elections.

The elections marked the first time Republicans controlled the Senate since January 1987 and coincided with the first change of control in the House of Representatives since January 1955 and a Republican net gain of ten governorships. Furthermore, this was the first popular election in which Republicans won all Senate seats up in the Deep South. Collectively, the Republican gains are known as the Republican Revolution. Minority leader Robert J. Dole became Majority Leader, and on the Democratic side, Tom Daschle became Minority Leader after the retirement of the previous Democratic leader, George J. Mitchell. It was also the first time since 1980 that Republicans made net gains in the Senate but the last time until 2018 the Republicans also made gains among Class 1 senators.

Initially, the balance was 52–48 in favor of the Republicans, but after the power change, the Democrats Richard Shelby and Ben Nighthorse Campbell switched parties and brought the balance to 54–46. The Democrat Ron Wyden won a 1996 special election to replace the Republican Bob Packwood, which left the balance at 53–47 before the next election cycle. As of 2023^[update], it is the last election cycle in which Republicans won Senate elections in Delaware, Michigan, and Washington. These are also the most recent elections from which none of the first-term senators elected remain serving in the Senate as of 2024.

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