United States Senate election, 1976 - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The United States Senate election, 1976 was an election for the United States Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

that coincided with Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

Jimmy Carter

James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...

's election

United States presidential election, 1976

The United States presidential election of 1976 followed the resignation of President Richard Nixon in the wake of the Watergate scandal. It pitted incumbent President Gerald Ford, the Republican candidate, against the relatively unknown former governor of Georgia, Jimmy Carter, the Democratic...

to the presidency

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

as well as the United States Bicentennial celebration

United States Bicentennial

The United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to the historical events leading up to the creation of the United States as an independent republic...

. Almost half of the seats being decided in this election changed parties, but Carter's narrow victory did not produce decisive gains for the Democrats, and the balance of the chamber remained the same.

Democrats took open seats in Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

, Hawaii

Hawaii

Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...

, Nebraska

Nebraska

Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....

, and defeated incumbents John Glenn Beall, Jr.

John Glenn Beall, Jr.

John Glenn Beall, Jr. was a Republican member of the United States Senate, representing the State of Maryland 1971–1977. He was also a member of the Maryland House of Delegates 1962–1968, and the U.S. House of Representatives from the sixth district of Maryland from 1969 to 1971...

of Maryland

Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

, James L. Buckley

James L. Buckley

James Lane Buckley is a retired judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and previously served as a United States Senator from the state of New York as a member of the Conservative Party of New York from January 3, 1971 to January 3, 1977...

of New York's Conservative Party

Conservative Party of New York

The Conservative Party of New York State is an American political party active in the state of New York. It is not part of any nationwide party, nor is it affiliated with the American Conservative Party, which it predates by over 40 years....

, Robert Taft, Jr.

Robert Taft, Jr.

Robert Taft Jr. was a member of the Taft political family who served as a Republican Congressman from Ohio between 1963 and 1965, as well as between 1967 and 1971. He also served as a U.S. Senator between 1971 and 1976....

of Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

, and Bill Brock

Bill Brock

William Emerson "Bill" Brock III is a former Republican United States senator from Tennessee, having served from 1971 to 1977. He is the grandson of William Emerson Brock I, who was a Democratic U.S. senator from Tennessee from 1929 to 1931.-Early life and career:Brock was a native of Chattanooga,...

of Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...

. Republicans

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

took open seats in Missouri

Missouri

Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

and Rhode Island

Rhode Island

The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...

, and defeated five incumbents: John V. Tunney

John V. Tunney

John Varick Tunney , is a former Democratic Party United States Senator and Representative.-Biography:He is the son of the famous heavyweight boxing champion Gene Tunney and Connecticut socialite Polly Lauder Tunney....

of California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, Vance Hartke

Vance Hartke

Rupert Vance Hartke was a Democratic United States Senator from Indiana from 1959 until 1977.-Early life, education, military service:...

of Indiana

Indiana

Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

, Joseph Montoya

Joseph Montoya

Joseph Manuel Montoya was a Democratic U.S. Senator for the State of New Mexico from 1964 until 1977.-Education:...

of New Mexico

New Mexico

New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...

, Frank Moss of Utah

Utah

Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...

, and Gale McGee of Wyoming

Wyoming

Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...

Results summary

> >

Summary of the 1976 United States Senate election results
Parties		Total Seats			Popular Vote
Parties		1974 United States Senate election, 1974 The U.S. Senate election of 1974 was held in the wake of the Watergate scandal, Richard M. Nixon's resignation from the presidency, and Gerald Ford's subsequent pardon of Nixon. These circumstances benefited the Democrats, and they made a net gain of three seats from the Republicans. This became...	1976	+/-	Vote	%
Democratic Party	60	61	+1	31,790,526	53.72%
Republican Party	37	38	+1	24,562,431	41.51%
	Others	2	1	-1	2,821,050	4.77%
Total		100	100	-	59,174,007	100.0%
Source: Election Statistics - Office of the Clerk

Complete list of races

A bolded state name indicates an article about that state's election.

State	Incumbent	Party	Result	Opposing Candidates
Arizona	Paul Fannin Paul Fannin Paul Jones Fannin was the 11th Governor of the U.S. state of Arizona from 1959 to 1965 and subsequently a U.S. Senator from Arizona. He was a Republican.- Biography :...	Republican	Retired Democratic gain	Dennis DeConcini Dennis DeConcini Dennis Webster DeConcini is a former Democratic U.S. Senator from Arizona. Son of former Arizona Supreme Court Judge Evo Anton DeConcini, he represented Arizona in the United States Senate from 1977 until 1995.... (Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... ) 54.0% Sam Steiger Sam Steiger Sam Steiger is an American politician, journalist, political pundit, and rancher. He has served five terms as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, two terms in the Arizona State Senate, and one term as mayor of Prescott, Arizona. Steiger has also made an unsuccessful run for the U.S... (Republican) 43.3% Allan Norwitz (Libertarian Libertarian Party (United States) The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration... ) 1.0%
California	John V. Tunney John V. Tunney John Varick Tunney , is a former Democratic Party United States Senator and Representative.-Biography:He is the son of the famous heavyweight boxing champion Gene Tunney and Connecticut socialite Polly Lauder Tunney....	Democratic	Lost re-election, 46.9% Republican gain	S. I. Hayakawa S. I. Hayakawa Samuel Ichiye Hayakawa was a Canadian-born American academic and political figure of Japanese ancestry. He was an English professor, and served as president of San Francisco State University and then as United States Senator from California from 1977 to 1983... (Republican) 50.2%
Connecticut	Lowell P. Weicker, Jr. Lowell P. Weicker, Jr. Lowell Palmer Weicker, Jr. is an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and the 85th Governor of Connecticut, and unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for President in 1980...	Republican	Re-elected, 57.7%	Gloria Schaffer (Democratic) 41.2%
Delaware	William V. Roth, Jr. William V. Roth, Jr. William Victor "Bill" Roth, Jr. was an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a veteran of World War II and a member of the Republican Party, who served as U.S. Representative and U.S...	Republican	Re-elected, 55.8%	Thomas C. Maloney (Democratic) 43.6%
Florida United States Senate election in Florida, 1976 The 1976 United States Senate election in Florida was held on November 2, 1976. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Lawton Chiles won re-election to a second term.-Results:...	Lawton Chiles Lawton Chiles Lawton Mainor Chiles, Jr. was an American politician from the US state of Florida. In a career spanning four decades, Chiles, a Democrat who never lost an election, served in the Florida House of Representatives , the Florida State Senate , the United States Senate , and as the 41st Governor of...	Democratic	Re-elected, 63.0%	John Grady (Republican) 37.0%
Hawaii United States Senate election in Hawaii, 1976 The 1976 United States Senate election in Hawaii took place on November 2, 1976. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Hiram Fong decided to retire instead of seeking re-election to a fourth term. Democrat Spark Matsunaga won the open seat.-Results:...	Hiram Fong Hiram Fong Hiram Leong Fong , born Yau Leong Fong , was an American businessman and politician from Hawaii. He is most notable for his service as Republican United States Senator from 1959 to 1977, and for being the first Asian American and Chinese American to be elected as such...	Republican	Retired Democratic gain	Spark Matsunaga Spark Matsunaga Spark Masayuki Matsunaga was a United States Senator from Hawaii. He was an American Democrat whose legislation in the United States Senate led to the creation of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians.-Career:Matsunaga became a United States Army Reservist in 1941,... (Democratic) 53.7% William F. Quinn William F. Quinn William Francis Quinn was the Governor of the Territory of Hawai'i from 1957 to 1959 and the Governor of the State of Hawai'i from 1959 to 1962. Originally appointed to the office by President Dwight D... (Republican) 40.6%
Indiana	Vance Hartke Vance Hartke Rupert Vance Hartke was a Democratic United States Senator from Indiana from 1959 until 1977.-Early life, education, military service:...	Democratic	Lost re-election, 40.5% Republican gain	Richard Lugar (Republican) 58.8%
Maine	Edmund Muskie Edmund Muskie Edmund Sixtus "Ed" Muskie was an American politician from Rumford, Maine. He served as Governor of Maine from 1955 to 1959, as a member of the United States Senate from 1959 to 1980, and as Secretary of State under Jimmy Carter from 1980 to 1981...	Democratic	Re-elected, 60.2%	Robert A. G. Monks Robert A. G. Monks Robert A. G. Monks is a shareholder activist. He is the author of Corpocracy and The New Global Investors, and with Nell Minow, Watching the Watchers, Corporate Governance and Power & Accountability.-Biography:... (Republican) 39.8%
Maryland	John Glenn Beall, Jr. John Glenn Beall, Jr. John Glenn Beall, Jr. was a Republican member of the United States Senate, representing the State of Maryland 1971–1977. He was also a member of the Maryland House of Delegates 1962–1968, and the U.S. House of Representatives from the sixth district of Maryland from 1969 to 1971...	Republican	Lost re-election, 38.8% Democratic gain	Paul Sarbanes Paul Sarbanes Paul Spyros Sarbanes , a Democrat, is a former United States Senator who represented the state of Maryland. Sarbanes was the longest-serving senator in Maryland history, having served from 1977 until 2007. He did not seek re-election in 2006, when he was succeeded by fellow Democrat Ben Cardin... (Democratic) 56.5%
Massachusetts United States Senate election in Massachusetts, 1976 The United States Senate election of 1976 in Massachusetts was held on November 2, 1976 with the incumbent Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy defeating his challengers.-Democratic:...	Ted Kennedy Ted Kennedy Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...	Democratic	Re-elected, 69.3%	Michael S. Robertson (Republican) 29.0% Carol Henderson Evans (Socialist Workers Socialist Workers Party (United States) The Socialist Workers Party is a far-left political organization in the United States. The group places a priority on "solidarity work" to aid strikes and is strongly supportive of Cuba... ) 1.1% H. Graham Lowry (U.S. Labor U.S. Labor Party The U.S. Labor Party was a political party formed in 1973 by the National Caucus of Labor Committees . It served as a vehicle for Lyndon LaRouche to run for President of the United States in 1976, but it also sponsored many candidates for local offices and Congressional and Senate seats between... ) 0.6%
Michigan	Philip Hart Philip Hart Philip Aloysius Hart was a Democratic United States Senator from Michigan from 1959 until 1976. He was nicknamed the Conscience of the Senate.-Early years:...	Democratic	Retired Democratic hold	Donald W. Riegle, Jr. Donald W. Riegle, Jr. Donald Wayne Riegle Jr. is an American politician from Michigan, who served for five terms as a Representative and for three terms as a Senator.-Early life:... (Democratic) 52.5% Marvin L. Esch Marvin L. Esch Marvin Leonel Esch was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan and a member of the Republican Party. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1967 to 1977 before unsuccessfully seeking a seat in the United States Senate in the 1976 election... (Republican) 46.8%
Minnesota	Hubert Humphrey Hubert Humphrey Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr. , served under President Lyndon B. Johnson as the 38th Vice President of the United States. Humphrey twice served as a United States Senator from Minnesota, and served as Democratic Majority Whip. He was a founder of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and...	Democratic	Re-elected, 67.5%	Gerald W. Brekke (Republican) 25.0% Paul Helm (Independent) 6.6%
Mississippi United States Senate election in Mississippi, 1976 The 1976 United States Senate election in Mississippi was held on November 2, 1976. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator John C. Stennis won re-election to his sixth term.-Results:...	John C. Stennis John C. Stennis John Cornelius Stennis was a U.S. Senator from the state of Mississippi. He was a Democrat who served in the Senate for over 41 years, becoming its most senior member by his retirement.- Early life :...	Democratic	Unopposed
Missouri	Stuart Symington Stuart Symington William Stuart Symington was a businessman and political figure from Missouri. He served as the first Secretary of the Air Force from 1947 to 1950 and was a Democratic United States Senator from Missouri from 1953 to 1976.-Education and business career:...	Democratic	Retired Republican gain	John Danforth John Danforth John Claggett "Jack" Danforth is a former United States Ambassador to the United Nations and former Republican United States Senator from Missouri. He is an ordained Episcopal priest. Danforth is married to Sally D. Danforth and has five adult children.-Education and early career:Danforth was born... (Republican) 56.9% Warren E. Hearnes Warren E. Hearnes Warren Eastman Hearnes was an American politician and the 46th Governor of Missouri from 1965 to 1973. He was the first Missouri Governor eligible to serve two consecutive four year terms, and a lifelong Democrat... (Democratic) 42.5% Lawrence Petty (Independent) 0.6%
Montana	Mike Mansfield Mike Mansfield Michael Joseph Mansfield was an American Democratic politician and the longest-serving Majority Leader of the United States Senate, serving from 1961 to 1977. He also served as United States Ambassador to Japan for over ten years...	Democratic	Retired Democratic hold	John Melcher John Melcher John Melcher is an American politician of the Democratic Party who represented Montana as a member of the United States House of Representatives, and as a United States Senator from 1977 until 1989.-Early life:... (Democratic) 64.2% Stanley C. Burger (Republican) 35.8%
Nebraska	Roman Hruska Roman Hruska Roman Lee Hruska was a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Nebraska. Hruska was known as one of the most vocal conservatives in the United States Senate during the 1960s and 1970s.-Life and career:...	Republican	Retired Democratic gain	Edward Zorinsky Edward Zorinsky Edward Zorinsky was a Democratic U.S. Senator from Nebraska, serving from 1976 until his death.- Early life :... (Democratic) 52.4% John Y. McCollister John Y. McCollister John Yetter McCollister is a Nebraska Republican politician.He was born to John M. McCollister and Ruth Yetter McCollister in Iowa City, Iowa. In 1939 he graduated from Washington High School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and in 1943 he graduated from the University of Iowa in Iowa City. He... (Republican) 47.5%
Nevada	Howard Cannon Howard Cannon Howard Walter Cannon was an American politician. He served as a United States Senator from Nevada from 1959 until 1983 as a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life:...	Democratic	Re-elected, 63.0%	David Towell David Towell David Gilmer Towell served a single term as a United States Representative from Nevada, representing the state's at-large district. He was a Republican. A real estate broker by profession, he ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1972... (Republican) 31.4%
New Jersey	Harrison A. Williams Harrison A. Williams Harrison Arlington "Pete" Williams, Jr. was a Democrat who represented New Jersey in both the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate . Williams was convicted on May 1, 1981 for taking bribes in the Abscam sting operation, and resigned from the U.S. Senate in 1982...	Democratic	Re-elected, 60.7%	David A. Norcross David A. Norcross David A. Norcross is an American Republican Party politician who ran for United States Senate in 1976 and served as Chairman of the New Jersey Republican State Committee.-Biography:... (Republican) 38.0%
New Mexico United States Senate election in New Mexico, 1976 The 1976 United States Senate election in New Mexico took place on November 3, 1976. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Joseph Montoya was running for re-election to a third term, but lost to Republican Harrison Schmitt.-Results:-External links:...	Joseph Montoya Joseph Montoya Joseph Manuel Montoya was a Democratic U.S. Senator for the State of New Mexico from 1964 until 1977.-Education:...	Democratic	Lost re-election, 42.7% Republican gain	Harrison Schmitt Harrison Schmitt Harrison Hagan "Jack" Schmitt is an American geologist, a retired NASA astronaut, university professor, and a former U.S. senator from New Mexico.... (Republican) 56.8%
New York	James L. Buckley James L. Buckley James Lane Buckley is a retired judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and previously served as a United States Senator from the state of New York as a member of the Conservative Party of New York from January 3, 1971 to January 3, 1977...	Conservative Conservative Party of New York The Conservative Party of New York State is an American political party active in the state of New York. It is not part of any nationwide party, nor is it affiliated with the American Conservative Party, which it predates by over 40 years....	Lost re-election as a Republican, 44.9% Democratic gain	Daniel Patrick Moynihan Daniel Patrick Moynihan Daniel Patrick "Pat" Moynihan was an American politician and sociologist. A member of the Democratic Party, he was first elected to the United States Senate for New York in 1976, and was re-elected three times . He declined to run for re-election in 2000... (Democratic) 54.2%
North Dakota United States Senate election in North Dakota, 1976 The 1976 U.S. Senate election for the state of North Dakota was held November 2, 1976. The incumbent, North Dakota Democratic NPL Party Senator Quentin Burdick, sought and received re-election to his fourth term to the United States Senate, defeating Republican candidate Robert Stroup...	Quentin N. Burdick Quentin N. Burdick Quentin Northrup Burdick was a United States Senator from North Dakota from August 8, 1960 until his death in 1992. Prior to that he had served in the United States House of Representatives from January 3, 1959 to August 8, 1960. He was the son of NPL North Dakota Congressman Usher L...	Democratic	Re-elected, 62.1%	Robert Stroup (Republican) 36.6%
Ohio	Robert Taft, Jr. Robert Taft, Jr. Robert Taft Jr. was a member of the Taft political family who served as a Republican Congressman from Ohio between 1963 and 1965, as well as between 1967 and 1971. He also served as a U.S. Senator between 1971 and 1976....	Republican	Lost re-election, 46.5% Democratic gain	Howard Metzenbaum Howard Metzenbaum Howard Morton Metzenbaum was an American politician who served for almost 20 years as a Democratic member of the U.S. Senate from Ohio . He also served in the Ohio House of Representatives and Senate from 1943 to 1951.-Early life:Metzenbaum was born in Cleveland, to a poor Jewish family, the son... (Democratic) 49.5%
Pennsylvania United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, 1976 The 1976 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on November 2, 1976. Incumbent Republican Senator Hugh Scott, then Minority Leader of the Senate, did not seek re-election. Then-U.S. Rep. H. John Heinz III of Pittsburgh won election to the seat, defeating Democratic opponent William...	Hugh Scott Hugh Scott Hugh Doggett Scott, Jr. was a politician from Pennsylvania who served in both the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, and who also served as Chairman of the Republican National Committee.- Early life :He was born in Fredericksburg, Virginia, on November 11, 1900...	Republican	Retired Republican hold	H. John Heinz III H. John Heinz III Henry John Heinz III was an American politician from Pennsylvania, a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate .-Early life:... (Republican) 52.4% William J. Green, III William J. Green, III William Joseph Green, III is a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Green also served as the 94th Mayor of Philadelphia.-Youth:... (Democratic) 46.8%
Rhode Island	John O. Pastore John O. Pastore John Orlando Pastore was a Rhode Island Democratic Party politician who was a United States Senator from Rhode Island and the 61st Governor of Rhode Island , and was the first Italian American to hold either position.-Early life and career:Born in Providence on March 17, 1907, he attended...	Democratic	Retired Republican gain	John Chafee John Chafee John Lester Hubbard Chafee was an American politician. He served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps, as the 66th Governor of Rhode Island, as the Secretary of the Navy, and as a United States Senator.-Early life and family:... (Republican) 57.7% Richard P. Lorber (Democratic) 42.0%
Tennessee	Bill Brock Bill Brock William Emerson "Bill" Brock III is a former Republican United States senator from Tennessee, having served from 1971 to 1977. He is the grandson of William Emerson Brock I, who was a Democratic U.S. senator from Tennessee from 1929 to 1931.-Early life and career:Brock was a native of Chattanooga,...	Republican	Lost re-election, 47.0% Democratic gain	Jim Sasser Jim Sasser James Ralph "Jim" Sasser is an American politician and attorney. A Democrat, Sasser served three terms as a United States Senator from Tennessee and was Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee... (Democratic) 52.5%
Texas	Lloyd Bentsen Lloyd Bentsen Lloyd Millard Bentsen, Jr. was a four-term United States senator from Texas and the Democratic Party nominee for Vice President in 1988 on the Michael Dukakis ticket. He also served in the House of Representatives from 1949 to 1955. In his later political life, he was Chairman of the Senate...	Democratic	Re-elected, 56.8%	Alan Steelman Alan Steelman Alan Watson Steelman is a Dallas businessman who was a Republican congressman from Texas between 1973 and 1977; at the time of his election, he was the youngest sitting member of Congress. He gave up his Fifth Congressional District seat to challenge Democratic incumbent Lloyd M. Bentsen, Jr., in... (Republican) 42.2%
Utah	Frank Moss	Democratic	Lost re-election, 44.8% Republican gain	Orrin Hatch Orrin Hatch Orrin Grant Hatch is the senior United States Senator for Utah and is a member of the Republican Party. Hatch served as the chairman or ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee from 1993 to 2005... (Republican) 53.7%
Vermont	Robert Stafford Robert Stafford Robert Theodore Stafford was an American politician from Vermont. In his lengthy career, he served as the 71st Governor of Vermont, a United States Representative, and a U.S. Senator...	Republican	Re-elected, 50.0%	Thomas P. Salmon Thomas P. Salmon Thomas Paul Salmon , U.S. Democratic Party politician, served as the 75th Governor of the U.S. state of Vermont from 1973 to 1977.... (Democratic) 45.3%
Virginia	Harry F. Byrd, Jr. Harry F. Byrd, Jr. Harry Flood Byrd, Jr. is a retired American politician. He represented Virginia in the United States Senate from 1965 to 1983. He is most notable for leaving the Democratic Party in 1970 and becoming an Independent, although he continued to caucus with the Democrats. He is the son of Harry F....	Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...	Re-elected, 57.2%	Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr. Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr. Elmo Russell Zumwalt, Jr. was an American naval officer and the youngest man to serve as Chief of Naval Operations. As an admiral and later the 19th Chief of Naval Operations, Zumwalt played a major role in U.S. military history, especially during the Vietnam War. A highly-decorated war veteran,... (Democratic) 38.3%
Washington	Henry M. Jackson Henry M. Jackson Henry Martin "Scoop" Jackson was a U.S. Congressman and Senator from the state of Washington from 1941 until his death...	Democratic	Re-elected, 71.8%	George M. Brown (Republican) 24.2%
West Virginia	Robert Byrd Robert Byrd Robert Carlyle Byrd was a United States Senator from West Virginia. A member of the Democratic Party, Byrd served as a U.S. Representative from 1953 until 1959 and as a U.S. Senator from 1959 to 2010...	Democratic	Re-elected, 99.9%
Wisconsin	William Proxmire William Proxmire Edward William Proxmire was an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States Senator from Wisconsin from 1957 to 1989.-Personal life:...	Democratic	Re-elected, 72.2%	Stanley York (Republican) 27.0%
Wyoming	Gale W. McGee Gale W. McGee Gale William McGee was a United States Senator of the Democratic Party, and United States Ambassador to the Organization of American States...	Democratic	Lost re-election, 45.4% Republican gain	Malcolm Wallop Malcolm Wallop Malcolm Wallop was a Republican politician and former three-term United States Senator from Wyoming.-Early years:... (Republican) 54.7%

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	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	I	C	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 95th United States Congress The Ninety-fifth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1977 to January 3, 1979, during the first two years...
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	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	I	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:

C	=Conservative
D	=Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
I	=Independent
R	=Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

Majority

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Results summary

Complete list of races

Change in Senate composition

See also