1982 United States Senate elections

1982 United States Senate elections

← 1980 November 2, 1982 1984 →
1983 (WA) →
33 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate 51 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Howard Baker Robert Byrd Party Republican Democratic Leader since March 5, 1980 January 3, 1977 Leader's seat Tennessee West Virginia Seats before 54 45 Seats after 54 46 Seat change 1 Popular vote 22,412,928 27,899,651 Percentage 43.4% 54.1% Seats up 13 19 Races won 13 20   Third party   Party Independent Seats before 1 Seats after 0 Seat change 1 Seats up 1 Races won 0
Results of the elections:      Democratic gain      Republican gain      Democratic hold      Republican hold      No election
Majority Leader before election Howard Baker Republican Elected Majority Leader Howard Baker Republican

The 1982 United States Senate elections were held on November 2, 1982. They were elections for the United States Senate following Republican gains in 1980. The 33 Senate seats of Class 1 were up for election in 1982. A total of four seats changed hands between parties, with Democrats winning seats in New Jersey and New Mexico, and Republicans taking seats in Nevada and the seat of the lone independent, Senator Harry Byrd Jr., in Virginia. Democrats made a net gain of one seat bringing them to 46 seats, while Republicans stayed at 54 seats for a majority. However, the Democratic gain in New Jersey replaced a Republican that had been appointed earlier in the year. Liberal Republicans senators in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Vermont held onto their seats, keeping the Senate in Republican hands.

A special election was also held in Washington state in 1983 that gave Republicans a seat that was previously held by a Democrat, bringing their majority to 55–45. As of 2024, this is the last time Democrats won a U.S. Senate election in Mississippi and the last time Republicans won one in Connecticut.