1986 United States Senate elections

1986 United States Senate elections

← 1984 November 4, 1986 1988 →

34 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate
51 seats needed for a majority
  Majority party Minority party
 
Leader Robert Byrd Bob Dole
Party Democratic Republican
Leader since January 3, 1977 January 3, 1985
Leader's seat West Virginia Kansas
Seats before 47 53
Seats after 55 45
Seat change Increase 8 Decrease 8
Popular vote 24,347,369[1] 23,126,219[a][1]
Percentage 50.1% 47.6%
Seats up 12 22
Races won 20 14

1986 United States Senate elections in North Carolina1986 United States Senate election in Alabama1986 United States Senate election in Alaska1986 United States Senate election in Arizona1986 United States Senate election in Arkansas1986 United States Senate election in California1986 United States Senate election in Colorado1986 United States Senate election in Connecticut1986 United States Senate election in Florida1986 United States Senate election in Georgia1986 United States Senate election in Hawaii1986 United States Senate election in Idaho1986 United States Senate election in Illinois1986 United States Senate election in Indiana1986 United States Senate election in Iowa1986 United States Senate election in Kansas1986 United States Senate election in Kentucky1986 United States Senate election in Louisiana1986 United States Senate election in Maryland1986 United States Senate election in Missouri1986 United States Senate election in Nevada1986 United States Senate election in New Hampshire1986 United States Senate election in New York1986 United States Senate elections in North Carolina1986 United States Senate election in North Dakota1986 United States Senate election in Ohio1986 United States Senate election in Oklahoma1986 United States Senate election in Oregon1986 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania1986 United States Senate election in South Carolina1986 United States Senate election in South Dakota1986 United States Senate election in Utah1986 United States Senate election in Vermont1986 United States Senate election in Washington1986 United States Senate election in Wisconsin
Results of the elections:
     Democratic gain      Democratic hold
     Republican gain      Republican hold
     No election
Rectangular inset (North Carolina): both seats up for election

Majority Leader before election

Bob Dole
Republican

Elected Majority Leader

Robert Byrd
Democratic

The 1986 United States Senate elections were elections for the United States Senate. Held on November 4, in the middle of Ronald Reagan's second presidential term, the 34 seats of Class 3 were contested in regular elections. The Republicans had to defend an unusually large number of freshman Senate incumbents who had been elected on President Ronald Reagan's coattails in 1980. Democrats won a net of eight seats, defeating seven freshman incumbents, picking up two Republican-held open seats, and regaining control of the Senate for the first time since January 1981. This remains the most recent midterm election cycle in which the sitting president's party suffered net losses while still flipping a Senate seat.

Democrats gained a net eight seats, and recaptured control of the Senate from the Republicans with a 55–45 majority. They defeated seven incumbents, all but one of whom had been elected in 1980, and gained open seats held by retiring Republicans in Maryland and Nevada. Republicans gained one open seat in Missouri. Bob Dole (R-Kansas) and Robert Byrd (D-West Virginia) exchanged positions as the Majority Leader and the Minority Leader. However, the Democratic majority would be reduced to 54-46 following the March 1987 death of Democrat Edward Zorinsky, who was then replaced with a Republican.

This was the last election cycle — until 2016 — in which the Democrats in this class of senators amassed a gain in seats (not including special elections held in off-years in some states to fill the seats that had been vacated by senators due to death, resignation, or otherwise).

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