1992 United States Senate elections
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Class III (34 of the 100) seats in the United States Senate and two mid-term vacancies from Class I 51 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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![]() Democratic gain
One Democratic hold, one gain
Democratic hold
Republican hold
Republican gain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The United States Senate elections, 1992 was an election for the United States Senate that coincided with the victory of Bill Clinton in the presidential election. Despite the presidential victory, Democrats did not gain any seats in the Senate.
Democratic victories over Republicans John F. Seymour (CA) and Bob Kasten (WI) were cancelled out by the defeats of Democrats Wyche Fowler (GA) and Terry Sanford (NC). The election of four new Democratic women to the Senate was notable (referred to in the press as the "Year of the Woman"). Due to a special election in California, both of California's Senate seats were up for election in 1992. These seats were won by Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer. As a consequence, California became the first state to have elected women to occupy both of its seats in the United States Senate.
Democrat Carol Moseley Braun (IL), became the first African-American woman to serve in the United States Senate.
Results summary
57 | 43 |
Democrat | Republican |
Parties | Total Seats | Popular Vote | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1990 | Before this election |
This election |
+/- | Vote | % | ||
Democratic | 56 | 57 | 57 | ![]() |
34,736,076 | 49.20% | |
Republican | 44 | 43 | 43 | ![]() |
31,355,972 | 44.41% | |
Libertarian | - | - | - | - | 986,617 | 1.40% | |
Others | - | - | - | - | 3,523,610 | 4.99% | |
Total | 100 | 100 | 100 | - | 70,602,275 | 100.0% |
Source: Election Statistics - Office of the Clerk
Change in 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 | D57 | 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 |
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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
D41√ | D42√ | D43√ | D44√ | D45√ | D46√ | D47√ | D48√ | D49√ | D50O |
Majority→ | D51O | ||||||||
R41O | R42+ | R43+ | D57+ | D56+ | D55O | D54O | D53O | D52O | |
R40O | R39O | 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 and losses
Democratic gains
- California: Sen. John F. Seymour (R-CA) was defeated in a special election by former San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein. Seymour had been appointed to the seat by Governor Pete Wilson following Wilson's resignation from the Senate after his election as governor.
- Wisconsin: Sen. Bob Kasten (R-WI) survived a close call in his first re-election bid in 1986, but was upset in his bid for a third term by State Senator Russ Feingold. Feingold had won the Democratic primary as an underdog against two millionaire opponents thanks to an effective series of quirky campaign advertisements, and he repeated the same formula in the general election against Kasten.
Republican gains
- Georgia: In the initial balloting, Sen. Wyche Fowler (D-GA) narrowly led former Republican State Senator Paul Coverdell in the general election, but he failed to gain 50% of the vote thanks to the strong showing of the Libertarian candidate. Fowler faced Coverdell in a run-off in Dec. 1992 and lost as both parties spent a good amount of time and resources on the run-off campaign.
- North Carolina: Sen. Terry Sanford (D-NC) became the third straight incumbent to lose this seat after one term when he was defeated by Democrat-turned-Republican Lauch Faircloth. Faircloth's victory was aided by Sanford's health scares and the considerable political organization of the state's other senator, Jesse Helms (R-NC).
Later change
In 1993, Democratic Senator Lloyd Bentsen (TX) resigned to become U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. His Democratic replacement, Bob Krueger, lost a special election to Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison. This election was held in June 1993 and so is not included in the party balance numbers in this article.
Complete list of races
A bolded state name indicates an article about that state's election.
State (linked to election article) |
Incumbent | Party | Result | Opposing Candidates |
---|---|---|---|---|
Alabama | Richard Shelby | Democratic | Re-elected | Richard Shelby (Democratic) 64.8% Richard Sellars (Republican) 33.1% Jerome Shockley (Libertarian) 2.0% |
Alaska | Frank Murkowski | Republican | Re-elected | Frank Murkowski (Republican) 53.0% Tony Smith (Democratic) 38.4% Mary Jordan (Green) 8.4% |
Arizona | John McCain | Republican | Re-elected | John McCain (Republican) 55.8% Claire Sargent (Democratic) 31.6% Evan Mecham (Independent) 10.5% Kiana Delamare (Libertarian) 1.6% Ed Finkelstein (New Alliance) 0.5% |
Arkansas | Dale Bumpers | Democratic | Re-elected | Dale Bumpers (Democratic) 60.2% Mike Huckabee (Republican) 39.8% |
California Special: Class 1 |
John F. Seymour | Republican | Appointee lost election Winner elected to finish term ending January 3, 1995 Democratic gain |
Dianne Feinstein (Democratic) 54.3% John F. Seymour (Republican) 38.0% Gerald Horne (Peace & Freedom) 2.8% Paul Meeuwenberg (American Ind.) 2.6% Richard B. Boddie (Libertarian) 2.3% |
California | Alan Cranston | Democratic | Retired Democratic hold |
Barbara Boxer (Democratic) 47.9% Bruce Herschensohn (Republican) 43.0% Jerome McCready (American Ind.) 3.5% Genevieve Torres (Peace & Freedom) 3.5% June R. Genis (Libertarian) 2.2% |
Colorado | Tim Wirth |
Democratic | Retired Democratic hold |
Ben Nighthorse Campbell (Democratic) 51.8% Terry Considine (Republican) 42.7% Richard Grimes (Independent) 2.7% Matt Noah (Christian Pro-Life) 1.5% Dan Winters (Independent) 1.3% |
Connecticut | Christopher Dodd | Democratic | Re-elected | Christopher Dodd (Democratic) 58.8% Brook Johnson (Republican) 38.1% Richard D. Gregory (Concerned Citizens) 2.4% Howard A. Grayson, Jr. (Libertarian) 0.7% |
Florida | Bob Graham | Democratic | Re-elected | Bob Graham (Democratic) 65.4% James W. Grant (Republican) 34.6% |
Georgia | Wyche Fowler | Democratic | Lost re-election Republican gain |
Paul Coverdell (Republican) 50.6% Wyche Fowler (Democratic) 49.4% Jim Hudson (Libertarian) 3.1% |
Hawaii | Daniel Inouye | Democratic | Re-elected | Daniel Inouye (Democratic) 57.3% Rick Reed (Republican) 26.9% Linda Martin (Green) 13.7% Richard O. Rowland (Libertarian) 2.1% |
Idaho | Steve Symms |
Republican | Retired Republican hold |
Dirk Kempthorne (Republican) 56.5% Richard H. Stallings (Democratic) 43.5% |
Illinois | Alan J. Dixon |
Democratic | Lost renomination Democratic hold |
Carol Moseley Braun (Democratic) 53.3% Richard S. Williamson (Republican) 43.1% Chad Koppie (Conservative) 2.0% Andrew B. Spiegel (Libertarian) 0.7% Charles A. Winter (Natural Law) 0.3% Alan J. Port (New Alliance) 0.3% Kathleen Kaku (Socialist Workers) 0.2% John Justice (Populist) 0.2% |
Indiana | Dan Coats | Republican | Re-elected | Dan Coats (Republican) 57.3% Joseph Hogsett (Democratic) 40.7% Steve Dillon (Libertarian) 1.6% Raymond Tirado (New Alliance) 0.3% |
Iowa | Chuck Grassley | Republican | Re-elected | Chuck Grassley (Republican) 69.6% Jean Hall Lloyd-Jones (Democratic) 27.2% Stuart Zimmerman (Natural Law) 1.3% Sue Atkinson (Independent) 0.5% Mel Boring (Independent) 0.4% Rosanne Freeburg (Independent) 0.4% Carl Eric Olsen (Grassroots) 0.3% Richard O'Dell Hughes (Independent) 0.2% Cleve Andrew Pulley (Socialist Workers) 0.1% |
Kansas | Bob Dole | Republican | Re-elected | Bob Dole (Republican) 62.7% Gloria O'Dell (Democratic) 31.0% Christina Campbell-Cline (Independent) 4.0% Mark B. Kirk (Libertarian) 2.2% |
Kentucky | Wendell H. Ford | Democratic | Re-elected | Wendell H. Ford (Democratic) 62.9% David Williams (Republican) 35.8% James Ridenour (Libertarian) 1.3% |
Louisiana | John Breaux | Democratic | Re-elected | John Breaux (Democratic) 73.07% Jon Khachaturian (Independent) 8.9% Lyle Stockstill (Republican) 8.3% Nick Accardo (Democratic) 5.4% Fred Clegg Strong (Republican) 4.3% |
Maryland | Barbara Mikulski | Democratic | Re-elected | Barbara Mikulski (Democratic) 71.0% Alan Keyes (Republican) 29.0% |
Missouri | Kit Bond | Republican | Re-elected | Kit Bond (Republican) 51.9% Geri Rothman-Serot (Democratic) 44.9% Jeanne Bojarski (Libertarian) 3.2% |
Nevada | Harry Reid | Democratic | Re-elected | Harry Reid (Democratic) 51.0% Demar Dahl (Republican) 40.2% None of These Candidates 2.6% Joe Garcia (Independent American) 2.3% Lois Avery (Natural Law) 1.5% H. Kent Cromwell (Libertarian) 1.5% Harry Tootle (Populist) 0.9% |
New Hampshire | Warren Rudman |
Republican | Retired Republican hold |
Judd Gregg (Republican) 48.2% John Rauh (Democratic) 45.3% K. Alexander (Libertarian) 3.5% |
New York | Al D'Amato | Republican | Re-elected | Al D'Amato (Republican) 49.0% Robert Abrams (Democratic) 47.8% Norma Segal (Libertarian) 1.7% Mohammad T. Mehdi (New Alliance) 0.9% Stanley Nelson (Natural Law) 0.4% Ed Warren (Socialist Workers) 0.2% |
North Carolina | Terry Sanford | Democratic | Lost re-election Republican gain |
Lauch Faircloth (Republican) 50.4% Terry Sanford (Democratic) 46.3% Bobby Emory (Libertarian) 3.3% |
North Dakota | Kent Conrad |
Democratic | Retired Democratic hold |
Byron Dorgan (Democratic) 59.0% Steve Sydness (Republican) 38.9% Tom Asbridge (Independent) 2.1% |
North Dakota Special: Class 1 |
Jocelyn Burdick |
Democratic | Appointee retired Winner elected to finish term ending January 3, 1995 Democratic hold |
Kent Conrad (Democratic) 63.3% Jack Dalrymple (Republican) 33.7% Darold Larson (Independent) 3.0% |
Ohio | John Glenn | Democratic | Re-elected | John Glenn (Democratic) 51.0% Mike DeWine (Republican) 42.3% Martha Grevatt (Independent) 6.7% |
Oklahoma | Don Nickles | Republican | Re-elected | Don Nickles (Republican) 58.5% Steve Lewis (Democratic) 38.2% Roy V. Edwards (Independent) 1.6% Thomas D. Ledgerwood II (Independent) 1.6% |
Oregon | Bob Packwood | Republican | Re-elected | Bob Packwood (Republican) 52.1% Les AuCoin (Democratic) 46.5% |
Pennsylvania | Arlen Specter | Republican | Re-elected | Arlen Specter (Republican) 49.1% Lynn Yeakel (Democratic) 46.3% John Perry III (Independent) 4.6% |
South Carolina | Ernest Hollings | Democratic | Re-elected | Ernest Hollings (Democratic) 50.1% Thomas F. Hartnett (Republican) 46.9% Mark Johnson (Libertarian) 1.9% Robert Barnwell Clarkson II (American) 1.0% |
South Dakota | Tom Daschle | Democratic | Re-elected | Tom Daschle (Democratic) 64.9% Charlene Haar (Republican) 32.5% Gus Hercules (Libertarian) 1.3% Kent Hyde (Independent) 1.3% |
Utah | Jake Garn |
Republican | Retired Republican hold |
Robert Bennett (Republican) 55.4% Wayne Owens (Democratic) 39.7% Anita Morrow (Independent) 2.3% |
Vermont | Patrick Leahy | Democratic | Re-elected | Patrick Leahy (Democratic) 54.2% Jim Douglas (Republican) 43.3% Jerry Levy (Liberty Union) 1.8% Michael B. Godeck (Freedom for LaRouche) 0.6% |
Washington | Brock Adams |
Democratic | Retired Democratic hold |
Patty Murray (Democratic) 54.0% Rod Chandler (Republican) 46.0% |
Wisconsin | Bob Kasten | Republican | Lost re-election Democratic gain |
Russ Feingold (Democratic) 52.6% Bob Kasten (Republican) 46.0% Patrick W. Johnson (Independent) 0.7% William Bittner (Libertarian) 0.4% Mervin A. Hanson, Sr. (Independent) 0.1% Robert L. Kundert (Independent) 0.1% Joseph Selliken (Independent) 0.1% |