Special elections to the United States Senate are held to fill the vacancies that occur when a senator dies or resigns before the completion of their six-year term. Winners of these special elections typically serve the remainder of the term of the senator who has caused the vacancy. General elections to the U.S. Congress are held in November of even-numbered years. New Congresses convened on March 4 of the following year until 1934, and since then, new Congresses have begun on January 3 of the following year.
Because of the cost of conducting a special election,[ 1] most states hold elections to fill a Senate vacancy in conjunction with the next general election, while some states, such as Alabama [ 2] and Texas, allow for special elections to the Senate to be held before a general election (similar to special elections to the U.S. House of Representatives , though special elections are on a state-wide basis). Special elections can alter the balance of power in the Senate,[ 3] as can temporary appointments.
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Appointments by governors
Prior to ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1913, most state legislatures elected senators (Sen.), as well as replacement senators. Some states empowered their governor to make temporary appointments until the legislature was in session.
The Seventeenth Amendment now requires the governor (Gov.) of the state to issue a writ for a special election to fill a vacant Senate seat, but no timeframe is specified in the provision for when the special election is to be held. State legislatures may also empower the governor to fill a vacancy by a temporary appointment until the winner of the special election is certified. The constitution does not set out how the temporary appointee is to be selected (e.g., there is no federal requirement that the appointee be of the same party, as happened most recently in New Jersey in 2013 ), and the state legislature can legislate as to how the replacement is to be selected.
North Dakota , Oregon and Wisconsin do not empower their governor to make temporary appointments and require special elections.[ 4] [ 5] Between 2004 and 2008, Massachusetts denied the power of the governor to appoint a replacement; in 2004, the Democratic -controlled legislature wanted to limit the power of the Republican governor (Gov. Mitt Romney ) to appoint a successor to then-senator John Kerry if he were elected president that year. With the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy , the legislature chose to revert the rules to allow the Democratic governor (Gov. Deval Patrick ) to appoint a temporary replacement senator while awaiting the results of a special election to complete the existing term. Hawaii allows the governor to appoint an interim senator "who serves until the next regularly-scheduled general election, chosen from a list of three prospective appointees that the prior incumbent's political party submits". Alaska in 2004 enacted conflicting legislation and a separate ballot referendum law that took effect on the same day. It is uncertain if the Alaska governor may successfully appoint an interim senator to serve until the mandated special election occurs 60 to 90 days after the vacancy happens. The ballot-approved law fails to specifically authorize the governor to appoint, though the legislative law does.[ 5] Since 2021, Oklahoma permits its governor again to appoint a successor who is of the same party as the previous senator for at least the preceding five years when the vacancy arises in an even-numbered year, only after the appointee has taken an oath not to run in either a regular or special Senate election.[ 6]
List of special elections
This is an incomplete list of special elections to the United States Senate. The list only includes vacancies that were filled by special election. Not included are those situations in which vacancies were only filled by appointment or general election, or new seats.
State (Class)
Original
Appointee
Election winner
Senator
Vacancy event
Senator
Date
Senator
Date
Virginia (Class 1)
William Grayson (AA)
Died March 12, 1790
John Walker (PA)
March 31, 1790
James Monroe (AA)
November 9, 1790
New Jersey (Class 2)
William Paterson (PA)
Resigned November 13, 1790
No appointment
Philemon Dickinson (PA)
November 23, 1790
Connecticut (Class 3)
William S. Johnson (PA)
Resigned March 4, 1791
No appointment
Roger Sherman (PA)
June 13, 1791
Virginia (Class 2)
Richard Henry Lee (AA)
Resigned October 8, 1792
No appointment
John Taylor (AA)
October 18, 1792
Maryland (Class 1)
Charles Carroll (PA)
Resigned November 30, 1792
No appointment
Richard Potts (PA)
January 10, 1793
Pennsylvania (Class 1)
Vacant
Failure to elect by March 4, 1791
No appointment
Albert Gallatin (AA)
February 28, 1793
Connecticut (Class 3)
Roger Sherman (PA)
Died July 23, 1793
No appointment
Stephen Mitchell (PA)
December 2, 1793
New York (Class 3)
Rufus King (F)
Resigned May 23, 1796
No appointment
John Laurance (F)
November 9, 1796
New York (Class 1)
Philip Schuyler (F)
Resigned January 3, 1798
No appointment
John Sloss Hobart (F)
January 11, 1798
New York (Class 1)
John Sloss Hobart (F)
Resigned April 16, 1798
William North (F)
May 5, 1798
James Watson (F)
August 17, 1798
New York (Class 1)
James Watson (F)
Resigned March 19, 1800
No appointment
Gouverneur Morris (F)
April 3, 1800
New York (Class 3)
John Laurance (F)
Resigned August 1800
No appointment
John Armstrong Jr. (DR)
November 6, 1800
New York (Class 3)
John Armstrong Jr. (DR)
Resigned February 5, 1802
No appointment
DeWitt Clinton (DR)
February 9, 1802
New York (Class 1)
Theodorus Bailey (DR)
Resigned January 16, 1804
No appointment
John Armstrong Jr. (DR)
February 3, 1804
New York (Class 3)
John Armstrong Jr. (DR)
Resigned February 23, 1804
No appointment
John Smith (DR)
New York (Class 1)
John Armstrong Jr. (DR)
Resigned June 30, 1804
No appointment
Samuel L. Mitchill (DR)
November 9, 1804
Alabama (Class 3)
John Williams Walker (DR)
Resigned December 12, 1822
No appointment
William Kelly (DR)
December 12, 1822
Delaware (Class 2)
Nicholas Van Dyke (F)
Failure to elect by March 4, 1823
No appointment
Nicholas Van Dyke (F)
January 8, 1824
Delaware (Class 1)
Caesar A. Rodney (DR)
Resigned January 29, 1823
No appointment
Thomas Clayton (F)
Louisiana (Class 3)
James Brown (DR)
Resigned December 10, 1823
No appointment
Josiah S. Johnston (DR)
January 15, 1824
Louisiana (Class 2)
Henry Johnson (DR)
Resigned May 27, 1824
No appointment
Charles Bouligny (DR)
November 19, 1824
Illinois (Class 3)
Ninian Edwards (DR)
Resigned March 4, 1824
No appointment
John McLean (DR)
November 24, 1824
Georgia (Class 2)
Nicholas Ware (DR)
Died January 29, 1823
No appointment
Thomas W. Cobb (F)
December 6, 1824
Virginia (Class 2)
John Taylor (DR)
Died August 21, 1824
No appointment
Littleton Tazewell (DR)
December 7, 1824
Alabama (Class 3)
Henry H. Chambers (DR)
Died January 24, 1826
Israel Pickens (DR)
February 17, 1826
John McKinley (J)
November 27, 1826
New York (Class 1)
Martin Van Buren (DR)
Resigned December 20, 1828
No appointment
Charles E. Dudley (D)
January 15, 1829
New York (Class 3)
William L. Marcy (D)
Resigned January 1, 1833
No appointment
Silas Wright (D)
January 4, 1833
Alabama (Class 3)
John McKinley (D)
Resigned April 22, 1837
Clement Comer Clay (D)
June 19, 1837
Arthur P. Bagby (D)
November 24, 1841
Arkansas (Class 2)
William S. Fulton (D)
Died August 15, 1844
No appointment
Chester Ashley (D)
November 8, 1844
New York (Class 1)
Nathaniel P. Tallmadge (W)
Resigned June 17, 1844
Daniel S. Dickinson (D)
November 30, 1844
Daniel S. Dickinson (D)
January 18, 1845
New York (Class 3)
Silas Wright (D)
Resigned November 26, 1844
Henry A. Foster (D)
November 30, 1844
John Adams Dix (D)
January 18, 1845
Arkansas (Class 2)
Chester Ashley (D)
Died April 29, 1848
William K. Sebastian (D)
May 12, 1848
William K. Sebastian (D)
November 17, 1848
Alabama (Class 2)
Dixon Hall Lewis (D)
Died October 24, 1848
Benjamin Fitzpatrick (D)
November 25, 1848
Jeremiah Clemens (D)
November 30, 1849
Massachusetts (Class 2)
Daniel Webster (W)
Resigned July 22, 1850
Robert Charles Winthrop (W)
July 30, 1850
Robert Rantoul Jr. (D)
January 14, 1851
New Hampshire (Class 3)
James Bell (R)
Died May 26, 1857
No appointment
Daniel Clark (R)
June 26, 1857
Tennessee (Class 1)
Vacant
Failure to elect by March 4, 1857
No appointment
Andrew Johnson (D)
October 8, 1857
South Carolina (Class 3)
Andrew Butler
Died May 25, 1857
No appointment
James Henry Hammond (D)
December 6, 1857
North Carolina (Class 3)
Asa Biggs
Resigned May 5, 1858
Thomas Lanier Clingman (D)
May 7, 1858
Thomas Lanier Clingman (D)
November 23, 1858
California (Class 3)
David C. Broderick (D)
Died September 16, 1859
Henry P. Haun (D)
November 3, 1859
Milton S. Latham (D)
January 11, 1860
California (Class 1)
Eugene Casserly (D)
Resigned November 29, 1873
No appointment
John S. Hager (D)
December 23, 1873
Alabama (Class 3)
George S. Houston (D)
Died December 31, 1879
Luke Pryor (D)
January 7, 1880
James L. Pugh (D)
November 24, 1880
New York (Class 1)
Thomas C. Platt (R)
Resigned May 16, 1881
No appointment
Warner Miller (R)
July 16, 1881
New York (Class 3)
Roscoe Conkling (R)
Resigned May 16, 1881
No appointment
Elbridge G. Lapham (R)
July 22, 1881
Arkansas (Class 2)
Augustus Garland (D)
Resigned March 6, 1885
No appointment
James H. Berry (D)
March 20, 1885
California (Class 1)
John Franklin Miller (R)
Died March 8, 1886
George Hearst (D)
March 23, 1886
Abram P. Williams (R)
August 4, 1886
California (Class 1)
George Hearst (D)
Died February 28, 1891
No appointment
Charles N. Felton (R)
March 19, 1891
California (Class 3)
Leland Stanford (R)
Died June 21, 1893
George C. Perkins (R)
July 26, 1893
George C. Perkins (R)
January 22, 1895
Mississippi (Class 2)
Edward C. Walthall (D)
Resigned January 24, 1894
No appointment
Anselm J. McLaurin (D)
February 7, 1894
Louisiana (Class 3)
Edward D. White (D)
Resigned March 12, 1894
Newton C. Blanchard (D)
March 12, 1894
Newton C. Blanchard (D)
May 16, 1894
Georgia (Class 2)
Alfred H. Colquitt (D)
Died March 26, 1894
Patrick Walsh (D)
April 2, 1894
Patrick Walsh (D)
November 2, 1894
North Carolina (Class 3)
Zebulon B. Vance
Died April 14, 1894
Thomas J. Jarvis (D)
April 19, 1894
Jeter C. Pritchard (D)
January 23, 1895
Michigan (Class 1)
Francis B. Stockbridge (R)
Died April 3, 1894
John Patton Jr. (R)
May 5, 1894
Julius C. Burrows (R)
January 24, 1895
Montana (Class 1)
Vacant
Failure to elect by March 4, 1893
No appointment
Lee Mantle (R)
January 16, 1895
Wyoming (Class 1)
Vacant
Failure to elect by March 4, 1893
No appointment
Clarence D. Clark (R)
January 23, 1895
Washington (Class 1)
Vacant
Failure to elect by March 4, 1893
No appointment
John L. Wilson (R)
February 19, 1895
Mississippi (Class 2)
Edward C. Walthall (D)
Died April 21, 1898
William V. Sullivan (D)
May 31, 1898
William V. Sullivan (D)
January 16, 1900
Alabama (Class 3)
Edmund Pettus (D)
Died July 27, 1907
No appointment
Joseph F. Johnston (D)
August 6, 1907
Pennsylvania (Class 1)
Philander C. Knox (R)
Resigned March 4, 1909
No appointment
George T. Oliver (R)
March 17, 1909
Mississippi (Class 2)
Anselm J. McLaurin (D)
Died December 22, 1909
James Gordon (D)
December 27, 1909
LeRoy Percy (D)
February 22, 1910
Louisiana (Class 3)
Samuel D. McEnery (D)
Died June 28, 1910
John Thornton (D)
August 27, 1910
John Thornton (D)
December 6, 1910
North Dakota (Class 3)
Martin N. Johnson (R)
Died October 12, 1909
Fountain L. Thompson (D)
November 10, 1909 – Jan. 31, 1910 (resigned)
Asle Gronna (R)
February 1, 1911
William E. Purcell (D)
February 1, 1910
West Virginia (Class 2)
Stephen Benton Elkins (R)
Died January 4, 1911
Davis Elkins (R)
January 9, 1911
Clarence Wayland Watson (D)
February 1, 1911
Iowa (Class 3)
Jonathan P. Dolliver (R)
Died October 15, 1910
Lafayette Young (R)
November 4, 1910
William S. Kenyon (R)
April 11, 1911
Georgia (Class 3)
Alexander S. Clay (D)
Died November 13, 1910
Joseph M. Terrell (D)
November 17, 1910
M. Hoke Smith (D)
July 12, 1911
Maine (Class 2)
William P. Frye (R)
Died August 8, 1911
No appointment
Obadiah Gardner (D)
April 2, 1912
Colorado (Class 3)
Charles J. Hughes Jr. (D)
Died January 11, 1911
No appointment
Charles S. Thomas (D)
January 15, 1913
Tennessee (Class 2)
Robert Love Taylor (D)
Died March 31, 1912
Newell Sanders (R)
April 11, 1912
William R. Webb (D)
January 23, 1913
Nevada (Class 1)
George S. Nixon (R)
Died June 5, 1912
William A. Massey (R)
July 1, 1912
Key Pittman (D)
January 23, 1913
Texas (Class 2)
Joseph Weldon Bailey (D)
Resigned January 3, 1913
Rienzi Melville Johnston (D)
January 4, 1913
Morris Sheppard (D)
January 23, 1913
Arkansas (Class 2)
Jeff Davis
Died January 3, 1913
John N. Heiskell (D)
January 6, 1913
William Marmaduke Kavanaugh (D)
January 23, 1913
Idaho (Class 3)
Weldon B. Heyburn (R)
Died October 17, 1912
Kirtland Irving Perky (D)
November 18, 1912
James H. Brady (R)
January 24, 1913
Illinois (Class 3)
William Lorimer (R)
Election invalidated July 13, 1912
No appointment
Lawrence Yates Sherman (R)
March 26, 1913
Seventeenth Amendment ratified April 8, 1913. All subsequent Senate elections are by popular vote.
Maryland (Class 1)
Isidor Rayner (D)
Died November 25, 1912
William P. Jackson (R)
November 29, 1912
Blair Lee (D)
November 4, 1913
Alabama (Class 3)
Joseph F. Johnston (D)
Died August 8, 1913
No appointment
Francis S. White (D)
May 11, 1914
Georgia (Class 2)
Augustus Octavius Bacon (D)
Died February 14, 1914
William S. West (D)
March 1, 1914
Thomas W. Hardwick (D)
November 3, 1914
Kentucky (Class 3)
William O. Bradley (R)
Died May 23, 1914
Johnson N. Camden (D)
June 16, 1914
Johnson N. Camden (D)
November 3, 1914
Maine (Class 2)
Edwin C. Burleigh (R)
Died June 16, 1916
No appointment
Bert M. Fernald (R)
September 11, 1916
Indiana (Class 3)
Benjamin F. Shively (D)
Died March 14, 1916
Thomas Taggart (D)
March 20, 1916
James Eli Watson (R)
November 7, 1916
Arkansas (Class 3)
James Paul Clarke (D)
Died October 1, 1916
No appointment
William F. Kirby (D)
November 7, 1916
Wisconsin (Class 3)
Paul O. Husting (D)
Died October 21, 1917
No appointment
Irvine L. Lenroot (R)
April 18, 1918
Oregon (Class 2)
Harry Lane (D)
Died May 23, 1917
Charles L. McNary (R)
May 29, 1917
Frederick W. Mulkey (R)
November 5, 1918
Nevada (Class 3)
Francis G. Newlands (D)
Died December 24, 1917
Charles B. Henderson (D)
January 12, 1918
Charles B. Henderson (D)
November 5, 1918
Idaho (Class 3)
James H. Brady (R)
Died January 13, 1918
John F. Nugent (D)
January 22, 1918
John F. Nugent (D)
November 5, 1918
New Jersey (Class 2)
William Hughes (D)
Died January 30, 1918
David Baird (R)
February 23, 1918
David Baird (R)
November 5, 1918
Louisiana (Class 3)
Robert F. Broussard (D)
Died April 12, 1918
Walter Guion (D)
April 22, 1918
Edward Gay (D)
November 5, 1918
Missouri (Class 3)
William J. Stone (D)
Died April 14, 1918
Xenophon P. Wilfley (D)
April 30, 1918
Selden P. Spencer (R)
November 5, 1918
South Carolina (Class 2)
Benjamin R. Tillman (D)
Died July 3, 1918
Christie Benet (D)
July 6, 1918
William P. Pollock (D)
November 5, 1918
New Hampshire (Class 3)
Jacob H. Gallinger (R)
Died August 17, 1918
Irving W. Drew (R)
September 2, 1918
George H. Moses (R)
November 5, 1918
Virginia (Class 2)
Thomas S. Martin (D)
Died November 12, 1919
Carter Glass (D)
November 18, 1919
Carter Glass (D)
November 2, 1920
Alabama (Class 3)
John H. Bankhead (D)
Died March 1, 1920
B. B. Comer (D)
March 5, 1920
J. Thomas Heflin (D)
November 2, 1920
New Mexico (Class 2)
Albert B. Fall (R)
Resigned March 3, 1921
Holm O. Bursum (R)
March 11, 1921
Holm O. Bursum (D)
September 20, 1921
Delaware (Class 1)
Josiah O. Wolcott (D)
Resigned July 2, 1921
T. Coleman du Pont (R)
July 7, 1921
Thomas F. Bayard Jr. (D)
November 7, 1922
Pennsylvania (Class 1)
Philander C. Knox (R)
Died October 12, 1921
William E. Crow (R)
October 17, 1921 – August 2, 1922 (died)
David A. Reed (R)
November 7, 1922
David A. Reed (R)
August 8, 1922
Pennsylvania (Class 3)
Boies Penrose (R)
Died December 31, 1921
George W. Pepper (R)
January 9, 1922
George W. Pepper (R)
November 7, 1922
Iowa (Class 2)
William S. Kenyon (R)
Resigned February 24, 1922
Charles A. Rawson (R)
February 24, 1922
Smith W. Brookhart (R)
November 7, 1922
Georgia (Class 3)
Thomas E. Watson (D)
Died September 26, 1922
Rebecca Felton (D)
November 21, 1922
Walter F. George (D)
November 7, 1922
Colorado (Class 2)
Samuel D. Nicholson (R)
Died March 24, 1923
Alva B. Adams (D)
May 17, 1923
Rice W. Means (R)
November 4, 1924
Connecticut (Class 3)
Frank B. Brandegee (R)
Died October 14, 1924
No appointment
Hiram Bingham III (R)
December 16, 1924
Idaho (Class 3)
Frank Gooding (R)
Died June 24, 1928
John Thomas (D)
June 30, 1928
John Thomas (R)
November 6, 1928
Ohio (Class 3)
Frank B. Willis (R)
Died March 30, 1928
Cyrus Locher (D)
April 5, 1928
Theodore E. Burton (R)
November 6, 1928
Ohio (Class 3)
Theodore E. Burton (R)
Died October 28, 1929
Roscoe C. McCulloch (R)
November 5, 1929
Robert J. Bulkley (D)
November 4, 1930
Arkansas (Class 3)
Thaddeus H. Caraway (D)
Died November 6, 1931
Hattie Caraway (D)
December 9, 1931
Hattie Caraway (D)
January 12, 1932
New Jersey (Class 2)
Dwight Morrow (R)
Died October 5, 1931
William Warren Barbour (R)
December 1, 1931
William Warren Barbour (R)
November 8, 1932
Georgia (Class 3)
William J. Harris (D)
Died April 18, 1932
John S. Cohen (D)
April 25, 1932
Richard Russell Jr. (D)
November 8, 1932
Vermont (Class 3)
Porter H. Dale (R)
Died October 6, 1933
Ernest W. Gibson (R)
November 21, 1933
Ernest W. Gibson (R)
January 16, 1934
Montana (Class 3)
Thomas J. Walsh (D)
Died March 4, 1933
John E. Erickson (D)
March 13, 1933
James E. Murray (D)
November 6, 1934
Tennessee (Class 2)
Cordell Hull (D)
Resigned March 4, 1933
Nathan L. Bachman (D)
March 4, 1933
Nathan L. Bachman (D)
November 6, 1934
New Mexico (Class 2)
Sam G. Bratton (D)
Resigned June 24, 1933
Carl A. Hatch (D)
October 10, 1933
Carl A. Hatch (D)
November 6, 1934
Louisiana (Class 2)
Huey Long (D)
Died September 10, 1935
Rose Long (D)
January 31, 1936
Rose Long (D)
April 21, 1936
Florida
(Class 1)
Park Trammell
Died May 8, 1936
Scott Loftin (D)
May 26, 1936
Charles O. Andrews (D)
November 3, 1936
Florida
(Class 3)
Duncan U. Fletcher
Died June 17, 1936
William Luther Hill (D)
July 1, 1936
Claude Pepper (D)
November 3, 1936
Arkansas (Class 3)
Joseph T. Robinson (D)
Died July 14, 1937
No appointment
John E. Miller (ID)[ a]
November 15, 1937
Alabama (Class 3)
Hugo Black (D)
Resigned August 19, 1937
Dixie Graves (D)
August 20, 1937 – Jan. 10, 1938 (resigned)
Lister Hill (D)
April 26, 1938
Lister Hill (D)
January 11, 1938
Tennessee (Class 2)
Nathan L. Bachman (D)
Died April 23, 1937
George L. Berry (D)
May 6, 1937
Tom Stewart (D)
April 26, 1938
New York (Class 1)
Royal Copeland (D)
Died June 17, 1938
No appointment
James M. Mead (D)
November 8, 1938
South Dakota (Class 3)
Herbert E. Hitchcock (D)
Resigned November 8, 1938
No appointment
Gladys Pyle (R)
November 9, 1938
Texas (Class 2)
Morris Sheppard (D)
Died April 9, 1941
Andrew Houston (D)
April 21, 1941
W. Lee O'Daniel (D)
June 28, 1941
Mississippi (Class 2)
Pat Harrison (D)
Died June 22, 1941
James Eastland (D)
June 30, 1941
Wall Doxey (D)
September 23, 1941
South Carolina (Class 2)
James F. Byrnes (D)
Resigned July 17, 1941
Alva Lumpkin (D)
July 22, 1941 – August 1, 1941 (died)
Burnet Maybank (D)
November 5, 1941
Roger Peace (D)
August 5, 1941
Colorado (Class 3)
Alva B. Adams (D)
Died December 1, 1941
Eugene Millikin (R)
December 20, 1941
Eugene Millikin (R)
November 3, 1942
West Virginia (Class 2)
Matthew M. Neely (D)
Resigned January 12, 1941
Joseph Rosier (D)
January 13, 1941
Hugh Ike Shott (R)
November 3, 1942
Nevada (Class 1)
Key Pittman (D)
Died November 10, 1940
Berkeley Bunker (D)[ b]
November 27, 1940
James G. Scrugham (D)
November 3, 1942
Indiana (Class 3)
Frederick Van Nuys (D)
Died January 25, 1944
Samuel D. Jackson (D)
January 28, 1944
William E. Jenner (R)
November 7, 1944
Oregon (Class 2)
Charles L. McNary (R)
Died February 25, 1944
Guy Cordon (R)
March 4, 1944
Guy Cordon (R)
November 7, 1944
New Jersey (Class 1)
William Warren Barbour (R)
Died November 22, 1943
Arthur Walsh (D)
November 26, 1943
H. Alexander Smith (R)
November 7, 1944
Massachusetts (Class 2)
Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. (R)
Resigned February 3, 1944
Sinclair Weeks (R)
February 8, 1944
Leverett Saltonstall (R)
November 7, 1944
North Dakota (Class 2)
John Moses (D)
Died March 3, 1945
Milton Young (R)
March 12, 1945
Milton Young (R)
June 25, 1946
Alabama (Class 2)
John H. Bankhead II (D)
Died June 12, 1946
George R. Swift (D)
June 15, 1946
John Sparkman (D)
November 5, 1946
California (Class 1)
Hiram Johnson (R)
Died August 6, 1945
William F. Knowland (R)
August 26, 1945
William F. Knowland (R)
November 5, 1946
Connecticut (Class 1)
Francis T. Maloney (D)
Died January 16, 1945
Thomas C. Hart (R)
February 15, 1945
Raymond E. Baldwin (R)
November 5, 1946
Idaho (Class 2)
John Thomas (R)
Died November 10, 1945
Charles C. Gossett (D)
November 17, 1945
Henry Dworshak (R)
November 5, 1946
Kentucky (Class 2)
Happy Chandler (D)
Resigned November 1, 1945
William A. Stanfill (R)
November 19, 1945
John Sherman Cooper (R)
November 5, 1946
Ohio (Class 1)
Harold H. Burton (R)
Resigned September 30, 1945
James W. Huffman (D)
October 8, 1945
Kingsley A. Taft (R)
November 5, 1946
Virginia (Class 2)
Carter Glass (D)
Died May 28, 1946
Thomas G. Burch (D)
May 31, 1946
A. Willis Robertson (D)
November 5, 1946
Mississippi (Class 1)
Theodore G. Bilbo (D)
Died August 24, 1947
No appointment
John C. Stennis (D)
November 5, 1947
New York (Class 3)
Robert F. Wagner (D)
Resigned June 28, 1949
John Foster Dulles (R)
July 7, 1949
Herbert H. Lehman (D)
November 8, 1949
North Carolina (Class 2)
J. Melville Broughton (D)
Died March 6, 1949
Frank Porter Graham (D)
March 29, 1949
Willis Smith (D)
November 7, 1950
Kansas (Class 3)
Clyde M. Reed (R)
Died November 8, 1949
Harry Darby (R)
December 2, 1949
Frank Carlson (R)
November 7, 1950
Idaho (Class 2)
Bert H. Miller (D)
Died October 8, 1949
Henry Dworshak (R)
October 14, 1949
Henry Dworshak (R)
November 7, 1950
Connecticut (Class 3)
Brien McMahon (D)
Died July 28, 1952
William A. Purtell (R)
August 29, 1952
Prescott Bush (R)
November 4, 1952
Kentucky (Class 2)
Virgil Chapman (D)
Died March 8, 1951
Thomas R. Underwood (D)
March 19, 1951
John Sherman Cooper (R)
November 4, 1952
Michigan (Class 1)
Arthur Vandenberg (R)
Died April 18, 1951
Blair Moody (D)
April 23, 1951
Charles E. Potter (R)
November 4, 1952
Nebraska (Class 2)
Kenneth S. Wherry (R)
Died November 29, 1951
Fred A. Seaton (R)
December 10, 1951
Dwight Griswold (R)
November 4, 1952
California (Class 3)
Richard Nixon (R)
Resigned January 1, 1953Elected as vice president
Thomas Kuchel (R)
January 2, 1953
Thomas Kuchel (R)
November 2, 1954
North Carolina (Class 2)
Willis Smith (D)
Died June 26, 1953
Alton Lennon (D)
July 15, 1953
Kerr Scott (D)
November 2, 1954
North Carolina (Class 3)
Clyde R. Hoey (D)
Died May 12, 1954
Sam Ervin (D)
June 5, 1954
Sam Ervin (D)
Nebraska (Class 1)
Hugh Butler (R)
Died July 1, 1954
Sam Reynolds (R)
July 7, 1954
Roman Hruska (R)
November 2, 1954
Nebraska (Class 2)
Dwight Griswold (R)
Died April 12, 1954
Eva Bowring (R)
April 26, 1954
Hazel Abel (R)
Kentucky (Class 2)
Alben Barkley (D)
Died April 30, 1956
Robert Humphreys (D)
June 25, 1956
John Sherman Cooper (R)
November 6, 1956
West Virginia (Class 1)
Harley M. Kilgore (D)
Died February 28, 1956
William Laird III (D)
March 13, 1956
Chapman Revercomb (R)
November 6, 1956
South Carolina (Class 2)
Strom Thurmond (D)
Resigned April 4, 1956
Thomas A. Wofford (D)
April 5, 1956
Strom Thurmond (D)
November 6, 1956
Texas (Class 1)
Price Daniel (D)
Resigned January 14, 1957
William Blakley (D)
January 17, 1957
Ralph Yarborough (D)
April 2, 1957
Wisconsin (Class 1)
Joseph McCarthy (R)
Died May 2, 1957
No appointment
William Proxmire (D)
August 27, 1957
West Virginia (Class 2)
Matthew M. Neely (D)
Died January 18, 1958
John D. Hoblitzell Jr. (R)
January 25, 1958
Jennings Randolph (D)
November 4, 1958
North Carolina (Class 2)
W. Kerr Scott (D)
Died April 16, 1958
B. Everett Jordan (D)
April 19, 1958
B. Everett Jordan (D)
November 4, 1958
North Dakota (Class 1)
William Langer (R)
Died November 8, 1959
Clarence Brunsdale (R)
November 19, 1959
Quentin Burdick (D-NPL )
June 28, 1960
Missouri (Class 1)
Thomas C. Hennings Jr. (D)
Died September 13, 1960
Edward V. Long (D)
September 23, 1960
Edward V. Long (D)
November 8, 1960
Oregon (Class 2)
Richard Neuberger (D)
Died March 9, 1960
Hall Lusk (D)
March 16, 1960
Maurine Neuberger (D)
November 8, 1960
Texas (Class 2)
Lyndon Johnson (D)
Resigned January 3, 1961Elected as vice president
William Blakley (D)
January 3, 1961
John Tower (R)
May 27, 1961
Massachusetts (Class 1)
John F. Kennedy (D)
Resigned December 22, 1960Elected as president
Benjamin A. Smith II (D)
December 27, 1960
Ted Kennedy (D)
November 6, 1962
New Hampshire (Class 2)
Styles Bridges (R)
Died November 26, 1961
Maurice J. Murphy Jr. (R)
December 7, 1961
Thomas McIntyre (D)
November 6, 1962
Kansas (Class 2)
Andrew Schoeppel (R)
Died January 21, 1962
James Pearson (R)
January 31, 1962
James Pearson (R)
November 6, 1962
Idaho (Class 2)
Henry Dworshak (R)
Died July 23, 1962
Len Jordan (R)
August 6, 1962
Len Jordan (R)
November 6, 1962
Wyoming (Class 2)
Edwin Keith Thomson (R)[ c]
Died December 9, 1960
John J. Hickey (D)
January 3, 1961
Milward Simpson (R)
November 6, 1962
New Mexico (Class 1)
Dennis Chavez (D)
Died November 18, 1962
Edwin Mechem (R)
November 30, 1962
Joseph Montoya (D)
November 3, 1964
Oklahoma (Class 2)
Robert S. Kerr (D)
Died January 1, 1963
J. Howard Edmondson (D)
January 6, 1963
Fred R. Harris (D)
November 3, 1964
Tennessee (Class 2)
Estes Kefauver (D)
Died August 10, 1963
Herbert Walters (D)
August 20, 1963
Ross Bass (D)
November 3, 1964
South Carolina (Class 3)
Olin Johnston (D)
Died April 18, 1965
Donald Russell (D)
April 22, 1965
Fritz Hollings (D)
November 8, 1966
Virginia (Class 1)
Harry F. Byrd Sr. (D)
Resigned November 10, 1965
Harry F. Byrd Jr. (D)
November 12, 1965
Harry F. Byrd Jr. (D)
November 8, 1966
Alaska (Class 2)
Bob Bartlett (D)
Died December 11, 1968
Ted Stevens (R)
December 24, 1968
Ted Stevens (R)
November 3, 1970
Illinois (Class 3)
Everett Dirksen (R)
Died September 7, 1969
Ralph Tyler Smith (R)
September 17, 1969
Adlai Stevenson III (D)
November 3, 1970
Vermont (Class 1)
Winston L. Prouty (R)
Died September 10, 1971
Robert Stafford (R)
September 16, 1971
Robert Stafford (R)
January 7, 1972
Georgia (Class 2)
Richard Russell Jr. (D)
Died January 21, 1971
David H. Gambrell (D)
February 1, 1971
Sam Nunn (D)
November 7, 1972
New Hampshire (Class 3)
Failure to elect by January 3, 1975[ d]
Norris H. Cotton (R)
August 8, 1975
John A. Durkin (D)
September 16, 1975
Minnesota (Class 1)
Hubert Humphrey (D)
Died January 13, 1978
Muriel Humphrey (D)
January 25, 1978
David Durenberger (R)
November 7, 1978
Alabama (Class 3)
James Allen (D)
Died June 1, 1978
Maryon Pittman Allen (D)
June 8, 1978
Donald Stewart (D)
November 7, 1978
Washington (Class 1)
Henry M. Jackson (D)
Died September 1, 1983
Daniel J. Evans (R)
September 8, 1983
Daniel J. Evans (R)
November 8, 1983
North Carolina (Class 3)
John Porter East (R)
Died June 29, 1986
Jim Broyhill (R)
July 14, 1986
Terry Sanford (D)
November 8, 1986
Indiana (Class 3)
Dan Quayle (R)
Resigned January 3, 1989Elected as vice president
Dan Coats (R)
January 3, 1989
Dan Coats (R)
November 6, 1990
Hawaii (Class 1)
Spark Matsunaga (D)
Died April 15, 1990
Daniel Akaka (D)
May 16, 1990
Daniel Akaka (D)
November 6, 1990
Pennsylvania (Class 1)
H. John Heinz III (R)
Died April 4, 1991
Harris Wofford (D)
May 9, 1991
Harris Wofford (D)
November 5, 1991
California (Class 1)
Pete Wilson (R)
Resigned January 7, 1991
John Seymour (R)
January 10, 1991
Dianne Feinstein (D)
November 3, 1992
North Dakota (Class 1)
Quentin Burdick (D-NPL )
Died September 8, 1992
Jocelyn Burdick (D-NPL )
September 16, 1992
Kent Conrad (D-NPL )
December 4, 1992
Texas (Class 1)
Lloyd Bentsen (D)
Resigned January 20, 1993
Bob Krueger (D)
January 21, 1993
Kay Bailey Hutchison (R)
June 5, 1993
Tennessee (Class 2)
Al Gore (D)
Resigned January 3, 1993Elected as vice president
Harlan Mathews (D)
January 3, 1993
Fred Thompson (R)
November 8, 1994
Oklahoma (Class 2)
David Boren (D)
Resigned November 15, 1994
No appointment[ e]
Jim Inhofe (R)
November 8, 1994
Oregon (Class 3)
Bob Packwood (R)
Resigned October 1, 1995
No appointment
Ron Wyden (D)
January 30, 1996
Kansas (Class 3)
Bob Dole (R)
Resigned June 11, 1996
Sheila Frahm (R)
June 11, 1996
Sam Brownback (R)
November 5, 1996
Georgia (Class 3)
Paul Coverdell (R)
Died July 18, 2000
Zell Miller (D)
July 24, 2000
Zell Miller (D)
November 7, 2000
Missouri (Class 1)
Mel Carnahan (D)[ c]
Died October 16, 2000
Jean Carnahan (D)
January 3, 2001
Jim Talent (R)
November 5, 2002
Wyoming (Class 1)
Craig L. Thomas (R)
Died June 4, 2007
John Barrasso (R)
June 25, 2007
John Barrasso (R)
November 4, 2008
Mississippi (Class 1)
Trent Lott (R)
Resigned December 18, 2007
Roger Wicker (R)
December 31, 2007
Roger Wicker (R)
November 4, 2008
Massachusetts (Class 1)
Ted Kennedy (D)
Died August 25, 2009
Paul G. Kirk (D)
September 24, 2009
Scott Brown (R)
January 19, 2010
Illinois (Class 3)
Barack Obama (D)
Resigned November 16, 2008Elected as president
Roland Burris (D)
January 12, 2009
Mark Kirk (R)
November 2, 2010
Delaware (Class 2)
Joe Biden (D)
Resigned January 15, 2009Elected as vice president
Ted Kaufman (D)
January 16, 2009
Chris Coons (D)
November 2, 2010
New York (Class 1)
Hillary Clinton (D)
Resigned January 21, 2009
Kirsten Gillibrand (D)
January 27, 2009
Kirsten Gillibrand (D)
November 2, 2010
West Virginia (Class 1)
Robert Byrd (D)
Died June 28, 2010
Carte Goodwin (D)
July 20, 2010
Joe Manchin (D)
November 2, 2010
Massachusetts (Class 2)
John Kerry (D)
Resigned February 1, 2013
Mo Cowan (D)
February 1, 2013
Ed Markey (D)
June 25, 2013
New Jersey (Class 2)
Frank Lautenberg (D)
Died June 3, 2013
Jeffrey Chiesa (R)
June 10, 2013
Cory Booker (D)
October 16, 2013
South Carolina (Class 3)
Jim DeMint (R)
Resigned January 1, 2013
Tim Scott (R)
January 2, 2013
Tim Scott (R)
November 4, 2014
Hawaii (Class 3)
Daniel Inouye (D)
Died December 17, 2012
Brian Schatz (D)
December 26, 2012
Brian Schatz (D)
November 4, 2014
Oklahoma (Class 3)
Tom Coburn (R)
Resigned January 3, 2015
No appointment[ f]
James Lankford (R)
November 4, 2014
Alabama (Class 2)
Jeff Sessions (R)
Resigned February 8, 2017
Luther Strange (R)
February 9, 2017
Doug Jones (D)
December 12, 2017
Minnesota (Class 2)
Al Franken (D)
Resigned January 2, 2018
Tina Smith (D)
January 3, 2018
Tina Smith (D)
November 6, 2018
Mississippi (Class 2)
Thad Cochran (R)
Resigned April 1, 2018
Cindy Hyde-Smith (R)
April 2, 2018
Cindy Hyde-Smith (R)
November 6, 2018
Arizona (Class 3)
John McCain (R)
Died August 25, 2018
Jon Kyl (R)
September 4, 2018 – December 31, 2018 (resigned)
Mark Kelly (D)
November 3, 2020
Martha McSally (R)
January 3, 2019
Georgia (Class 3)
Johnny Isakson (R)
Resigned December 31, 2019
Kelly Loeffler (R)
January 6, 2020
Raphael Warnock (D)
January 5, 2021
California (Class 3)
Kamala Harris (D)
Resigned January 18, 2021Elected as vice president
Alex Padilla (D)
January 20, 2021
Alex Padilla (D)
November 8, 2022
Oklahoma (Class 2)
Jim Inhofe (R)
Resigned January 3, 2023
No appointment[ g]
Markwayne Mullin (R)
November 8, 2022
Nebraska (Class 2)
Ben Sasse (R)
Resigned January 8, 2023
Pete Ricketts (R)
January 12, 2023
TBD
November 5, 2024
California (Class 1)
Dianne Feinstein (D)
Died September 29, 2023
Laphonza Butler (D)
October 3, 2023
TBD
November 5, 2024
State
Senator
Vacancy event
Senator
Date
Senator
Date
Original
Appointee
Election winner
See also
Notes
^ Though he ran as an independent, Miller was so clearly a Democrat that most records indicate both Miller and his special election opponent as Democrats, including the Official Congressional Directory .[ 7]
^ Senator Bunker was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the November 10, 1940, death of Key Pittman, who had just won re-election. Bunker was appointed both to complete the term that would end on January 3, 1941, and to begin the term that would end on January 3, 1947.
^ a b Senator-elect
^ The 1974 election result was contested . Eventually, the Senate declared the seat vacant. Norris Cotton, who had retired at the election, was subsequently appointed to the seat until a special election could be held.[ 8]
^ The 1994 election in Oklahoma was held while David Boren was still in office; Boren had announced his resignation in May 1994.
^ The 2014 election in Oklahoma was held while Tom Coburn was still in office; Coburn had announced his resignation in January 2014.
^ The 2022 election in Oklahoma was held while Jim Inhofe was still in office; Inhofe had announced his resignation in February 2022.
References
^ "No special election to replace Sessions; Bentley says move could save $16 million" . Al.com . January 5, 2017. Retrieved January 15, 2017 .
^ "Governor Ivey Moves US Senate Special Election to Adhere with State Law" . Office of the Governor of Alabama. April 18, 2017. Retrieved April 18, 2017 .
^ "Alabama Senate race: Trump records message for Roy Moore" . BBC. December 12, 2017.
^ "Filling vacancies in the U.S. Senate" . Ballotpedia . Retrieved 2022-12-10 .
^ a b Neale, Thomas H. (March 10, 2009). "Filling U.S. Senate Vacancies: Perspectives and Contemporary Developments" (PDF) . Congressional Research Service. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 19, 2011.
^ "House approves appointment process for U.S. Senate vacancies" . OCPA . Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs. May 27, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2022 .
^ Compiled by C.B. Deane (December 21, 1937). Official Congressional Directory (1st ed.). Washington, DC: Joint Committee on Printing, Office of Congressional Directory; Government Printing Office . p. 6. OCLC 1114304889 .
^ "Closest election in Senate history" . Senate Historical Office.
External links
This page was last edited on 5 October 2024, at 10:40