List of special elections to the United States Senate

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.

Appointments by governors edit

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 edit

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
State (Class)	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)	February 3, 1804
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)	January 8, 1824
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
North Dakota (Class 3)	Martin N. Johnson (R)	Died October 12, 1909	William E. Purcell (D)	February 1, 1910	Asle Gronna (R)	February 1, 1911
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
Pennsylvania (Class 1)	Philander C. Knox (R)	Died October 12, 1921	David A. Reed (R)	August 8, 1922	David A. Reed (R)	November 7, 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
Alabama (Class 3)	Hugo Black (D)	Resigned August 19, 1937	Lister Hill (D)	January 11, 1938	Lister Hill (D)	April 26, 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
South Carolina (Class 2)	James F. Byrnes (D)	Resigned July 17, 1941	Roger Peace (D)	August 5, 1941	Burnet Maybank (D)	November 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, 1953 Elected 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)	November 2, 1954
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)	November 2, 1954
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, 1961 Elected 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, 1960 Elected 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, 1989 Elected 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)	Died September 8, 1992	Jocelyn Burdick (D)	September 16, 1992	Kent Conrad (D)	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, 1993 Elected 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, 2008 Elected as president	Roland Burris (D)	January 12, 2009	Mark Kirk (R)	November 2, 2010
Delaware (Class 2)	Joe Biden (D)	Resigned January 15, 2009 Elected 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
Arizona (Class 3)	John McCain (R)	Died August 25, 2018	Martha McSally (R)	January 3, 2019	Mark Kelly (D)	November 3, 2020
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, 2021 Elected 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
State	Original		Appointee		Election winner

Notes edit

^ 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 edit

^ "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. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
^ "Closest election in Senate history". Senate Historical Office.

External links edit

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress 1774 – 2005 – Contains complete listing of all Congresses

[8] 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]

[Bunker-9] 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.

[Senator-elect-10] Senator-elect

[12] 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]

[13] The 1994 election in Oklahoma was held while David Boren was still in office; Boren had announced his resignation in May 1994.

[14] The 2014 election in Oklahoma was held while Tom Coburn was still in office; Coburn had announced his resignation in January 2014.

[15] The 2022 election in Oklahoma was held while Jim Inhofe was still in office; Inhofe had announced his resignation in February 2022.

[1] "No special election to replace Sessions; Bentley says move could save $16 million". Al.com. January 5, 2017. Retrieved January 15, 2017.

[2] "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.

[3] "Alabama Senate race: Trump records message for Roy Moore". BBC. December 12, 2017.

[4] "Filling vacancies in the U.S. Senate". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2022-12-10.

[CRS-5] 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.

[6] "House approves appointment process for U.S. Senate vacancies". OCPA. Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs. May 27, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2022.

[7] 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. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)

[11] "Closest election in Senate history". Senate Historical Office.

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