United States Senate elections, 1976

United States Senate elections, 1976

November 2, 1976
33 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate 51 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Robert Byrd Howard Baker Party Democratic Republican Leader's seat West Virginia Tennessee Last election 61 seats 37 seats Seats before 61 37 Seats won 61 38 Seat change 1 Popular vote 31,790,526 24,562,431 Percentage 53.7% 41.5% Swing 1.5% 1.9%   Third party Fourth party   Party Independent Conservative (N.Y.) Last election 1 seat 1 seat Seats before 1 1 Seats won 1 0 Seat change 1 Popular vote 311,494
300px   Democratic gain   Democratic hold   Independent hold   Republican gain   Republican hold
Majority Leader before election Mike Mansfield Democratic Elected Majority Leader Robert Byrd Democratic

The United States Senate election, 1976 was an election for the United States Senate that coincided with Democratic Jimmy Carter's election to the presidency and the United States Bicentennial celebration. Although almost half of the seats being decided in this election changed parties, Carter's narrow victory did not provide coattails for the Democrats, and the balance of the chamber remained the same. This was the first election in which the Libertarian Party competed, running candidates in 9 of the 33 contested seats.

Results summary

Parties		Total Seats			Popular Vote
		1974	1976	+/-	Vote	%
	Democratic Party	60	61	1	31,790,526	53.72%
	Republican Party	37	38	1	24,562,431	41.51%
	Independent	1	1		1,173,414	1.98%
	American Party	0	0		204,556	0.35%
	Socialist Worker's Party	0	0		125,528	0.21%
	American Independent Party	0	0		110,921	0.19%
	Libertarian Party	0	0		78,588	0.13%
	Others	1	0	1	1,128,043	1.91%
Total		100	100		59,174,007	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
D41	D42	D43	D44	D45	D46	D47	D48	D49	D50
Majority →									D51
D60	D59	D58	D57	D56	D55	D54	D53	D52
D61	I1	C1	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

At the end of the last Congress (2 months later)

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 D50 Majority → D51 D60O D59 D58 D57 D56 D55 D54 D53 D52 D61+ I1 V1 C1 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

D40O: Minnesota seat: The incumbent, who was not up for election, resigned to become U.S. Vice President. A successor was appointed to finish the term. D60O: Michigan seat: The incumbent had retired and then died. His elected successor was appointed to finish the term. D61+: Nebraska seat: The incumbent had retired and then resigned to give his elected successor preferential seniority through appointment to finish the term. R34+: California seat: The incumbent had lost re-election and then resigned to give his elected successor preferential seniority through appointment to finish the term. R35+: Missouri seat: The incumbent had retired and then resigned to give his elected successor preferential seniority through appointment to finish the term. R36+: California seat: The incumbent had retired and then resigned to give his elected successor preferential seniority through appointment to finish the term. V1+: Ohio seat: The incumbent had retired, then resigned to resume the practice of law, and the seat remained vacant to the end of the term.

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√	D50√
Majority →									D51√
D60+	D59+	D58+	D57+	D56+	D55+	D54O	D53O	D52√
D61+	I1√	R31O	R32+	R33+	R34+	R35+	R36+	R37+	R38+
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:	C# Conservative, caucusing with the Republicans D# Democratic I# Independent, caucusing with the Democrats R# Republican V# =Vacant		√ Incumbent re-elected or appointee elected to finish term O Party hold: New senator elected from same party + Party gain: New senator elected from different party

Retirements

The leaders of both parties retired. Democrats had a net gain of one seat from retirements.

Democratic holds

1. Michigan: Philip Hart (D) was replaced by Donald W. Riegle, Jr. (D).
   • Hart then died December 27, 1976 and Riegle was appointed to finish the term.
2. Montana: Majority leader Mike Mansfield (D) was replaced by John Melcher (D).

Democratic gains

1. Arizona: Paul Fannin (R) was replaced by Dennis DeConcini (D).
2. Hawaii: Hiram Fong (R) was replaced by Spark Matsunaga (D).
3. Nebraska: Roman Hruska (R) was replaced by Edward Zorinsky (D).
   • Hruska then resigned December 27, 1976 and Zorinsky was appointed in his place.

Republican hold

1. Pennsylvania: Hugh Scott (R) was replaced by John Heinz (R).

Republican gains

1. Missouri: Stuart Symington (D) was replaced by John Danforth (R).
   • Symington then resigned December 27, 1976 and Danforth was appointed to finish the term.
2. Rhode Island: John O. Pastore (D) was replaced by John Chafee (R).
   • Pastore then resigned December 28, 1976 and Chafee was appointed to finish the term.

Incumbents who lost

Republicans had a net gain of one seat from re-election gains.

Democratic gains

1. Maryland: John Glenn Beall, Jr. (R) lost re-election to Paul Sarbanes (D).
2. New York: James L. Buckley (C) lost re-election as a Republican to Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D).
3. Ohio: Robert Taft, Jr. (R) lost re-election to former Senator Howard Metzenbaum (D).
   • Taft then resigned December 28, 1976. Metzenbaum was appointed to finish the term.
4. Tennessee: Bill Brock (R) lost re-election to Jim Sasser (D).

Republican gains

1. California: John V. Tunney (D) lost re-election to S. I. Hayakawa (R).
   • Tunney then resigned January 1, 1977 and Hayakawa was appointed to finish the term.
2. Indiana: Vance Hartke (D) lost re-election to Richard Lugar (R).
3. New Mexico: Joseph Montoya (D) lost re-election to Harrison Schmitt (R).
4. Utah: Frank Moss (D) lost re-election to Orrin Hatch (R).
5. Wyoming: Gale W. McGee (D) lost re-election to Malcolm Wallop (R).

Complete list of races

A bolded state name links to an article about that state's election.

State	Incumbent	Party	Result	Candidates
Arizona	Paul Fannin	Republican	Retired Democratic gain	Dennis DeConcini (Democratic) 54.0% Sam Steiger (Republican) 43.3% Allan Norwitz (Libertarian) 1.0%
California	John V. Tunney	Democratic	Lost re-election Republican gain	S. I. Hayakawa (Republican) 50.2% John V. Tunney (Democratic) 46.9%
Connecticut	Lowell P. Weicker, Jr.	Republican	Re-elected	Lowell P. Weicker, Jr. (Republican) 57.7% Gloria Schaffer (Democratic) 41.2%
Delaware	William V. Roth, Jr.	Republican	Re-elected	William V. Roth, Jr. (Republican) 55.8% Thomas C. Maloney (Democratic) 43.6%
Florida	Lawton Chiles	Democratic	Re-elected	Lawton Chiles (Democratic) 63.0% John Grady (Republican) 37.0%
Hawaii	Hiram Fong	Republican	Retired Democratic gain	Spark Matsunaga (Democratic) 53.7% William F. Quinn (Republican) 40.6%
Indiana	Vance Hartke	Democratic	Lost re-election Republican gain	Richard Lugar (Republican) 58.8% Vance Hartke (Democratic) 40.5%
Maine	Edmund Muskie	Democratic	Re-elected	Edmund Muskie (Democratic) 60.2% Robert A. G. Monks (Republican) 39.8%
Maryland	John Glenn Beall, Jr.	Republican	Lost re-election Democratic gain	John Glenn Beall, Jr. (Republican) 38.8% Paul Sarbanes (Democratic) 56.5%
Massachusetts	Ted Kennedy	Democratic	Re-elected	Ted Kennedy (Democratic) 69.3% Michael S. Robertson (Republican) 29.0% Carol Henderson Evans (Socialist Workers) 1.1% H. Graham Lowry (U.S. Labor) 0.6%
Michigan	Philip Hart	Democratic	Retired Democratic hold	Donald W. Riegle, Jr. (Democratic) 52.5% Marvin L. Esch (Republican) 46.8%
Minnesota	Hubert Humphrey	Democratic	Re-elected	Hubert Humphrey (Democratic) 67.5% Gerald W. Brekke (Republican) 25.0% Paul Helm (Independent) 6.6%
Mississippi	John C. Stennis	Democratic	Re-elected	John C. Stennis (Democratic) Unopposed
Missouri	Stuart Symington	Democratic	Retired Republican gain	John Danforth (Republican) 56.9% Warren E. Hearnes (Democratic) 42.5% Lawrence Petty (Independent) 0.6%
Montana	Mike Mansfield	Democratic	Retired Democratic hold	John Melcher (Democratic) 64.2% Stanley C. Burger (Republican) 35.8%
Nebraska	Roman Hruska	Republican	Retired Democratic gain	Edward Zorinsky (Democratic) 52.4% John Y. McCollister (Republican) 47.5%
Nevada	Howard Cannon	Democratic	Re-elected	Howard Cannon (Democratic) 63.0% David Towell (Republican) 31.4%
New Jersey	Harrison A. Williams	Democratic	Re-elected	Harrison A. Williams (Democratic) 60.7% David A. Norcross (Republican) 38.0%
New Mexico	Joseph Montoya	Democratic	Lost re-election Republican gain	Harrison Schmitt (Republican) 56.8% Joseph Montoya (Democratic) 42.7%
New York	James L. Buckley	Conservative	Lost re-election as a Republican Democratic gain	Daniel Patrick Moynihan (Democratic) 54.2% James L. Buckley (Republican) 44.9%
North Dakota	Quentin N. Burdick	Democratic	Re-elected	Quentin N. Burdick (Democratic) 62.1% Robert Stroup (Republican) 36.6%
Ohio	Robert Taft, Jr.	Republican	Lost re-election Democratic gain	Howard Metzenbaum (Democratic) 49.5% Robert Taft, Jr. (Republican) 46.5%
Pennsylvania	Hugh Scott	Republican	Retired Republican hold	H. John Heinz III (Republican) 52.4% William J. Green, III (Democratic) 46.8%
Rhode Island	John O. Pastore	Democratic	Retired Republican gain	John Chafee (Republican) 57.7% Richard P. Lorber (Democratic) 42.0%
Tennessee	Bill Brock	Republican	Lost re-election Democratic gain	Jim Sasser (Democratic) 52.5% Bill Brock (Republican) 47.0%
Texas	Lloyd Bentsen	Democratic	Re-elected	Lloyd Bentsen (Democratic) 56.8% Alan Steelman (Republican) 42.2%
Utah	Frank Moss	Democratic	Lost re-election Republican gain	Orrin Hatch (Republican) 53.7% Frank Moss (Democratic) 44.8%
Vermont	Robert Stafford	Republican	Re-elected	Robert Stafford (Republican) 50.0% Thomas P. Salmon (Democratic) 45.3%
Virginia	Harry F. Byrd, Jr.	Independent	Re-elected	Harry F. Byrd, Jr. (Independent) 57.2% Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr. (Democratic) 38.3%
Washington	Henry M. Jackson	Democratic	Re-elected	Henry M. Jackson (Democratic) 71.8% George M. Brown (Republican) 24.2%
West Virginia	Robert Byrd	Democratic	Re-elected	Robert Byrd (Democratic) 99.9%
Wisconsin	William Proxmire	Democratic	Re-elected	William Proxmire (Democratic) 72.2% Stanley York (Republican) 27.0%
Wyoming	Gale W. McGee	Democratic	Lost re-election Republican gain	Malcolm Wallop (Republican) 54.7% Gale W. McGee (Democratic) 45.4%

See also

• 95th United States Congress
• United States presidential election, 1976
• United States House of Representatives elections, 1976
• United States gubernatorial elections, 1976