1898–99 United States Senate elections
The 1898–99 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states. As these U.S. Senate elections were prior to the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, senators were chosen by state legislatures. Senators were elected over a wide range of time throughout 1898 and 1899, and a seat may have been filled months late or remained vacant due to legislative deadlock. In these elections, terms were up for the senators in Class 1.
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30 of the 90 seats in the United States Senate (as well as special elections) 46 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Results of the elections: Democratic gain Democratic hold Republican gain Republican hold Silver hold Legislature failed to elect | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Republican Party gained eight seats at the expense of the Democrats and several minor third parties. The Democrats saw strong gains in the concurrent 1898 House of Representatives elections. However, this group of Senators were last up for election in 1892, since which a major political realignment had occurred. Many state legislatures in northern states that had been controlled by Democrats during the third party system had flipped in the Republican wave years of 1894 and 1896, resulting in the huge number of seats the party gained in 1898.
The Democrats flipped a Silver Republican held seat in Montana while Republicans flipped a Populist held seat in Nebraska. In North Dakota, Wisconsin, Indiana, West Virginia, Maryland, New York, and New Jersey, Republicans flipped Democratic held seats.
A large number of state legislatures failed to fill their Senators during this election cycle: in Utah, a Silver Republican failed to secure re-election; in Delaware and California, a Democrat did so; in Pennsylvania, a Republican seat was lost.
In Nebraska and Florida, senators were elected shortly after the beginning of the 56th Congress on March 4.
In Oregon, a special election was held to fill a vacant seat.