1910–11 United States Senate elections

The 1910–11 United States Senate election 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 primarily chosen by state legislatures. Senators were elected over a wide range of time throughout 1910 and 1911, and a seat may have been filled months late or remained vacant due to legislative deadlock. However, some states had already begun direct elections during this time. Oregon pioneered direct election and experimented with different measures over several years until it succeeded in 1907. Soon after, Nebraska followed suit and laid the foundation for other states to adopt measures reflecting the people's will. By 1912, as many as 29 states elected senators either as nominees of their party's primary or in conjunction with a general election.

1910–11 United States Senate elections

January 18, 1910 –
July 12, 1911

36 of the 92 seats in the United States Senate
47 seats needed for a majority
  Majority party Minority party
 
Leader Shelby Moore Cullom
(retired)
Thomas S. Martin
Party Republican Democratic
Leader since March 4, 1909 March 4, 1909
Leader's seat Illinois Virginia
Seats before 59 33
Seats won 15 13
Seats after 50 42
Seat change 9 9
Seats up 25 11

Results of the elections:
     Democratic gain      Democratic hold
     Republican gain      Republican hold

Majority conference chairman before election

Eugene Hale
Republican

Elected Majority conference chairman

Shelby Moore Cullom
Republican

In these elections, terms were up for the senators in Class 1. In conjunction with winning control of the House of Representatives for the first time since the 1892 elections, Democrats flipped 9 Senate seats. This was not enough to flip the Senate, but significantly narrowed the margin of Republican control.

In New York and Florida, the legislature failed to elect until after the beginning of the 62nd Congress on March 4. Special elections were held in six states: Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota, and West Virginia.

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