1954 United States Senate elections

The 1954 United States Senate elections was a midterm election in the first term of Dwight D. Eisenhower's presidency. The 32 Senate seats of Class 2 were contested in regular elections, and six special elections were held to fill vacancies. Eisenhower's Republican party lost a net of two seats to the Democratic opposition. This small change was just enough to give Democrats control of the chamber with the support of an Independent (Wayne Morse of Oregon) who agreed to caucus with them, he later officially joined the party in April 1955.

1954 United States Senate elections
September 13 & November 2, 1954
38 of the 96 seats in the United States Senate
49 seats needed for a majority
  Majority party Minority party
 
Leader Lyndon Johnson William Knowland
Party Democratic Republican
Leader since January 3, 1953 August 4, 1953
Leader's seat Texas California
Seats before 46 49
Seats after 48 47
Seat change 2 2
Popular vote 15,137,069 12,585,368
Percentage 53.9% 44.8%
Seats up 22 16
Races won 24 14
  Third party
 
Party Independent
Seats before 1
Seats after 1
Seat change
Seats up 0
Races won 0
Results of the elections:
     Democratic gain      Democratic hold
     Republican gain      Republican hold
     No election
Rectangular inset (Neb., N. H. & N. C.): both seats up for election
Majority Leader before election

Bill Knowland
Republican

 Elected Majority Leader

Lyndon Johnson
Democratic

The elections resulted in a divided government that continued to the end of Eisenhower's presidency and a Democratic majority that would last until 1981. As of 2022, this is the last Senate election cycle in which a state (both Nebraska and North Carolina) had to hold three simultaneous elections (two special elections and one regular election) due to the near-simultaneous deaths of both incumbent Senators.

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