1996 United States Senate elections
The 1996 United States Senate elections were held on November 5, with the 33 seats of Class 2 contested in regular elections. Special elections were also held to fill vacancies. They coincided with the presidential election of the same year, in which Democrat Bill Clinton was re-elected president.
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34 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate 51 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Results of the elections (excluding Oregon's Senate special election): Democratic gain Democratic hold Republican gain Republican hold No election Rectangular inset (Kansas): both seats up for election | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Republicans held a 54–46 majority going into 1996, however, a January special election in Oregon resulted in Democrats reducing the majority to 53–47. Despite the re-election of Clinton and Gore, and despite Democrats picking up a net two seats in the elections to the United States House of Representatives held the same day, the Republicans had a net gain of two seats in the Senate, following major Republican gains two years previously in the 1994 elections. As such, Clinton became the only president to be re-elected without ever having any Senate coattails since the ratification of the 17th Amendment.
The Republicans won open seats previously held by Democrats in Alabama, Arkansas, and Nebraska. The only Democratic pickup occurred in South Dakota, where Democrat Tim Johnson narrowly defeated incumbent Republican Larry Pressler. The cycle featured an unusually high number of retirements, with thirteen in total.