U.S. Senate election, 1964

United States Senate elections, 1964

← 1962 November 3, 1964 1966 →
33 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate, plus 2 mid-term vacancies 51 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Mike Mansfield Everett Dirksen Party Democratic Republican Leader's seat Montana Illinois Last election 66 seats 34 seats Seats won 68 32 Seat change 2 2 Popular vote 30,217,130 22,654,661 Percentage 56.3% 42.2% Swing 5.9% 6.8% Seats up 26 9
Democratic gain      Democratic hold      Republican gain      Republican hold
Majority Leader before election Mike Mansfield Democratic Elected Majority Leader Mike Mansfield Democratic

Mike Mansfield
Democratic

Mike Mansfield
Democratic

The United States Senate elections, 1964 coincided with the election of President Lyndon B. Johnson by an overwhelming majority, to a full term. His Democratic Party picked up a net two seats from the Republicans. As of 2016, this is the last time either party has had a two-thirds majority in the Senate, which would have hypothetically allowed the Senate Democrats to override a veto, convict and expel certain officials, or invoke cloture without any votes from Republicans. The Senate election coincided with Democratic gains in the House in the same year.

Notably, of the 34 seats up for election this year, 25 of were held by Democrats, who managed to retain 24 of them. A party defending 2/3 of the seats up for election would not make net gains in the Senate again until 2012. Coincidentally, with the same Senate Class, Class 1.

Future President George H. W. Bush ran for a seat in Texas, but lost.

In a close race in Nevada, Democratic incumbent Howard Cannon won re-election over Republican Lieutenant Governor Paul Laxalt by fewer than 100 votes. Laxalt joined Cannon in the Senate when he won Nevada's other seat in 1974.

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