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U.S. Senate election, 1986

United States Senate elections, 1986
United States
← 1984 November 4, 1986 1988 →

34 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate
51 seats needed for a majority
  Majority party Minority party
  Robert Byrd Majority Portrait.jpg Bob Dole, PCCWW photo portrait.JPG
Leader Robert Byrd Bob Dole
Party Democratic Republican
Leader's seat West Virginia Kansas
Last election 47 seats 53 seats
Seats won 55 45
Seat change Increase 8 Decrease 8
Popular vote 24,347,369 23,126,219
Percentage 50.1% 47.6%
Swing Increase 0.3% Decrease 1.7%
Seats up 12 22

1986 Senate election map.svg
  Republican hold
  Republican gain
  Democratic hold
  Democratic gain

Majority Leader before election

Bob Dole
Republican

Elected Majority Leader

Robert Byrd
Democratic


Bob Dole
Republican

Robert Byrd
Democratic

The United States Senate elections, 1986 was an election for the United States Senate in the middle of Ronald Reagan's second presidential term. The Republicans had to defend an unusually large number of freshman Senate incumbents who had been elected on President Ronald Reagan's coattails in 1980. Democrats won a net of eight seats, defeating seven freshman incumbents and regaining control of the Senate for the first time since January 1981. The party not controlling the presidency gained seats, as usually occurs in mid-term elections.

Shading indicates party with largest share of that line.

In this Senate election, the Democrats gained a net of eight seats, and recaptured control of the Senate from the Republicans with a 55 - 45 majority. Robert Dole (R-Kansas) and Robert C. Byrd (D-West Virginia) exchanged positions as the Majority Leader and the Minority Leader.

This was the last election — until 2016 — in which the Democrats in this Class of Senators (1/3 of the Senate) amassed a gain in seats (not including special elections held in off-years in some states to fill the seats that had been vacated by Senators due to death, resignation, or otherwise).

The only win by the Republican Party was for one "open seat" in Missouri. On the other hand, the Democratic Party won the "open seats" in Maryland and Nevada, and the Democrats also defeated seven incumbent Republican Senators, six of them who were first-term senators who had been elected in 1980.


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