United States Senate elections, 1844 and 1845

Various dates

18 of the 54 seats in the United States Senate (with special elections)
27 seats needed for a majority

	Majority party	Minority party

Party	Democratic	Whig
Last election	23 seats	27 seats
Seats before	23	27
Seats won	8	8
Seats after	27	24
Seat change	3	3
Seats up	5	11

	Third party

Party	Law and Order
Last election	[new party]
Seats before	1
Seats won	0
Seats after	0
Seat change	1
Seats up	1

Majority Party before election

Whig

Elected Majority Party

Democratic

Whig

Democratic

The United States Senate elections of 1844 and 1845 were elections which, coinciding with James K. Polk's election, had the Democratic Party retake control of the United States Senate, gaining a net total of eleven seats from the Whigs.

As these elections were prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by State legislatures.

Senate Party Division, 29th Congress (1845–1847)

In these special elections, the winners were seated during 1844 or in 1845 before March 4; ordered by election date.

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1845; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 1 seats.

In these special elections, the winners were elected in 1845 after March 4; ordered by election date.

Two special elections were held on January 18, 1845 and one regular election was held on February 4, 1845.

Nathaniel P. Tallmadge had been re-elected in 1840 to the Class 1 seat (term 1839-1845), but resigned on June 17, 1844, to be appointed Governor of Wisconsin Territory by President John Tyler. On November 30, Governor William C. Bouck appointed Lieutenant Governor Daniel S. Dickinson to fill the vacancy temporarily, and Dickinson took his seat on December 9, 1844.

Silas Wright, Jr. had been re-elected in 1843 to the Class 3 seat (term 1843-1849), but resigned on November 26, 1844, after his election as Governor of New York. On November 30, Governor William C. Bouck appointed State Senator Henry A. Foster to fill the vacancy temporarily, and Foster took his seat on December 9, 1844.

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