United States Senate elections, 2002

United States Senate elections, 2002

2000 ← November 5, 2002 → 2004

33 of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate and 1 mid-term vacancy 51 seats needed for a majority   Majority party Minority party   Leader Trent Lott Tom Daschle Party Republican Democratic Leader's seat Mississippi South Dakota Last election 50 seats 50 seats Seats before 49 49 Seats won 51 48 Seat change 2 1 Popular vote 20,626,192 18,956,449 Percentage 49.5% 45.5% Swing 2.5% 1.5%   Third party   Party Independent Seats before 1 Seats won 0 Seats after 1 Seat change

Democratic gain   Democratic hold   Republican hold   Republican gain

Majority Leader before election Tom Daschle Democratic Elected Majority Leader Bill Frist Republican

Tom Daschle
Democratic

Bill Frist
Republican

The United States Senate elections, 2002 featured a series of fiercely contested elections that resulted in a victory for the Republican Party, which gained two seats and thus a narrow majority from the Democratic Party in the United States Senate. The Senate seats up for election, known as "class 2" Senate seats, were last up for regular election in 1996. The election was held on November 5, 2002, almost fourteen months after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

The Democrats had originally hoped to do well, as the party holding the presidency historically loses seats in midterm elections, and the Republicans had 20 seats up for election compared to 14 Democratic seats. In addition, four incumbent Republicans and no Democrats announced their retirement before the election. However, the Republicans were able to hold the four open seats, all of which were in the South. Ultimately, Republicans would pick up three seats and lose one, resulting in a net gain of two seats. Together with gains made in the House of Representatives, this election was one of the few mid-term elections in the last one hundred years in which the party in control of the White House gained Congressional seats (the others were 1902, 1934, and 1998).