2020 United States Senate elections

2020 United States Senate elections

← 2018 November 3, 2020 January 5, 2021 (Georgia runoffs) 2022 →
35 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate 51[a] seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Chuck Schumer Mitch McConnell Party Democratic Republican Leader since January 3, 2017 January 3, 2007 Leader's seat New York Kentucky Seats before 45 53 Seats after 48[b][c] 50[c] Seat change 3 3 Popular vote 38,011,916 39,834,647 Percentage 47.0% 49.3% Swing 11.2% 10.6% Seats up 12 23 Races won 15 20   Third party   Party Independent Seats before 2[b] Seats after 2 Seat change Popular vote 255,768[d] Seats up 0 Races won 0
Results of the elections:      Democratic gain      Republican gain      Democratic hold      Republican hold      No election Rectangular inset (Georgia): both seats up for election
Majority Leader before election Mitch McConnell Republican Elected Majority Leader Chuck Schumer[c] Democratic

The 2020 United States Senate elections were held on November 3, 2020,^[1] with the 33 class 2 seats of the Senate contested in regular elections.^[2] Of these, 21 were held by Republicans and 12 by Democrats. The winners were elected to six-year terms from January 3, 2021, to January 3, 2027.^[3] Two special elections for seats held by Republicans were also held in conjunction with the general elections, with one in Arizona to fill the vacancy created by John McCain's death in 2018 and one in Georgia following Johnny Isakson's resignation in 2019.^[4][5] In both races, the incumbent Republican lost to a Democrat.^[6][7] These elections ran concurrent with the 2020 United States presidential election in which incumbent Republican president Donald Trump lost to Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

In the 2014 United States Senate elections, the last regularly scheduled elections for Class 2 Senate seats, the Republicans won nine seats from the Democrats and gained a majority,^[8] which they continued to hold after the 2016 and 2018 elections.^[9][10] Before the election, Republicans held 53 seats, Democrats held 45 seats, and independents caucusing with the Democrats held two seats, which were not up for reelection.^[11] Including the special elections in Arizona and Georgia, Republicans defended 23 seats and the Democrats 12.^[12]

In this election, the Democratic Party made a net gain of three Senate seats and the vice presidency, giving them a majority for the first time since 2014, albeit by a narrow 50-50 margin.^[a][13] Democrats unseated four Republicans – in Arizona, in Colorado, and in two elections in Georgia – while Republicans flipped a seat in Alabama. However, Democrats underperformed expectations overall; despite record-breaking turnout and fundraising efforts, they failed to flip several seats that were considered competitive, and lost many races by much larger margins than expected.^[6][14] Except in Maine, the winning party in every Senate election was the winning party in the state's presidential election.^[15]

Due to election laws in Georgia that require candidates to win at least 50% of the vote in the general election, the state's regularly-scheduled and special Senate elections were decided in a runoff election on January 5, 2021.^[16] After the November general election, Republicans held 50 seats while Democrats held 48 and the vice presidency, so sweeping both races was crucial for Democrats to attain a majority. They succeeded in doing so,^[7] and the partisan balance in the Senate became tied for the first time since 2001, and only the second time in six decades.^[17][18] Vice President Kamala Harris' tie-breaking vote gave Democrats control of the chamber by the smallest margin possible after the new administration took office.^[19] This marked the first time since 1980 that either chamber of Congress flipped partisan control in a presidential year. The Democrats' concurrent victory in the presidential election and their earlier victory in the United States House of Representatives gave the party unified control of government for the first time since 2008, and made Donald Trump the first President since Herbert Hoover, who served from 1929 to 1933, to lose re-election and cost his party both chambers of Congress in a single term.^[20]

Election summary[]

Seats[]

Parties						Total
			Democratic	Independent	Republican
Last election (2018)			45	2	53	100
Before this election			45	2	53	100
Not up			33	2	30	65
	Class 1 (2018→2024)		21	2	10	33
	Class 3 (2016→2022)		12	—	20	32
Up			12	—	23	35
	Class 2 (2014→2020)		12	—	21	33
	Special: class 3		—	—	2	2
	General elections
	Incumbent retiring		1	—	3	4
	Incumbent running		11	—	18	29
	Special elections
	Appointee running		—	—	2	2

Votes[]

National results^[21]

Parties		Votes	%	Seats
				Total before	Up	Won	Total after	+/-
	Republican	39,834,647	49.29	53	23	20	50	3
	Democratic	38,011,916	47.03	45	12	15	48	3
	Libertarian	1,454,128	1.80	0	0	0	0
	Green	258,348	0.03	0	0	0	0
	Constitution	110,851	0.14	0	0	0	0
	Others parties	794,479	0.98	0	0	0	0
	Independent	255,768	0.32	2	0	0	2
	Write-in	100,946	0.12	0	0	0	0
Total		80,821,083	100	100	35	35	100

Change in composition[]

Republicans defended 23 seats while Democrats defended 12.^[12] Each block represents one of the 100 Senate seats. "D#" is a Democratic senator, "I#" is an Independent senator, and "R#" is a Republican senator. They are arranged so that the parties are separated and a majority is clear by crossing the middle.

Before the elections[]

Each block indicates an incumbent senator's actions going into the election. Both Independents caucus with the Democrats.

D1	D2	D3	D4	D5	D6	D7	D8	D9	D10
D20	D19	D18	D17	D16	D15	D14	D13	D12	D11
D21	D22	D23	D24	D25	D26	D27	D28	D29	D30
D40 N.H. Ran	D39 Minn. Ran	D38 Mich. Ran	D37 Mass. Ran	D36 Ill. Ran	D35 Del. Ran	D34 Ala. Ran	D33	D32	D31
D41 N.J. Ran	D42 N.M. Retired	D43 Ore. Ran	D44 R.I. Ran	D45 Va. Ran	I1	I2	R53 Wyo. Retired	R52 W.Va. Ran	R51 Texas Ran
Majority →									R50 Tenn. Retired
R41 La. Ran	R42 Maine Ran	R43 Miss. Ran	R44 Mont. Ran	R45 Neb. Ran	R46 N.C. Ran	R47 Okla. Ran	R48 S.C. Ran	R49 S.D. Ran
R40 Ky. Ran	R39 Kan. Retired	R38 Iowa Ran	R37 Idaho Ran	R36 Ga. (sp) Ran	R35 Ga. (reg) Ran	R34 Colo. Ran	R33 Ark. Ran	R32 Ariz. (sp) Ran	R31 Alaska Ran
R21	R22	R23	R24	R25	R26	R27	R28	R29	R30
R20	R19	R18	R17	R16	R15	R14	R13	R12	R11
R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10

After the elections[]

D1	D2	D3	D4	D5	D6	D7	D8	D9	D10
D20	D19	D18	D17	D16	D15	D14	D13	D12	D11
D21	D22	D23	D24	D25	D26	D27	D28	D29	D30
D40 N.J. Reelected	D39 N.H. Reelected	D38 Minn. Reelected	D37 Mich. Reelected	D36 Mass. Reelected	D35 Ill. Reelected	D34 Del. Reelected	D33	D32	D31
D41 N.M. Hold	D42 Ore. Reelected	D43 R.I. Reelected	D44 Va. Reelected	D45 Ariz. (sp) Gain	D46 Colo. Gain	D47 Ga. (reg). Gain	D48 Ga. (sp). Gain	I1	I2
Majority (with independents and Vice President)[c] ↑
R41 Neb. Reelected	R42 N.C. Reelected	R43 Okla. Reelected	R44 S.C. Reelected	R45 S.D. Reelected	R46 Tenn. Hold	R47 Texas Reelected	R48 W.Va. Reelected	R49 Wyo. Hold	R50 Ala. Gain
R40 Mont. Reelected	R39 Miss. Reelected	R38 Maine Reelected	R37 La. Reelected	R36 Ky. Reelected	R35 Kan. Hold	R34 Iowa Reelected	R33 Idaho Reelected	R32 Ark. Reelected	R31 Alaska Reelected
R21	R22	R23	R24	R25	R26	R27	R28	R29	R30
R20	R19	R18	R17	R16	R15	R14	R13	R12	R11
R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10

Key:	D# Democratic R# Republican I# Independent, caucusing with Democrats

Final pre-election predictions[]

Several sites and individuals published predictions of competitive seats. These predictions looked at factors such as the strength of the incumbent (if the incumbent was running for reelection) and the other candidates, and the state's partisan lean (reflected in part by the state's Cook Partisan Voting Index rating). The predictions assigned ratings to each seat, indicating the predicted advantage that a party had in winning that seat. Most election predictors used:

• "tossup": no advantage
• "tilt" (used by some predictors): advantage that is not quite as strong as "lean"
• "lean": slight advantage
• "likely": significant, but surmountable, advantage
• "safe" or "solid": near-certain chance of victory

Constituency		Incumbent		2020 election ratings
State	PVI[22]	Senator	Last election[e]	Cook October 29, 2020[23]	IE October 28, 2020[24]	Sabato November 2, 2020[25]	Daily Kos November 2, 2020[26]	Politico November 2, 2020[27]	RCP October 23, 2020[28]	DDHQ November 3, 2020[29]	538[f][g] November 3, 2020[30]	Economist November 3, 2020[31]	Result[32]
Alabama	R+14	Doug Jones	50.0% D (2017 special)[h]	Lean R (flip)	Lean R (flip)	Likely R (flip)	Likely R (flip)	Lean R (flip)	Likely R (flip)	Safe R (flip)	Likely R (flip)	Safe R (flip)	Tuberville (60.1%) (flip)
Alaska	R+9	Dan Sullivan	48.0% R	Lean R	Lean R	Lean R	Lean R	Lean R	Lean R	Lean R	Likely R	Lean R	Sullivan (54.3%)
Arizona (special)	R+5	Martha McSally	Appointed (2019)[i]	Lean D (flip)	Tilt D (flip)	Lean D (flip)	Lean D (flip)	Lean D (flip)	Tossup	Likely D (flip)	Likely D (flip)	Lean D (flip)	Kelly (51.2%) (flip)
Arkansas	R+15	Tom Cotton	56.5% R	Safe R	Safe R	Safe R	Safe R	Solid R	Safe R	Safe R	Solid R	Safe R	Cotton (66.6%)
Colorado	D+1	Cory Gardner	48.2% R	Lean D (flip)	Lean D (flip)	Likely D (flip)	Likely D (flip)	Lean D (flip)	Lean D (flip)	Likely D (flip)	Likely D (flip)	Likely D (flip)	Hickenlooper (53.5%) (flip)
Delaware	D+6	Chris Coons	55.8% D	Safe D	Safe D	Safe D	Safe D	Solid D	Safe D	Safe D	Solid D	Safe D	Coons (59.4%)
Georgia (regular)	R+5	David Perdue	52.9% R	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Ossoff (50.6%) (flip)[j]
Georgia (special)	R+5	Kelly Loeffler	Appointed (2020)[k]	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Lean R	Lean R	Tossup	Lean D (flip)	Tossup	Warnock (51.0%) (flip)[j]
Idaho	R+19	Jim Risch	65.3% R	Safe R	Safe R	Safe R	Safe R	Solid R	Safe R	Safe R	Solid R	Safe R	Risch (62.6%)
Illinois	D+7	Dick Durbin	53.5% D	Safe D	Safe D	Safe D	Safe D	Solid D	Safe D	Safe D	Solid D	Safe D	Durbin (54.6%)
Iowa	R+3	Joni Ernst	52.1% R	Tossup	Tossup	Lean R	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Ernst (51.8%)
Kansas	R+13	Pat Roberts (retiring)	53.1% R	Lean R	Tilt R	Lean R	Lean R	Lean R	Lean R	Lean R	Likely R	Lean R	Marshall (53.5%)
Kentucky	R+15	Mitch McConnell	56.2% R	Likely R	Safe R	Likely R	Safe R	Likely R	Likely R	Safe R	Solid R	Likely R	McConnell (57.8%)
Louisiana	R+11	Bill Cassidy	55.9% R	Safe R	Safe R	Safe R	Safe R	Solid R	Safe R	Safe R	Solid R	Likely R	Cassidy (59.3%)
Maine	D+3	Susan Collins	68.5% R	Tossup	Tilt D (flip)	Lean D (flip)	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Lean D (flip)	Tossup	Lean D (flip)	Collins (51.0%)
Massachusetts	D+12	Ed Markey	61.9% D	Safe D	Safe D	Safe D	Safe D	Solid D	Safe D	Safe D	Solid D	Safe D	Markey (65.8%)
Michigan	D+1	Gary Peters	54.6% D	Lean D	Lean D	Lean D	Lean D	Lean D	Tossup	Likely D	Likely D	Likely D	Peters (49.9%)
Minnesota	D+1	Tina Smith	53.0% D (2018 special)[l]	Safe D	Safe D	Likely D	Likely D	Likely D	Tossup	Likely D	Solid D	Likely D	Smith (48.8%)
Mississippi	R+9	Cindy Hyde-Smith	53.6% R (2018 special)[m]	Likely R	Safe R	Likely R	Safe R	Likely R	Lean R	Likely R	Likely R	Likely R	Hyde-Smith (55.3%)
Montana	R+11	Steve Daines	57.9% R	Tossup	Tossup	Lean R	Lean R	Tossup	Tossup	Lean R	Lean R	Lean R	Daines (55.0%)
Nebraska	R+14	Ben Sasse	64.5% R	Safe R	Safe R	Safe R	Safe R	Solid R	Safe R	Safe R	Solid R	Safe R	Sasse (64.7%)
New Hampshire	D+1	Jeanne Shaheen	51.5% D	Safe D	Safe D	Likely D	Safe D	Likely D	Lean D	Safe D	Solid D	Safe D	Shaheen (56.7%)
New Jersey	D+7	Cory Booker	55.8% D	Safe D	Safe D	Safe D	Safe D	Solid D	Likely D	Safe D	Solid D	Safe D	Booker (56.9%)
New Mexico	D+3	Tom Udall (retiring)	55.6% D	Safe D	Safe D	Likely D	Safe D	Likely D	Lean D	Safe D	Likely D	Likely D	Luján (51.7%)
North Carolina	R+3	Thom Tillis	48.8% R	Tossup	Tilt D (flip)	Lean D (flip)	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Lean D (flip)	Lean D (flip)	Lean D (flip)	Tillis (48.7%)
Oklahoma	R+20	Jim Inhofe	68.0% R	Safe R	Safe R	Safe R	Safe R	Solid R	Safe R	Safe R	Solid R	Safe R	Inhofe (62.9%)
Oregon	D+5	Jeff Merkley	55.7% D	Safe D	Safe D	Safe D	Safe D	Solid D	Safe D	Safe D	Solid D	Safe D	Merkley (57.0%)
Rhode Island	D+10	Jack Reed	70.6% D	Safe D	Safe D	Safe D	Safe D	Solid D	Safe D	Safe D	Solid D	Safe D	Reed (66.5%)
South Carolina	R+8	Lindsey Graham	55.3% R	Tossup	Tilt R	Lean R	Lean R	Lean R	Tossup	Lean R	Likely R	Lean R	Graham (54.5%)
South Dakota	R+14	Mike Rounds	50.4% R	Safe R	Safe R	Safe R	Safe R	Solid R	Safe R	Safe R	Solid R	Safe R	Rounds (65.7%)
Tennessee	R+14	Lamar Alexander (retiring)	61.9% R	Safe R	Safe R	Safe R	Safe R	Solid R	Likely R	Safe R	Solid R	Safe R	Hagerty (62.1%)
Texas	R+8	John Cornyn	61.6% R	Lean R	Lean R	Lean R	Lean R	Lean R	Lean R	Likely R	Likely R	Lean R	Cornyn (53.6%)
Virginia	D+1	Mark Warner	49.1% D	Safe D	Safe D	Safe D	Safe D	Solid D	Likely D	Safe D	Solid D	Safe D	Warner (56.0%)
West Virginia	R+19	Shelley Moore Capito	62.1% R	Safe R	Safe R	Safe R	Safe R	Solid R	Safe R	Safe R	Solid R	Safe R	Capito (70.3%)
Wyoming	R+25	Mike Enzi (retiring)	72.2% R	Safe R	Safe R	Safe R	Safe R	Solid R	Safe R	Safe R	Solid R	Safe R	Lummis (73.1%)
Overall[n]				D – 48 R – 45 7 tossups	D – 50[o] R – 47 3 tossups	D – 50[o] R – 48 2 tossups	D – 48 R – 47 5 tossups	D – 48 R – 47 5 tossups	D – 45 R – 46 9 tossups	D – 50[o] R – 47 3 tossups	D – 50[o] R – 47 3 tossups	D – 50[o] R – 47 3 tossups	Results: D – 50[c] R – 50

Election dates[]

State	Filing deadline for major party candidates[33][34]	Filing deadline for write-in candidates in major party primaries[p]	Primary election[33]	Primary run-off (if necessary)[33]	Filing deadline for minor party and unaffiliated candidates[34]	Filing deadline for minor party and unaffiliated write-in candidates[q]	General election	Poll closing (EST)[35]
Alabama	November 8, 2019	Ineligible[36]	March 3, 2020	July 14, 2020	March 3, 2020	November 3, 2020[36]	November 3, 2020	8:00pm
Alaska	June 1, 2020	Ineligible[37]	August 18, 2020	N/A	August 18, 2020	October 29, 2020[38]	November 3, 2020	1:00am[r]
Arizona (special)	April 6, 2020	June 25, 2020[39]	August 4, 2020	N/A	April 6, 2020	September 24, 2020[39]	November 3, 2020	9:00pm
Arkansas	November 11, 2019	Ineligible[40]	March 3, 2020	Not necessary	May 1, 2020	August 5, 2020[40]	November 3, 2020	8:30pm
Colorado	March 17, 2020	April 24, 2020[41]	June 30, 2020	N/A	July 9, 2020	July 16, 2020[41]	November 3, 2020	9:00pm
Delaware	July 14, 2020	Ineligible[42]	September 15, 2020	N/A	September 1, 2020	September 20, 2020[43]	November 3, 2020	8:00pm
Georgia (regular)	March 6, 2020	Ineligible[44]	June 9, 2020	Not necessary	August 14, 2020	September 7, 2020[45]	November 3, 2020[s]	7:00pm
Georgia (special)	March 6, 2020	Ineligible[44]	November 3, 2020	N/A	August 14, 2020	September 7, 2020[45]	January 5, 2021[t]	9:00pm
Idaho	March 13, 2020	May 5, 2020[46]	June 2, 2020	N/A	March 13, 2020	October 6, 2020[46]	November 3, 2020	10:00pm
Illinois	December 2, 2019	January 2, 2020[47]	March 17, 2020	N/A	July 20, 2020	September 3, 2020[47]	November 3, 2020	8:00pm
Iowa	March 13, 2020	June 2, 2020[48]	June 2, 2020	Not necessary	March 13, 2020	November 3, 2020[48]	November 3, 2020	10:00pm
Kansas	June 1, 2020	Not necessary[u][49]	August 4, 2020	N/A	August 3, 2020	November 3, 2020[50]	November 3, 2020	9:00pm
Kentucky	January 10, 2020	Ineligible[51]	June 23, 2020	N/A	June 2, 2020	October 23, 2020[52]	November 3, 2020	7:00pm
Louisiana	July 24, 2020	Ineligible[53]	November 3, 2020	N/A	July 24, 2020	Ineligible[54]	Not necessary	9:00pm
Maine	March 16, 2020	April 10, 2020[55]	July 14, 2020	N/A	June 1, 2020	September 4, 2020[55]	November 3, 2020	8:00pm
Massachusetts	May 5, 2020	September 1, 2020[56]	September 1, 2020	N/A	August 25, 2020	November 3, 2020[56]	November 3, 2020	8:00pm
Michigan	May 8, 2020	July 24, 2020[57]	August 4, 2020	N/A	August 4, 2020	October 23, 2020[57]	November 3, 2020	8:00pm
Minnesota	June 2, 2020	May 19, 2020[58]	August 11, 2020	N/A	June 2, 2020	October 27, 2020[58]	November 3, 2020	9:00pm
Mississippi	January 10, 2020	Not necessary[v][59]	March 10, 2020	Not necessary	January 10, 2020	November 3, 2020[w][59]	November 3, 2020	8:00pm
Montana	March 9, 2020	April 8, 2020[60]	June 2, 2020	N/A	June 1, 2020	September 9, 2020[60]	November 3, 2020	10:00pm
Nebraska	March 2, 2020	May 1, 2020[61]	May 12, 2020	N/A	August 3, 2020	October 23, 2020[61]	November 3, 2020	9:00pm
New Hampshire	June 12, 2020	September 8, 2020[62]	September 8, 2020	N/A	September 2, 2020	November 3, 2020[63]	November 3, 2020	8:00pm
New Jersey	March 30, 2020	July 7, 2020[64]	July 7, 2020	N/A	July 7, 2020	November 3, 2020[64]	November 3, 2020	8:00pm
New Mexico	March 10, 2020	March 17, 2020[65]	June 2, 2020	N/A	June 25, 2020	June 26, 2020[66]	November 3, 2020	9:00pm
North Carolina	December 20, 2019	Ineligible[67]	March 3, 2020	Not necessary	March 3, 2020	July 21, 2020[68]	November 3, 2020	7:30pm
Oklahoma	April 10, 2020	Ineligible[69]	June 30, 2020	Not necessary	April 10, 2020	Ineligible[54]	November 3, 2020	8:00pm
Oregon	March 10, 2020	May 19, 2020[70]	May 19, 2020	N/A	August 25, 2020	November 3, 2020[70]	November 3, 2020	10:00pm
Rhode Island	June 24, 2020	September 8, 2020[71]	September 8, 2020	N/A	June 24, 2020	November 3, 2020[71]	November 3, 2020	8:00pm
South Carolina	March 30, 2020	Ineligible[72]	June 9, 2020	Not necessary	July 20, 2020	November 3, 2020[73]	November 3, 2020	7:00pm
South Dakota	March 31, 2020	Ineligible[54]	June 2, 2020	Not necessary	April 28, 2020	Ineligible[54]	November 3, 2020	8:00pm
Tennessee	April 2, 2020	June 17, 2020[74]	August 6, 2020	N/A	April 2, 2020	September 14, 2020[75]	November 3, 2020	8:00pm
Texas	December 9, 2019	Ineligible[76]	March 3, 2020	July 14, 2020	August 13, 2020[x]	August 17, 2020[77]	November 3, 2020	8:00pm
Virginia	March 26, 2020	Ineligible[78]	June 23, 2020	N/A	June 23, 2020	November 3, 2020[79]	November 3, 2020	7:00pm
West Virginia	January 25, 2020	Ineligible[80]	June 9, 2020	N/A	July 31, 2020	September 15, 2020[81]	November 3, 2020	7:30pm
Wyoming	May 29, 2020	August 18, 2020[y][82]	August 18, 2020	N/A	August 25, 2020	November 3, 2020[83]	November 3, 2020	9:00pm

Race summary[]

Special elections during the preceding Congress[]

In each special election, the winner's term begins immediately after their election is certified by their state's government.

Elections are sorted by date then state.

State (linked to summaries below)	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Arizona (Class 3)	Martha McSally	Republican	2019 (Appointed)	Incumbent lost election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	Y Mark Kelly (Democratic) 51.2%   Martha McSally (Republican) 48.8%
Georgia (Class 3)	Kelly Loeffler	Republican	2020 (Appointed)	Incumbent lost election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	Y Raphael Warnock (Democratic) 51.0%[84]   Kelly Loeffler (Republican) 49.0%[84]

Elections leading to the next Congress[]

In each general election, the winner is elected for the term beginning January 3, 2021.

State (linked to summaries below)	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Alabama	Doug Jones	Democratic	2017 (Special)	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Republican gain.	Y Tommy Tuberville (Republican) 60.1%   Doug Jones (Democratic) 39.7%
Alaska	Dan Sullivan	Republican	2014	Incumbent reelected.	Y Dan Sullivan (Republican) 53.9%   Al Gross (Independent) 41.2%   John Wayne Howe (Alaskan Independence) 4.7%
Arkansas	Tom Cotton	Republican	2014	Incumbent reelected.	Y Tom Cotton (Republican) 66.5%   Ricky Dale Harrington Jr. (Libertarian) 33.5%
Colorado	Cory Gardner	Republican	2014	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	Y John Hickenlooper (Democratic) 53.5%   Cory Gardner (Republican) 44.2%   Raymon Doane (Libertarian) 1.7%   Daniel Doyle (Approval Voting) 0.3%   Stephan "Seku" Evans (Unity) 0.3%
Delaware	Chris Coons	Democratic	2010 (Special) 2014	Incumbent reelected.	Y Chris Coons (Democratic) 59.4%   Lauren Witzke (Republican) 37.9%   Mark Turley (Delaware Independent) 1.6%   Nadine Frost (Libertarian) 1.1%
Georgia	David Perdue	Republican	2014	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	Y Jon Ossoff (Democratic) 50.6%[84]   David Perdue (Republican) 49.4%[84]
Idaho	Jim Risch	Republican	2008 2014	Incumbent reelected.	Y Jim Risch (Republican) 62.6%   Paulette Jordan (Democratic) 33.3%   Natalie Fleming (Independent) 2.9%   Ray Writz (Constitution) 1.2%
Illinois	Dick Durbin	Democratic	1996 2002 2008 2014	Incumbent reelected.	Y Dick Durbin (Democratic) 54.9%   Mark Curran (Republican) 38.9%   Willie Wilson (Willie Wilson Party) 4%   Danny Malouf (Libertarian) 1.3%   David F. Black (Green) 0.9%
Iowa	Joni Ernst	Republican	2014	Incumbent reelected.	Y Joni Ernst (Republican) 51.8%   Theresa Greenfield (Democratic) 45.2%   Rick Stewart (Libertarian) 2.2%   Suzanne Herzog (Independent) 0.8%
Kansas	Pat Roberts	Republican	1996 2002 2008 2014	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican hold.	Y Roger Marshall (Republican) 53.2%   Barbara Bollier (Democratic) 41.8%   Jason Buckley (Libertarian) 5%
Kentucky	Mitch McConnell	Republican	1984 1990 1996 2002 2008 2014	Incumbent reelected.	Y Mitch McConnell (Republican) 57.8%   Amy McGrath (Democratic) 38.2%   Brad Barron (Libertarian) 4%
Louisiana	Bill Cassidy	Republican	2014	Incumbent reelected.	Y Bill Cassidy (Republican) 59.3%   Adrian Perkins (Democratic) 19%   Champ Edwards (Democratic) 11.1%   Antoine Pierce (Democratic) 2.7%   Dustin Murphy (Republican) 1.9%   Drew David Knight (Democratic) 1.8%   Beryl Billiot (Independent) 0.8%   John Paul Bourgeois (Independent) 0.8%   Peter Wenstrup (Democratic) 0.7%   Aaron Sigler (Libertarian) 0.5%   Vinny Mendoza (Independent) 0.4%   Melinda Mary Price (Independent) 0.4%   Jamar Montgomery (Independent) 0.3%   Reno Daret III (Independent) 0.2%   Xan John (Independent) 0.1%
Maine	Susan Collins	Republican	1996 2002 2008 2014	Incumbent reelected.	Y Susan Collins (Republican) 51%   Sara Gideon (Democratic) 42.4%   Lisa Savage (Independent) 5%   Max Linn (Independent) 1.6%
Massachusetts	Ed Markey	Democratic	2013 (Special) 2014	Incumbent reelected.	Y Ed Markey (Democratic) 66.2%   Kevin O'Connor (Republican) 33%   Write-ins 0.8%
Michigan	Gary Peters	Democratic	2014	Incumbent reelected.	Y Gary Peters (Democratic) 49.9%   John James (Republican) 48.2%   Valerie Willis (U.S. Taxpayers) 0.9%   Marcia Squier (Green) 0.7%   Doug Dern (Natural Law) 0.2%
Minnesota	Tina Smith	Democratic	2018 (Appointed) 2018 (Special)	Incumbent reelected.	Y Tina Smith (Democratic) 48.8%   Jason Lewis (Republican) 43.5%   Kevin O'Connor (Legal Marijuana Now) 5.9%   Oliver Steinberg (Legalize Cannabis) 1.8%
Mississippi	Cindy Hyde-Smith	Republican	2018 (Appointed) 2018 (Special)	Incumbent reelected.	Y Cindy Hyde-Smith (Republican) 54.1%   Mike Espy (Democratic) 44.1%   Jimmy Edwards (Libertarian) 1.8%   Write-ins 0.1%
Montana	Steve Daines	Republican	2014	Incumbent reelected.	Y Steve Daines (Republican) 55%   Steve Bullock (Democratic) 45%
Nebraska	Ben Sasse	Republican	2014	Incumbent reelected.	Y Ben Sasse (Republican) 62.7%   Chris Janicek (Democratic) 24.4%   Preston Love Jr. (Democratic) (write-in) 6.3%   Gene Siadek (Libertarian) 5.0%
New Hampshire	Jeanne Shaheen	Democratic	2008 2014	Incumbent reelected.	Y Jeanne Shaheen (Democratic) 56.7%   Corky Messner (Republican) 41%   Justin O'Donnell (Libertarian) 2.3%
New Jersey	Cory Booker	Democratic	2013 (Special) 2014	Incumbent reelected.	Y Cory Booker (Democratic) 57.2%   Rik Mehta (Republican) 40.9%   Madelyn R. Hoffman (Green) 0.9%   Veronica Fernandez (Of, By, For!) 0.7%   Daniel Burke (LaRouche was Right) 0.3%
New Mexico	Tom Udall	Democratic	2008 2014	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Democratic hold.	Y Ben Ray Luján (Democratic) 51.7%   Mark Ronchetti (Republican) 45.6%   Bob Walsh (Libertarian) 2.6%
North Carolina	Thom Tillis	Republican	2014	Incumbent reelected.	Y Thom Tillis (Republican) 48.7%   Cal Cunningham (Democratic) 46.9%   Shannon Bray (Libertarian) 3.1%   Kevin Hayes (Constitution) 1.2%
Oklahoma	Jim Inhofe	Republican	1994 (Special) 1996 2002 2008 2014	Incumbent reelected.	Y Jim Inhofe (Republican) 62.9%   Abby Broyles (Democratic) 32.8%   Robert Murphy (Libertarian) 2.2%   Joan Farr (Independent) 1.4%   A. D. Nesbit (Independent) 0.7%
Oregon	Jeff Merkley	Democratic	2008 2014	Incumbent reelected.	Y Jeff Merkley (Democratic) 56.9%   Jo Rae Perkins (Republican) 39.3%   Gary Dye (Libertarian) 1.8%   Ibrahim Taher (Pacific Green) 1.8%   Write-ins 0.1%
Rhode Island	Jack Reed	Democratic	1996 2002 2008 2014	Incumbent reelected.	Y Jack Reed (Democratic) 66.6%   Allen Waters (Republican) 33.4%
South Carolina	Lindsey Graham	Republican	2002 2008 2014	Incumbent reelected.	Y Lindsey Graham (Republican) 54.5%   Jaime Harrison (Democratic) 44.2%   Bill Bledsoe (Constitution) 1.3%
South Dakota	Mike Rounds	Republican	2014	Incumbent reelected.	Y Mike Rounds (Republican) 65.7%   Dan Ahlers (Democratic) 34.3%
Tennessee	Lamar Alexander	Republican	2002 2008 2014	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican hold.	Y Bill Hagerty (Republican) 62.2%   Marquita Bradshaw (Democratic) 35.2%   Elizabeth McLeod (Independent) 0.6%   Yomi Faparusi (Independent) 0.4%   Steven Hooper (Independent) 0.3%   Kacey Morgan (Independent) 0.3%   Ronnie Henley (Independent) 0.3%   Aaron James (Independent) 0.2%   Eric Stansberry (Independent) 0.2%   Dean Hill (Independent) 0.2%   Jeffrey Grunau (Independent) 0.1%
Texas	John Cornyn	Republican	2002 2008 2014	Incumbent reelected.	Y John Cornyn (Republican) 53.5%   MJ Hegar (Democratic) 43.9%   Kerry McKennon (Libertarian) 1.9%   David B. Collins (Green) 0.7%
Virginia	Mark Warner	Democratic	2008 2014	Incumbent reelected.	Y Mark Warner (Democratic) 56%   Daniel Gade (Republican) 43.9%
West Virginia	Shelley Moore Capito	Republican	2014	Incumbent reelected.	Y Shelley Moore Capito (Republican) 70.3%   Paula Jean Swearengin (Democratic) 27%   David Moran (Libertarian) 2.7%
Wyoming	Mike Enzi	Republican	1996 2002 2008 2014	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican hold.	Y Cynthia Lummis (Republican) 73.1%   Merav Ben-David (Democratic) 26.9%

Closest races[]

12 races had a margin of victory under 10%:

State	Party of winner	Margin
Georgia (regular)	Democratic (flip)	1.23%[z][aa]
Michigan	Democratic	1.68%
North Carolina	Republican	1.75%
Georgia (special)	Democratic (flip)	2.08%
Arizona (special)	Democratic (flip)	2.35%
Minnesota	Democratic	5.24%
New Mexico	Democratic	6.11%
Iowa	Republican	6.59%
Maine	Republican	8.59%
Colorado	Democratic (flip)	9.32%
Texas	Republican	9.64%
Mississippi	Republican	9.97%

Alabama[]

Alabama election

← 2017 (Special) 2026 →

Nominee Tommy Tuberville Doug Jones Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,392,076 920,478 Percentage 60.10% 39.74%

U.S. senator before election Doug Jones Democratic Elected U.S. senator Tommy Tuberville Republican

Incumbent Democrat Doug Jones was elected in a special election in 2017, narrowly defeating Republican nominee Roy Moore.^[86][87] He ran for a full term in 2020, losing to Republican Tommy Tuberville in a landslide.

Tuberville is a former football head coach for Auburn University. He defeated former senator and attorney general Jeff Sessions in a July 14 runoff to secure the Republican nomination, after securing President Donald Trump's endorsement. Sessions occupied the seat until 2017 when he resigned to become attorney general in the Trump administration.

Alabama is one of the country's most Republican states, and Jones's win was in part due to sexual assault allegations against nominee Roy Moore during the special election; most analysts expected the seat to flip back to GOP control. Tuberville defeated Jones by more than 20 percentage points.^[88]

Alaska[]

Alaska election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee Dan Sullivan Al Gross[ab] Party Republican Independent Popular vote 191,112 146,068 Percentage 53.90% 41.19%

U.S. senator before election Dan Sullivan Republican Elected U.S. senator Dan Sullivan Republican

One-term Republican Dan Sullivan was elected in 2014, defeating incumbent Democrat Mark Begich. He defeated independent challenger Al Gross to win a second term in office.^[89]

Potential Democratic candidates included Begich, who was the Democratic nominee for governor of Alaska in 2018, and Anchorage mayor Ethan Berkowitz, who was the Democratic nominee for governor of Alaska in 2010. One Democrat, Edgar Blatchford, filed to run by the June 1 filing deadline.^[90]

Gross, an orthopedic surgeon and fisherman, declared his candidacy on July 2, 2019 as an Independent.^[91] He participated in a joint primary for the Alaska Democratic Party, Alaska Libertarian Party and Alaskan Independence Party, winning the nomination as an independent supported by the Democratic Party.

Despite predictions of a close race, Sullivan defeated Gross by 12.7 percentage points.^[92]

Arizona (special)[]

Arizona special election

← 2016 2022 →

Nominee Mark Kelly Martha McSally Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,716,467 1,637,661 Percentage 51.2% 48.8%

U.S. senator before election Martha McSally Republican Elected U.S. senator Mark Kelly Democratic

Six-term Republican John McCain was reelected in 2016 but died in office on August 25, 2018.^[93] Republican governor Doug Ducey appointed former senator Jon Kyl to fill the seat temporarily.^[94] After Kyl stepped down at the end of the year, Ducey appointed outgoing U.S. Representative Martha McSally to replace him after she lost the election to the other Arizona senate seat.^[95] McSally ran in the 2020 special election to fill the remaining two years of the term,^[96] losing to Democrat Mark Kelly, a former astronaut.

Once a solidly Republican state, Arizona trended more purple in the late 2010s. Incumbent Republican Martha McSally was appointed to the late John McCain's seat two months after losing the 2018 Arizona U.S. Senate election to Democrat Kyrsten Sinema. Her Democratic opponent, astronaut Mark Kelly, raised significantly more money and generally led her by 5 to 15 points in the polling. McSally also suffered from low approval ratings due to her strong allegiance to Trump, who was unpopular in Arizona despite having won the state by 3.5 points in 2016.^[97]

Arkansas[]

Arkansas election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee Tom Cotton Ricky Dale Harrington Jr. Party Republican Libertarian Popular vote 793,871 399,390 Percentage 66.5% 33.5%

U.S. senator before election Tom Cotton Republican Elected U.S. senator Tom Cotton Republican

One-term Republican Tom Cotton was elected in 2014 after serving two years in the United States House of Representatives, defeating incumbent Democratic senator Mark Pryor by a comfortable margin. Cotton was reelected to a second term by a 33-point margin, defeating Libertarian Ricky Dale Harrington Jr^{[98][99][100]}

Joshua Mahony, a nonprofit executive and 2018 Democratic nominee for Congress in Arkansas's 3rd congressional district, filed to run for the Democratic nomination,^[101] but dropped out just after the filing deadline.^[102] No other Democrats filed within the filing deadline. Progressive activist Dan Whitfield ran as an independent but suspended his campaign on October 1, 2020, after failing to qualify for the ballot.^[103]

Colorado[]

Colorado election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee John Hickenlooper Cory Gardner Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,731,114 1,429,492 Percentage 53.5% 44.2%

U.S. senator before election Cory Gardner Republican Elected U.S. senator John Hickenlooper Democratic

One-term Republican Cory Gardner was elected in 2014 after serving four years in the United States House of Representatives, narrowly defeating one-term Democrat Mark Udall. Gardner sought a second term but lost to Democrat John Hickenlooper by 9.3 percentage points.^[104]

Hickenlooper is a popular former governor of Colorado, and led Gardner by as much as 20 percentage points in polls, with most pundits considering him a heavy favorite. Gardner was Colorado's only Republican statewide officeholder, and the once purple state has trended increasingly Democratic since his narrow win in 2014. Gardner also had low approval ratings due to his strong allegiance to Trump, who lost Colorado in 2016 to Hillary Clinton by 4.9%, and in 2020 to Joe Biden by 13.5%.^[105][106] Hickenlooper also raised significantly more money than Gardner.^[107]

Delaware[]

Delaware election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee Chris Coons Lauren Witzke Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 291,804 186,054 Percentage 59.4% 37.9%

U.S. senator before election Chris Coons Democratic Elected U.S. senator Chris Coons Democratic

One-term Democrat Chris Coons was reelected in 2014; he first took office after winning a 2010 special election, which occurred after longtime senator Joe Biden resigned to become vice president of the United States (Biden also won the 2020 presidential election and became president). He faced an unsuccessful primary challenge from technology executive Jessica Scarane. Conservative activist Lauren Witzke and attorney Jim DeMartino ran for the Republican nomination.

The Delaware primary was held on September 15, 2020.^[108]

Georgia[]

Due to Republican Senator Johnny Isakson's resignation from office for health reasons in 2019, both of Georgia's Senate seats were up for election in November 2020.^[109] The state had tilted Republican in Senate races since the mid-1990s, but increased support for Democrats in populous suburbs has made office elections more competitive; a close governor's race, multiple close U.S. House races, and many other close local office races resulted in Democratic gains in 2018 elections. Both the regular and special election were considered highly competitive toss-ups.^[110] Both of these elections received national attention, as if Republicans won at least one of these seats, they would maintain a Senate majority, but if the Democrats won both, the Senate would be split 50/50 with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking the tie.

Georgia (regular)[]

Georgia regular election

← 2014 November 3, 2020 (first round) January 5, 2021 (runoff) 2026 →

Nominee Jon Ossoff David Perdue Party Democratic Republican First round 2,374,519 47.9% 2,462,617 49.7% Runoff 2,269,923 50.6% 2,214,979 49.4%

U.S. senator before election David Perdue Republican Elected U.S. senator Jon Ossoff Democratic

One-term Republican David Perdue was elected in 2014, and sought a second term.^[111]

Jon Ossoff, a former congressional candidate, documentary film producer, and investigative journalist, defeated former Columbus mayor Teresa Tomlinson and 2018 lieutenant governor nominee Sarah Riggs Amico in the Democratic primary to secure nomination.^[112][113] He faced incumbent Republican David Perdue in the November 3 election.

In the November election, no candidate received 50% or more of the total vote; per Georgia law, the election advanced to a runoff between the top two finishers, Ossoff and Perdue, on January 5, 2021. Ossoff was projected the winner on January 6,^[114] and Perdue conceded on January 8.^[115]

Georgia (special)[]

2020–21 United States Senate special election in Georgia

← 2016 November 3, 2020 (first round) January 5, 2021 (runoff) 2022 →

Candidate Raphael Warnock Kelly Loeffler Party Democratic Republican First round 1,617,035 32.9% 1,273,214 25.9% Runoff 2,289,113 51.0% 2,195,841 49.0%

U.S. senator before election Kelly Loeffler Republican Elected U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock Democratic

Three-term Senator Johnny Isakson announced on August 28, 2019, that he would resign from the Senate on December 31, 2019, citing health concerns.^[116] Georgia governor Brian Kemp appointed Republican Kelly Loeffler to replace Isakson until a regular election could be held; Loeffler took office on January 6, 2020, and competed in the November 2020 election to retain her seat.^[117]

Other Republicans who ran for the seat included Wayne Johnson, former chief operating officer of the Office of Federal Student Aid,^[118] and four-term U.S. representative Doug Collins.^[119]

A "jungle primary" was held November 3, 2020, but no candidate won more than 50% of the vote, so a runoff election between the top two finishers, Loeffler and Democratic challenger Raphael Warnock, was held on January 5, 2021.^[120] Warnock defeated Loeffler, who initially refused to concede and vowed to challenge the outcome,^[121] but conceded on January 7, after the storming of the U.S. Capitol.^[122]

Idaho[]

Idaho election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee Jim Risch Paulette Jordan Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 537,446 285,864 Percentage 62.6% 33.3%

U.S. senator before election Jim Risch Republican Elected U.S. senator Jim Risch Republican

Two-term republican Jim Risch successfully ran for a third term in 2020, defeating Democrat Paulette Jordan by a landslide. Jordan is a former gubernatorial nominee and former Coeur d'Alene Tribal Councilwoman.

Illinois[]

Illinois election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee Dick Durbin Mark Curran Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 3,278,930 2,319,870 Percentage 54.9% 38.9%

U.S. senator before election Dick Durbin Democratic Elected U.S. senator Dick Durbin Democratic

Four-term democrat and Senate minority whip Dick Durbin, easily won a fifth term in office, defeating Republican Mark Curran by a 16-point margin.^[123]

Curran served as sheriff of Lake County from 2006 to 2018 and won the Republican primary with 41.55% of the vote.^[124]

Antiwar activist Marilyn Jordan Lawlor^[125] and state representative Anne Stava-Murray^[126] briefly challenged Durbin in the Democratic primary, but both ended up withdrawing.^[127][128]

2019 Chicago mayoral candidate Willie Wilson, a businessman and perennial candidate, ran as a member of the "Willie Wilson Party," with the backing of a handful of Chicago aldermen and the Chicago Police Union.

Iowa[]

Iowa election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee Joni Ernst Theresa Greenfield Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 864,997 754,859 Percentage 51.7% 45.2%

U.S. senator before election Joni Ernst Republican Elected U.S. senator Joni Ernst Republican

One-term republican Joni Ernst, first elected to the Senate in 2014, won a second term in office, defeating Democrat Theresa Greenfield.^[129]

Greenfield won the Democratic nomination, defeating former vice-admiral Michael T. Franken, attorney Kimberly Graham, and businessman Eddie Mauro in the primary.

Ernst's popularity had dropped in polls, and many considered this seat a possible Democratic pickup, but Ernst was reelected by a larger-than-expected 6.5 points.

Kansas[]

Kansas election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee Roger Marshall Barbara Bollier Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 727,962 571,530 Percentage 53.2% 41.8%

U.S. senator before election Pat Roberts Republican Elected U.S. senator Roger Marshall Republican

Four-term Republican Pat Roberts, was reelected in 2014 with 53.15% of the vote and announced on January 4, 2019, that he would not be running for reelection in 2020.

In the Republican primary, United States representative Roger Marshall defeated former Kansas secretary of state Kris Kobach,^[130] state Turnpike Authority chairman Dave Lindstrom,^[131] state senate president Susan Wagle, and others.^[132]

There was considerable speculation about a Senate bid by Mike Pompeo (the United States secretary of state, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and former U.S. representative for Kansas's 4th congressional district), but he did not run.^[133][134]

Barbara Bollier, a state senator and former Republican,^[135] defeated former congressional candidate Robert Tillman^[136] for the Democratic nomination, but lost to Marshall with a more than expected 11.4 point margin.

Kentucky[]

Kentucky election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee Mitch McConnell Amy McGrath Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,233,315 816,257 Percentage 57.8% 38.2%

U.S. senator before election Mitch McConnell Republican Elected U.S. senator Mitch McConnell Republican

Republican Mitch McConnell, the Senate Majority Leader, defeated Democrat Amy McGrath by 19.6 percentage points, winning a 7th term in office.

Louisiana[]

Louisiana election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee Bill Cassidy Adrian Perkins Derrick Edwards Party Republican Democratic Democratic Popular vote 1,228,908 394,049 229,814 Percentage 59.3% 19.0% 11.1%

U.S. senator before election Bill Cassidy Republican Elected U.S. senator Bill Cassidy Republican

Republican Bill Cassidy won a second term in office, defeating Democrat Adrian Perkins and others.^[137]

A Louisiana primary (a form of jungle primary) was held on November 3. Had no candidate won a majority of the vote in the primary, a runoff election would have been held, but Cassidy won in the first round.

Maine[]

Maine election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee Susan Collins Sara Gideon Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 417,645[ac] 347,223[ac] Percentage 50.98% 42.39%

U.S. senator before election Susan Collins Republican Elected U.S. senator Susan Collins Republican

Republican Susan Collins won a fifth term in office, defeating Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives Sara Gideon.^[138]

Gideon consistently led Collins in polls for almost the entire election cycle. Collins is considered one of the most moderate Republicans in the Senate and had never faced a competitive reelection campaign, even though Maine leans Democratic. But she faced growing unpopularity due to her increasingly conservative voting record and her votes to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court and to acquit Trump in his impeachment trial. Despite almost all polling and Gideon's formidable funding,^[139] Collins was reelected by a surprising 8.6-point margin.

Educator and activist Lisa Savage also ran as a candidate for the Green party.^[140]

Massachusetts[]

Massachusetts election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee Ed Markey Kevin O'Connor Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 2,357,809 1,177,765 Percentage 66.15% 33.05%

U.S. senator before election Ed Markey Democratic Elected U.S. senator Ed Markey Democratic

Democrat Ed Markey was reelected in 2014, having won a 2013 special election to replace longtime incumbent John Kerry, who resigned to become U.S. secretary of state. He easily won a second full term in 2020, defeating Republican Kevin O'Connor by more than 33 percentage points.^[141]

Markey fended off a primary challenge from Joe Kennedy III, four-term U.S. representative for Massachusetts's Fourth District and grandson of former U.S. senator and U.S. attorney general Robert F. Kennedy. This marked the first time a member of the Kennedy family lost an election in Massachusetts.^[142]

O'Connor defeated Shiva Ayyadurai, a former independent senate candidate, in the Republican primary.^[143][144]

On August 24, 2020, perennial candidate Vermin Supreme launched a write-in campaign for the Libertarian nomination,^[145] but received too few votes to qualify for the general election ballot.^[146]

Michigan[]

Michigan election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee Gary Peters John James Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 2,734,568 2,642,233 Percentage 49.90% 48.22%

U.S. senator before election Gary Peters Democratic Elected U.S. senator Gary Peters Democratic

Democrat Gary Peters narrowly won a second term in office,^[147] defeating Republican John James.

James won a Republican Michigan Senate nomination for his second time,^[148] having run against incumbent Democrat Debbie Stabenow in 2018 for Michigan's other senate seat. He faced only token opposition for the 2020 Republican nomination, running against perennial candidate Bob Carr.^[149]

Minnesota[]

Minnesota election

← 2018 2026 →

Nominee Tina Smith Jason Lewis Kevin O'Connor Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Legal Marijuana Now Popular vote 1,566,522 1,398,145 190,154 Percentage 48.74% 43.50% 5.91%

U.S. senator before election Tina Smith Democratic (DFL) Elected U.S. senator Tina Smith Democratic (DFL)

Incumbent Democrat Tina Smith was appointed to the U.S. Senate to replace Al Franken in 2018 after serving as lieutenant governor, and won a special election later in 2018 to serve the remainder of Franken's term. She defeated Republican Jason Lewis, winning her first full term in office.^[150]

Mississippi[]

Mississippi election

← 2018 (Special) 2026 →

Nominee Cindy Hyde-Smith Mike Espy Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 709,539 578,806 Percentage 54.10% 44.13%

U.S. senator before election Cindy Hyde-Smith Republican Elected U.S. senator Cindy Hyde-Smith Republican

Incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith won her first full term in office, defeating Democrat and former U.S. secretary of agriculture Mike Espy by 10 percentage points.^[151] This race was an exact rematch of the 2018 Mississippi Senate special election, in which Hyde-Smith defeated Espy for the remaining two years of the seat's term.

Libertarian candidate Jimmy Edwards also made the general election ballot.

Montana[]

Montana election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee Steve Daines Steve Bullock Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 333,174 272,463 Percentage 55.01% 44.99%

U.S. senator before election Steve Daines Republican Elected U.S. senator Steve Daines Republican

Republican Steve Daines won a second term in office, defeating the Democratic nominee, Montana Governor Steve Bullock.^[152]

Daines was opposed (before his nomination) in the Republican primary by hardware store manager Daniel Larson and former Democratic speaker of the Montana House of Representatives John Driscoll, who changed parties in 2020.^[153]

Bullock won the Democratic nomination,^[154] defeating nuclear engineer and U.S. Navy veteran John Mues.^[155]

Libertarian and Green party candidates were set to appear on the general election ballot, but the Libertarians refused to nominate a replacement after their nominee withdrew and the Greens' nominee was disqualified.

Once Bullock filed his candidacy, the race became seen as highly competitive. Bullock is a popular governor and a moderate, led in many polls in the spring and summer of 2020, and raised more money than Daines. Closer to election day, Bullock slightly trailed in polls, but the election was still seen as relatively competitive. Daines defeated Bullock by a larger-than-expected 10-point margin.

Nebraska[]

Nebraska election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee Ben Sasse Chris Janicek Gene Siadek Party Republican Democratic Libertarian Popular vote 583,507 227,191 55,115 Percentage 67.39% 26.24% 6.37%

U.S. senator before election Ben Sasse Republican Elected U.S. senator Ben Sasse Republican

Republican Ben Sasse easily won a second term in office, defeating Democrat Chris Janicek by more than 40 percentage points.^{[156][failed verification]}

Sasse had defeated businessman and former Lancaster County Republican Party chair Matt Innis in the Republican primary with 75.2% of the vote.

Businessman and 2018 U.S. Senate candidate Chris Janicek won the Democratic primary with 30.7% of the vote, defeating six other candidates.

Libertarian candidate Gene Siadek also appeared on the general election ballot.

After the primary election, the Nebraska Democratic party withdrew its support from Janicek when allegations that he sexually harassed a campaign staffer emerged.^[157] Janicek refused to leave the race despite the state party endorsing his former primary opponent,^{[clarification needed]} which led former Democratic Congressman Brad Ashford to announce a write-in campaign on August 23, 2020.^[158][159] After Janicek vowed to remain in the race anyway, Ashford withdrew on August 27, citing lack of time and resources necessary for a U.S. Senate campaign.^[160] The state Democratic Party subsequently threw its support behind longtime Nebraska activist Preston Love, Jr., who declared a write-in candidacy for the seat.^[161][162]

New Hampshire[]

New Hampshire election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee Jeanne Shaheen Corky Messner Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 450,778 326,229 Percentage 56.63% 40.99%

U.S. senator before election Jeanne Shaheen Democratic Elected U.S. senator Jeanne Shaheen Democratic

Two-term Democrat Jeanne Shaheen won a third term in office by nearly 16 percentage points, defeating Republican Corky Messner.^[163]

Messner defeated U.S. Army brigadier general Donald C. Bolduc and perennial candidate Andy Martin for the Republican nomination,^{[164][165][166]} winning the nomination on September 8.

Libertarian Justin O'Donnell also appeared on the general election ballot.^[167]

New Jersey[]

New Jersey election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee Cory Booker Rik Mehta Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 2,541,178 1,817,052 Percentage 57.23% 40.92%

U.S. senator before election Cory Booker Democratic Elected U.S. senator Cory Booker Democratic

Democrat Cory Booker won a second full term in office, having first won his seat in a 2013 special election after serving seven years as the mayor of Newark. He defeated Republican Rick Mehta by a margin of more than 16 percentage points.

Booker had sought his party's nomination for President of the United States in 2020. He suspended his presidential campaign on January 13, 2020, and confirmed his intention to seek a second Senate term.^[168]

Attorney Rik Mehta defeated engineer Hirsh Singh, 2018 Independent U.S. Senate candidate Tricia Flanagan, 2018 independent U.S. Senate candidate Natalie Lynn Rivera, and Eugene Anagnos for the Republican nomination.

Green Party candidate Madelyn Hoffman and two independent candidates also appeared on the general election ballot.

New Jersey has not elected a Republican senator since 1972, and all pundits expected Booker to be easily reelected.^[169]

New Mexico[]

New Mexico election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee Ben Ray Luján Mark Ronchetti Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 474,483 418,483 Percentage 51.73% 45.62%

U.S. senator before election Tom Udall Democratic Elected U.S. senator Ben Ray Luján Democratic

Two-term Democrat Tom Udall was the only incumbent Democratic U.S. senator retiring in 2020.^[170] Democratic U.S. representative Ben Ray Luján^[171] defeated Republican Mark Ronchetti by 6 percentage points.

Luján won the Democratic nomination without serious opposition.

Ronchetti, the former KRQE chief meteorologist, defeated former U.S. Interior Department official Gavin Clarkson and executive director for the New Mexico Alliance for Life Elisa Martinez in the primary.^{[172][173][174]}

Libertarian Bob Walsh also appeared on the general election ballot.^{[citation needed]}

North Carolina[]

North Carolina election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee Thom Tillis Cal Cunningham Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 2,665,598 2,569,965 Percentage 48.69% 46.94%

U.S. senator before election Thom Tillis Republican Elected U.S. senator Thom Tillis Republican

Republican Thom Tillis won a second term in office, defeating Democratic former state senator Cal Cunningham.

Cunningham defeated state senator Erica D. Smith and Mecklenburg County commissioner Trevor Fuller for the Democratic nomination. Tillis defeated three opponents.^[175]

The Libertarian Party and the Constitution Party had candidates on the general election ballot.

Despite having grown unpopular among both centrist and conservative Republicans due to his inconsistent support of Trump, and trailing narrowly in polls for almost the entire cycle,^[176] Tillis won reelection by nearly 2 points.^[177]

Oklahoma[]

Oklahoma election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee Jim Inhofe Abby Broyles Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 979,140 509,763 Percentage 62.91% 32.75%

U.S. senator before election Jim Inhofe Republican Elected U.S. senator Jim Inhofe Republican

Republican Jim Inhofe easily won a fifth term in office, defeating Democrat Abby Broyles by more than 30 percentage points.

Inhofe defeated J.J. Stitt, a farmer and gun shop owner, and Neil Mavis, a former Libertarian Party candidate, for the Republican nomination.^[178]

Broyles, an attorney, defeated perennial candidate Sheila Bilyeu and 2018 5th congressional district candidate Elysabeth Britt for the Democratic nomination.

Libertarian candidate Robert Murphy and two Independents also appeared on the general election ballot.

Oklahoma is one of the most solidly Republican states^[22] and Inhofe won in a landslide.

Oregon[]

Oregon election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee Jeff Merkley Jo Rae Perkins Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,321,047 912,814 Percentage 56.91% 39.32%

U.S. senator before election Jeff Merkley Democratic Elected U.S. senator Jeff Merkley Democratic

Democrat Jeff Merkley won a third term in office, defeating Republican Jo Rae Perkins by more than 17 percentage points. Merkley also received the Oregon Independent Party and the Working Families Party nominations.^[179]

Perkins, a 2014 U.S. Senate and 2018 U.S. House candidate, defeated three other candidates in the Republican primary with 49.29% of the vote. She is a supporter of QAnon.^[180]

Ibrahim Taher was also on the general election ballot, representing the Pacific Green Party^[181] and the Oregon Progressive Party. Gary Dye represented the Libertarian Party.^[179]

Rhode Island[]

Rhode Island election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee Jack Reed Allen Waters Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 328,574 164,855 Percentage 66.48% 33.35%

U.S. senator before election Jack Reed Democratic Elected U.S. senator Jack Reed Democratic

Democrat Jack Reed won a fifth term in office, defeating Republican Allen Waters by more than 33 percentage points.

Both Reed and Waters ran unopposed for their respective nominations.

South Carolina[]

South Carolina election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee Lindsey Graham Jaime Harrison Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,369,137 1,110,828 Percentage 54.44% 44.17%

U.S. senator before election Lindsey Graham Republican Elected U.S. senator Lindsey Graham Republican

Three-term Republican Lindsey Graham won a fourth term in office, defeating Democrat Jaime Harrison by over ten percentage points in a highly publicized race.

Graham defeated three opponents in the June 9 Republican primary.^[182]

After his primary opponents dropped out, former South Carolina Democratic Party chairman Jaime Harrison was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

Bill Bledsoe won the Constitution Party nomination. On October 1, 2020, Bledsoe dropped out of the race and endorsed Graham, but remained on the ballot as required by state law.^[183]

Despite the significant Republican lean of the state as a whole, polls indicated that the Senate election was competitive, with summer polling ranging from a tie to a modest advantage for Graham.^[184][185] Graham's popularity had declined as a result of his close embrace of Trump, reversing his outspoken criticism of Trump in the 2016 campaign.^[186][187]

Graham's victory was by a much larger margin than expected,^[188] as part of a broader pattern of Republicans overperforming polls in 2020.

South Dakota[]

South Dakota election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee Mike Rounds Dan Ahlers Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 276,232 143,987 Percentage 65.74% 34.26%

U.S. senator before election Mike Rounds Republican Elected U.S. senator Mike Rounds Republican

Republican Mike Rounds, former governor of South Dakota, won a second term in office, defeating Democrat Dan Ahlers.

Rounds faced a primary challenge from state representative Scyller Borglum.^[189]

Ahlers, a South Dakota state representative, ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.^[190]

One independent candidate, Clayton Walker, filed but failed to qualify for the ballot.^[191]

Tennessee[]

Tennessee election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee Bill Hagerty Marquita Bradshaw Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,840,926 1,040,691 Percentage 62.20% 35.16%

U.S. senator before election Lamar Alexander Republican Elected U.S. senator Bill Hagerty Republican

Three-term Republican Lamar Alexander was reelected in 2014. He announced in December 2018 that he would not seek a fourth term.^[192]

Assisted by an endorsement from Trump,^[193] former ambassador to Japan Bill Hagerty won the Republican nomination^[194] and the seat.

Hagerty defeated orthopedic surgeon Manny Sethi^[195] and 13 others in the Republican primary.

Environmental activist Marquita Bradshaw of Memphis defeated James Mackler, an Iraq War veteran and Nashville attorney,^[196] in the Democratic primary, a major upset.

Nine Independent candidates also appeared on the general election ballot.

Hagerty easily defeated Bradshaw.

Texas[]

Texas election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee John Cornyn MJ Hegar Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 5,962,983 4,888,764 Percentage 53.51% 43.87%

U.S. senator before election John Cornyn Republican Elected U.S. senator John Cornyn Republican

Republican John Cornyn won a fourth^[197] term in office, defeating Democrat MJ Hegar by a little less than ten percentage points.

Cornyn defeated four other candidates in the Republican primary, with 76.04% of the vote.

Hegar, an Air Force combat veteran and the 2018 Democratic nominee for Texas's 31st congressional district,^[198] defeated runner-up state senator Royce West and 11 other candidates in the Democratic primary. Hegar and West advanced to a primary runoff election on July 14 to decide the nomination, and Hegar prevailed.

The Green and Libertarian Parties also appeared on the general election ballot. Candidates from the Human Rights Party and the People over Politics Party and three independents failed to qualify.

Statewide races in Texas have been growing more competitive in recent years, and polling in August/September showed Cornyn with a lead of 4–10 points over Hegar, with a significant fraction of the electorate still undecided.^[199][200] Cornyn's victory was at the higher end of the polling spectrum.

Virginia[]

Virginia election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee Mark Warner Daniel Gade Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 2,466,500 1,934,199 Percentage 55.99% 43.91%

U.S. senator before election Mark Warner Democratic Elected U.S. senator Mark Warner Democratic

Democrat Mark Warner won a third term in office, defeating Republican Daniel Gade.

Warner ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.^[201]

Gade, a professor and U.S. Army veteran,^[202] defeated teacher Alissa Baldwin^[203] and U.S. Army veteran and intelligence officer Thomas Speciale^[204] in the Republican primary.

West Virginia[]

West Virginia election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee Shelley Moore Capito Paula Jean Swearengin Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 547,454 210,309 Percentage 70.28% 27.00%

U.S. senator before election Shelley Moore Capito Republican Elected U.S. senator Shelley Moore Capito Republican

Republican Shelley Moore Capito was reelected to a second term in a landslide, defeating Democrat Paula Jean Swearingen by 43 points.

Capito was unsuccessfully challenged in the Republican primary by farmer Larry Butcher and Allen Whitt, president of the West Virginia Family Policy Council.^[205]

Swearingen, an environmental activist and unsuccessful candidate for Senate in 2018,^[206] won the Democratic primary, defeating former mayor of South Charleston Richie Robb and former state senator Richard Ojeda, who previously ran for Congress and, briefly, president in 2020.

Libertarian candidate David Moran also appeared on the general election ballot.

Wyoming[]

Wyoming election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee Cynthia Lummis Merav Ben-David Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 198,100 72,766 Percentage 72.85% 26.76%

U.S. senator before election Mike Enzi Republican Elected U.S. senator Cynthia Lummis Republican

Four-term Republican Mike Enzi announced in May 2019 that he would retire. Republican nominee Cynthia Lummis defeated Democratic nominee Merav Ben-David by more than 46 percentage points.

Lummis won the Republican nomination in a field of nine candidates.^[207]

Ben-David, the chair of the Department of Zoology and Physiology at the University of Wyoming, defeated community activists Yana Ludwig and James Debrine, think-tank executive Nathan Wendt, and perennial candidates Rex Wilde and Kenneth R. Casner for the Democratic nomination.

See also[]

• 2020 United States elections
• 2020 United States House of Representatives elections
  • List of freshman class members of the 117th United States Congress
• 2020 United States presidential election
• 2020 United States gubernatorial elections
• 2020 United States Shadow Senator election in the District of Columbia

Notes[]

References[]

Further reading[]

• Amber Phillips (October 17, 2020), "The 5 types of attack ads defining the 2020 congressional elections", The Washington Post