The 1826–27 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states. As these

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

elections were prior to the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, senators were chosen by

state legislatures A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Stat ...

. Senators were elected over a wide range of time throughout 1826 and 1827, and a seat may have been filled months late or remained vacant due to legislative deadlock. In these elections, terms were up for the senators in Class 1. The majority

Jacksonians Jacksonian democracy was a 19th-century political philosophy in the United States that expanded suffrage to most white men over the age of 21, and restructured a number of federal institutions. Originating with the seventh U.S. president, And ...

gained a seat in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

. Senators who called themselves "Anti-Jacksonian" or "National Republicans" were also called "Adams" or "Adams Men."

Results summary

Senate party division, 20th Congress (1827–1829) * Majority party: Jacksonian (27) * Minority party: Anti-Jacksonian (20–21) * Other parties: (0) * Total seats: 48

Change in composition

Before the elections

At the beginning of 1826.

Result of the regular elections

Result of the special elections

Before the March 4, 1827, beginning of the new Congress.

Race summaries

Special elections during the 19th Congress

In these special elections, the winners were seated during 1826 or before March 4, 1827; ordered by election date.

Races leading to the 20th Congress

In these regular elections, the winner was seated on March 4, 1827; ordered by state. All of the elections involved the Class 1 seats.

Elections during the 20th Congress

In this election, the winner was seated in 1827 after the new Congress began on March 4.

Alabama (special)

Connecticut

Delaware

Delaware had two elections: A special for the class 2 seat and a regular election for the class 1 seat. The elections flipped both seats from Anti-Jacksonian to Jacksonian.

Delaware (special)

Anti-Jacksonian senator Nicholas Van Dyke died May 21, 1826, and Anti-Jacksonian

Daniel Rodney Daniel Rodney (September 10, 1764 – September 2, 1846) was an American merchant and politician from Lewes in Sussex County, Delaware. He was a member of the Federalist Party, and later the National Republican Party, who served as Governor of ...

was appointed to continue the class 2 term (ending March 3, 1829) until a special election. Jacksonian

Henry M. Ridgely Henry Moore Ridgely (August 6, 1779 – August 6, 1847) was an American lawyer and politician from Dover, in Kent County, Delaware. He was a member of the Federalist Party, and later the Democratic Party, who served as U.S. Representativ ...

was elected January 12, 1827.

Delaware (regular)

Anti-Jacksonian

Thomas Clayton Thomas Clayton (July 1777 – August 21, 1854) was an American lawyer and politician from Dover in Kent County, Delaware. He was a member of the Federalist Party and later the National Republican Party and the Whig Party. He served in the Delawa ...

had served since winning an 1824 special election. It is unknown if Clayton was a candidate for re-election in 1827, but that election was won by Jacksonian

Louis McLane Louis McLane (May 28, 1786 – October 7, 1857) was an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington, in New Castle County, Delaware, and Baltimore, Maryland. He was a veteran of the War of 1812, a member of the Federalist Party and later th ...

Indiana

Maine

Maryland

Maryland (special)

Ezekiel F. Chambers Ezekiel Forman Chambers (February 28, 1788January 30, 1867) was an American politician. Born in Chestertown, Maryland, Chambers was graduated from Washington College at Chestertown in 1805. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1808, and co ...

won election over Philip Reed by a margin of 18.07%, or 15 votes, for the Class 3 seat.

Maryland (regular)

Samuel Smith Samuel Smith may refer to: In politics *Samuel Smith (Connecticut politician) (1646–1735), early settler of Norwalk, Connecticut and deputy of the General Assembly of the Colony of Connecticut in 1691 *Samuel Smith (1754–1834), British Member ...

won election by a margin of 87.95%, or 73 votes, for the Class 1 seat.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts (special, class 2)

Massachusetts (regular)

Massachusetts (special, class 1)

Mississippi

Jacksonian interim appointee

Powhatan Ellis Powhatan Ellis (January 17, 1790 – March 18, 1863) was a justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court, United States senator from Mississippi, and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Mississippi. ...

had served in the class 1 seat since 1825 for the term ending March 3, 1827. He faced a special election to finish the term and a regular election to the next term.

Mississippi (special)

Jacksonian

Thomas Buck Reed Thomas Buck Reed (May 7, 1787November 26, 1829) was a United States senator from Mississippi. Biography Early life Thomas Buck Reed was born on May 7, 1787 near Lexington, Kentucky. He attended the public schools and the College of New Jersey ...

was elected January 27, 1826, to finish the term, but not to the next full term.

Mississippi (regular)