1996 United States Senate elections

The 1996 United States Senate elections coincided with the presidential election of the same year, in which Democrat Bill Clinton was re-elected president.

Despite the re-election of Clinton and Gore, and despite Democrats picking up a net two seats in the elections to the United States House of Representatives held the same day, the Republicans had a net gain of two seats in the Senate, following major Republican gains two years previously in the 1994 elections. As such, Clinton became the first president re-elected since Theodore Roosevelt in 1904 to win either of his terms without any Senate coattails.

The Republicans won open seats previously held by Democrats in Alabama, Arkansas, and Nebraska. The only Democratic pickup occurred in South Dakota, where Democrat Tim Johnson narrowly defeated incumbent Republican Larry Pressler. The cycle featured an unusually high number of retirements, with thirteen in total. Additionally, special elections occurred as a result of early resignations by Republicans Bob Packwood and presidential nominee Bob Dole, the Senate majority leader.

Results summary

''Does not include Oregon's January 1996 special election. Includes Kansas's special election for the Class III seat vacated by Bob Dole.''

Sources:

Party Division in the Senate, 1789–Present
via Senate.gov
* Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives:

Gains, losses, and holds

Democratic gains

* South Dakota: Three-term Sen. Larry Pressler (R) faced a tough challenge from Rep. Tim Johnson (D). Johnson would defeat Pressler by 51% to 49% and become the only candidate to defeat an incumbent in this year's election cycle.

Democratic holds

* Georgia: Four-term incumbent Senator Sam Nunn decided not to run for re-election and gave his endorsement to Secretary of State Max Cleland, the Democratic nominee. The Republican nominee was Republican multi-millionaire businessman Guy Millner, who had also been the Republican nominee in the 1994 gubernatorial election and narrowly lost to Zell Miller. Cleland won with only a plurality and a narrow margin of around 1.4%.
* Illinois: Two-term incumbent Senator Paul Simon decided not to seek reelection. The Democratic nominee was Congressman Richard Durbin, who had Simon's strong support. In the general election, he defeated Republican state Representative Al Salvi by a comfortable margin.
* Louisiana: Four-term Senator Bennett Johnson decided not to run for reelection. In the general election, state Treasurer Mary Landrieu faced up against longtime state Representative Woody Jenkins, who had run against Johnson in 1978. In the closest U.S. Senate race of the year, Landrieu won by less than 1%, a margin which held up to a recount.

Republican gains

* Alabama: Sen. Howell Heflin (D), one of the last conservative Democrats in the Senate, retired after three terms. Republican nominee Jeff Sessions, the state Attorney General, defeated Democratic State Senator Roger Bedford in the general election
* Arkansas: Popular Sen. David Pryor (D) chose not to seek a fourth term. The Democratic Party in Arkansas had been badly damaged by the resignation of Governor Jim Guy Tucker after being convicted of mail fraud. This helped Rep. Tim Hutchinson (R) defeat Democratic state Attorney General Winston Bryant to become Arkansas's first Republican Senator since Reconstruction.
* Nebraska: Democratic Governor Ben Nelson was expected to easily win the race to succeed retiring Sen. J. James Exon (D). Republican businessman Chuck Hagel

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