‹ 1988  1992 › |
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| United States Senate elections, 1990 | ||||
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| 35 seats in the United States Senate | ||||
| November 6, 1990 | ||||
| Majority party | Minority party | |||
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| Leader | George Mitchell | Bob Dole | ||
| Party | Democratic | Republican | ||
| Leader's seat | Maine | Kansas | ||
| Last election | 55 seats | 45 seats | ||
| Seats won | 56 | 44 | ||
| Seat change | +1 | -1 | ||
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| Democratic holds Democratic pickups Republican holds | ||||
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Incumbent Majority Leader Majority Leader-elect |
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Elections to one-third of the seats in the United States Senate were held on Tuesday, November 6, 1990. The Democratic Party increased its majority with a net gain of one seat from the Republicans. This was in keeping with the trend that the party of the President often loses seats in a midterm election.
Only one seat actually changed parties in this election, when Paul Wellstone defeated incumbent Rudy Boschwitz (R-MN). Later, the Democrats gained a 57th seat when Harris Wofford won a special election to replace H. John Heinz III (R-PA), who had died in a plane crash.
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Notable races
Democratic gains
- Minnesota: Sen. Rudy Boschwitz (R-MN) lost a stunning upset to his Democratic opponent, college professor Paul Wellstone. Wellstone ran a successful grassroots campaign highlighted by a unique series of political advertisements that helped him pull from behind to defeat two-term incumbent Boschwitz.
Democratic holds
- New Jersey: The usually safe Sen. Bill Bradley (D-NJ) suddenly became very vulnerable in the face of an unpopular income tax hike. Bradley refused to take a stand on the tax hike, initiated by Democratic Governor James Florio, which helped his Republican opponent Christine Todd Whitman. Bradley narrowly held his seat, but Whitman used this momentum to defeat Governor Florio in the 1993 gubernatorial election.
Republican holds
- North Carolina: Controversial conservative Sen. Jesse Helms (R-NC) narrowly won re-election over former Charlotte Mayor Harvey Gantt (D). The race also featured a controversial late-running ad attacking Gantt's support for affirmative action.
Senate contests in 1990
A bolded state name indicates an article about that state's election.
| State | Incumbent | Party | Status | Opposing Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Howell Heflin | Democratic | Re-elected, 60.7% | Bill Cabaniss (Republican) 39.3% |
| Alaska | Ted Stevens | Republican | Re-elected, 67.2% | Michael Beasley (Democratic) 32.8% |
| Arkansas | David Pryor | Democratic | Re-elected, unopposed | |
| Colorado | William L. Armstrong | Republican | Retired, Republican victory | Hank Brown (Republican) 55.7% Josie Heath (Democratic) 41.6% John Heckman (Concerns of People) 1.5% Earl Dodge (Prohibition) 1.2% |
| Delaware | Joe Biden | Democratic | Re-elected, 62.7% | M. Jane Brady (Republican) 35.8% Lee Rosenbaum (Libertarian) 1.5% |
| Georgia | Sam Nunn | Democratic | Re-elected, unopposed | |
| Hawaii[1] | Daniel Akaka | Democratic | Re-elected, 54.0% | Pat Saiki (Republican) 44.6% Ken Schoolland (Libertarian) 1.4% |
| Idaho | James A. McClure | Republican | Retired, Republican victory | Larry Craig (Republican) 61.3% Ron J. Twilegar (Democratic) 38.7% |
| Illinois | Paul Simon | Democratic | Re-elected, 64.9% | Lynn Morley Martin (Republican) 35.1% |
| Indiana[2] | Dan Coats | Republican | Re-elected, 53.7% | Baron Hill (Democratic) 46.3% |
| Iowa | Tom Harkin | Democratic | Re-elected, 54.0% | Tom Tauke (Republican) 46.0% |
| Kansas | Nancy Landon Kassebaum | Republican | Re-elected, 73.6% | Dick Williams (Democratic) 26.4% |
| Kentucky | Mitch McConnell | Republican | Re-elected, 52.2% | Harvey I. Sloane (Democratic) 47.8% |
| Louisiana | Bennett Johnston Jr. | Democratic | Re-elected in primary 53% | David Duke (Republican, but not endorsed) 44% |
| Maine | William Cohen | Republican | Re-elected, 61.4% | Neil Rolde (Democratic) 38.6% |
| Massachusetts | John Kerry | Democratic | Re-elected, 56.9% | Jim Rappaport (Republican) 43.1% |
| Michigan | Carl Levin | Democratic | Re-elected, 57.5% | Bill Schuette (Republican) 41.2% Susan Farquhar (Workers World) 1.3% |
| Minnesota | Rudy Boschwitz | Republican | Defeated, 47.8% | Paul Wellstone (Democratic) 50.4% Russell Bentley (Grassroots) 1.6% |
| Mississippi | Thad Cochran | Republican | Re-elected, unopposed | |
| Montana | Max Baucus | Democratic | Re-elected, 68.1% | Allen C. Kolstad (Republican) 29.4% Westley Deitchler (Libertarian) 2.5% |
| Nebraska | J. James Exon | Democratic | Re-elected, 59.1% | Hal Daub (Republican) 40.9% |
| New Hampshire | Gordon J. Humphrey | Republican | Retired, Republican victory | Bob Smith (Republican) 65.1% John A. Durkin (Democratic) 31.3% John Elsnau (Libertarian) 3.3% |
| New Jersey | Bill Bradley | Democratic | Re-elected, 50.4% | Christine Todd Whitman (Republican) 47.4% John L. Kucek (Populist) 1.0% Louis M. Stefanelli (Libertarian) 0.7% Don Mackle (Socialist Workers) 0.4% |
| New Mexico | Pete Domenici | Republican | Re-elected, 72.9% | Tom R. Benavides (Democratic) 27.1% |
| North Carolina | Jesse Helms | Republican | Re-elected, 52.5% | Harvey Gantt (Democratic) 47.5% |
| Oklahoma | David L. Boren | Democratic | Re-elected, 83.2% | Stephen Jones (Republican) 17.8% |
| Oregon | Mark Hatfield | Republican | Re-elected, 53.9% | Harry Lonsdale (Democratic) 46.1% |
| Rhode Island | Claiborne Pell | Democratic | Re-elected, 61.8% | Claudine Schneider (Republican) 38.2% |
| South Carolina | Strom Thurmond | Republican | Re-elected, 64.2% | Bob Cunningham (Democratic) 32.5% William H. Griffin (Libertarian) 1.8% Marion C. Metts (American) 1.4% |
| South Dakota | Larry Pressler | Republican | Re-elected, 52.4% | Ted Muenster (Democratic) 45.1% Dean L. Sinclair (Independent) 2.5% |
| Tennessee | Al Gore | Democratic | Re-elected, 67.7% | William R. Hawkins (Republican) 29.8% Bill Jacox (Independent) 1.4% Charles Gordon Vick (Independent) 1.0% |
| Texas | Phil Gramm | Republican | Re-elected, 60.2% | Hugh Parmer (Democratic) 37.4% Gary Johnson (Libertarian) 2.3% |
| Virginia | John Warner | Republican | Re-elected, 80.9% | Nancy B. Spannaus (Independent) 18.2% |
| West Virginia | Jay Rockefeller | Democratic | Re-elected, 68.5% | John Yoder (Republican) 31.5% |
| Wyoming | Alan K. Simpson | Republican | Re-elected, 66.4% | Kathy Helling (Democratic) 33.6% |
- ^ Special election held due to death of Spark Matsunaga
- ^ Special election held due to election of Dan Quayle to the office of Vice President in 1988.
Senate composition before and after elections
| 101st Congress Senate Composition | 102nd Congress Senate Composition | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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See also
- United States House elections, 1990
- United States gubernatorial elections, 1990
- United States Senate elections, 1988
- United States Senate elections, 1992
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