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1960 United States Senate elections

1960 United States Senate elections

← 1958 November 8, 1960 1962 →
← 1959 (HI) 1961 (TX) →
34 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate 51 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Lyndon Johnson (retired)[a] Everett Dirksen Party Democratic Republican Leader since January 3, 1953 January 3, 1959 Leader's seat Texas Illinois Seats before 66 34 Seats after 64 36 Seat change 2 2 Popular vote 18,547,250[1] 14,894,867[1] Percentage 55.1% 44.2% Seats up 23 11 Races won 21 13
Results of the elections (excl. North Dakota):      Republican gain      Democratic hold      Republican hold      No election
Majority Leader before election Lyndon Johnson Democratic Elected Majority Leader Mike Mansfield[a] Democratic

The 1960 United States Senate elections coincided with the electionofJohn F. Kennedyaspresident on November 8, 1960. The 33 seats of Class 2 were contested in regular elections. A special election was also held on June 28, 1960, for a mid-term vacancy in North Dakota where Democrats flipped a seat to expand their majority to 66–34. As Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson was elected Vice President, Mike Mansfield became the new majority leader.

The Republicans gained two seats at the expense of the Democrats. However, Republican Senator-elect Edwin Keith Thomson of Wyoming died December 9, 1960, and was replaced by appointee Democratic John J. Hickey at the beginning of the Congress, reducing Republican gains to one seat. However, this was canceled out by a 1961 special election where Republican John Tower flipped Johnson's Senate seat. The Democrats nonetheless retained a commanding lead in the Senate with 64 seats to 36.

Results summary[edit]

Parties					Total
		Democratic	Republican	Other
Last elections (1958)		64	34	0	98
Before these elections		66	34	0	100
Not up		43	23	0	66
Up		23	11	—	34
	Class 2 (1954→1960)	22	11	—	33
	Special: Class 3	1	0	—	1
Incumbent retired		4	1	—	5
	Held by same party	3	1	—	4
	Replaced by other party	1 Democrat replaced by 1 Republican		—	1
	Result	3	2	0	5
Incumbent ran		19	10	—	29
	Won re-election	18	10	—	28
	Lost re-election	1 Democrat replaced by 1 Republican		—	1
	Lost renomination, but held by same party	0	0	—	0
	Result	18	11	0	29
Total elected		21	13	0	34
Net gain/loss		2	2		2
Nationwide vote		18,547,250	14,894,867	218,893	33,661,010
	Share	55.10%	44.25%	0.65%	100%
Result		64	36	0	100

Source: Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives (1961). "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 8, 1960" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 52.

Gains, losses, and holds[edit]

Retirements[edit]

Two Republicans and four Democrats retired instead of seeking re-election.

Defeats[edit]

One Democrat sought re-election but lost in the general election.

Post-election changes[edit]

Four Republicans died and two Democrats resigned, and were all replaced by appointees. One Republican senator-elect died December 9, 1960 before the next Congress began, and was replaced by Democrat appointee. In Texas, a 1961 special election was held prior to the 1962 United States Senate elections, where John Tower won the special election to succeed Democratic appointee William A. Blakley, who lost election to finish the term.

Change in composition[edit]

After the June special election[edit]

Before the November elections[edit]

Result of the November elections[edit]

Beginning of the next Congress[edit]

Race summaries[edit]

Special elections during the 86th Congress[edit]

In these special elections, the winner was seated during 1960 or before January 3, 1961; ordered by election date.

Elections leading to the next Congress[edit]

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning January 3, 1961; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.

Closest races[edit]

Eleven races had a margin of victory under 10%:

Rhode Island was the tipping point state with a margin of 37.8%.

Alabama[edit]

1960 United States Senate election in Alabama

← 1954 November 8, 1960 1966 →

Nominee John Sparkman Julian Elgin Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 389,196 164,868 Percentage 70.24% 29.76%

County results Sparkman:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Elgin:      50-60%      60-70%

U.S. senator before election John Sparkman Democratic Elected U.S. Senator John Sparkman Democratic

Incumbent John J. Sparkman won re-election, having served since 1946. He faced nominal opposition from Republican Julian E. Elgin in the then-deeply Democratic state of Alabama. Sparkman served from 1946 to 1979 in the Senate before retiring and being succeeded by Howell Heflin.

Alaska[edit]

1960 United States Senate election in Alaska

← 1958 November 8, 1960 1966 →

Nominee Bob Bartlett Lee McKinley Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 38,041 21,937 Percentage 63.43% 36.58%

Results by election district Bartlett:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% McKinley:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Bob Bartlett Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Bob Bartlett Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Bob Bartlett was easily re-elected to his second (his first full) term in the U.S. Senate over Republican dentist Lee McKinley after originally being elected in 1958 upon Alaska's anticipated admission as a state into the United States. Bartlett had previously served as the last delegate from Alaska to Congress.

Arkansas[edit]

1960 United States Senate election in Arkansas

← 1954 November 8, 1960 1966 →

Nominee John L. McClellan Party Democratic Popular vote 337,036 Percentage 99.88%

County results McClellan:      90–100%

U.S. senator before election John L. McClellan Democratic Elected U.S. Senator John L. McClellan Democratic

Incumbent senator John L. McClellan was re-elected to a fourth term with nominal opposition from write-in independent candidate Marvin Fuchs, who received just 449 of 377,485 votes.

Colorado[edit]

1960 United States Senate election in Colorado

← 1954 November 8, 1960 1966 →

Nominee Gordon Allott Robert Lee Knous Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 389,428 334,854 Percentage 53.52% 46.02%

County results Allott:      40-50%      50–60%      60–70% Knous:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Gordon Allott Republican Elected U.S. Senator Gordon Allott Republican