The 1920 United States Senate elections were elections for the United States Senate that coincided with the presidential election of Warren G. Harding. The 32 seats of Class 3 were contested in regular elections, and special elections were held to fill vacancies. Democrat Woodrow Wilson's unpopularity allowed Republicans to win races across the country, winning ten seats from the Democrats and providing them with an overwhelming 59-to-37 majority. The Republican landslide was so vast that Democrats lost over half of the contested seats this year and failed to win a single race outside the South. In fact, this is the most recent occasion where every race decided by under 10 points all voted for the same party, showcasing the sheer strength of Republicans' performance in this election.
Since the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment, these elections were the closest in which the winning party in almost every Senate election mirrored the winning party for their state in the presidential election, with Kentucky being the only Senate race not to mirror their presidential result. No other Senate election cycle in a presidential year would come close to repeating this feat until 2016, in which the result of every Senate race mirrored the corresponding state's result in the presidential election. Coincidentally, that election cycle involved the same class of Senate seats, Class 3. This is also one of only five occasions where 10 or more Senate seats changed party in an election, with the other occasions being in 1932, 1946, 1958, and 1980.
As of 2025, the 59 seats held after this election cycle remains the highest number of seats that the Republican Party has held as the result of an election cycle. This number rose to 60, the highest number of seats the Republicans have ever held, after Democrat senator Josiah O. Wolcott of Delaware accepted an offer from Republican governor William D. Denney to become Chancellor of the Delaware Court of Chancery, allowing Denney to name Republican T. Coleman du Pont to replace Wolcott, a seat du Pont held until the next election, in which both a special election was held for the remainder of the term and a regular election was held as the seat was normally up then, both of which du Pont lost narrowly to Democrat Thomas F. Bayard Jr. In addition, the 22-seat majority is the largest majority that the Republicans have achieved in any election since.
Gains, losses, and holds
Retirements
Two Republicans and three Democrats retired instead of seeking re-election. One Democrat retired instead of seeking election to finish the unexpired term.
Defeats
Ten Democrats and one Republican sought re-election but lost in the primary or general election.
Post election changes
Change in composition
Before the elections
Elections result
Race summary
Special elections during the 66th Congress
In these special elections, the winner was seated during 1920 or before March 4, 1921; ordered by election date.
Elections leading to the 67th Congress
In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1921; ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 3 seats.
Closest races
Nine races had a margin of victory under 10%:
The tipping point state is Colorado with a margin of 15.2%.
Alabama
Alabama (regular)
Alabama (special)
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maryland
Missouri
Nevada
New Hampshire
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
South Dakota
Utah
Vermont
Virginia (special)
Washington
Wisconsin
See also
- 1920 United States elections
- 1920 United States presidential election
- 1920 United States gubernatorial elections
- 1920 United States House of Representatives elections
- 66th United States Congress
- 67th United States Congress
Notes
References
Further reading
- Byrd, Robert C. (October 1, 1993). Wolff, Wendy (ed.). The Senate, 1789–1989: Historical Statistics, 1789–1992. United States Senate Historical Office (volume 4 Bicentennial ed.). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. ISBN 9780160632563 – via Google Books.
