How many U.S. Senate seats changed party in 1996?

4 seats changed party in the 1996 Senate elections: Alabama (Democrat to Republican), Arkansas (Democrat to Republican), Nebraska (Democrat to Republican), South Dakota (Republican to Democrat).

Which new senators were elected in 1996?

15 new senators won seats in 1996: Jeff Sessions, III (Republican-AL), Timothy Hutchinson (Republican-AR), A. Allard (Republican-CO), Max Cleland (Democrat-GA), Dick Durbin (Democrat-IL), Pat Roberts (Republican-KS), Sam Brownback (Republican-KS), Mary Landrieu (Democrat-LA), Susan Collins (Republican-ME), Chuck Hagel (Republican-NE), Robert Torricelli (Democrat-NJ), Gordon Smith (Republican-OR), Jack Reed (Democrat-RI), Tim Johnson (Democrat-SD), Michael Enzi (Republican-WY).

1996 U.S. Senate Elections: Results

34 Senate seats were decided on Tuesday, November 5, 1996: the 33 Class II seats and 1 special election. 19 incumbents kept their seats, 15 new senators were elected, and 4 seats changed party.

All cycles 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 2026 2028 2030

Seats on the ballot

33 Class II + 1 special

Held going in

19 Republican · 15 Democrat

New senators

19 incumbents re-elected

Seats that changed party

AL, AR, NE, SD

Special Election

Kansas (Class III seat): Sheila Frahm (Republican) was appointed on June 11, 1996 and held the seat going into the special election on November 5, 1996. Won by Sam Brownback (Republican), whose term for the seat ran through January 6, 1999.

Every Seat on the 1996 Ballot

Incumbent is whoever held the seat on election day; the result is who was sworn in for it afterwards.

State ▲	Incumbent ↕	Party ↕	Seat ↕	Since ↕	Age on Election Day ↕	Result ↕
Alabama	Howell Heflin Since 1979	Democrat	Class II	1979		Jeff Sessions, III (Republican) Party change
Alaska	Ted Stevens Since 1968	Republican	Class II	1968		Re-elected
Arkansas	David Pryor Since 1979	Democrat	Class II	1979		Timothy Hutchinson (Republican) Party change
Colorado	Hank Brown Since 1991	Republican	Class II	1991		A. Allard (Republican)
Delaware	Joe Biden, Jr. Since 1973	Democrat	Class II	1973		Re-elected
Georgia	Samuel Nunn Since 1972	Democrat	Class II	1972		Max Cleland (Democrat)
Idaho	Larry Craig Since 1991	Republican	Class II	1991		Re-elected
Illinois	Paul Simon Since 1985	Democrat	Class II	1985		Dick Durbin (Democrat)
Iowa	Tom Harkin Since 1985	Democrat	Class II	1985		Re-elected
Kansas	Baker Kassebaum Since 1978	Republican	Class II	1978		Pat Roberts (Republican)
Kansas	Sheila Frahm Since 1996	Republican	Class III Special Appointed	1996		Sam Brownback (Republican)
Kentucky	Mitch McConnell Since 1985 · age 54	Republican	Class II	1985	54	Re-elected
Louisiana	J. Bennett Johnston, Jr. Since 1972	Democrat	Class II	1972		Mary Landrieu (Democrat)
Maine	William Cohen Since 1979	Republican	Class II	1979		Susan Collins (Republican)
Massachusetts	John Kerry Since 1985	Democrat	Class II	1985		Re-elected
Michigan	Carl Levin Since 1979	Democrat	Class II	1979		Re-elected
Minnesota	Paul Wellstone Since 1991	Democrat	Class II	1991		Re-elected
Mississippi	William Cochran Since 1978	Republican	Class II	1978		Re-elected
Montana	Max Baucus Since 1978	Democrat	Class II	1978		Re-elected
Nebraska	J. Exon Since 1979	Democrat	Class II	1979		Chuck Hagel (Republican) Party change
New Hampshire	Robert Smith Since 1990	Republican	Class II	1990		Re-elected
New Jersey	Bill Bradley Since 1979	Democrat	Class II	1979		Robert Torricelli (Democrat)
New Mexico	Pete Domenici Since 1973	Republican	Class II	1973		Re-elected
North Carolina	Jesse Helms Since 1973	Republican	Class II	1973		Re-elected
Oklahoma	James Inhofe Since 1994	Republican	Class II	1994		Re-elected
Oregon	Mark Hatfield Since 1967	Republican	Class II	1967		Gordon Smith (Republican)
Rhode Island	Claiborne Pell Since 1961	Democrat	Class II	1961		Jack Reed (Democrat)
South Carolina	Strom Thurmond Since 1954	Republican	Class II	1954		Re-elected
South Dakota	Larry Pressler Since 1979	Republican	Class II	1979		Tim Johnson (Democrat) Party change
Tennessee	Fred Thompson Since 1994	Republican	Class II	1994		Re-elected
Texas	Phil Gramm Since 1985	Republican	Class II	1985		Re-elected
Virginia	John Warner Since 1979	Republican	Class II	1979		Re-elected
West Virginia	Jay Rockefeller, IV Since 1985	Democrat	Class II	1985		Re-elected
Wyoming	Alan Simpson Since 1979	Republican	Class II	1979		Michael Enzi (Republican)

New Senators Elected in 1996

Jeff Sessions, III

Republican · Alabama

Succeeded Howell Heflin (Democrat)

Timothy Hutchinson

Republican · Arkansas

Succeeded David Pryor (Democrat)

A. Allard

Republican · Colorado

Succeeded Hank Brown

Max Cleland

Democrat · Georgia

Succeeded Samuel Nunn

Dick Durbin

Democrat · Illinois

Succeeded Paul Simon

Pat Roberts

Republican · Kansas

Succeeded Baker Kassebaum

Sam Brownback

Republican · Kansas

Succeeded Sheila Frahm · special election

Mary Landrieu

Democrat · Louisiana

Succeeded J. Bennett Johnston, Jr.

Susan Collins

Republican · Maine

Succeeded William Cohen

Chuck Hagel

Republican · Nebraska

Succeeded J. Exon (Democrat)

Robert Torricelli

Democrat · New Jersey

Succeeded Bill Bradley

Gordon Smith

Republican · Oregon

Succeeded Mark Hatfield

Jack Reed

Democrat · Rhode Island

Succeeded Claiborne Pell

Tim Johnson

Democrat · South Dakota

Succeeded Larry Pressler (Republican)

Michael Enzi

Republican · Wyoming

Succeeded Alan Simpson

About this page

Seats, incumbents and results are derived from the Senate's service records (via the congress-legislators dataset): the seats on a year's ballot are the class whose terms end the following January, plus any seat held by appointment pending a special election, and a result is recorded when the winner is sworn in. Incumbent status and candidates for the next election come from FEC candidate filings; a seat is listed as open when the FEC tags its candidates as running for a seat with no incumbent. Election day is the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. See every cycle since 1990, the seniority list and the voting analysis.