For related races, see 2004 United States elections.
2004 United States Senate elections
← 2002
November 2, 2004
2006 →
34 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate 51 seats needed for a majority
Majority party
Minority party
Leader
Bill Frist
Tom Daschle (Lost re-election)
Party
Republican
Democratic
Leader since
January 3, 2003
January 3, 1995
Leader's seat
Tennessee
South Dakota
Seats before
51
48
Seats after
55
44
Seat change
4
4
Popular vote
39,920,562
44,754,618
Percentage
45.3%
50.8%
Seats up
15
19
Races won
19
15
Third party
Party
Independent
Seats before
1[1]
Seats after
1
Seat change
Popular vote
186,231
Percentage
0.2%
Seats up
0
Races won
0
Results of the elections: Democratic gain Democratic hold Republican gain Republican hold No election
Majority Leader before election
Bill Frist
Republican
Elected Majority Leader
Bill Frist
Republican
The 2004 United States Senate elections were held on November 2, 2004, with all Class 3 Senate seats being contested. They coincided with the re-election of George W. Bush as president and the United States House elections, as well as many state and local elections. Senators who were elected in 1998, known as Senate Class 3, were seeking re-election or retiring in 2004.
Republicans won six seats but lost two themselves, giving them a net gain of four seats. Five of the six gains came from Southern states. Conservative Democrat Zell Miller of Georgia, who campaigned for President Bush, chose not to run for re-election and Republican Johnny Isakson won his seat; Democrat Fritz Hollings of South Carolina chose not to run for re-election and was succeeded by Republican Jim DeMint; Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards chose not to run for re-election and Republican Richard Burr won his North Carolina seat; Democrat Bob Graham of Florida chose not to run for re-election, and his seat went to Republican Mel Martinez; and Louisiana Democrat John Breaux chose not to run for re-election and Republican David Vitter won his seat.
In South Dakota, Republican John Thune defeated the incumbent Senate minority leader Tom Daschle, marking the first and only time since 1952 that a sitting party leader lost re-election, as well as the only time that person was the minority leader. Republican Senator Peter Fitzgerald of Illinois chose not to run for re-election and Democrat Barack Obama won in a landslide, becoming the Senate's only black member and only the third popularly elected in American history and only the third elected since Reconstruction. Also, Republican Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado chose not to run for re-election and Democrat Ken Salazar won the open seat.
This was the third consecutive election cycle for Senate Class 3 where the Democrats either broke even or lost seats. This also marked the first time since 1980 in which a presidential candidate from either party won with coattails in the Senate. As of 2023[update], these are the last elections held during a presidential election year in which the Republicans made a net gain of seats. Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States, was first elected to the Senate from Illinois in this election.
^The Independent was Jim Jeffords of Vermont, and he caucused with the Democrats
and 30 Related for: 2004 United States Senate elections information
The 2004UnitedStateselections were held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004, during the early years of the war on terror and after the 2003 invasion of Iraq...
The 2004UnitedStates presidential election was the 55th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. The Republican ticket of...
The 2004UnitedStatesSenateelection in Connecticut took place on November 2, 2004, alongside other elections to the UnitedStatesSenate in other states...
The 2004UnitedStatesSenateelection in Pennsylvania was held on November 2, 2004. Incumbent Republican Senator Arlen Specter won re-election to a fifth...
The 2004UnitedStatesSenateelection in Washington was held on November 2, 2004. Incumbent Democrat U.S. Senator Patty Murray won re-election to a third...
The 2004UnitedStatesSenateelection in North Dakota was held on November 2, 2004, concurrent with other elections for president, the UnitedStates House...
The 2004UnitedStatesSenateelection in Iowa was held on November 2, 2004. Incumbent Republican UnitedStates Senator Chuck Grassley ran for re-election...
The 2012 UnitedStatesSenateelections were held on November 6, 2012, with 33 of the 100 seats in the Senate, all Class 1 seats, being contested in regular...
The 2004UnitedStatesSenateelection in Ohio took place on November 2, 2004. It was concurrent with elections to the UnitedStates House of Representatives...
The 2004UnitedStatesSenateelection in Missouri was held November 2, 2004. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Kit Bond won re-election to a fourth term...
The 2004UnitedStatesSenateelection in Louisiana was held on November 2, 2004. Incumbent Democratic Senator John Breaux decided to retire after three...
The 2004UnitedStatesSenateelection in New Hampshire was held November 2, 2004. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Judd Gregg won re-election to a third...
Global Information
