2022 United States Senate elections

All 34 Class 3 senators were up for election in 2022; prior to Election Day, Class 3 consisted of 14 Democrats and 20 Republicans, including a seat in California held by an interim appointee up for a special election. Additionally, a special election was held for a Class 2 seat in Oklahoma. Of the senators not up for election, 34 were Democrats, 29 were Republicans, and two were independents who caucused with the Senate Democrats.[2]

Elections analysts have noted that, in recent cycles, partisanship in Senate elections has much more closely matched partisanship in presidential elections, and the number of senators representing states won recently by presidential candidates of the opposite party has dwindled. In 2018, Democrats were defending 10 seats in states that Donald Trump won in the 2016 U.S. presidential election,[lower-alpha 8] while Republicans held only one seat in a state that Hillary Clinton won in 2016 (Nevada, which Democrats flipped). In contrast, in this cycle Democrats held no seats in states that were won by Trump in the 2020 U.S. presidential election, while Republicans were defending two seats in states Joe Biden won in 2020 (Pennsylvania, which Democrats flipped, and Wisconsin, which Republicans narrowly held).[2]

Democrats had held a majority in the Senate since January 20, 2021, following the party's twin victories in the run-offs for Georgia's regular and special 2020–2021 Senate elections, and the inauguration of Harris as vice president. While many pundits believed Republicans had a strong chance to flip control of the chamber, a red wave election did not materialize.[6][7][8] Instead, Democrats performed better than expected in many states, including Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, and Ohio.[2][17][18] In Colorado, where some Republican strategists hoped for a competitive race, Michael Bennet won re-election handily, and in New Hampshire, another hopeful Republican target, Maggie Hassan ran ahead of Biden's 2020 margin in the state.[17][18] Democrats also beat expectations in Rust Belt states; although Tim Ryan lost in Ohio, his performance in the race had a coattail effect that boosted Democrats in competitive House districts in the state,[19] and in Pennsylvania, where John Fetterman defeated Trump-endorsee Mehmet Oz, vulnerable House Democrats also benefitted from strong Democratic performance at the top of the ticket.[20] Fetterman improved upon Biden's 2020 results from white voters without a college degree.[21] In Georgia's first round, Raphael Warnock improved upon his margin from 2020–2021 and finished first,[2] before winning by three percentage points in the December runoff.[22]

Democrats' strong performance has been attributed to, among other factors,[11] backlash to abortion-rights restrictions following the U.S. Supreme Court's June 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization that overturned Roe v. Wade,[12] negative reaction to Republican extremism and election denialism,[14][15] better candidate quality among Democrats than Republicans,[13] and youth turnout and vote splitting in key races.[23][24] Some Republicans blamed Trump for the party's underwhelming showing, citing the underperformance of candidates he endorsed such as Herschel Walker in Georgia and Oz in Pennsylvania.[25][26][27] It was a historically good cycle for incumbents;[28] it was the first time ever since the ratification of the 17th Amendment, which mandated the popular election of U.S. senators, in which no incumbents were defeated for either a primary or general election.[10][lower-alpha 9] Maggie Hassan (New Hampshire), Ron Johnson (Wisconsin), Mark Kelly (Arizona), Catherine Cortez Masto (Nevada), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), and Warnock (Georgia) faced competitive races but were all re-elected.[2][3]

The 2022 election cycle was the first time since the 2006 Senate elections that Democrats made net gains in a midterm year, and the 2022 cycle tied with the 1990 elections for the lowest number of party flips, at only one seat each. Democrats won full terms in the Class 3 Senate seats in Arizona and Pennsylvania for the first time since the 1962 elections. This was only the third election in U.S. history (after 1914 and 1934) where the opposition party failed to flip any Senate seats. As well as the most recent election cycle in which the president's party gained Senate seats and simultaneously lost House seats in a midterm, along with 1914, 1962, 1970, and 2018; it was the first midterm in which Democrats did so since 1962.[29]

Races that had a margin of victory under 10%:

Each block represents one of the one hundred seats in the U.S. Senate. "D_#" is a Democratic senator, "I_#" is an Independent senator, and "R_#" is a Republican senator. They are arranged so the parties are separated and a majority is clear by crossing the middle.

Several sites and individuals publish predictions of competitive seats. These predictions look at factors such as the strength of the incumbent (if the incumbent is running for re-election) and the other candidates and the state's partisan lean (reflected in part by the state's Cook Partisan Voting Index rating). The predictions assign ratings to each seat, indicating the predicted advantage that a party had in winning that seat. Most election predictors use:

• "tossup" / "battleground": no advantage
• "tilt" (used by some predictors): minimal, smallest advantage
• "lean": slight advantage
• "likely": significant, but surmountable, advantage
• "safe" or "solid": near-certain chance of victory

One Democrat and five Republicans retired instead of seeking re-election.

Alabama election

Nominee Katie Britt Will Boyd Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 942,154 436,746 Percentage 66.6% 30.9%

County results Britt:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Boyd:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Richard Shelby Republican Elected U.S. senator Katie Britt Republican

Six-term Republican Richard Shelby was re-elected in 2016 with 64% of the vote. On February 8, 2021, Shelby announced that he would not seek re-election to a seventh term.[61] Katie Britt, Shelby's former chief of staff,[62] and Mo Brooks, a six-term U.S. representative, finished ahead of businesswoman Karla DuPriest, former Army pilot and author Michael Durant, and author Jake Schafer in the first round of the Republican primary election, with Britt going on to defeat Brooks in a runoff.[63] Perennial candidate Will Boyd[64] defeated former Brighton mayor Brandaun Dean[65] and Lanny Jackson[66][67] in the Democratic primary. Britt won the Senate election, becoming the first woman elected to the United States Senate from Alabama.[68]

Alaska election

Candidate Lisa Murkowski Kelly Tshibaka Pat Chesbro Party Republican Republican Democratic First round 113,495 43.4% 111,480 42.6% 27,145 10.4% Final round 136,330 53.7% 117,534 46.3% Eliminated

First round results by State House district Maximum round results by State House district Maximum round results by borough and census area Murkowski:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Tshibaka:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Lisa Murkowski Republican Elected U.S. senator Lisa Murkowski Republican

Three-term Republican Lisa Murkowski was re-elected in 2016 with 44.4% of the vote. Alaska voters passed a ballot initiative in 2020 that adopted a new top-four ranked-choice voting system: all candidates compete in a nonpartisan blanket primary, the top four candidates advance to the general election, and the winner is determined by instant-runoff voting using ranked-choice ballots. On March 30, following the Alaska Republican Party's decision to censure senator Murkowski, former Alaska Department of Administration commissioner Kelly Tshibaka announced her campaign against Murkowski, later receiving Donald Trump's endorsement.[69] Republican governor Mike Dunleavy, who was considered another potential challenger to Murkowski, instead ran for re-election.[70]

Murkowski, Tshibaka, Republican Buzz Kelley, and Democrat Pat Chesbro advanced to the general election.[71] Kelley suspended his campaign in September and endorsed Tshibaka, although his name remained on the ballot.[72]

Murkowski received a slight plurality of the first-choice votes and a majority of all votes following the ranked choice tabulation, winning re-election to a fourth full term.[55]

Arizona election

Nominee Mark Kelly Blake Masters Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,322,027 1,196,308 Percentage 51.4% 46.5%

County results Kelly:      50–60%      60–70% Masters:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Mark Kelly Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Mark Kelly Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Mark Kelly took office on December 2, 2020, after winning a special election with 51.2% of the vote.

Six-term senator and 2008 Republican presidential nominee John McCain was re-elected to this seat in 2016. He died on August 25, 2018, and former U.S. senator Jon Kyl was appointed to replace him. Kyl resigned at the end of 2018 and U.S. representative Martha McSally was appointed to replace him. Kelly defeated McSally in the 2020 special election.

In the Republican primary, Blake Masters, the chairman of the Thiel Foundation, defeated Jim Lamon, chair of the solar power company Depcom,[73] and Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich.[74]

Kelly defeated Masters, winning election to his first full term.[55]

Arkansas election

Nominee John Boozman Natalie James Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 592,437 280,187 Percentage 65.7% 31.1%

County results Boozman:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% James:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election John Boozman Republican Elected U.S. senator John Boozman Republican

Two-term Republican John Boozman was re-elected in 2016 with 59.8% of the vote. Boozman ran for a third term.[75]

Boozman defeated former NFL player and U.S. Army veteran Jake Bequette,[76] gun range owner and 2018 gubernatorial candidate Jan Morgan,[77] and pastor Heath Loftis[78] in the Republican primary.[79] A fourth challenger, corporate analyst Michael Deel withdrew prior to the primary election citing a lack of viability.[80]

Natalie James, a real estate broker from Little Rock,[81] defeated Dan Whitfield, who attempted to run as an independent for Arkansas' other U.S. Senate seat in 2020 but failed to meet the ballot access requirements,[82] and former Pine Bluff City alderman Jack Foster in the Democratic primary.[83]

Boozman defeated James, winning re-election to a third term.[55]

California election

Candidate Alex Padilla Mark Meuser Party Democratic Republican Special election 6,559,303 60.9% 4,212,446 39.1% Regular election 6,621,616 61.1% 4,222,025 38.9%

County results Padilla:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Meuser:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Alex Padilla Democratic Elected U.S. senator Alex Padilla Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Alex Padilla took office on January 20, 2021. He was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom following the resignation of incumbent Democrat Kamala Harris on January 18, 2021, in advance of her swearing-in as Vice President of the United States.[84]

Due to a rule change, there were two ballot items for the same seat: a general election, to elect a Class 3 senator to a full term beginning with the 118th United States Congress, sworn in on January 3, 2023, and a special election, to fill that seat for the final weeks of the 117th Congress. Padilla ran in both races,[85] as did the Republican nominee, attorney Mark Meuser. Padilla defeated Meuser in both races, winning election to his first full term.

Colorado election

Nominee Michael Bennet Joe O'Dea Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,397,170 1,031,693 Percentage 55.9% 41.3%

County results Bennet:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% O'Dea:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

U.S. senator before election Michael Bennet Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Michael Bennet Democratic

Two-term Democrat Michael Bennet took office on January 21, 2009, after being appointed by then Colorado governor Bill Ritter to replace outgoing Democrat Ken Salazar, who was nominated by then President Barack Obama to serve as United States secretary of the interior. He had narrowly won reelection bids, in 2010 to his first full term, with 48.08% of the vote, and, in 2016 to his second, with 49.97% of the vote.

In the Republican primary, construction company owner Joe O'Dea defeated state representative Ron Hanks.[86][87]

Bennet defeated O'Dea, winning election to his third full term.

Connecticut election

Nominee Richard Blumenthal Leora Levy Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 724,785 536,020 Percentage 57.5% 42.5%

County results Blumenthal:      50–60%      60–70% Levy:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Richard Blumenthal Democratic Elected U.S. senator Richard Blumenthal Democratic

Two-term Democrat Richard Blumenthal was re-elected in 2016 with 63.2% of the vote.

Former state House minority leader Themis Klarides ran for the Republican nomination,[88] but lost to commodities trader Leora Levy.

Florida election

Nominee Marco Rubio Val Demings Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 4,474,847 3,201,522 Percentage 57.7% 41.3%

County results Rubio:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      90–100% Demings:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Marco Rubio Republican Elected U.S. senator Marco Rubio Republican

Two-term Republican Marco Rubio was re-elected in 2016 with 52% of the vote. He announced on November 9, 2020, via Facebook, that he was running for re-election.[89]

U.S. representative Val Demings was the Democratic nominee.[90]

Ivanka Trump, daughter and former senior advisor to former president Donald Trump, was seen as a potential candidate to challenge Rubio for the Republican nomination.[91] However, on February 18, 2021, it was confirmed that she would not seek the nomination.[92]

Rubio defeated Demings, winning re-election to a third term.

Georgia election

November 8, 2022 (first round) December 6, 2022 (runoff)

Candidate Raphael Warnock Herschel Walker Party Democratic Republican First round 1,946,117 49.4% 1,908,442 48.5% Runoff 1,820,633 51.4% 1,721,244 48.6%

Runoff county results Warnock:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Walker:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%

U.S. senator before election Raphael Warnock Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Raphael Warnock won the 2020–2021 special election against incumbent Republican Kelly Loeffler to fill the remainder of former senator Johnny Isakson's term. Isakson resigned at the end of 2019 due to health problems, and Loeffler was appointed by Governor Brian Kemp following Isakson's resignation. No candidate in the open election on November 3 received the 50% required by Georgia law to avoid a run-off, a type of election colloquially known as a "jungle primary"[93]—Warnock received just 32.9% of the vote—and so, a run-off election between Warnock and Loeffler was held on January 5, 2021, which Warnock won with 51% of the vote.

Former Republican senator David Perdue, who narrowly lost his race to Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff in 2021,[94] and former U.S. representative Doug Collins[95] both considered challenging Warnock, but eventually announced they were not running.[96]

Former NFL player Herschel Walker,[97] who had been endorsed by former president Donald Trump,[98] defeated banking executive Latham Saddler[99] and others in the Republican primary.

In the general election, no candidate received a majority of the vote.[100] Warnock defeated Walker in a runoff between the top-two finishers on December 6.[101]

Hawaii election

Nominee Brian Schatz Bob McDermott Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 290,894 106,358 Percentage 71.2% 26.0%

County results Schatz:      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Brian Schatz Democratic Elected U.S. senator Brian Schatz Democratic

One-term Democrat Brian Schatz was appointed to the Senate in 2012, following the death of incumbent Daniel Inouye. He won a special election to finish Inouye's term in 2014, and won his first full term in 2016 with 73.6% of the vote. Republican state representative Bob McDermott challenged Schatz.[102]

Idaho election

Nominee Mike Crapo David Roth Scott Cleveland Party Republican Democratic Independent Popular vote 358,539 169,808 49,917 Percentage 60.7% 28.7% 8.5%

County results Crapo:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Roth:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Mike Crapo Republican Elected U.S. Senator Mike Crapo Republican

Four-term Republican Mike Crapo was re-elected in 2016 with 66.1% of the vote. He is running for re-election to a fifth term.[103] Democrat David Roth faced Crapo in the general election after defeating Ben Pursley in the primary.[104]

Illinois election

Nominee Tammy Duckworth Kathy Salvi Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 2,329,136 1,701,055 Percentage 56.8% 41.5%

County results Duckworth:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Salvi:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

U.S. senator before election Tammy Duckworth Democratic Elected U.S. senator Tammy Duckworth Democratic

One-term Democrat Tammy Duckworth was elected in 2016 with 54.9% of the vote. She defeated Republican attorney Kathy Salvi in the general election.[105]

Indiana election

Nominee Todd Young Thomas McDermott Jr. Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,090,165 704,411 Percentage 58.6% 37.9%

County results Young:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% McDermott:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Todd Young Republican Elected U.S. senator Todd Young Republican

First-term Republican Todd Young was elected in 2016 with 52.1% of the vote. He announced on March 2, 2021, that he was running for re-election.[106] Hammond mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. won the Democratic nomination.[107] James Sceniak, a behavior therapist, was the Libertarian candidate.

Young defeated McDermott, winning re-election to a second term.

Iowa election

Nominee Chuck Grassley Michael Franken Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 681,501 533,330 Percentage 56.0% 43.8%

County results Grassley:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Franken:      50–60%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Chuck Grassley Republican Elected U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley Republican

Seven-term Republican Chuck Grassley was re-elected in 2016 with 60.1% of the vote. He sought re-election to an eighth term.[108]

In the Republican primary, Grassley defeated state senator Jim Carlin.[109]

Retired admiral and former aide to U.S. senator Ted Kennedy, Michael Franken,[110] was the Democratic nominee. Franken defeated former U.S. representative Abby Finkenauer in the primary in what was seen as a major upset.[111][112]

Grassley defeated Franken, winning re-election to an eighth term.

Kansas election

Nominee Jerry Moran Mark Holland Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 602,976 372,214 Percentage 60.0% 37.0%

County results Moran:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Holland:      40–50%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Jerry Moran Republican Elected U.S. Senator Jerry Moran Republican

Two-term Republican Jerry Moran was re-elected in 2016 with 62.2% of the vote. He announced that he was seeking re-election in 2020.[113] Democratic United Methodist pastor and former Kansas City Mayor Mark Holland challenged Moran.[114]

Kentucky election

Nominee Rand Paul Charles Booker Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 913,326 564,311 Percentage 61.8% 38.2%

County results Paul:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Booker:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Rand Paul Republican Elected U.S. Senator Rand Paul Republican

Two-term Republican Rand Paul was re-elected in 2016 with 57.3% of the vote. He sought re-election to a third term.[115]

Former Democratic state Representative and 2020 runner-up in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary Charles Booker won the Democratic primary.[116]

Louisiana election

Nominee John Kennedy Gary Chambers Luke Mixon Party Republican Democratic Democratic Popular vote 851,527 246,928 182,877 Percentage 61.6% 17.9% 13.2%

Parish results Kennedy:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      90–100% Chambers:      40–50%

U.S. senator before election John Kennedy Republican Elected U.S. Senator John Kennedy Republican

One-term Republican John Kennedy was elected in 2016 with 60.6% of the vote and ran for a second term.[117] Civil rights activist Gary Chambers and U.S. Navy veteran Luke Mixon ran as Democrats.[118][119]

Maryland election

Nominee Chris Van Hollen Chris Chaffee Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,316,897 682,293 Percentage 65.8% 34.1%

County results Van Hollen:      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Chaffee:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Chris Van Hollen Democratic Elected U.S. senator Chris Van Hollen Democratic

One-term Democrat Chris Van Hollen was elected in 2016 with 60.9% of the vote, and ran for a second term.[120]

Despite previously indicating that he had no interest in pursuing the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate, incumbent Governor Larry Hogan, who was term-limited and scheduled to leave office in 2023, told conservative talk radio host Hugh Hewitt in October 2021 that he was considering challenging Van Hollen. Hogan ultimately decided not to challenge Van Hollen on February 8, 2022.[121][122][123]

Van Hollen and construction company owner Chris Chaffee won their respective primaries on July 19.[124]

Missouri election

Nominee Eric Schmitt Trudy Busch Valentine Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,146,966 872,694 Percentage 55.4% 42.2%

County results Schmitt:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Busch Valentine:      50–60%      60–70%      80–90%

U.S. senator before election Roy Blunt Republican Elected U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt Republican

Two-term Republican Roy Blunt was re-elected in 2016 with 49.2% of the vote. He did not seek re-election.[44]

State attorney general Eric Schmitt defeated former governor Eric Greitens,[125] and U.S. representatives Vicky Hartzler and Billy Long in the Republican primary.[126][127][128]

Anheuser-Busch heiress Trudy Busch Valentine[129] defeated Marine veteran Lucas Kunce[130] in the Democratic primary.[127]

Nevada election

Nominee Catherine Cortez Masto Adam Laxalt Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 498,316 490,388 Percentage 48.8% 48.0%

County results Cortez Masto:      50–60% Laxalt:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

U.S. senator before election Catherine Cortez Masto Democratic Elected U.S. senator Catherine Cortez Masto Democratic

One-term Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto was elected in 2016 with 47.1% of the vote. She ran for re-election.[131]

Former state attorney general Adam Laxalt ran against Cortez Masto for the seat once held by his maternal grandfather Paul Laxalt.[132]

New Hampshire election

Nominee Maggie Hassan Don Bolduc Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 332,193 275,928 Percentage 53.5% 44.4%

County results Hassan:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Bolduc:      40–50%      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Maggie Hassan Democratic Elected U.S. senator Maggie Hassan Democratic

One-term Democrat Maggie Hassan was elected in 2016 with 48% of the vote. She ran for re-election.[133]

New Hampshire governor Chris Sununu, who was re-elected in 2020 with 65.2% of the vote, declined to run.[134]

U.S. Army brigadier general Don Bolduc narrowly defeated state senator Chuck Morse, former Londonderry town manager Kevin Smith, and others in the Republican primary.[133]