Classes of United States Senators
Encyclopedia
The three classes of United States Senators are currently made up of 33 or 34 Senate seats. The purpose of the classes is to determine which Senate seats will be up for election in a given year. The three groups are staggered so that one of them is up for election every two years.
A senator's description as junior or senior senator is not related to his or her class. Rather, a state's senior senator is the one with the greater seniority in the Senate. This is mostly based on length of service.
agreed to give six-year terms to Senators, they also decided to stagger the elections, so that a third of the Senate was up for election every two years. With this staggered turnover, the Founding Fathers wanted to ensure stability in the Senate, and encourage Senators to deliberate measures over time, rather than risk a rapid turnover of the entire chamber every six years. At the same time, they wanted more frequent elections, as oppose to waiting every six years, to prevent Senators from permanently combining for "sinister purposes".
The three classes of the Senate were then specified by Article I, Section 3 of the U. S. Constitution:
This was actually achieved several weeks after the first Senate assembled. From the Journal of the Senate of the United States of America, 1789-1793:
And from the Journal of Friday, May 15, 1789:
Upon the expiration of a senator's term of any length, someone starts a new six-year term as senator (based on election by the state legislatures until the Seventeenth Amendment
required direct popular election of Senators).
This means at least one of any new state's first pair of senators has a term of less than six years, and one term is either two or four years shorter than the other.
When the last state was admitted, Hawaii in 1959, candidates for the Senate ran either for "seat A" or "seat B." The new Senators, in a process managed by the Secretary of the Senate
, drew lots to determine which of the two would join the Class 1 (whose term would end in five-and-a-half years), and which would join Class 3 (whose term would end in three-and-a-half years).
Should a 51st state
be admitted, it would receive senators in Classes 1 and 2, at which point all three Classes would have 34 senators.
States with a Class 1 senator: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
States with a Class 2 senator: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
States with a Class 3 senator: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, 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, Washington, and Wisconsin.
A senator's description as junior or senior senator is not related to his or her class. Rather, a state's senior senator is the one with the greater seniority in the Senate. This is mostly based on length of service.
Historical division
When the Founding FathersFounding Fathers of the United States
The Founding Fathers of the United States of America were political leaders and statesmen who participated in the American Revolution by signing the United States Declaration of Independence, taking part in the American Revolutionary War, establishing the United States Constitution, or by some...
agreed to give six-year terms to Senators, they also decided to stagger the elections, so that a third of the Senate was up for election every two years. With this staggered turnover, the Founding Fathers wanted to ensure stability in the Senate, and encourage Senators to deliberate measures over time, rather than risk a rapid turnover of the entire chamber every six years. At the same time, they wanted more frequent elections, as oppose to waiting every six years, to prevent Senators from permanently combining for "sinister purposes".
The three classes of the Senate were then specified by Article I, Section 3 of the U. S. Constitution:
This was actually achieved several weeks after the first Senate assembled. From the Journal of the Senate of the United States of America, 1789-1793:
And from the Journal of Friday, May 15, 1789:
Upon the expiration of a senator's term of any length, someone starts a new six-year term as senator (based on election by the state legislatures until the Seventeenth Amendment
Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution established direct election of United States Senators by popular vote. The amendment supersedes Article I, § 3, Clauses 1 and 2 of the Constitution, under which senators were elected by state legislatures...
required direct popular election of Senators).
New states
When a new state is admitted to the Union, its two senators have terms that correspond to those of two different classes, among the three classes defined below. Which two classes is determined by a scheme that keeps the three classes as close to the same size as possible; one that avoids the largest class differing by more than one senator from the smallest class.This means at least one of any new state's first pair of senators has a term of less than six years, and one term is either two or four years shorter than the other.
When the last state was admitted, Hawaii in 1959, candidates for the Senate ran either for "seat A" or "seat B." The new Senators, in a process managed by the Secretary of the Senate
Secretary of the United States Senate
The Secretary of the Senate is an elected officer of the United States Senate. The Secretary supervises an extensive array of offices and services to expedite the day-to-day operations of that body...
, drew lots to determine which of the two would join the Class 1 (whose term would end in five-and-a-half years), and which would join Class 3 (whose term would end in three-and-a-half years).
Should a 51st state
51st state
The 51st state, in United States political discourse, is a phrase that refers to areas either seriously or derisively considered candidates for addition to the 50 states already part of the United States. Before 1959, when Alaska and Hawaii joined the U.S., the term "the 49th state" was used...
be admitted, it would receive senators in Classes 1 and 2, at which point all three Classes would have 34 senators.
Class 1
Class 1 consists of:- the 33 current senators whose seats are scheduled for re-election in November 2012United States Senate elections, 2012Elections to the United States Senate are to be held on November 6, 2012, with 33 of the 100 seats in the Senate being contested in regular elections whose winners will serve six-year terms from January 3, 2013 until January 3, 2019. Additionally, special elections may be held to fill vacancies...
, and whose terms end in January 2013; and - earlier senators with terms ending in 1791United States Senate elections, 1790The United States Senate elections of 1790 was the second election of Senators in the United States. In this election, terms were up for the nine Senators in Class 1...
, 1797United States Senate elections, 1796The United States Senate election of 1796 was an election for the United States Senate which, coinciding with John Adams's election as President, had the ruling Federalist Party gain one seat....
, 1803United States Senate elections, 1802The United States Senate election of 1802 was an election for the United States Senate which had the Democratic-Republican Party assume an overwhelming control thereof....
, 1809United States Senate elections, 1808The United States Senate election of 1808 was an election which had the Federalist Party gain one seat in the United States Senate, and which coincided with the 1808 Presidential election....
, 1815United States Senate elections, 1814The United States Senate election of 1814 was an election which had the Democratic-Republican Party lose two seats, but still retain an overwhelming control of, the United States Senate....
, 1821United States Senate elections, 1820The United States Senate election of 1820 was an election for the United States Senate which, corresponding with James Monroe's landslide re-election, had the Democratic-Republican Party gain seven seats, assuming almost complete control of the Senate....
, 1827United States Senate elections, 1826The United States Senate election of 1826 was an election which had the majority Jacksonian coalition gain a seat in the United States Senate.As this election was prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by State legislatures....
, 1833United States Senate elections, 1832The United States Senate election of 1832 was an election which had the Anti-Jackson coalition assume control of the United States Senate from the Jacksonian coalition, despite Andrew Jackson's victory in the Presidential election....
, 1839United States Senate elections, 1838The United States Senate election of 1838 was an election which had the Democratic Party lose five seats in the United States Senate.As this election was prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by State legislatures....
, 1845United States Senate elections, 1844The United States Senate election of 1844 was an election which, coinciding with James K. Polk's election, had the Democratic Party retake control of the United States Senate, gaining a net total of eleven seats from the Whigs....
, 1851United States Senate elections, 1850The United States Senate election of 1850 was an election which had the Democratic Party gain one seat in the United States Senate.As this election was prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by State legislatures....
, 1857United States Senate elections, 1856The United States Senate election of 1856 was an election which had the young Republican Party assume its position as one of the United States's two main political parties....
, 1863United States Senate elections, 1862The United States Senate election of 1862 was an election during the American Civil War in which Republicans increased their control of the U.S. Senate. The Republican Party gained three seats, bringing their majority to 66% of the body. Also caucusing with them were Unionists and Unconditional...
, 1869United States Senate elections, 1868The United States Senate election of 1868 was an election which had the Republican Party gain five seats in the United States Senate, enlarging their already overwhelming majority....
, 1875United States Senate elections, 1874The United States Senate election of 1874 was an election which had the Democratic Party gain nine seats in the United States Senate.As this election was prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by State legislatures.-Results:...
, 1881United States Senate elections, 1880The United States Senate election of 1880 was an election which conicided with the presidential election of 1880, and which had the Democratic Party lose five seats in the United States Senate, causing it and the Republican Party to have the same number of seats, leading to a Senate without a...
, 1887United States Senate elections, 1886The United States Senate election of 1886 was an election which had the Republican Party lose three seats in the United States Senate.As this election was prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by State legislatures....
, 1893United States Senate elections, 1892The United States Senate election of 1892 was an election which, corresponding with former President Grover Cleveland's return to power, had the Republican Party lose seven seats in the United States Senate and lose its majority to the Democratic Party....
, 1899United States Senate elections, 1898The United States Senate election of 1898 was a landslide election which had the Republican Party gain nine seats in the United States Senate.As this election was prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by State legislatures....
, 1905United States Senate elections, 1904The United States Senate election of 1904 was an election which coincided with President Theodore Roosevelt's landslide re-election, and which had the Republican Party gain one seat in the United States Senate....
, 1911, 1917, 1923, 1929, 1935, 1941, 1947, 1953, 1959, 1965, 1971, 1977, 1983United States Senate elections, 1982The United States Senate election of November 2, 1982 was an election for the United States Senate following the Republican gains in 1980. Party balance was unchanged following the election. Incumbents Howard Cannon of Nevada and Harrison Schmitt of New Mexico lost seats to the opposite party, the...
, 1989United States Senate elections, 1988The United States Senate election, of November 8, 1988 was an election for the United States Senate in which, in spite of the Republican victory by George H. W. Bush in the presidential election, the Republicans suffered a net loss of one seat in the Senate...
, 1995United States Senate elections, 1994The U.S. Senate election, 1994 was an election held on November 8, in which the Republican Party was able to take control of the Senate from the Democrats. In a midterm election, the opposition Republicans held the traditional advantage...
, 2001United States Senate elections, 2000In 2000, elections for one-third of the seats in the United States Senate occurred In 2000, elections for one-third of the seats in the United States Senate occurred In 2000, elections for one-third of the seats in the United States Senate occurred (they coincided with the election of George W....
, and 2007United States Senate elections, 2006Elections for the United States Senate were held on November 7, 2006, with 33 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate being contested. Senators are elected for six-year terms, with one third of the Senate seats up for a vote every two years. The term of office for those elected in 2006 runs...
.
States with a Class 1 senator: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Class 2
Class 2 consists of:- the 33 current senators whose seats are scheduled for re-election in November 2014United States Senate elections, 2014Elections for the United States Senate will be held on November 4, 2014, with 33 of the 100 seats in the Senate being contested in regular elections whose winners will serve six-year terms from January 3, 2015 until January 3, 2021. Additionally, special elections may be held to fill vacancies that...
, and whose terms end in January 2015; and - earlier senators with terms that ended in 1793United States Senate elections, 1792The United States Senate elections of 1792 was the third election of Senators in the United States, coinciding with President George Washington's unanimous re-election...
, 1799United States Senate elections, 1798The United States Senate election of 1798 was an election for the United States Senate, occurring during the middle of President John Adams's administration, which had no net change in political control of the United States Senate....
, 1805United States Senate elections, 1804The United States Senate election of 1804 was an election which expanded the Democratic-Republican Party's overwhelming control over the United States Senate....
, 1811United States Senate elections, 1810The United States Senate election of 1810 was an election which had the Democratic-Republican Party increase its overwhelming control of the Senate to a five-sixths majority by gaining three additional Senators....
, 1817United States Senate elections, 1816The United States Senate election of 1816 was an election for the United States Senate which had the Democratic-Republican Party gain four seats, and which coincided with the Presidential election....
, 1823United States Senate elections, 1822The United States Senate election of 1822 was an election for the United States Senate which saw the Democratic-Republican Party retain a majority over the National Republican and Federalist parties....
, 1829United States Senate elections, 1828The United States Senate election of 1828 was an election which had the Jacksonian coalition, despite its leader's victory in the presidential election, lose two seats in the United States Senate to the opposing Anti-Jackson coalition....
, 1835United States Senate elections, 1834The United States Senate election of 1834 was an election which had the Jacksonian coalition assume control of the United States Senate from the Anti-Jackson coalition....
, 1841United States Senate elections, 1840The United States Senate election of 1840 was an election which, corresponding with their Party's success in the 1840 Presidential election, had the Whig Party take control of the United States Senate....
, 1847United States Senate elections, 1846The United States Senate election of 1846 was an election which had the Democratic Party gain four seats in the United States Senate.As this election was prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by State legislatures.-Results:...
, 1853United States Senate elections, 1852The United States Senate election of 1852 was an election which had the Democratic Party gain two seats in the United States Senate, and which coincided with the 1852 Presidential election....
, 1859United States Senate elections, 1858The United States Senate election of 1858 was an election which had the Republican Party gain six additional seats in the United States Senate.As this election was prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by State legislatures....
, 1865United States Senate elections, 1864The United States Senate election of 1864 was an election corresponding with Abraham Lincoln's re-election, with the Republican Party gaining six seats in the United States Senate...
, 1871United States Senate elections, 1870The United States Senate election of 1870 was an election which had the Republican Party relinquish six seats in the United States Senate, though still retain an overwhelming majority....
, 1877United States Senate elections, 1876The United States Senate election of 1876 was an election which had the Democratic Party gain three seats in the United States Senate, and which coincided with Rutherford B...
, 1883United States Senate elections, 1882The United States Senate election of 1882 was an election which had the Republican Party obtain an outright majority in the United States Senate....
, 1889United States Senate elections, 1888The United States Senate election of 1888 was an election which, coinciding with Benjamin Harrison's victory over incumbent President Grover Cleveland, had the Republican Party gain twelve seats in the United States Senate, mostly from newly-admitted States....
, 1895, 1901United States Senate elections, 1900The United States Senate election of 1900 was an election which had the Republican Party gain three seats in the United States Senate, and which corresponded with President William McKinley's landslide re-election....
, 1907United States Senate elections, 1906The United States Senate election of 1906 was an election which had the Republican Party gain three seats in the United States Senate, expanding their majority to almost twice that of the opposing Democratic Party....
, 1913, 1919, 1925, 1931, 1937, 1943, 1949, 1955, 1961, 1967, 1973, 1979United States Senate elections, 1978The United States Senate election of 1978 in the middle of Democratic President Jimmy Carter's term. The Democrats lost a net of three seats to the Republicans, leaving the balance of the chamber 58-41 in favor of the Democrats....
, 1985United States Senate elections, 1984The 1984 elections to the United States Senate coincided with the landslide re-election of President Ronald Reagan in the 1984 presidential election...
, 1991United States Senate elections, 1990Elections to one-third of the seats in the United States Senate were held on Tuesday, November 6, 1990. The Democratic Party increased its majority with a net gain of one seat from the Republicans. This was in keeping with the trend that the party of the President often loses seats in a midterm...
, 1997United States Senate elections, 1996The 1996 elections to the United States Senate coincided with the 1996 presidential election, in which Democrats Bill Clinton and Al Gore were reelected President and Vice President of the United States, respectively....
, 2003United States Senate elections, 2002The 2002 United States Senate election featured a series of fiercely contested elections that resulted in a victory for the Republican Party, which gained two seats and thus a narrow majority from the Democratic Party in the United States Senate. Senators who were elected in 1996, known as Senate...
, and 2009United States Senate elections, 2008Elections for the United States Senate were held on November 4, 2008, with 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate being contested. Thirty-three seats were regular elections; the winners were eligible to serve six-year terms from January 3, 2009, to January 3, 2015, as members of Senate Class II...
.
States with a Class 2 senator: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Class 3
Class 3 consists of:- the 34 current senators whose seats are scheduled for re-election in November 2016United States Senate elections, 2016Elections for the United States Senate will be held on November 8, 2016, with 34 of the 100 seats in the Senate being contested in regular elections whose winners will serve six-year terms from January 3, 2017 until January 3, 2023. Additionally, special elections may be held to fill vacancies that...
, and whose terms end in January 2017; and - earlier senators with terms that ended in 1795United States Senate elections, 1794The United States Senate elections of 1794 was the election which had the formation of organized political parties in the United States, with the Federalist Party emerging from the Pro Administration coalition, and the Democratic-Republican Party emerging from the Anti-Administration coalition.As...
, 1801United States Senate elections, 1800The United States Senate election of 1800 was an election for the United States Senate which, coinciding with their takeover of the White House, had the Democratic-Republican Party take control of the United States Senate....
, 1807United States Senate elections, 1806The United States Senate election of 1806 was an election which had the Democratic-Republican Party increase its overwhelming control of the Senate by one additional Senator....
, 1813United States Senate elections, 1812The United States Senate election of 1812 was an election which, coinciding with President James Madison's re-election, had the Democratic-Republican Party lose two seats but still retain an overwhelming majority in the United States Senate....
, 1819United States Senate elections, 1818The United States Senate election of 1818 was an election for the United States Senate which had the Democratic-Republican Party gain seven seats....
, 1825United States Senate elections, 1824The United States Senate election of 1824 was an election for the United States Senate which saw the Jacksonians gain a majority over the Anti-Jacksonian National Republican Party....
, 1831United States Senate elections, 1830The United States Senate election of 1830 was an election which had the Jacksonian coalition lose a seat in the United States Senate to the Anti-Jackson coalition....
, 1837United States Senate elections, 1836The United States Senate election of 1836 was an election which had the Jacksonian coalition emerge as the Democratic Party, with the Adams, or Anti-Jackson, coalition emerge as the Whig Party...
, 1843United States Senate elections, 1842The United States Senate election of 1842 was an election which had the Democratic Party pick up one vacant seat in the United States Senate.As this election was prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by State legislatures....
, 1849United States Senate elections, 1848The United States Senate election of 1848 was an election which had the Whig Party gain four seats in the United States Senate.As this election was prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by State legislatures....
, 1855United States Senate elections, 1854The United States Senate election of 1854 was an election which, after the dissolution of the Whig Party, had a coalition of former Whigs known as the Opposition Party....
, 1861United States Senate elections, 1860The United States Senate election of 1860 was an election corresponding with Abraham Lincoln's election to the presidency, with the Republican Party gaining control of the United States Senate. As many Southern States seceded following the election, and members left the Senate to join the...
, 1867United States Senate elections, 1866The United States Senate election of 1866 was an election which had the Republican Party gain eighteen seats in the United States Senate as several of the Southern States were readmitted during Reconstruction, enlarging their already overwhelming majority....
, 1873United States Senate elections, 1872The United States Senate election of 1872 was an election which had the Republican Party, while still retaining a commanding majority, lose nine seats in the United States Senate, mostly as defections to the Liberal Republican Party. It also coincided with President Ulysses S...
, 1879United States Senate elections, 1878The United States Senate election of 1878 was an election which had the Democratic Party retake control of the United States Senate for the first time since before the Civil War....
, 1885United States Senate elections, 1884The United States Senate election of 1884 was an election which had the Republican Party gain four seats in the United States Senate, and which coincided with the presidential election of 1884....
, 1891United States Senate elections, 1890The United States Senate election of 1890 was an election which had the Republican Party lose two seats in the United States Senate, though still retain a commanding majority....
, 1897United States Senate elections, 1896The United States Senate election of 1896 was an election which had the Democratic Party lose six seats in the United States Senate, mostly to minor third parties....
, 1903United States Senate elections, 1902The United States Senate election of 1902 was an election which had the Republican Party and the Democratic Party each gain one seat in the United States Senate....
, 1909United States Senate elections, 1908Some states elected their Senators directly even before passage of the 17th Amendment in 1913. Oregon pioneered direct election and experimented with different measures over several years until it succeeded in 1907. Soon after, Nebraska followed suit and laid the foundation for other states to...
, 1915, 1921, 1927, 1933, 1939, 1945, 1951, 1957, 1963, 1969, 1975, 1981United States Senate elections, 1980The 1980 U.S. Senate elections coincided with Ronald Reagan's election to the Presidency. Reagan's large margin of victory over incumbent Jimmy Carter pulled in many Democratic voters and gave a huge boost to Republican senate candidates....
, 1987United States Senate elections, 1986The U.S. Senate election, 1986 was an election for the United States Senate in the middle of Ronald Reagan's second presidential term. As in most midterm elections, the opposition Democratic Party held the usual advantage...
, 1993United States Senate elections, 1992The 1992 United States Senate election was an election for the United States Senate in which the victory of Bill Clinton in the presidential election was not accompanied by major Democratic gains in the Senate....
, 1999United States Senate elections, 1998The U.S. Senate election, 1998 was a roughly even contest between the Republican and Democratic parties. While the Democrats had more seats, Republican attacks on the morality of President Bill Clinton failed to connect with voters and anticipated Republican gains failed to materialize...
, 2005United States Senate elections, 2004The United States Senate election, 2004 was an election for one-third of the seats in the United States Senate which coincided with the re-election of George W. Bush as president and the United States House election, as well as many state and local elections. Senators who were elected in 1998,...
, and 2011.
States with a Class 3 senator: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, 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, Washington, and Wisconsin.
List of current Senators by Class
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