United States Senate elections, 2016

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Revision as of 13:12, 13 December 2007

Elections for the United States Senate were held on November 8, 2016, with 16 of the 36 seats in the Senate being contested. 12 seats were regular elections; the winners serve six-year terms from 2017 until 2022 as members of Senate Class 1. There were also 3 special elections for a seats from Florida, the Midwest and New England to serve out the remaining 2 years of the term of those seats as members of Senate Class 2 and 1 special election for a seat from the Rocky Mountains to serve out the remaining 4 years of the term of that seat as a member of Senate Class 3.

The 2016 presidential election, gubernatorial elections, and House of Representatives elections occured on the same date, as well as many regional and local elections.

Background

The composition of the Senate, going into the 2016 election, consisted of 14 Republicans, 19 Democrats, and 3 vacancies (in Florida, the Midwest and New England). Counting the Senators who previously held those vacant Senate seats, the partisan make up was 20 Democrat and 16 Republican. Of the seats up for election in 2016, 5 had a Republican incumbent, 6 had a Democratic incumbent and 5 were open races.

The Republicans needed a net gain of 2 Senate seats in order to gain back control of the Senate. Any less than this would result in an evenly divided Senate, with Vice President Andrew Brockmeier casting the deciding vote, meaning control of the Senate would be retained by the Democrats. The possibility of Republican Senator Samuel Clay switching to the Democratic Party after the 2016 election meant that the Republicans may have needed an additional Senator in order to obtain a majority in the Senate.

Results

Democrats won 2 Senate seats previously held by Republicans (Gulf Coast and New England). Republicans won four Senate seats previously held by Democrats (both Florida seats, Midwest and Ohio Valley). This represented a net gain of two for the Republican Party and resulted in a split Senate, with a Democratic Vice President giving control of the Senate to the Democratic Party.

The Senate thus remained in Democratic control for a second Congressional session.

Races

Open seats

5 senators - Andrew Brockmeier (D-MI), Joseph Cahill (R-MN), Justin Casanova-Davis (D-FL), James Dailey (D-MN) and Joseph Salazar-Portela (R-CT) - are either not seeking re-election or resigned from the Senate prior to the election.

Andrew Brockmeier (D-MI) of the Great Lakes

Andrew Brockmeier ran for Vice President and did not seek re-election for a full term to the Senate. Democrat Bryan Jennings and Republican Donald Wilcox ran for the seat. Jennings won easily with 64.3% of the vote. Wilcox, a strict constitutionalist, alienated many voters during the campaign (including traditional Republican voters) and received only 18.9% of the vote, with the remainder going to third parties and independents.

Joseph Cahill (R-MN) of the Midwest

Joseph Cahill resigned from the Senate. A special election was held to fill the vacancy in which Republican Andrew Graham defeated Democrat Brian O'Shea 50.2% to 49.7%.

Justin Casanova-Davis (D-FL) of Florida

Following his failure to obtain the Democratic Presidential nomination, Justin Casanova-Davis resigned from the Senate 2 years before his term was up. A special election was held to fill the vacancy. Republican Constantine Gurlakis, a former Senator and the Republican nominee for Florida Senate in both 2012 and 2014 faced Democrat Alexander Magnus, defeating him 53.2% to 46.5%. After two narrow defeats, this made it the first time Gurlakis was elected to the Senate in his own right.

James Dailey (D-MN) of the Midwest

Main article: Senate election in the Midwest, 2016

James Dailey ran for Midwest Governor and did not seek re-election for a third Senate term. Republican Ron Casey, Lieutenant Governor of the Mississippi Valley, faced off against Democrat Johnny Green, former Governor of the Mississipi Valley. Casey defeated Green 51.8% to 48.2%.

Joseph Salazar-Portela (R-CT) of New England

Joseph Salazar-Portela resigned from the Senate 2 years before his term was up. A special election was held to fill the vacancy, pitting Democrat and House Majority Leader Bradley Abbott against Republican Cathy Franklin. Abbott soundly defeated Franklin 62.8% to 36.6%.

Democratic incumbent races

William Rooke Clarke (D-WA) of the Pacific Coast

William Rooke Clarke was re-elected unopposed. This was the only Senate race in the 2016 cycle where one major party failed to run a candidate.

Jaime Elzar-Toledo (D-FL) of Florida

Jaime Elzar-Toledo was defeated by Steve Rayburn.

Jax Jaxal (D-OH) of Ohio Valley

Jax Jaxal was defeated by Peter Vandenberg.

Howell Kent (D-MA) of New England

Howell Kent was re-elected.

Zach Litchfield (D-NY) of New York

Zach Litchfield was re-elected.

Kathryn Spencer (D-PA) of Pennsylvania

Main article: Senate election in Pennsylvania, 2016

The most senior Democratic Senator, Kathryn Spencer was challenged by Hillam Warren, the Office of Management and Budget Director and son of outgoing President Elizabeth Warren. Spencer was re-elected with 54.8% of the vote, campaigning on populist and traditionally Democratic themes such as the provision of healthcare, keeping jobs in America and fighting against corporate welfare.

Republican incumbent races

James MacGillicutty (R-LA) of the Gulf Coast

James MacGillicutty was defeated by Evelyn Breaux.

Avery Passerday (R-NC) of the Southern Valley

Avery Passerday was re-elected.

Valeria Smith (R-OK) of the Great Plains

Valeria Smith was re-elected.

Caden Windsor (R-NV) of the Southwest

Canden Windsor was re-elected.

Summary table

Region	Incumbent	Status	Non-Incumbent Candidates	Previous Election
Region	Incumbent	Status	Non-Incumbent Candidates	Year	Result
Florida	Jaime Elzar-Toledo (D-FL)	Defeated 48.96%	Steve Rayburn (R-FL) 50.95%	2014	Jaime Elzar-Toledo (D-FL) 50.0% Constantine Gurlakis (R-FL) 49.8%
Florida (special)	Justin Casanova-Davis (D-FL)	Resigned	Alexander Magnus (D-FL) 46.50% Constantine Gurlakis (R-FL) 53.16%	2012	Justin Casanova-Davis (D-FL) 49.9% Constantine Gurlakis (R-FL) 49.9%
Gulf Coast	James MacGillicutty (R-LA)	Defeated 49.76%	Evelyn Breaux (D-LA) 50.24%	2010	Brian Murphy (R-LA) 50.7% Red Blanchard (D-LA) 49.1%
Great Lakes	Andrew Brockmeier (D-MI)	Ran for Vice President	Bryan Jennings (D-MI) 64.3% Donald Wilcox (R-MI) 18.9%	2014	Andrew Brockmeier (D-MI) 55.4% John Fallon (R-MI) 43.9%
Great Plains	Valeria Smith (R-OK)	Re-election 49.83%	Damien Austin (D-OK) 49.83%	2010	Valeria Smith (R-OK) Re-elected unopposed
Midwest	James Dailey (D-MN)	Ran for Mississippi Valley Governor	Johnny Green (D-IA) 48.17% Ron Casey (R-MO) 51.83%	2010	James Dailey (D-MN) 51.7% Greg Willis (R-MO) 48.0%
Midwest (special)	Jospeh Cahill (R-MN)	Resigned	Brian O'Shea (D-MN) 49.70% Andrew Graham (R-MN) 50.21%	2012	Jospeh Cahill (R-MN) 50.7% Jeffrey Parker (D-MN) 49.0%
New England	Howell Kent (D-MA)	Re-elected 51.69%	John Helligman (R-MA) 47.94%	2014	Esperanza Hall (D-NH) 55.9% John Heiligmann (R-MA) 43.5%
New England (special)	Joseph Salazar-Portela (D-CT)	Resigned	Bradley Abbott (D-CT) 62.81% Cathy Franklin (R-CT) 36.61%	2012	Joseph Salazar-Portela (R-CT) 50.0% Falnor Urthadar (D-MA) 49.6%
New York	Zach Litchfield (D-NY)	Re-elected 56.7%	Jay Forest (R-NY) 43.3%	2012	Zach Litchfield (D-NY) Re-elected unopposed
Ohio Valley	Jax Jaxal (D-OH)	Defeated 44.98%	Peter Vandenberg (R-OH) 54.76%	2010	Terry Hughes (R-OH) 58.5% Jax Jaxal (D-OH) 40.6%
Pennsylvania	Kathryn Spencer (D-PA)	Re-elected 54.83%	Hilliam Warren (R-PA) 45.17%	2010	Kathryn Spencer (D-PA) 54.6% Tim Cargill (R-PA) 45.0%
Pacific Coast	William Rooke Clarke (D-WA)	Re-elected unopposed	None	2010	Lilliam Vanleer (D-PC) ??% Republican Candidate (R-??) ??%
Rocky Mountains (special)	Thomas Fletcher (R-WY)	Re-elected 63.22%	Dave Campbell (D-WY) 36.39%	2012	Rufus Cato (R-MT) 60.7% Joel Dunn (D-ID) 38.9%
Shenandoah Valley	Avery Passerday (R-NC)	Re-elected 55.1%	Matthias Kimmer (D-NC) 49.6%	2012	Avery Passerday (R-NC) 55.7% Daniel Smith (D-VA) 43.9%
Southwest	Caden Windsor (R-NV)	Re-elected 55.78%	Alexander Holland (D-AZ) 43.92%	2010	Caden Windsor (R-NV) 56.3% Karen Dayton Devereaux (D-AZ) 43.7%

@@ Line 102: / Line 102: @@
 ! Result
 |- bgcolor=#FFE8E8
-| Florida
+| [[Florida]]
 | nowrap style="border-left:10px solid blue;" | [[Jaime Elzar-Toledo]] (D-FL)
 | Defeated 48.96%
@@ Line 109: / Line 109: @@
 | '''Jaime Elzar-Toledo (D-FL) 50.0%'''<br>Constantine Gurlakis (R-FL) 49.8%
 |- bgcolor=#FFE8E8
-| Florida (special)
+| [[Florida]] (special)
 | bgcolor="lightgrey" nowrap style="border-left:10px solid blue;" | [[Justin Casanova-Davis]] (D-FL)
 | Resigned
@@ Line 116: / Line 116: @@
 | '''Justin Casanova-Davis (D-FL) 49.9%'''<br>Constantine Gurlakis (R-FL) 49.9%
 |- bgcolor=#DDEEFF
-| Gulf Coast
+| [[Gulf Coast]]
 | nowrap style="border-left:10px solid red;" | [[James MacGillicutty]] (R-LA)
 | Defeated 49.76%
@@ Line 123: / Line 123: @@
 | '''[[Brian Murphy]] (R-LA) 50.7%'''<br>[[Red Blanchard]] (D-LA) 49.1%
 |- bgcolor=#DDEEFF
-| Great Lakes
+| [[Great Lakes]]
 | bgcolor="lightgrey"  nowrap style="border-left:10px solid blue;" | [[Andrew Brockmeier]] (D-MI)
 | Ran for Vice President
@@ Line 130: / Line 130: @@
 | '''Andrew Brockmeier (D-MI) 55.4%'''<br>[[John Fallon]] (R-MI) 43.9%
 |- bgcolor=#FFE8E8
-| Great Plains
+| [[Great Plains]]
 | nowrap style="border-left:10px solid red;" | [[Valeria Smith]] (R-OK)
 | '''Re-election 49.83%'''
@@ Line 137: / Line 137: @@
 | '''Valeria Smith (R-OK)<br>Re-elected unopposed'''
 |- bgcolor=#FFE8E8
-| Midwest
+| [[Midwest]]
 | bgcolor="lightgrey"  nowrap style="border-left:10px solid blue;" | [[James Dailey]] (D-MN)
 | Ran for Mississippi Valley Governor
@@ Line 144: / Line 144: @@
 | '''James Dailey (D-MN) 51.7%'''<br>[[Greg Willis]] (R-MO) 48.0%
 |- bgcolor=#FFE8E8
-| Midwest (special)
+| [[Midwest]] (special)
 | bgcolor="lightgrey"  nowrap style="border-left:10px solid red;" | [[Jospeh Cahill]] (R-MN)
 | Resigned
@@ Line 151: / Line 151: @@
 | '''Jospeh Cahill (R-MN) 50.7%'''<br>[[Jeffrey Parker]] (D-MN) 49.0%
 |- bgcolor=#DDEEFF
-| New England
+| [[New England]]
 | nowrap style="border-left:10px solid blue;" | [[Howell Kent]] (D-MA)
 | '''Re-elected 51.69%'''
@@ Line 158: / Line 158: @@
 | '''[[Esperanza Hall]] (D-NH) 55.9%'''<br>John Heiligmann (R-MA) 43.5%
 |- bgcolor=#DDEEFF
-| New England (special)
+| [[New England]] (special)
 | bgcolor="lightgrey"  nowrap style="border-left:10px solid red;" | [[Joseph Salazar-Portela]] (D-CT)
 | Resigned
@@ Line 165: / Line 165: @@
 | '''Joseph Salazar-Portela (R-CT) 50.0%'''<br>[[Falnor Urthadar]] (D-MA) 49.6%
 |- bgcolor=#DDEEFF
-| New York
+| [[New York]]
 | nowrap style="border-left:10px solid blue;" | [[Zach Litchfield]] (D-NY)
 | '''Re-elected 56.7%'''
@@ Line 172: / Line 172: @@
 | '''Zach Litchfield (D-NY)<br>Re-elected unopposed'''
 |- bgcolor=#FFE8E8
-| Ohio Valley
+| [[Ohio Valley]]
 | nowrap style="border-left:10px solid blue;" | [[Jax Jaxal]] (D-OH)
 | Defeated 44.98%
@@ Line 179: / Line 179: @@
 | '''[[Terry Hughes]] (R-OH) 58.5%'''<br>Jax Jaxal (D-OH) 40.6%
 |- bgcolor=#DDEEFF
-| Pennsylvania
+| [[Pennsylvania]]
 | nowrap style="border-left:10px solid blue;" | [[Kathryn Spencer]] (D-PA)
 | '''Re-elected 54.83%'''
@@ Line 186: / Line 186: @@
 | '''Kathryn Spencer (D-PA) 54.6%'''<br>[[Tim Cargill]] (R-PA) 45.0%
 |- bgcolor=#DDEEFF
-| Pacific Coast
+| [[Pacific Coast]]
 | nowrap style="border-left:10px solid blue;" | [[William Rooke Clarke]] (D-WA)
 | '''Re-elected unopposed'''
@@ Line 193: / Line 193: @@
 | '''[[Lilliam Vanleer]] (D-PC) ??%'''<br>Republican Candidate (R-??) ??%
 |- bgcolor=#FFE8E8
-| Rocky Mountains (special)
+| [[Rocky Mountains]] (special)
 | nowrap style="border-left:10px solid red;" | [[Thomas Fletcher]] (R-WY)
 | '''Re-elected 63.22%'''
@@ Line 200: / Line 200: @@
 | '''[[Rufus Cato]] (R-MT) 60.7%'''<br>[[Joel Dunn]] (D-ID) 38.9%
 |- bgcolor=#FFE8E8
-| Shenandoah Valley
+| [[Shenandoah Valley]]
 | nowrap style="border-left:10px solid red;" | [[Avery Passerday]] (R-NC)
 | '''Re-elected 55.1%'''
@@ Line 207: / Line 207: @@
 | '''Avery Passerday (R-NC) 55.7%'''<br>[[Daniel Smith]] (D-VA) 43.9%
 |- bgcolor=#FFE8E8
-| Southwest
+| [[Southwest]]
 | nowrap style="border-left:10px solid red;" | [[Caden Windsor]] (R-NV)
 | '''Re-elected 55.78%'''