The 1994 United States Senate elections were held November 8, 1994, with the 33 seats of Class 1 contested in regular elections. Special elections were also held to fill vacancies. The Republican Party took control of the Senate from the Democrats. Like for most other midterm elections, the opposition, this time being the Republicans, held the traditional advantage. The congressional Republicans campaigned against the early presidency of Bill Clinton, including his unsuccessful healthcare plan. Democrats held a 56–44 majority, after having lost a seat in Texas in a 1993 special election. Events of the election The Republicans successfully defended all of their seats and won 8 from the Democrats by defeating the incumbent Senators Harris Wofford (Pennsylvania) and Jim Sasser (Tennessee), in addition to picking 6 open seats up in Arizona, Maine, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. Notably, since Sasser's defeat coincided with a Republican victory in the special election to replace Al Gore, Tennessee's Senate delegation switched from entirely Democratic to entirely Republican in a single election. That would not happen again until 2021, when the Democrats flipped Georgia's delegation in the state's regularly-scheduled and special Senate elections.
The elections marked the first time Republicans controlled the Senate since January 1987 and coincided with the first change of control in the House of Representatives since January 1955 and a Republican net gain of 10 governorships. Furthermore, this was the first popular election in which Republicans won all Senate seats based in the Deep South that were up for election. Collectively, the Republican gains are known as the Republican Revolution. Minority leader Robert J. Dole became Majority Leader, and on the Democratic side, Tom Daschle became Minority Leader after the retirement of the previous Democratic leader, George J. Mitchell.
This was the first time since 1980 where the Republicans made net gains in the Senate but also the last time until 2018 where the Republicans also made net gains among Class 1 senators. This was also the first time since 1952 where the Republicans won a majority of the Class 1 seats in a regularly scheduled election and, as of 2025, the most recent time where they have done so.
Initially, the balance was 52–48 in favor of the Republicans, but after the power change, Democrats Richard Shelby and Ben Nighthorse Campbell switched parties and brought the balance to 54–46. Democrat Ron Wyden won a 1996 special election to replace Republican Bob Packwood, which left the balance at 53–47 before the next election cycle. , it is the last election cycle in which Republicans won Senate elections in Delaware, Michigan, and Washington. These are also the most recent elections from which none of the first-term senators elected remain serving in the Senate .
Results summary + ↓ 48 52 Democratic Republican
Parties Total Democratic Republican Libertarian Other Last elections (1992) 57 43 0 0 100 Before these elections 56 44 0 0 100 Not up 34 31 — — 65 Up 22 13 — — 35 20 13 — — 33 2 — — — 2 Incumbent retired 6 3 — — 9 0 3 — — 3 6 Democrats replaced by 6 Republicans — — 6 Result 0 9 — — 9 Incumbent ran 16 10 — — 26 14 10 — — 24 2 Democrats replaced by 2 Republicans — — 2 0 0 — — 0 Result 14 12 — — 26 Total elected 14 21 0 0 35 Net gain/loss 8 8 8 Nationwide vote 25,627,430 29,155,739 666,183 2,838,559 58,287,911 Share 43.97% 50.02% 1.14% 4.87% 100% Result 48 52 — — 100
Source: Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives
Change in composition
Before the elections
D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D Majority → D R R R R D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
After the elections
D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R Majority → R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
Beginning of the next Congress
D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R Majority on the onset of Republican Revolution → R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R Key D Democratic R Republican
Gains and losses Retirements Three Republicans and four Democrats retired instead of seeking re-election. Additionally, one Democrat also retired instead of finishing the unexpired term.
StateSenator Age at end of term AssumedofficeReplaced by Arizona 57 1977 Maine 61 1980 Michigan 56 1976 Minnesota 1978 Missouri 58 1976 Ohio 77 1976 Tennessee (special) 67 1993 Wyoming 61 1977
Resignations One Democrat resigned three years into his six-year term. StateSenator Age of resignation AssumedofficeReplaced by Oklahoma (special) 53 1979
Defeats Two Democrats sought re-election but lost in the general election.
StateSenatorAssumedofficeReplaced by Pennsylvania 1991 Tennessee (regular) 1977
Post-election changes One Republican resigned on June 11, 1996, was replaced by a Republican appointee. Two Democrats switched to the Republican Party shortly after the election.
StateSenatorReplaced by Kansas(Class 3) Colorado(Class 3) Alabama(Class 3)
Race summary
Special elections
In these special elections, the winners were elected and seated during 1994.
Elections are sorted by date then state and class.
State Incumbent Results Candidates Senator Party Electoral history Oklahoma(Class 2) Democratic 197819841990 Incumbent resigned November 15, 1994.New senator elected November 8, 1994 and seated November 17, 1994.Republican gain. Tennessee(Class 2) Democratic 1993 Interim appointee retired.New senator elected November 8, 1994 and seated December 2, 1994.Republican gain.
Elections leading to the next Congress
In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning January 3, 1995; ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 1 seats.
State Incumbent Results Candidates Senator Party Electoral history Arizona Democratic 197619821988 Incumbent retired.Republican gain. California Democratic 1992 Incumbent re-elected. Connecticut Democratic 1988 Incumbent re-elected. Delaware Republican 19701971 197619821988 Incumbent re-elected. Florida Republican 1988 Incumbent re-elected. Hawaii Democratic 1990 1990 Incumbent re-elected. Indiana Republican 197619821988 Incumbent re-elected. Maine Democratic 1980 19821988 Incumbent retired.Republican gain. Maryland Democratic 197619821988 Incumbent re-elected. Massachusetts Democratic 1962 19641970197619821988 Incumbent re-elected. Michigan Democratic 19761976 19821988 Incumbent retired.Republican gain. Minnesota Republican 1978 19821988 Incumbent retired.Republican hold. Mississippi Republican 1988 Incumbent re-elected. Missouri Republican 19761976 19821988 Incumbent retired.Republican hold. Montana Republican 1988 Incumbent re-elected. Nebraska Democratic 1988 Incumbent re-elected. Nevada Democratic 1988 Incumbent re-elected. New Jersey Democratic 19821982 1988 Incumbent re-elected. New Mexico Democratic 19821988 Incumbent re-elected. New York Democratic 197619821988 Incumbent re-elected. North Dakota Democratic–NPL 19861992 1992 Incumbent re-elected. Ohio Democratic 1974 1974 1974 19761976 19821988 Incumbent retired.Republican gain. Pennsylvania Democratic 1991 1991 Incumbent lost re-election.Republican gain. Rhode Island Republican 19761976 1988 Incumbent re-elected. Tennessee Democratic 197619821988 Incumbent lost re-election.Republican gain. Texas Republican 1993 Incumbent re-elected. Utah Republican 197619821988 Incumbent re-elected. Vermont Republican 1988 Incumbent re-elected. Virginia Democratic 1988 Incumbent re-elected. Washington Republican 19801986 1988 Incumbent re-elected. West Virginia Democratic 195819641970197619821988 Incumbent re-elected. Wisconsin Democratic 1988 Incumbent re-elected. Wyoming Republican 197619821988 Incumbent retired.Republican hold.
Closest races State Party of winner Margin California Democratic 1.9% Pennsylvania Republican (flip) 2.5% Virginia Democratic 2.7% New Jersey Democratic 3.3% Minnesota Republican 5.0% New Mexico Democratic 8.0% Michigan Republican (flip) 9.1% Vermont Republican 9.7% Nebraska Democratic 9.8% Nevada Democratic 9.9%
Arizona
Three-term Democratic incumbent Dennis DeConcini retired after being a member of the Keating Five Scandal. Republican Congressman Jon Kyl defeated his Democratic opponent, fellow Congressman Sam Coppersmith by a comfortable margin.
California
Dianne Feinstein won a special election in 1992 to fill the seat of Governor Pete Wilson. She faced wealthy Republican Congressman Michael Huffington in her race for a full term. Feinstein emerged victorious by less than two points.
After one term in the House representing Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, Huffington spent $8 million by the end of August and a total of $28 million during the entire campaign. He became wealthy off oil and gas. The race saw personal attacks on Huffington's wife, Arianna Huffington, who was very involved in the race (the media dubbed her the "Sir Edmund Hillary of social climbing," according to The Almanac of American Politics).
Huffington was called a hypocrite for supporting Proposition 187 and then breaking the law for employing illegal aliens, a story which came out in the race's final days. $44 million was spent in the election. At the time, it was the most expensive campaign in a non-presidential election in American history. Chris Cillizza of The Washington Post named the election one of the nastiest senate elections in modern history.
On election day it was a very close race, but Feinstein won Los Angeles County, which may have pulled her ahead. Her sizable win in the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area may also be credited to her slim statewide victory.
Connecticut
Freshman Democratic incumbent Joseph Lieberman easily won re-election over Republican physician Jerry Labriola.
Delaware
Veteran Republican incumbent William Roth, seeking his fifth term, fended off a challenge from Charles Oberly, the state's three-term Democratic attorney general, beating him by 13 points.
Florida
Republican incumbent Connie Mack III won a second term by scoring an easy re-election over attorney Hugh Rodham, brother of First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Rodham left the public defenders office to run for the United States Senate in Florida in 1994. He won the Democratic Party nomination by defeating Mike Wiley in a runoff election, after earlier finishing first in a four-person primary field with 34 percent. After the first primary, the third-place finisher, Miami lawyer Ellis Rubin joined forces with Rodham as a "senior executive consultant" and hatchet man. In the presence of Rodham at a press conference, Rubin levelled the accusation that Wiley was hiding his Jewish faith by changing his name from his birth name, Michael Schreibman, and that Wiley "changed his name before the campaign to deceive voters about his Jewish religion." Wiley accordingly refused to endorse Rodham after the runoff. Rodham then lost by a 70%–30% margin to incumbent senator Republican Connie Mack III in the general election. Although Bill and Hillary Clinton both campaigned for him, his organization was unable to take advantage of their help,Michael Wines, "Clinton Finds Few Listeners at Rally in Miami", The New York Times, October 16, 1994. Accessed July 10, 2007. he had few funds, almost no television commercials, and little support from the Florida Democratic party establishment in a year that saw Republican gains everywhere. After the election, Rubin switched allegiance again and charged Rodham with election law violations in the first primary; the Federal Election Commission eventually dismissed the allegations.
Hawaii