1908–09 United States Senate elections

← 1906 & 1907 January 14, 1908 – May 26, 1909 1910 & 1911 →
31 of the 92 seats in the U.S. Senate 47 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Eugene Hale[a] (retired) Charles Culberson[b] (retired) Party Republican Democratic Leader since March 4, 1907 March 4, 1903 Leader's seat Maine Texas Seats before 61 31 Seats won 16 13 Seats after 60 32 Seat change 1 1 Seats up 18 13
Results of the elections:      Democratic gain      Democratic hold      Republican gain      Republican hold
Majority conference chairman before election William B. Allison Republican Elected Majority conference chairman Eugene Hale Republican

The 1908–09 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states. As these U.S. Senate elections were prior to the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, senators were primarily chosen by state legislatures. Senators were elected over a wide range of time throughout 1906 and 1907, and a seat may have been filled months late or remained vacant due to legislative deadlock.^[1] However, some states had already begun direct elections during this time. 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 adopt measures reflecting the people's will. By 1912, as many as 29 states elected senators either as nominees of their party's primary or in conjunction with a general election.

The 31 Class 3 seats were up for election, as well as various special elections to fill vacancies or confirm appointments. The Republicans lost two seats overall.

In Illinois and Florida, the legislature failed to elect until after the beginning of the 61st Congress on March 4.

Results summary

Senate party division, 61st Congress (1909–1911)

• Majority party: Republican (60 seats)
• Minority party: Democratic (32 seats)
• Other parties: 0
• Total seats: 92

Change in composition

Before the elections

After the January 21, 1908, special election in Rhode Island.

Result of the general elections