1836–37 United States Senate elections

← 1834 & 1835 Dates vary by state 1838 & 1839 →
17 of the 52 seats in the United States Senate (plus special elections) 27 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party Third party   Party Democratic Whig Nullifier Last election 22 seats (as Jacksonian) 24 seats (as Anti-Jacksonian) 2 seats Seats before 31 (as Jacksonian) 19 (as Anti-Jacksonian) 2 Seats won 12 5 0 Seats after 34 17 1 Seat change 3 2 1 Seats up 9 7 1
Results:      Democratic gain      Democratic hold      Whig hold
Majority Party before election Jacksonian Elected Majority Party Democratic

The 1836–37 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 chosen by state legislatures. Senators were elected over a wide range of time throughout 1836 and 1837, and a seat may have been filled months late or remained vacant due to legislative deadlock.^[1] In these elections, terms were up for the senators in Class 3.

In this election cycle, the Jacksonian coalition emerged as the Democratic Party, and the Adams, or Anti-Jackson, coalition emerged as the Whig Party.

Results summary

Senate party division, 25th Congress (1837–1839)

• Majority party: Democratic (35)
• Minority party: Whig (17–16)
• Other parties: (0–1)
• Total seats: 52

Change in composition

Before the special elections