1896–97 United States Senate elections

← 1894 & 1895 Dates vary by state 1898 & 1899 →
30 of the 90 seats in the United States Senate (as well as special elections) 46 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader John Sherman[a] (retired) Arthur Pue Gorman[b] (Lost re-election) Party Republican Democratic Leader since March 4, 1891 March 4, 1889 Leader's seat Ohio Maryland Seats before 44 39 Seats won 15 7 Seats after 46 32 Seat change 2 7 Seats up 13 14   Third party Fourth party   Party Populist Silver Republican Seats before 4 0 Seats won 3 2 Seats after 5 2 Seat change 1 2 Seats up 2 0   Fifth party   Party Silver Seats before 2 Seats won 1 Seats after 2 Seat change Seats up 1
Results of the elections:      Democratic gain      Democratic hold      Republican gain      Republican hold      Silver hold      Populist gain      Populist hold      Silver Republican gain      Silver Republican hold      Legislature failed to elect
Majority Party before election Republican Elected Majority Party Republican

The 1896–97 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 1896 and 1897, 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.

The Democratic Party lost seven seats, mostly to smaller third parties.

Results summary

Senate party division, 55th Congress (1897–1899)

• Majority party: Republican (43)
• Minority party: Democratic (33)
• Other parties: Populist (5); Silver (5); Silver Republican (2)
• Total seats: 90
• Vacant: 2, later filled by 1 Republican and 1 Democrat.

Change in Senate composition

Before the elections

Result of the general elections