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Election results, 2022: U.S. Senate
As a result of the 2022 U.S. Senate elections, Democrats retained control of the U.S. Senate, gaining 51 seats to Republicans' 49.[1]
Heading into Election Day, the U.S. Senate was evenly divided at 50-50 with Vice President Kamala Harris (D) casting tie-breaking votes, giving Democrats an effective majority.[2] Republicans needed a net pickup of one seat to gain control.
Democrats gained a seat Republicans formerly held, as John Fetterman (D) defeated Mehmet Oz (R) in the U.S. Senate election in Pennsylvania. Incumbent Senator Pat Toomey (R) did not seek re-election.
The U.S. Senate election in Georgia advanced to a Dec. 6 runoff. Incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) defeated Herschel Walker (R) in the runoff.
Two special elections also took place on November 8, 2022. Markwayne Mullin (R) won the special election held to fill the final four years of Sen. Jim Inhofe's (R-Okla.) six-year term that began in 2021. Inhofe announced he would resign from office effective January 3, 2023.[3] The other special election was held to fill the final weeks of the six-year term that Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) was elected to in 2016 before becoming vice president. That U.S. Senate seat was also up for regular election in 2022. Incumbent Sen. Alex Padilla (D), who replaced Harris in the Senate, won both the special election and the regular election.
Thirty five seats — 14 held by Democrats and 21[4] held by Republicans — were up for election in 2022. Republicans were defending two Senate seats in states Joe Biden (D) won in the 2020 presidential election: Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Democrats gained the seat in Pennsylvania after Fetterman defeated Oz, while Republicans held the seat in Wisconsin after incumbent Sen. Ron Johnson (R) defeated Mandela Barnes (D). Democrats were not defending any Senate seats in states Donald Trump (R) won in 2020.
Seven of the seats up for election were open[5], meaning the incumbents were not running for re-election. Ahead of the election, Democrats held one of those seats while Republicans held five, including Pennsylvania, the only seat to change party hands.
All twenty-eight incumbents who ran for re-election won. This was the first time since 1914 that no Senate incumbent who ran lost re-election.[6]
See below for information on:
Changes in partisan control
Heading into Election Day, the U.S. Senate was evenly divided at 50-50 with Vice President Kamala Harris (D) casting tie-breaking votes, giving Democrats an effective majority.[7] Republicans needed a net pickup of one seat to gain control, and Democrats needed to pick one or more seats to expand their majority.
Democrats gained a seat Republicans formerly held, as John Fetterman (D) defeated Mehmet Oz (R) in the U.S. Senate election in Pennsylvania. Incumbent Senator Pat Toomey (R) did not seek re-election.
Pre-election analysis
Partisan breakdown
Democrats gained a net of one seat in the 2022 general elections, maintaining control of the chamber. Republicans held 49 seats following the elections, while Democrats held 49 seats and independents who caucus with Democrats held two. After the elections, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema announced she had changed her party affiliation from Democrat to independent. Sinema said she would not caucus with Republicans and kept the committee assignments she had as a member of the Democratic caucus.[11]
| U.S. Senate Partisan Breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 8, 2022 | After the 2022 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 48[12] | 48 | |
| Republican Party | 50 | 49 | |
| Independent | 2[12] | 3[12][13] | |
| Vacancies | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 100 | 100 | |
Seats up for election
Battleground races
The following map displays all states that held U.S. Senate elections in 2022 shaded by the incumbent's or most recent incumbent's political affiliation. Battleground races are highlighted in brighter colors. Hover over a state for more information.
| Battleground U.S. Senate elections, 2022 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Incumbent | Open seat? | 2016 margin | 2020 presidential margin | |
| Alaska |  Lisa Murkowski |
No | R+15.2 | R+10.0 | |
| Arizona |  Mark Kelly |
No | D+2.4 | D+0.3 | |
| Florida | Marco Rubio |
No | R+7.7 | R+3.3 | |
| Georgia | Raphael Warnock |
No | D+2.1 | D+0.2 | |
| Missouri | Roy Blunt |
Yes | R+2.8 | R+15.4 | |
| Nevada | Catherine Cortez Masto |
No | D+2.4 | D+2.4 | |
| New Hampshire | Maggie Hassan |
No | D+0.1 | D+7.3 | |
| North Carolina | Richard Burr |
Yes | R+5.7 | R+1.3 | |
| Ohio | Rob Portman |
Yes | R+20.8 | R+8.1 | |
| Pennsylvania | Pat Toomey |
Yes | R+1.5 | D+1.2 | |
| Utah | Mike Lee |
No | R+41.0 | R+20.5 | |
| Wisconsin | Ron Johnson |
No | R+3.4 | D+0.7 | |
Outside ratings
The following table compared U.S. Senate race ratings from The Cook Political Report, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and Inside Elections prior to the November 2022 elections.
Log of Senate election results
All times are Eastern Standard Time.
December 6
- 11:00 p.m.: Incumbent Raphael Warnock (R) defeated Herschel Walker (R) in the general election runoff for U.S. Senate in Georgia. Warnock's win resulted in Democrats expanding their majority in the U.S. Senate from 50 seats to 51.
November 23
- 11:00 p.m.: Incumbent Lisa Murkowski (R) defeated Kelly Tshibaka (R) and Patricia R. Chesbro (D) in the general election for U.S. Senate in Alaska.
November 12
- 11:32 p.m.: Democrats retained control of the U.S. Senate, winning 50 seats in the chamber. Alaska’s U.S. Senate election is uncalled at this time, but the two candidates in the ranked-choice runoff with the most votes are Republicans, giving the party 49 seats. The U.S. Senate election in Georgia is headed to a Dec. 6 runoff.
- 11:28 p.m.: Incumbent Catherine Cortez Masto (D) defeated Adam Laxalt (R) in the general election for U.S. Senate in Nevada.
- 11:27 a.m.: Democrats and Republicans are now projected to have at least 49 seats each in the U.S. Senate. Partisan control of the chamber has not yet been determined partly because the U.S. Senate election in Nevada remains uncalled. Alaska’s U.S. Senate election is also uncalled at this time, but the two candidates in the ranked-choice runoff with the most votes are Republicans, including the incumbent, Sen. Lisa Murkowski. The U.S. Senate election in Georgia is headed to a Dec. 6 runoff.
- 11:15 a.m.: Incumbent Mark Kelly (D) defeated Blake Masters (R) in the general election for U.S. Senate in Arizona.
November 11
- 3:30 p.m.: Unofficial results showed incumbent Mark Kelly (D) in first place with 51.7% of the vote, and Blake Masters (R) in second place with 46.1% in the general election for U.S. Senate in Arizona.
- 3:28 p.m.: Unofficial results showed Adam Laxalt (R) in first place with 49.6% of the vote, and incumbent Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D) in second place with 48.6% in the general election for U.S. Senate in Nevada.
November 10
- 3:21 p.m.: The Alaska Division of Elections released result tallies of voters' first-choice candidates as of 2 p.m. local time. Those results had Kelly Tshibaka (R) with 44.2%, Lisa Murkowski (R) with 42.8%, Pat Chesbro (D) with 9.5% and Buzz Kelley (R) with 2.9%.[14] According to the state division of elections, "Ranked Choice Voting results will not be available until November 23, 2022 once all eligible ballots are reviewed and counted."[15]
- 3:18 p.m.: Incumbent Sen. Michael Bennet (D) defeated Joe O'Dea (R) and seven other candidates in the U.S. Senate election in Colorado.
November 9
- 3:49 p.m.: The New York Times wrote that incumbent Raphael Warnock (D) and Herschel Walker (R) would advance to a runoff after being the top two vote-getters in the general election for U.S. Senate in Georgia on November 8, 2022. In Georgia, a general election advances to a runoff between the two top finishers if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote. The runoff is set to take place on December 6, 2022.[16]
- 1:25 p.m.: Incumbent U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R) defeated Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes (D) and write-in candidate Scott Aubart (American Independent Party) in the general election to represent Wisconsin in the U.S. Senate.
- 2:06 a.m.: John Fetterman (D) defeated Mehmet Oz (R) and six other candidates in Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate election. Incumbent Senator Pat Toomey (R) did not seek re-election.
- 1:40 a.m.: Incumbent Mike Lee (R) defeated Evan McMullin (Independent) and five other candidates in the general election for U.S. Senate in Utah.
- 12:58 a.m.: U.S. Rep. Ted Budd (R) defeated Cheri Beasley (D) and seven others in the general election for U.S. Senate in North Carolina.
- 12:27 a.m.: Incumbent Patty Murray (D) defeated Tiffany Smiley (R) in the general election for U.S. Senate in Washington.
- 12:14 a.m.: Incumbent Sen. Maggie Hassan (D) defeated Don Bolduc (R) in the general election for U.S. Senate in New Hampshire.
November 8
- 11:37 p.m.: J.D. Vance (R) defeated Tim Ryan (D) in the general election for U.S. Senate in Ohio. Incumbent Rob Portman (R), who was first elected in 2010, did not run for re-election.
- 11:19 p.m.: Eric Schmitt (R) defeated Trudy Busch Valentine (D), Paul Venable (Constitution Party), and Jonathan Dine (L) in the general election for Missouri's U.S. Senate seat. Sen. Roy Blunt (R), who first took office in 2011, did not seek re-election.
- 8:25 p.m.: Incumbent Sen. Marco Rubio (R) defeated Val Demings (D) and seven other candidates in the general election for Florida’s U.S. Senate seat.
Political context
Seats that changed party hands in previous election cycles
Four of the 34 seats up for election in 2022 changed party control the last time they were up for election.
2020-2021 special elections
In 2020-2021, special elections took place in Georgia and Arizona. Democrats picked up both seats. The seats were up for election in 2022.
| Senate seats that changed party hands, 2020-2021 special elections | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Pre-election incumbent | 2020-2021 winner | Margin of victory (% points) | |||
| Arizona | Martha McSally |
Mark Kelly |
2.4 | |||
| Georgia | Kelly Loeffler |
Raphael Warnock |
2.1 | |||
2016
- See also: United States Senate elections, 2016
In 2016—the last time these 34 seats were up for regular election—two seats changed party hands. Democrats picked up both seats.
| Senate seats that changed party hands, 2016 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Pre-election incumbent | 2016 winner | Margin of victory (% points) | |||
| Illinois | Mark Kirk |
Tammy Duckworth |
15.1 | |||
| New Hampshire | Kelly Ayotte |
Maggie Hassan |
0.1 | |||
Presidential election results in 2022 Senate states
- Republicans were defending two Senate seats in states Joe Biden (D) won in the 2020 presidential election:
- Pennsylvania: Biden defeated Donald Trump (R) 50.0%-48.8%. Incumbent Pat Toomey did not seek re-election.
- Wisconsin: Biden defeated Trump 49.5%-48.8%. Incumbent Ron Johnson sought re-election.
- Democrats were not defending any Senate seats in states Trump won in 2020.
- In the 2020 Senate elections, Democrats and Republicans each defended two seats won by the other party's presidential candidate in 2016. Click here for more information.
The following table shows the 2020 presidential election margin of victory in percentage points for each state with a Senate election in 2022. Click [show] on the right to expand the table.
See also:
- Presidential election, 2020
- States won by Donald Trump in 2020 with Democratic-held U.S. Senate seats up for election in 2022
- States won by Joe Biden in 2020 with Republican-held U.S. Senate seats up for election in 2022
Senator's party vs. governor's party
In 11 states with Senate seats up for election in 2022, the seat going into the election was held by a senator of a different party than the governor. Six seats held by Republican senators in states with Democratic governors were up. Five seats held by Democratic senators in states with Republican governors were up.
| Senator's vs. Governor's party, 2022 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Pre-election Senate incumbent | Last election MoV[18] | Pre-election Governor | Last election MoV[18] | ||
| Arizona | Mark Kelly |
2.4 | Doug Ducey |
14.2 | ||
| Georgia | Raphael Warnock |
2.1 | Brian Kemp |
1.4 | ||
| Kansas | Jerry Moran |
30.0 | Laura Kelly |
5.0 | ||
| Kentucky | Rand Paul |
14.6 | Andy Beshear |
0.4 | ||
| Louisiana | John Neely Kennedy |
21.4 | John Bel Edwards |
2.6 | ||
| Maryland | Chris Van Hollen |
25.2 | Larry Hogan |
11.9 | ||
| New Hampshire | Maggie Hassan |
0.1 | Chris Sununu |
31.7 | ||
| North Carolina | Richard Burr |
5.7 | Roy Cooper |
4.5 | ||
| Pennsylvania | Pat Toomey |
1.5 | Tom Wolf |
17.1 | ||
| Vermont | Patrick Leahy |
28.3 | Phil Scott |
41.1 | ||
| Wisconsin | Ron Johnson |
3.4 | Tony Evers |
1.1 | ||
States with senators from different parties
Seven states had senators from different parties in the 117th Congress: Maine, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Four of those seven states had Senate seats up for election in 2022. Vermont had one Democratic senator and one independent senator who caucused with Democrats, so three states with seats up for election had senators in different caucuses: Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
| States with split Senate delegations | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Pre-2022 election incumbent | Other incumbent | ||||
| Ohio | Rob Portman |
Sherrod Brown
| ||||
| Pennsylvania | Pat Toomey |
Bob Casey Jr.
| ||||
| Wisconsin | Ron Johnson |
Tammy Baldwin
| ||||
The 117th Congress had the fewest number of states with split Senate delegations in history, according to Eric Ostermeier of the University of Minnesota: "Prior to the 117th, only one congress has convened with fewer than 10 split-delegation states [since the start of the direct election era] – the 84th Congress following the Election of 1954. That cycle produced nine states with one Democratic and Republican U.S. Senator."[19]
2021 impeachment votes
On February 13, 2021, former President Donald Trump (R) was acquitted of incitement of insurrection. Fifty-seven senators voted to convict and 43 voted to acquit. Conviction requires a two-thirds vote of senators present.[20]
Of the seven Republican senators who voted guilty, three held seats up for elections in 2022:
Richard Burr, N.C.
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska
Pat Toomey, Penn.
Burr and Toomey did not seek re-election.
2020 election party changes
In the 2020 Senate election cycle, Democrats flipped four seats and Republicans flipped one:
- Tommy Tuberville (R) defeated incumbent Doug Jones (D) in Alabama.
- Mark Kelly (D) defeated incumbent Martha McSally (R) in Arizona's special election.
- John Hickenlooper (D) defeated incumbent Cory Gardner (R) in Colorado.
- Raphael Warnock (D) defeated Kelly Loeffler (R) in Georgia's special election.
- Jon Ossoff (D) defeated David Perdue (R) in Georgia.
See also
- Election results, 2022
- Election results, 2022: U.S. House
- Election results, 2022: U.S. Congress
- Election results, 2022: Comparison of state delegations to the 117th and 118th Congresses
- Election results, 2022: State government trifectas
- Election results, 2022: Incumbents defeated in state legislative elections
- Election results, 2022: State legislative veto-proof majorities
- Election results, 2022: State government triplexes
- Election results, 2022: Partisan balance of governors
- Election results, 2022: Split-ticket voting in statewide elections
- United States Senate elections, 2022
- United States Senate
Footnotes
- ↑ On December 9, 2022, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema announced she had changed her party affiliation from Democrat to independent. Politico reported that Sinema would not caucus with Republicans, and said she intended "to vote the same way she [had] for four years in the Senate."Politico, "Sinema switches to independent, shaking up the Senate," December 9, 2022
- ↑ Note: Independent Sens. Angus King (Maine) and Bernie Sanders (Vt.) caucus with Democrats and are counted among Democrats here.
- ↑ Tulsa World, "U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe announces retirement after 35 years in Congress representing Oklahoma," February 25, 2022
- ↑ This number includes Sen. Jim Inhofe's (R-Okla.) seat, up for a special election on November 8, 2022.
- ↑ This number includes Sen. Jim Inhofe's (R-Okla.) seat, up for a special election on November 8, 2022.
- ↑ The New York Times, "Despite Discontent, Midterm Voters Did Not Kick Out Incumbents," November 11, 2022
- ↑ Note: Independent Sens. Angus King (Maine) and Bernie Sanders (Vt.) caucus with Democrats and are counted among Democrats here.
- ↑ Alaska used ranked-choice voting for this election. This number reflects Lisa Murkowski's margin of victory after the third round of RCV voting.
- ↑ The U.S. Senate election in Georgia went to a runoff. This figure reflects Raphael Warnock's margin of victory in the runoff.
- ↑ This number reflects Kennedy's margin of victory in Louisiana's nonpartisan primary. Since Kennedy won more than 50% of the vote, he won election outright.
- ↑ Politico, "Sinema switches to independent, shaking up the Senate," December 9, 2022
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Independent Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Angus King (I-Maine) caucus with the Democratic Party.
- ↑ Sen. Kyrsten Sinema changed her affiliation from Democrat to independent after the 2022 elections. She announced she would not caucus with Republicans.
- ↑ State of Alaska, Division of Elections "Election Night Results, Summary (Unofficial)" November 10, 2022
- ↑ State of Alaska, Division of Elections "Election Night Results" accessed November 11, 2022
- ↑ The New York Times, "Warnock and Walker Head to Runoff in Pivotal Georgia Senate Race," November 9, 2022
- ↑ Padilla was appointed to the seat in January 2021 to succeed Kamala Harris (D).
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Margin of victory
- ↑ Smart Politics, "117th Congress Will Have Fewest Split US Senate Delegations in History," November 29, 2020
- ↑ The New York Times, "Live Senate Vote Results: Impeachment Charge Against Trump," February 13, 2021
