U.S. Senate election, 2000

The U.S. Senate election, 2000 was a fiercely-contested race that resulted in a victory for the Democratic Party, which gained four net seats from the Republican Party in the U.S. Senate. (Democrats had already gained one seat since the 1998 elections when Zell B. Miller (D-Ga.) was appointed following the death of Paul M. Coverdell (R-Ga.).)

This was six years after many Republicans had been swept into the Senate in the elections of 1994, and most of the races which were considered to be in play were won by Democrats. They defeated Republican senators William Roth (R-Del.), E. Spencer Abraham (R-Mich.), Rod Grams (R-Minn.), John D. Ashcroft (R-Mo.), and T. Slade Gorton III (R-Wash.), as well as winning the open seat in Florida. Ashcroft's defeat was noteworthy in that his opponent, Mel Carnahan, had died before the election, but still won. (The Democratic governor had promised to appoint Carnahan's wife to the seat if he won). The Republicans did defeat one incumbent, Charles S. Robb (D-Va.), and win an open seat in Nevada.

This left the Senate a 50-50 tie between Republicans and Democrats, which meant Republicans could control the chamber with the tie-breaking vote of the new Vice President Richard B. Cheney. But before Cheney took the vice presidency on January 20th, after the new senators took office on January 3rd, Al Gore was still the vice president, which means that the Democrats had the majority during that time. This state of affairs lasted until James M. Jeffords of Vermont, who left the Republican party, became an independent caucusing with the Democrats.

Senate contests in 2000

¹ special election held due to death of Paul Coverdell (R-Ga.) -- next regular election held in 2004.

See also

• U.S. Senate election, 1998
• U.S. Senate election, 2002
• U.S. presidential election, 2000
• U.S. House election, 2000

Senate composition before and after elections