The 1910–11 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 1910 and 1911, and a seat may have been filled months late or remained vacant due to legislative deadlock. 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.

In these elections, terms were up for the senators in Class 1. In conjunction with winning control of the House of Representatives for the first time since the 1892 elections, Democrats flipped 9 Senate seats. This was not enough to flip the Senate, but significantly narrowed the margin of Republican control.

In New York and Florida, the legislature failed to elect until after the beginning of the 62nd Congress on March 4. Special elections were held in six states: Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota, and West Virginia.

Result Summary Senate party division, 62nd Congress (1911–1913): Majority party: Republican (50 seats) Minority party: Democratic (40 seats) Other parties: 0 Vacant: 2 Total seats: 92

Four seats were added in early 1912 for new states: Arizona (which elected 2 Democrats) and New Mexico (which elected 2 Republicans).

Change in composition

Before the elections At the beginning of 1910.

D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R Majority → R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

Elections results D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D V V R R R R Majority → R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

Beginning of the next Congress

D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D V V R R R R Majority → R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R Key D Democratic R Republican V Vacant

Race summaries

Special elections during the 61st Congress In these elections, the winners were seated during 1910 or in 1911 before March 4; ordered by election date.

State Incumbent Results Candidates Senator Party Electoral history Mississippi(Class 2) James Gordon Democratic 1909 Interim appointee retired.New senator elected February 23, 1910.Democratic hold. Louisiana(Class 3) John Thornton Democratic 1910 Interim appointee elected December 6, 1910. North Dakota(Class 3) William E. Purcell Democratic 1910 Interim appointee lost election.New senator elected January 17, 1911.Republican gain.Winner took office February 11, 1911, upon resigning from the U.S. House. West Virginia(Class 2) Davis Elkins Republican 1910 Interim appointee lost election.New senator elected February 1, 1911.Democratic gain.

In this election, the winners were seated in the 63rd Congress, starting March 4, 1913.

State Incumbent Results Candidates Senator Party Electoral history Alabama John H. Bankhead Democratic 1907 1907 Incumbent re-elected early January 17, 1911, for the term beginning March 4, 1913.

Races leading to the 62nd Congress

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1911; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 1 seats.

State Incumbent Results Candidates Senator Party Electoralhistory California Frank Flint Republican 1905 Incumbent retired.New senator elected January 10, 1911.Republican hold. Connecticut Morgan Bulkeley Republican 1905 Incumbent lost renomination and re-election.New senator elected January 17, 1911.Republican hold. Delaware Henry A. du Pont Republican 1906 Incumbent re-elected January 25, 1911. Florida James Taliaferro Democratic 1899 1905 1905 Incumbent lost re-election.Legislature failed to elect.Democratic loss.New senator was appointed to begin the term. Indiana Albert J. Beveridge Republican 18991905 Incumbent lost re-election.New senator elected January 17, 1911.Democratic gain. Maine Eugene Hale Republican 18811887189318991905 Incumbent retired.New senator elected January 17, 1911.Democratic gain. Maryland Isidor Rayner Democratic 1904 Incumbent re-elected January 18, 1910. Massachusetts Henry Cabot Lodge Republican 189318991905 Incumbent re-elected January 18, 1911. Michigan Julius C. Burrows Republican 1895 18991905 Incumbent lost renomination.New senator elected January 17, 1911.Republican hold. Minnesota Moses E. Clapp Republican 1901 1905 Incumbent re-elected January 17, 1911. Mississippi Hernando Money Democratic 1897 18991904 Incumbent retired.New senator elected early January 21, 1908.Democratic hold. Missouri William Warner Republican 1905 Incumbent retired.New senator elected January 17, 1911.Democratic gain. Montana Thomas H. Carter Republican 18951901 1905 Incumbent retired.New senator elected March 2, 1911.Democratic gain. Nebraska Elmer Burkett Republican 1905 Incumbent lost re-election.New senator elected January 17, 1911, ratifying the popular selection made in 1910 state elections.Democratic gain. Nevada George S. Nixon Republican 1905 Incumbent re-elected January 24, 1911, ratifying the popular selection made in 1910 state elections. New Jersey John Kean Republican 18991905 Incumbent retired.New senator elected January 25, 1911.Democratic gain. New York Chauncey Depew Republican 18991905 Incumbent ran for re-election, but legislature failed to elect.Republican loss.A new senator was elected late; see below. North Dakota Porter J. McCumber Republican 18991905 Incumbent re-elected January 17, 1911. Ohio Charles W. F. Dick Republican 1904 1904 Incumbent lost re-election.New senator elected January 10, 1911.Democratic gain. Pennsylvania George T. Oliver Republican 1909 Incumbent re-elected January 11, 1911. Rhode Island Nelson W. Aldrich Republican 1881 1886189218981905 Incumbent retired.New senator elected January 18, 1911.Republican hold. Tennessee James B. Frazier Democratic 1905 Incumbent lost re-election.New senator elected January 23, 1911.Democratic hold. Texas Charles A. Culberson Democratic 18991905 Incumbent re-elected January 24, 1911. Utah George Sutherland Republican 1905 Incumbent re-elected January 17, 1911. Vermont Carroll S. Page Republican 1908 Incumbent re-elected October 18, 1910. Virginia John W. Daniel Democratic 1887189318991904 Incumbent re-elected January 25, 1910, but died June 29, 1910.A new senator was appointed to finish the term, and reappointed to begin the new term.The new senator was subsequently elected to finish the new term. Washington Samuel H. Piles Republican 1905 Incumbent retired.New senator elected January 17, 1911.Republican hold. West Virginia Nathan B. Scott Republican 18991905 Incumbent lost re-election.New senator elected February 1, 1911.Democratic gain. Wisconsin Robert M. La Follette Republican 1905 Incumbent re-elected January 24, 1911. Wyoming Clarence D. Clark Republican 1905 Incumbent re-elected January 24, 1911.

Elections during the 62nd Congress In these elections, the winners were elected in 1911 after March 4; ordered by date.

State Incumbent Results Candidates Senator Party Electoral history New York(Class 1) Vacant Legislature had failed to elect, see above.New senator elected late March 31, 1911 on the sixty-fourth ballot.Democratic gain. Iowa(Class 2) Lafayette Young Republican 1911 Interim appointee lost election to finish the term.New senator elected April 12, 1911.Republican hold. Florida(Class 1) Nathan P. Bryan Democratic 1911 Interim appointee elected late April 18, 1911. Georgia(Class 3) Joseph M. Terrell Democratic 1910 Interim appointee lost election.New senator elected July 12, 1911.Democratic hold.

Alabama

Democrat John H. Bankhead was re-elected early January 17, 1911 for the 1913 term.

California

Incumbent Senator Frank P. Flint, who had been elected in 1905, retired. Republican John D. Works received a plurality of votes cast at a Republican state primary. Republican A. G. Spalding, however, carried a majority of the legislative districts represented by Republicans. In the legislature, Works was elected January 10, 1911, with 92 votes over Spalding's 21 votes, and a scattering of votes for various Democrats.

Connecticut

Republican incumbent Morgan Bulkeley, who had been elected in 1905, lost renomination in a Republican legislative caucus 113–64 to George P. McLean.

McLean was then elected January 17, 1911, with 177 votes to Democrat Homer Stille Cummings's 110 votes.

Delaware

First-term Republican Henry A. du Pont was re-elected January 25, 1911. He beat Democrat Willard Saulsbury Jr..

Saulsbury would be elected in 1913 to the other Delaware senate seat. Du Pont would lose re-election in 1916, the first popular Senate election in Delaware.

Florida

In June 1910, incumbent Democrat James Taliaferro lost a non-binding primary to former Governor Napoleon B. Broward for the term which started on March 4, 1911. Broward died in October. In early February 1911, Nathan P. Bryan won a non-binding primary for the seat, defeating William A. Blount 19,991 to 19,381. The governor then appointed Bryan to fill the vacancy.

In April 1911, the Florida Legislature unanimously elected Bryan to the remainder of the term.

Georgia (special)

Three-term Democrat Alexander S. Clay died November 13, 1910, and Democratic former-Governor of Georgia Joseph M. Terrell was appointed November 17, 1910, to continue the term, pending a special election.

Democratic Governor of Georgia M. Hoke Smith won the July 12, 1911, special election to finish the term that would end in 1915.

Smith had just begun his gubernatorial term July 1, 1911, when he was elected to the Senate. Although formally elected and qualified, Smith chose not to take office until November 16, 1911, so he could continue being Governor of Georgia.

Smith would later be re-elected in 1914 and would serve through 1921.

Indiana

Iowa (special)

Louisiana (special)

Maine

Maryland

Isidor Rayner won election by an unknown margin for the Class 1 seat.

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Mississippi (regular)

Three-term Democrat Hernando Money retired from the class 1 seat. In 1908 the Mississippi legislature had already unanimously elected Democratic congressman John Sharp Williams early for the next term.

Mississippi (special)

Three-term Democrat Anselm J. McLaurin died December 22, 1909, and Democrat James Gordon was appointed December 27, 1909, to continue the term pending a special election, in which he was not a candidate. The day after his appointment to the class 2 seat, he was identified as a former fugitive who had been sought as a suspect in the conspiracy to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln. Gordon was listed in 1865 by the United States government as a fugitive, and a reward of $10,000 had been offered for his capture, dead or alive. Later that year, he was ruled out of the suspects. Gordon then admitted that he had met with John Wilkes Booth in Montreal in March 1865, and had discussed plans to kidnap Lincoln, but denied any discussion of murder.

A plurality of legislators backed the white supremacist James K. Vardaman, but the fractured remainder sought to thwart his extreme racial policies. A majority united behind Percy to block Vardaman, instead electing Democrat LeRoy Percy February 23, 1910, to finish the term that would end in 1913.

Percy would later lose renomination in 1912 to the next term.

Missouri