2006 United States Senate elections

2006 United States Senate elections

← 2004 November 7, 2006 2008 →
33 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate 51 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Harry Reid Bill Frist (retired) Party Democratic Republican Leader since January 3, 2005 January 3, 2003 Leader's seat Nevada Tennessee Seats before 44 55 Seats after 49 49 Seat change 5 6 Popular vote 32,344,708 25,437,934 Percentage 53.2% 41.8% Seats up 17 15 Races won 22 9   Third party Fourth party   Party CFL Independent Last election 0 1 Seats before 0 1[Note 2] Seats after 1[Note 1] 1[Note 3] Seat change 1 Popular vote 564,095 378,142 Percentage 0.8 0.6% Seats up 0 1 Races won 1 1
Results of the elections:      Democratic gain      Connecticut for Lieberman gain      Democratic hold      Republican hold      Independent hold      No election ^ Though Joe Lieberman (CT) won on the Connecticut for Lieberman ticket, he referred to himself as an independent Democrat and was listed on the Senate website as ID-CT. ^ Jim Jeffords (VT) caucused with the Democrats. ^ Bernie Sanders (VT) caucused with the Democrats.
Majority Leader before election Bill Frist Republican Elected Majority Leader Harry Reid Democratic

The 2006 United States Senate elections were held on November 7, 2006, with all 33 Class 1 Senate seats being contested. The term of office for those elected in 2006 ran from January 3, 2007, to January 3, 2013. Prior to the election cycle, the Republican Party controlled 55 of the 100 Senate seats.

The Senate elections were part of the Democratic sweep during the 2006 elections, in which Democrats made numerous gains and no congressional or gubernatorial seat held by a Democrat was won by a Republican.^[1] However, Democratic incumbent Joe Lieberman in Connecticut was defeated in the primary and was later reelected as a third-party candidate; he continued to caucus with the Democrats. Because of this, this is the first time since 1970 in which a member of a third party, who is not an independent, was elected to the Senate. Independent Jim Jeffords in Vermont retired but was succeeded by another Independent, Bernie Sanders, retaining their presence in the Senate. Jeffords and Sanders both caucused with Democrats. Democrats picked up six seats, all via the defeats of incumbents, in Missouri, Montana, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Virginia; while holding open seats in Maryland and Minnesota. Republicans held their sole open seat in Tennessee.

Following the elections, no party held a majority of seats for the first time since January 1955. The Democrats were able to control the chamber because the two Independents caucused with the Democrats. They needed at least 51 seats to control the Senate because Vice President Dick Cheney would have broken any 50–50 tie in favor of the Republicans. This was the only time between 1990 and 2022 that Democrats gained Senate seats in a midterm.

As of 2023^[update], this was the last time a Democrat won a Senate election in Nebraska, the last time a Democrat did not win a seat in Connecticut and the last time that the tipping point state was decided by under 1%, with James Webb of Virginia winning with a margin of under 0.4%.