United States Senate elections, 2016

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2016 U.S. Senate Elections

Election Date November 8, 2016

U.S. Senate Elections by State

Battlegrounds • Primaries

Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maryland • Missouri • Nevada • New Hampshire • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • South Carolina • South Dakota • Utah • Vermont • Washington • Wisconsin

U.S. House Elections by State

Battlegrounds • Primaries

Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming

Elections to the U.S. Senate were held on November 8, 2016. A total of 34 of the 100 seats were up for regular election. Those elected to the U.S. Senate in the 34 regular elections on November 8, 2016, began their six-year terms on January 3, 2017.

Control of the Senate was up for grabs again in 2016. In order to take the chamber back, Democrats needed to gain five seats in 2016, but they fell short, picking up only two seats. Ultimately, Republican senators proved to be far less vulnerable than predicted. Some reasons for the predicted vulnerability are as follows. The majority of seats up for election were held by Republican incumbents, many of whom were freshmen who were swept into office in the Tea Party wave of 2010. Additionally, the Senate election coincided with a presidential election, which has been a boon to Democratic candidates in the past decade. Democrats had made gains in the Senate in the last two presidential elections, while they had suffered losses in the years between.

Donald Trump's election to the presidency had a significant impact on the elections for U.S. House. The success of Trump at the top of the ticket led to smaller Republican losses in the Senate than expected. There were also several U.S. senators who ran for president in 2016. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) all ran presidential campaigns. Of those senators who ran for president, only Rubio and Paul were up for re-election in 2016. Rubio ultimately sought re-election to the U.S. Senate after his presidential campaign ended, while Paul sought both the presidency and re-election simultaneously.

The unexpected death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on February 13, 2016, placed even greater importance on the 2016 Senate elections. Confirmation of a new Supreme Court justice requires 60 votes in the Senate, giving the Republican-controlled Senate the ability to deny any nominee chosen by President Barack Obama. Several Republican senators, including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, declared that the next president should have the responsibility of appointing the new justice. McConnell said in a statement, "The American people‎ should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new President."

Appointment and confirmation of the replacement justice will be left to the newly elected president and Senate in 2017. This put increased pressure on both parties to win the Senate in 2016, as the chamber has the ability to confirm or deny the next president's nominees. This also raised the issue of Republican obstructionism in some battleground states. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said of the issue, "I believe that many of the mainstream Republicans, when the president nominates a mainstream nominee, will not want to follow Mitch McConnell over the cliff. The American people don't like this obstruction. When you go right off the bat and say, 'I don't care who he nominates, I am going to oppose him,' that's not going to fly."

HIGHLIGHTS

The Democratic Party gained two seats in 2016, resulting in a 52-48 majority for Republicans. The two independent members of the Senate are included in the Democratic totals, as they caucus with Democrats.

The Republican Party proved to be far less vulnerable than initially predicted. Most battleground races featuring a Republican incumbent were much less competitive than anticipated.

Only two incumbent senators lost their re-election bids: Mark Kirk (IL) and Kelly Ayotte (NH)

Election results

Heading into the election, the Republican Party held the majority in the U.S. Senate. Republicans held 54 Senate seats while the Democrats had 44 Senate seats. Two seats were held by independents, who caucus with the Democratic Party. The Republicans won the Senate majority in the 2014 midterm elections when they gained nine seats and lost none. Republicans maintained their majority following the 2016 elections, losing only two seats and ending with 52.

U.S. Senate Partisan Breakdown
Party		As of November 2016	After the 2016 Election
	Democratic Party	44	46
	Republican Party	54	52
	Independent	2	2
Total		100	100

There were 24 Republican seats and 10 Democratic seats up for re-election. In 2016, the Democratic Party failed to pick up the five seats in the Senate in order to regain the majority they lost in 2014. The majority of the Republican incumbents up for re-election in 2016 were first elected in 2010 during the Tea Party movement. The below map displays the seats up for re-election in 2016 and the party that held the seat. Click a state to find out more.

Battlegrounds

This table shows what happened in each of the nine Senate battleground races.

United States Senate Battleground Results
State	Incumbent	Winner	Partisan switch?	Margin of victory
Florida	Marco Rubio	Marco Rubio	No	7.7%
Illinois	Mark Kirk	Tammy Duckworth	Yes	15.1%
Indiana	Dan Coats	Todd Young	No	9.7%
Missouri	Roy Blunt	Roy Blunt	No	2.8%
Nevada	Harry Reid	Catherine Cortez Masto	No	2.4%
New Hampshire	Kelly Ayotte	Maggie Hassan	Yes	0.1%
North Carolina	Richard Burr	Richard Burr	No	5.7%
Pennsylvania	Pat Toomey	Pat Toomey	No	1.4%
Wisconsin	Ron Johnson	Ron Johnson	No	3.4%

Margin of victory

The margin of victory for each race is calculated by examining the percentage difference between the two candidates who received the most votes. If the race was uncontested, the margin of victory is listed as 100%. Some quick facts:

• The average margin of victory was 22.1 percent. This is very close to the average of 22.6 percent in 2014.
• The average margin of victory in battleground races was 5.37%.
• The party of the winner had virtually no effect on the margin a race was won by. The average MOV for victorious Republicans was 22.13 percent, while Democratic victors averaged a MOV of 22.06 percent.
• The closest race was in New Hampshire, where challenger Maggie Hassan (D) defeated incumbent Kelly Ayotte (R) by 0.1 percent of the vote.

The following table displays the closest Senate races in the country in 2016.

United States Senate Closest Races
State	Winner	Margin of Victory	Total Vote	Top Opponent
New Hampshire	Maggie Hassan	0.1%	738,620	Kelly Ayotte
Pennsylvania	Pat Toomey	1.4%	6,051,856	Katie McGinty
Nevada	Catherine Cortez Masto	2.4%	1,108,294	Joe Heck
Missouri	Roy Blunt	2.8%	2,802,641	Jason Kander
Wisconsin	Ron Johnson	3.4%	2,947,345	Russ Feingold

Margin of victory data for all 34 Senate races is displayed in the following table.

United States Senate Margin of Victory
State	Winner	Margin of Victory	Total Vote	Top Opponent
Alaska	Lisa Murkowski	15.2%	311,441	Joe Miller
Alabama	Richard Shelby	28.1%	2,087,444	Ron Crumpton
Arkansas	John Boozman	23.6%	1,107,522	Connor Eldridge
Arizona	John McCain	13.0%	2,530,730	Ann Kirkpatrick
California	Kamala Harris	23.1%	12,253,170	Loretta Sanchez
Colorado	Michael Bennet	5.7%	2,743,023	Darryl Glenn
Connecticut	Richard Blumenthal	28.6%	1,596,276	Dan Carter
Florida	Marco Rubio	7.7%	9,301,660	Patrick Murphy
Georgia	Johnny Isakson	13.8%	3,897,792	Jim Barksdale
Hawaii	Brian Schatz	51.4%	416,562	John Carroll
Iowa	Chuck Grassley	24.4%	1,541,036	Patty Judge
Idaho	Mike Crapo	38.4%	678,943	Jerry Sturgill
Illinois	Tammy Duckworth	15.1%	5,491,878	Mark Kirk
Indiana	Todd Young	9.7%	2,732,546	Evan Bayh
Kansas	Jerry Moran	29.9%	1,177,922	Patrick Wiesner
Kentucky	Rand Paul	14.5%	1,903,465	Jim Gray
Louisiana	John Kennedy	21.3%	884,007	Foster Campbell
Maryland	Chris Van Hollen	25.2%	2,726,170	Kathy Szeliga
Missouri	Roy Blunt	2.8%	2,802,641	Jason Kander
North Carolina	Richard Burr	5.7%	4,691,133	Deborah Ross
North Dakota	John Hoeven	61.5%	342,501	Eliot Glassheim
New Hampshire	Maggie Hassan	0.1%	738,620	Kelly Ayotte
Nevada	Catherine Cortez Masto	2.4%	1,108,294	Joe Heck
New York	Chuck Schumer	43.6%	7,330,454	Wendy Long
Ohio	Rob Portman	20.9%	5,374,164	Ted Strickland
Oklahoma	James Lankford	43.2%	1,448,047	Mike Workman
Oregon	Ron Wyden	23.3%	1,952,478	Mark Callahan
Pennsylvania	Pat Toomey	1.4%	6,051,856	Katie McGinty
South Carolina	Tim Scott	23.6%	2,049,893	Thomas Dixon
South Dakota	John Thune	43.7%	369,656	Jay Williams
Utah	Mike Lee	41.1%	1,115,583	Misty Snow
Vermont	Patrick Leahy	28.2%	313,809	Scott Milne
Washington	Patty Murray	18.0%	3,243,317	Chris Vance
Wisconsin	Ron Johnson	3.4%	2,947,345	Russ Feingold

Retired incumbents

The following senators did not seek re-election in 2016.

• 3 Democrats
• 2 Republicans

Name:	Party:	Current office:
Barbara Boxer	Democratic	California
Barbara Mikulski	Democratic	Maryland
Dan Coats	Republican	Director of National Intelligence
David Vitter	Republican	Louisiana
Harry Reid	Democratic	Nevada

Battleground races

See also: U.S. Senate battlegrounds, 2016

This table displays the criteria used to determine competitiveness in more specific detail. It gives ranges for each criterion and the competitiveness associated with each. Each state was analyzed using this as a baseline to determine competitiveness.

Color Key
Color	Margin of Victory (MOV)	Presidential MOV %	Term in office	Open seat?	Cook rating
Purple – most competitive	0.0-4.9	0.0-4.9	1	Yes	Toss-up
Orange – very competitive	5.0-7.9	5.0-7.9	N/A	N/A	Lean D/R
Green – competitive	8.0-10.0	8.0-10.0	2	N/A	Likely D/R
Senate winners labeled this color indicate that the party of the winner is different from the party of the presidential winner of the state in 2012

The following races are those that were expected to be the closest in 2016.

Most competitive 2016 Senate elections
State	Incumbent's party	Senate MOV 2014	Senate MOV 2012	Senate MOV 2010	Presidential MOV 2012	Presidential MOV 2008	Incumbent term in office	Open seat?	Cook rating
Florida	Republican	N/A	13.0 D	19.0 R	✓0.88	✓2.82	1	No	Toss-up
Illinois	Republican	10.8 D	N/A	1.6 R	✓16.87	✓25.14	1	No	Lean D
Indiana	Republican	N/A	5.8 R	14.6 R	−10.2%	✓1.03	1	Yes	Toss-up
Missouri	Republican	N/A	15.7 D	13.6 R	-9.38	-0.13	1	No	Toss-up
Nevada	Democratic	N/A	1.2 R	5.7 D	✓6.68	✓12.49	5	Yes	Toss-up
New Hampshire	Republican	3.3 D	N/A	23.5 R	✓5.58	✓9.61	1	No	Toss-up
North Carolina	Republican	1.5 R	N/A	11.8 R	-2.04	✓0.33	2	No	Toss-up
Pennsylvania	Republican	N/A	9.1. D	2.0 R	✓5.39	✓10.32	1	No	Toss-up
Wisconsin	Republican	N/A	5.6 D	4.9 R	✓6.94	✓13.90	1	No	Lean D

• Both the 2012 and 2008 presidential MOV have either "✓" or "-" before the number. The "✓" indicates the state went in favor of the winner, in both years this was President Obama. The "-" indicates the state favored the Republican who lost in each election, Romney in 2012 and McCain in 2008.
  
  

The following races were all expected to be at least somewhat close, but they were not considered among the most competitive races.

Races to watch
State	Incumbent's party	Senate MOV 2014	Senate MOV 2012	Senate MOV 2010	Presidential MOV 2012	Presidential MOV 2008	Incumbent term in office	Open seat?	Cook rating
Arizona	Republican	N/A	3 R	24.2 R	-9.06	-8.52	5	No	Lean R
Ohio	Republican	N/A	6.0 D	18.3 R	✓2.98	✓4.59	1	No	Toss-up

• Both the 2012 and 2008 presidential MOV have either "✓" or "-" before the number. The "✓" indicates the state went in favor of the winner, in both years this was President Obama. The "-" indicates the state favored the Republican who lost in each election, Romney in 2012 and McCain in 2008.

Outside race ratings

The following table compares Ballotpedia's battleground ratings with the most recent race ratings from The Cook Political Report, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and The Rothenberg and Gonzales Political Report.

U.S. Senate race ratings comparison
State	Ballotpedia	Cook	Sabato	Rothenberg
Alabama	Safe R	Solid R	Safe R	Safe R
Alaska	Safe R	Likely R	Safe R	Safe R
Arizona	Competitive R	Lean R	Likely R	R Favored
Arkansas	Safe R	Solid R	Safe R	Safe R
California	Safe D	Solid D	Safe D	Safe D
Colorado	Safe D	Likely D	Safe D	Safe D
Connecticut	Safe D	Solid D	Safe D	Safe D
Florida	Battleground	Lean R	Lean R	Lean R
Georgia	Safe R	Likely R	Safe R	Safe R
Hawaii	Safe D	Solid D	Safe D	Safe D
Idaho	Safe R	Solid R	Safe R	Safe R
Illinois	Battleground	Lean D	Likely D	Lean D
Indiana	Battleground	Toss-up	Toss-up	Pure Toss-up
Iowa	Safe R	Likely R	Safe R	Safe R
Kansas	Safe R	Solid R	Safe R	Safe R
Kentucky	Safe R	Solid R	Safe R	Safe R
Louisiana	Safe R	Solid R	Likely R	Safe R
Maryland	Safe D	Solid D	Safe D	Safe D
Missouri	Battleground	Toss-up	Toss-up	Pure Toss-up
Nevada	Battleground	Toss-up	Toss-up	Pure Toss-up
New Hampshire	Battleground	Toss-up	Toss-up	Pure Toss-up
New York	Safe D	Solid D	Safe D	Safe D
North Carolina	Battleground	Toss-up	Toss-up	Pure Toss-up
North Dakota	Safe R	Solid R	Safe R	Safe R
Ohio	Competitive R	Lean R	Safe R	R Favored
Oklahoma	Safe R	Solid R	Safe R	Safe R
Oregon	Safe D	Solid D	Safe D	Safe D
Pennsylvania	Battleground	Toss-up	Lean D	Pure Toss-up
South Carolina	Safe R	Solid R	Safe R	Safe R
South Dakota	Safe R	Solid R	Safe R	Safe R
Utah	Safe R	Solid R	Safe R	Safe R
Vermont	Safe D	Solid D	Safe D	Safe D
Washington	Safe D	Solid D	Safe D	Safe D
Wisconsin	Battleground	Toss-up	Lean D	Toss-up/Tilt D

Presidential coattails

Of the states that had Republican senators up for election, the senators’ average win was 3.2 percent higher than President-elect Donald Trump’s average win, according to preliminary vote totals. Trump's average win was 55.4 percent, while Republican senators' average win was 58.6 percent.

In Ballotpedia’s battleground races and races to watch, Republican Senators John McCain (Ariz.), Marco Rubio (Fla.), Richard Burr (N.C.), Pat Toomey (Pa.), and Ron Johnson (Wis.) ran ahead of Trump. Trump ran ahead of Senator-elect Todd Young (Ind.) and Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.).

Trump lost Illinois, Nevada, and New Hampshire, and the Republican candidates also lost their races in those states. Senator Mark Kirk ran ahead of Trump in Illinois, Trump ran ahead of Rep. Joe Heck in Nevada, and Sen. Kelly Ayotte ran ahead of Trump in New Hampshire.

Missouri Senator Roy Blunt saw the biggest coattails effect from Trump. Trump won 57.1 percent of the vote, while Blunt won 49.4 percent. In Ohio, Trump saw the largest reverse coattails from Senator Rob Portman, who won the state with 58.3 percent of the vote. Trump earned 52.1 percent of the vote in Ohio.

A full breakdown of the presidential and Senate races appears below.

*Ballotpedia identified the highlighted races as battleground races and races to watch. The vote percentages are from CNN and will be updated after the final results are released.

2016 Republican Presidential and Senate election results
State	Presidential candidate vote %	Senate candidate vote %	Vote % Difference
Alabama	Donald Trump	Incumbent Richard Shelby
Totals	62.9% a	64.2% a	Shelby +1.3%
Alaska	Donald Trump	Incumbent Lisa Murkowski
Totals	53.3% a	43.8% a	Trump +9.5%
Arizona	Donald Trump	Incumbent John McCain
Totals	49.5% a	53.4% a	McCain +3.9%
Arkansas	Donald Trump	Incumbent John Boozman
Totals	60.4% a	59.8% a	Trump +0.6%
Florida	Donald Trump	Incumbent Marco Rubio
Totals	49.1% a	52.1% a	Rubio +3.0%
Georgia	Donald Trump	Incumbent Johnny Isakson
Totals	51.4% a	55.1% a	Isakson +3.7%
Idaho	Donald Trump	Incumbent Mike Crapo
Totals	59.0% a	66.0% a	Crapo +7.0%
Indiana	Donald Trump	Todd Young
Totals	57.2% a	52.2% a	Trump + 5.0%
Iowa	Donald Trump	Incumbent Chuck Grassley
Totals	51.7% a	60.1% a	Grassley +8.4%
Kansas	Donald Trump	Incumbent Jerry Moran
Totals	57.2% a	62.4% a	Moran +5.2%
Kentucky	Donald Trump	Incumbent Rand Paul
Totals	62.5% a	+57.3% a	Trump +5.2%
Louisiana	Donald Trump	Multiple Republican candidates
Totals	58.1% a	(Race not called)	-
Missouri	Donald Trump	Incumbent Roy Blunt
Totals	57.1% a	49.4% a	Trump +7.7%
North Carolina	Donald Trump	Incumbent Richard Burr
Totals	50.5% a	51.1% a	Burr +0.6%
North Dakota	Donald Trump	Incumbent John Hoeven
Totals	64.1% a	78.6% a	Hoeven +14.5%
Ohio	Donald Trump	Incumbent Rob Portman
Totals	52.1% a	58.3% a	Portman +6.2%
Oklahoma	Donald Trump	Incumbent James Lankford
Totals	65.3% a	67.7% a	Lankford +2.4%
Pennsylvania	Donald Trump	Incumbent Pat Toomey
Totals	48.8% a	48.9% a	Toomey +0.1%
South Carolina	Donald Trump	Incumbent Tim Scott
Totals	55.6% a	61.2% a	Scott +5.6%
South Dakota	Donald Trump	Incumbent John Thune
Totals	61.5% a	71.8% a	Thune +10.3%
Utah	Donald Trump	Incumbent Mike Lee
Totals	45.5% a	67.4% a	Lee +21.9%
Wisconsin	Donald Trump	Incumbent Ron Johnson
Totals	47.9% a	50.2% a	Johnson +2.3%
California	Donald Trump	No Republican on the ballot
Totals	33.3% d	No Republican on the ballot	-
Colorado	Donald Trump	Darryl Glenn
Totals	44.8% d	45.8% d	Glenn +1.0%
Connecticut	Donald Trump	Dan Carter
Totals	41.6% d	35.3% d	Trump +6.3%
Hawaii	Donald Trump	John Carroll
Totals	30.1% d	22.2% d	Trump +7.9%
Illinois	Donald Trump	Incumbent Mark Kirk
Totals	39.4% d	40.2% d	Kirk +0.8%
Maryland	Donald Trump	Kathy Szeliga
Totals	35.3% d	36.4% d	Szeliga +1.1%
Nevada	Donald Trump	Joe Heck
Totals	45.5% d	44.7% d	Trump +0.8%
New Hampshire	Donald Trump	Incumbent Kelly Ayotte
Totals	47.2% d	47.9% d	Ayotte +0.7%
New York	Donald Trump	Wendy Long
Totals	37.5% d	27.5% d	Trump +10.0%
Oregon	Donald Trump	Mark Callahan
Totals	41.3% d	33.9% d	Trump +7.4%
Vermont	Donald Trump	Scott Milne
Totals	32.6% d	33.0% d	Milne +0.4%
Washington	Donald Trump	Chris Vance
Totals	37.7% d	39.2% d	Vance +1.5%
Totals	Trump's average win: 55.4%	Republican senators' average win: 58.6%	Republican senators +3.2%

Campaign issues

The following section describes public policies that arose during the 114th Congress that became divisive issues on the campaign trail.

Presidential race

Both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were ascribed negative attributes and were strongly opposed by certain demographics. Due to the unpopularity of these presidential candidates, many congressional candidates sought to tie their opponent to the top of his or her party's ticket.

Compromise

USA Today and Suffolk University released a poll on February 1, 2015, that showed that most Americans wanted to see more compromise between the White House and Congress. Of the adults polled, 76 percent stated that they wanted President Obama (D) to compromise more with Congress. To the same degree, 72 percent of polled adults stated they wanted Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) to compromise more with President Obama. By party affiliation, 71 percent of Democrats and 82 percent of Republicans said they wanted President Obama to compromise. For Senator McConnell, 87 percent of Democrats and 57 percent of Republicans wanted him to compromise.

Affordable Care Act

Obamacare was one of the dominant issues in the 2014 election and it remained a prominent issue in 2016. The nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation conducted multiple polls on opinions regarding Obamacare. In January 2015, 40 percent of participants viewed Obamacare favorably while 46 percent viewed it unfavorably. Another poll also showed that 50 percent of participants felt that it was important to continue the debate over Obamacare. Additionally, 45 percent of participants argued that the debated had gone far enough and the country should focus on other issues. Voters who wanted more debate over Obamacare were more likely to be opposed to the legislation. Those who wanted to focus more on other issues were evenly split in their support of Obamacare.

Supreme Court and judiciary

The unexpected death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on February 13, 2016, caused the Supreme Court appointment to fill the vacancy to become an election issue. Confirmation of a new Supreme Court justice requires 60 votes in the Senate, allowing the Republican-controlled Senate to deny any nominee chosen by President Barack Obama. Several Republican senators, including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, declared that the next president should have the responsibility of appointing the new justice. McConnell said in a statement, "The American people‎ should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new President."

This raised the issue of Republican obstructionism in battleground states. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said of the issue, "I believe that many of the mainstream Republicans, when the president nominates a mainstream nominee, will not want to follow Mitch McConnell over the cliff. The American people don't like this obstruction. When you go right off the bat and say, 'I don't care who he nominates, I am going to oppose him,' that's not going to fly."

Immigration

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is a program established by executive action on June 15, 2012, that allows undocumented individuals who were brought to the United States as children to receive relief from being deported for a period of time if they meet certain criteria. That action was followed by the Deferred Action for Parents of U.S. Citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA), which was announced on November 20, 2014, shielding the undocumented parents of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents from deportation.

Both programs came under fire in the presidential race, prompting the call for immigration reform. Securing the southern border with Mexico was also a major facet of the immigration issue.

Iran nuclear deal

See also: Iran nuclear agreement, 2015

The P5+1 and the European Union, also known as the E3+3, reached an agreement with Iran regarding the development of its nuclear program on July 14, 2015. The deal limits Iran's nuclear development in exchange for sanctions relief.

President Barack Obama and the majority of congressional Democrats lauded the deal, while Republicans largely opposed the deal.

Campaign committees

NRSC

See also: National Republican Senatorial Committee

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) is a national political organization that focuses on electing Republicans into the U.S. Senate. The NRSC official website states:

“

The National Republican Senatorial Committee is the only national organization solely devoted to electing Republicans to the U.S. Senate. The NRSC provides invaluable support and assistance to current and prospective Republican U.S. Senate candidates in the areas of budget planning, election law compliance, fundraising, communications tools and messaging, research and strategy.

”

The current chair is Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker, while the executive director is Ward Baker. Senators Dean Heller (Nev.), Tom Cotton (Ark.) and Joni Ernst (Iowa) serve as vice-chairs.

Wicker said in a statement, "Holding our majority will be no easy task, but we have assembled a staff that comes from all corners of the country with extensive experience in winning hard-fought campaigns,. These individuals will draw upon their previous experiences, which will help all of our campaigns as we work toward holding our Republican majority in the Senate."

DSCC

See also: Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) is a national political organization solely devoted to electing Democrats to the U.S. Senate. The DSCC official website states:

“

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is the only organization solely dedicated to electing a Democratic Senate. From grassroots organizing to candidate recruitment to providing campaign funds for tight races, the DSCC is working hard all year, every year to elect Democrats to move our country forward. We're already hard at work to take back the Senate from the Republicans in 2016 and give the next Democratic president a Democratic Senate to work with. We’re fighting to protect our Democratic champions, and we’re recruiting outstanding candidates across the nation to challenge obstructionist Republicans. Our success depends on our large network of grassroots supporters. We encourage dedicated Democrats to get educated, engaged and involved. Supporting the DSCC is one of the most effective steps you can take to help Democrats succeed -- and take back the Senate in 2016.

”

The current chair is Montana Senator Jon Tester. Colorado Senator Michael Bennet served as the previous chair in the 2014 election cycle.

Campaign finance

After major candidates declare their election bids, they submit campaign finance reports to the Federal Election Commission monthly. The latest figures are shown here.

DSCC and NRSC

The NRSC and the DSCC are the two principal political groups that raise funds to elect congressional candidates. The monthly fundraising figures for each committee throughout the 2016 election cycle are displayed in the table below.

DSCC and NRSC monthly fundraising
	Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee				National Republican Senatorial Committee
Report	Receipts	Expenditures	Cash on hand	Debt	Receipts	Expenditures	Cash on hand	Debt
Pre-General	$7,671,405	$26,506,442	$9,451,267	$4,874,341	$9,963,007	$11,525,203	$10,745,974	$18,000,000
October 2016	$18,961,824	$24,727,463	$28,286,304	$4,885,087	$30,582,624	$30,145,471	$12,308,170	$15,500,000
September 2016	$8,531,469	$5,790,900	$34,051,943	$4,895,519	$6,453,897	$18,391,878	$11,871,018	$0
August 2016	$7,550,155	$5,239,426	$31,311,375	$4,906,039	$4,156,722	$6,732,807	$23,808,999	$0
July 2016	$8,615,293	$3,394,613	$29,000,646	$4,916,977	$6,526,968	$4,061,691	$26,385,084	$0
June 2016	$7,177,846	$4,327,770	$23,779,966	$4,927,559	$5,277,446	$2,940,231	$23,919,807	$0
May 2016	$6,135,207	$4,418,524	$20,929,890	$4,938,538	$4,279,583	$2,698,346	$21,582,592	$0
April 2016	$8,247,122	$4,240,290	$19,213,208	$4,949,068	$6,158,856	$2,366,149	$20,001,356	$0
March 2016	$6,189,828	$4,554,120	$15,206,377	$5,843,300	$4,803,627	$2,443,743	$16,208,649	$0
February 2016	$5,794,776	$3,026,705	$13,570,668	$7,853,820	$3,881,567	$1,728,701	$13,848,765	$0
Year-End	$5,122,972	$4,434,118	$10,802,598	$8,357,872	$2,950,954	$2,520,839	$11,695,898	$0
December 2015	$15,097,196	$14,617,106	$10,113,743	$10,107,872	$2,769,864	$1,808,779	$11,265,784	$0
November 2015	$3,842,114	$3,429,118	$9,633,603	$10,620,834	$2,332,317	$1,896,335	$10,304,698	$0
October 2015	$4,195,205	$3,778,422	$9,220,607	$11,783,630	$2,905,718	$2,905,718	$9,868,716	$0
September 2015	$3,296,604	$3,708,043	$8,803,824	$12,946,388	$2,604,068	$2,224,471	$8,001,096	$0
August 2015	$3,768,052	$3,448,388	$9,215,263	$14,109,109	$3,293,488	$2,155,025	$7,621,499	$0
July 2015	$5,590,141	$4,496,832	$8,895,599	$15,271,793	$4,058,499	$3,884,614	$6,483,036	$0
June 2015	$3,583,716	$3,400,797	$7,802,289	$16,434,440	$4,529,788	$3,222,919	$6,309,152	$2,000,000
May 2015	$3,794,834	$3,327,627	$7,619,370	$17,597,049	$4,211,784	$4,465,644	$5,002,282	$3,500,000
April 2015	$5,261,976	$3,628,245	$7,152,162	$18,759,622	$4,881,679	$3,943,807	$5,256,142	$6,000,000
March 2015	$4,336,327	$1,431,790	$5,518,432	$20,026,324	$3,785,939	$3,551,848	$4,318,270	$8,000,000
February 2015	$4,460,934	$2,760,538	$2,613,894	$20,042,990	$2,459,111	$1,080,720	$4,084,179	$10,000,000

Prior elections

DSCC and NRSC yearly fundraising
	Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee		National Republican Senatorial Committee
Year	Total Receipts	Total Expenditures	Total Receipts	Total Expenditures
2014	$168,323,299	$169,219,761	$128,278,250	$128,953,251
2012	$145,906,974	$144,850,609	$117,045,850	$113,783,377
2010	$129,543,440	$129,086,443	$112,299,229	$112,528,479
2008	$162,791,453	$162,558,225	$94,424,743	$93,786,078
2006	$121,376,959	$121,670,095	$88,812,386	$89,717,855

Presidential impact

Presidential elections have a significant impact on congressional elections, the most obvious effect being increased voter interest and participation. In the last two decades, presidential elections have led to roughly 15 to 20 percent higher turnout rates than in the corresponding midterm. The following chart shows the disparity between voter turnout in presidential elections and midterms.

In the past decade, presidential elections have benefited the Democratic Party, while midterms have helped Republicans. The Democratic Party gained an average of 5 senate seats in the last two presidential elections, and the Republican Party picked up an average of 7.5 seats in the last two midterms.

Past partisan breakdowns
Year	Democrats	Republicans	Independents	Net change
2014	44	54	2	+9 R
2012	53	45	2	+2 D
2010	51	47	2	+6 R
2008	57	41	2	+8 D
2006	49	49	2	+5 D

Filing deadlines by state

The table below lists the 2016 congressional primary dates and filing deadlines for each state.

Primary dates and filing deadlines, 2016
State	Filing deadline for primary candidates	Primary election
Alabama	11/6/2015	3/1/2016
Alaska	6/1/2016	8/16/2016
Arizona	6/1/2016	8/30/2016
Arkansas	11/9/2015	3/1/2016
California	3/11/2016	6/7/2016
Colorado	4/4/2016	6/28/2016
Connecticut	6/7/2016	8/9/2016
Delaware	7/12/2016	9/13/2016
District of Columbia	3/16/2016	6/14/2016
Florida	6/24/2016	8/30/2016
Georgia	3/11/2016	5/24/2016
Hawaii	6/7/2016	8/13/2016
Idaho	3/11/2016	5/17/2016
Illinois	11/30/2015	3/15/2016
Indiana	2/5/2016	5/3/2016
Iowa	3/18/2016	6/7/2016
Kansas	6/1/2016	8/2/2016
Kentucky	1/26/2016	5/17/2016
Louisiana	7/22/2016	11/8/2016
Maine	3/15/2016	6/14/2016
Maryland	2/3/2016	4/26/2016
Massachusetts	6/7/2016	9/20/2016
Michigan	4/19/2016	8/2/2016
Minnesota	5/31/2016	8/9/2016
Mississippi	1/8/2016	3/8/2016
Missouri	3/29/2016	8/2/2016
Montana	3/14/2016	6/7/2016
Nebraska	2/16/2016 (incumbents); 3/1/2016 (non-incumbents)	5/10/2016
Nevada	3/18/2016	6/14/2016
New Hampshire	6/10/2016	9/13/2016
New Jersey	4/4/2016	6/7/2016
New Mexico	2/2/2016	6/7/2016
New York	4/14/2016 (major parties); 4/21/2016 (write-in); 8/2/2016 (independents); 9/9/2016 (other parties)	6/28/2016
North Carolina	2/29/2016	3/15/2016 (all non-U.S. House races); 6/7/2016 (U.S. House)
North Dakota	4/11/2016	6/14/2016
Ohio	12/16/2015	3/15/2016
Oklahoma	4/15/2016	6/28/2016
Oregon	3/8/2016	5/17/2016
Pennsylvania	2/16/2016	4/26/2016
Rhode Island	6/29/2016	9/13/2016
South Carolina	3/30/2016	6/14/2016
South Dakota	3/29/2016	6/7/2016
Tennessee	4/7/2016	8/4/2016
Texas	12/14/2015	3/1/2016
Utah	3/17/2016	6/28/2016
Vermont	5/26/2016	8/9/2016
Virginia	3/31/2016	6/14/2016
Washington	5/20/2016	8/2/2016
West Virginia	1/30/2016	5/10/2016
Wisconsin	6/1/2016	8/9/2016
Wyoming	5/27/2016	8/16/2016

See also

Suggest a link

• United States Congress elections, 2016
• United States House of Representatives elections, 2016
• Presidential election, 2016
• United States Senate

Footnotes

For information about public policy issues in the 2016 elections, see: Public policy in the 2016 elections!