2020 United States Senate elections

Seats

Parties						Total
			Democratic	Independent	Republican
Last elections (2018)			45	2	53	100
Before these elections			45	2	53	100
Not up			33	2	30	65
	Class 1 (2018→2024)		21	2	10	33
	Class 3 (2016→2022)		12	—	20	32
Up			12	—	23	35
	Class 2 (2014→2020)		12	—	21	33
	Special: Class 3		—	—	2	2
	Regular elections
	Incumbent retired		1	—	3	4
		Held by same party	1	—	3	4
		Replaced by other party	—	—	—	0
		Result	1	—	3	4
	Incumbent ran		11	—	18	29
		Won re-election	10	—	16	26
		Lost re-election	1 Democrat replaced by 1 Republican 2 Republicans replaced by 2 Democrats			3
Special elections
	Appointee ran		—	—	2	2
		Appointee elected	—	—	0	0
		Result	2 Republicans replaced by 2 Democrats			2
Result			48[c]	2[e]	50[c]	100

Votes

National results^[21]

Parties		Votes	%	Seats
				Total before	Up	Won	Total after	+/-
	Republican	39,834,647	49.29	53	23	20	50	3
	Democratic	38,011,916	47.03	45	12	15	48	3
	Libertarian	1,454,128	1.80	0	0	0	0
	Green	258,348	0.32	0	0	0	0
	Constitution	110,851	0.14	0	0	0	0
	Independent	255,768	0.32	2	0	0	2
	Other parties	794,479	0.98	0	0	0	0
	Write-in	100,946	0.12	0	0	0	0
Total		80,821,083	100.00	100	35	35	100

Republicans defended 23 seats, while Democrats defended 12.^[12] Each block represents one of the 100 Senate seats. "D#" is a Democratic senator, "I#" is an independent senator, and "R#" is a Republican senator. They are arranged so that the parties are separated, and a majority is clear by crossing the middle.

Before the elections

Each block indicates an incumbent senator's actions going into the election. Both Independents caucus with the Democrats.

After the elections

After the January 5, 2021 runoff elections in Georgia.

Several sites and individuals published predictions of competitive seats. These predictions looked at factors such as the strength of the incumbent (if the incumbent was running for re-election) and the other candidates, and the state's partisan lean (reflected in part by the state's Cook Partisan Voting Index rating). The predictions assigned ratings to each seat, indicating the predicted advantage that a party had in winning that seat. Most election predictors used:

• "tossup": no advantage
• "tilt" (used by some predictors): advantage that is not quite as strong as "lean"
• "lean": slight advantage
• "likely": significant, but surmountable, advantage
• "safe" or "solid": near-certain chance of victory

Retirements

One Democrat and three Republicans retired instead of seeking re-election.

Defeats

One Democrat and four Republicans sought re-election but lost in the general election, that included two interim appointees who also sought elections to finish the terms.

Post-election changes

One Democrat resigned shortly after the start of the 117th Congress and was replaced by Democratic appointee.

Special elections during the preceding Congress

In each special election, the winner's term begins immediately after their election is certified by their state's government.

Elections are sorted by date then state.

Elections leading to the next Congress

In each general election, the winner is elected for the term beginning January 3, 2021.

12 races had a margin of victory under 10%:

Alabama election

← 2017 (special) 2026 →

Nominee Tommy Tuberville Doug Jones Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,392,076 920,478 Percentage 60.1% 39.7%

Tuberville:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80-90% Jones:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

U.S. senator before election Doug Jones Democratic Elected U.S. senator Tommy Tuberville Republican

Incumbent Democrat Doug Jones was elected in a special election in 2017, narrowly defeating Republican nominee Roy Moore.^[91][92] He ran for a full term in 2020, losing to Republican Tommy Tuberville in a landslide.

Tuberville is a former football head coach for Auburn University. He defeated former senator and attorney general Jeff Sessions in a July 14 run-off to secure the Republican nomination, after securing President Donald Trump's endorsement. Sessions occupied the seat until 2017 when he resigned to become attorney general in the Trump administration.

Alabama is one of the country's most Republican states, and Jones's win was in part due to sexual assault allegations against nominee Roy Moore during the special election; most analysts expected the seat to flip back to GOP control. Tuberville defeated Jones by more than 20 percentage points.^[93]

Alaska election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee Dan Sullivan Al Gross[af] Party Republican Independent Popular vote 191,112 146,068 Percentage 53.90% 41.19%

Borough and census area results Sullivan:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Gross:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70-80%

U.S. senator before election Dan Sullivan Republican Elected U.S. senator Dan Sullivan Republican

One-term Republican Dan Sullivan was elected in 2014, defeating incumbent Democrat Mark Begich. He defeated independent challenger Al Gross to win a second term in office.^[96]

Potential Democratic candidates included Begich, who was the Democratic nominee for governor of Alaska in 2018, and Anchorage mayor Ethan Berkowitz, who was the Democratic nominee for governor of Alaska in 2010. One Democrat, Edgar Blatchford, filed to run by the June 1 filing deadline.^[97]

Gross, an orthopedic surgeon and fisherman, declared his candidacy on July 2, 2019, as an independent.^[98] He participated in a joint primary for the Alaska Democratic Party, Alaska Libertarian Party and Alaskan Independence Party, winning the nomination as an independent supported by the Democratic Party.

Despite predictions of a close race, Sullivan defeated Gross by 12.7 percentage points.^[99]

Arizona special election

← 2016 2022 →

Nominee Mark Kelly Martha McSally Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,716,467 1,637,661 Percentage 51.2% 48.8%

County results Kelly:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% McSally:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Martha McSally Republican Elected U.S. senator Mark Kelly Democratic

Six-term Republican John McCain was re-elected in 2016, but died in office on August 25, 2018, after a battle with brain cancer.^[102] Republican governor Doug Ducey appointed former senator Jon Kyl to fill the seat temporarily.^[103] After Kyl stepped down at the end of the year, Ducey appointed outgoing U.S. Representative Martha McSally to replace him after she lost the election to the other Arizona senate seat.^[104] McSally ran in the 2020 special election to fill the remaining two years of the term,^[105] losing to Democrat Mark Kelly, a former astronaut.

Once a solidly Republican state, Arizona trended more purple in the late 2010s. Incumbent Republican Martha McSally was appointed to the late John McCain's seat two months after losing the 2018 Arizona U.S. Senate election to Democrat Kyrsten Sinema. Her Democratic opponent, astronaut Mark Kelly, raised significantly more money and generally led her by 5 to 15 points in the polling. McSally also suffered from low approval ratings due to her strong allegiance to Trump, who was unpopular in Arizona despite having won the state by 3.5 points in 2016.^[106]

Arkansas election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee Tom Cotton Ricky Dale Harrington Jr. Party Republican Libertarian Popular vote 793,871 399,390 Percentage 66.5% 33.5%

County results Cotton:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Harrington:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Tom Cotton Republican Elected U.S. senator Tom Cotton Republican

One-term Republican Tom Cotton was elected in 2014, after serving two years in the United States House of Representatives, defeating incumbent Democratic senator Mark Pryor by a comfortable margin. Cotton was re-elected to a second term by a 33-point margin, defeating Libertarian Ricky Dale Harrington Jr.^{[109][110][111]}

Joshua Mahony, a non-profit executive and 2018 Democratic nominee for Congress in Arkansas's 3rd congressional district, filed to run for the Democratic nomination,^[112] but dropped out just after the filing deadline.^[113] No other Democrats filed within the filing deadline. Progressive activist Dan Whitfield ran as an independent, but suspended his campaign on October 1, 2020, after failing to qualify for the ballot.^[114]

Colorado election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee John Hickenlooper Cory Gardner Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,731,114 1,429,492 Percentage 53.5% 44.2%

County results Hickenlooper:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Gardner:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

U.S. senator before election Cory Gardner Republican Elected U.S. senator John Hickenlooper Democratic

One-term Republican Cory Gardner was elected in 2014 after serving four years in the United States House of Representatives, narrowly defeating one-term Democrat Mark Udall. Gardner sought a second term but lost to Democrat John Hickenlooper by 9.3 percentage points.^[116]

Hickenlooper is a popular former governor of Colorado, and led Gardner by as much as 20 percentage points in polls, with most pundits considering him a heavy favorite. Gardner was Colorado's only Republican statewide officeholder, and the once purple state has trended increasingly Democratic since his narrow win in 2014. Gardner also had low approval ratings due to his strong allegiance to Trump, who lost Colorado in 2016 to Hillary Clinton by 4.9%, and in 2020 to Joe Biden by 13.5%.^[117][118] Hickenlooper also raised significantly more money than Gardner.^[119]

Delaware election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee Chris Coons Lauren Witzke Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 291,804 186,054 Percentage 59.4% 37.9%

County results Coons:      50–60%      60–70% Witzke:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Chris Coons Democratic Elected U.S. senator Chris Coons Democratic

One-term Democrat Chris Coons was re-elected in 2014; he first took office after winning a 2010 special election, which occurred after long-time senator Joe Biden resigned to become vice president of the United States (Biden also won the 2020 presidential election and became president). He faced an unsuccessful primary challenge from technology executive Jessica Scarane. Conservative activist Lauren Witzke and attorney Jim DeMartino ran for the Republican nomination.

The Delaware primary was held on September 15, 2020.^[123]

Due to Republican senator Johnny Isakson's resignation from office for health reasons in 2019, both of Georgia's Senate seats were up for election in November 2020.^[126] The state had tilted Republican in Senate races since the mid-1990s, but increased support for Democrats in populous suburbs has made office elections more competitive; a close governor's race, multiple close U.S. House races, and many other close local office races resulted in Democratic gains in 2018 elections. Both the regular and special election were considered highly competitive toss-ups.^[127] Both of these elections received national attention, as if Republicans won at least one of these seats, they would maintain a Senate majority, but if the Democrats won both, the Senate would be split 50/50 with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking the tie.

Georgia (regular)

2020–21 United States Senate election in Georgia

← 2014 November 3, 2020 (first round) January 5, 2021 (runoff) 2026 →
Turnout	65.4% (first round) 61.5% (runoff)
Candidate Jon Ossoff David Perdue Party Democratic Republican First round 2,374,519 47.95% 2,462,617 49.73% Runoff 2,269,923 50.61% 2,214,979 49.39%
First round county results Runoff county results County results Ossoff:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Perdue:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
U.S. senator before election David Perdue Republican Elected U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff Democratic

One-term Republican David Perdue was elected in 2014, and sought a second term.^[128]

Jon Ossoff, a former congressional candidate, documentary film producer, and investigative journalist, defeated former Columbus mayor Teresa Tomlinson and 2018 lieutenant governor nominee Sarah Riggs Amico in the Democratic primary to secure nomination.^[129][130] He faced incumbent Republican David Perdue in the November 3 election.

In the November election, no candidate received 50% or more of the total vote; per Georgia law, the election advanced to a run-off between the top two finishers, Ossoff and Perdue, on January 5, 2021. Ossoff was projected the winner on January 6,^[131] and Perdue conceded on January 8.^[132]

Georgia (special)

2020–21 United States Senate special election in Georgia

← 2016 November 3, 2020 (first round) January 5, 2021 (runoff) 2022 →
Turnout	65.3% (first round) 59.7% (runoff)
Candidate Raphael Warnock Kelly Loeffler Party Democratic Republican First round 1,617,035 32.90% 1,273,214 25.91% Runoff 2,289,113 51.04% 2,195,841 48.96%   Candidate Doug Collins Deborah Jackson Party Republican Democratic First round 980,454 19.95% 324,118 6.59% Runoff Eliminated Eliminated
First round county results Runoff county results Warnock:      20–30%      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Loeffler:      20–30%      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Collins:      20–30%      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%
U.S. senator before election Kelly Loeffler Republican Elected U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock Democratic

Three-term senator Johnny Isakson announced on August 28, 2019, that he would resign from the Senate on December 31, 2019, citing health concerns.^[136] Georgia governor Brian Kemp appointed Republican Kelly Loeffler to replace Isakson until a special election could be held; Loeffler took office on January 6, 2020, and competed in the November 2020 election to retain her seat.^[137]

Other Republicans who ran for the seat included Wayne Johnson, former chief operating officer of the Office of Federal Student Aid,^[138] and four-term U.S. representative Doug Collins.^[139]

A "jungle primary" was held November 3, 2020, but no candidate won more than 50% of the vote, so a run-off election between the top two finishers, Loeffler and Democratic challenger Raphael Warnock, was held on January 5, 2021.^[140] Warnock defeated Loeffler, who initially refused to concede and vowed to challenge the outcome,^[141] but conceded on January 7, after the storming of the U.S. Capitol.^[142]

Idaho election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee Jim Risch Paulette Jordan Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 537,446 285,864 Percentage 62.6% 33.3%

County results Risch:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Jordan:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Jim Risch Republican Elected U.S. senator Jim Risch Republican

Two-term republican Jim Risch successfully ran for a third term in 2020, defeating Democrat Paulette Jordan in a landslide. Jordan is a former gubernatorial nominee and former Coeur d'Alene Tribal Councilwoman.

Illinois election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee Dick Durbin Mark Curran Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 3,278,930 2,319,870 Percentage 54.9% 38.9%

County results Durbin:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Curran:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

U.S. senator before election Dick Durbin Democratic Elected U.S. senator Dick Durbin Democratic

Four-term democrat and Senate minority whip Dick Durbin, easily won a fifth term in office, defeating Republican Mark Curran by a 16-point margin.^[147]

Curran served as sheriff of Lake County from 2006 to 2018 and won the Republican primary with 41.55% of the vote.^[148]

Antiwar activist Marilyn Jordan Lawlor^[149] and state representative Anne Stava-Murray^[150] briefly challenged Durbin in the Democratic primary, but both ended up withdrawing.^[151][152]

2019 Chicago mayoral candidate Willie Wilson, a businessman and perennial candidate, ran as a member of the "Willie Wilson Party," with the backing of a handful of Chicago aldermen and the Chicago Police Union.

Iowa election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee Joni Ernst Theresa Greenfield Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 864,997 754,859 Percentage 51.7% 45.2%

County results Ernst:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Greenfield:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Joni Ernst Republican Elected U.S. senator Joni Ernst Republican

One-term republican Joni Ernst, first elected to the Senate in 2014, won a second term in office, defeating Democrat Theresa Greenfield.^[155]

Greenfield won the Democratic nomination, defeating former vice-admiral Michael T. Franken, attorney Kimberly Graham, and businessman Eddie Mauro in the primary.

Ernst's popularity had dropped in polls, and many considered this seat a possible Democratic pick-up, but Ernst was re-elected by a larger-than-expected 6.5 points.

Kansas election

← 2014 2026 →

Nominee Roger Marshall Barbara Bollier Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 727,962 571,530 Percentage 53.2% 41.8%

County results Marshall:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Bollier:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Pat Roberts Republican Elected U.S. senator Roger Marshall Republican

Four-term Republican Pat Roberts, was re-elected in 2014 with 53.15% of the vote, and announced on January 4, 2019, that he would not be running for re-election in 2020.

In the Republican primary, United States representative Roger Marshall defeated former Kansas secretary of state Kris Kobach,^[158] state Turnpike Authority chairman Dave Lindstrom,^[159] state senate president Susan Wagle, and others.^[160]

There was considerable speculation about a Senate bid by Mike Pompeo (the United States secretary of state, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and former U.S. representative for Kansas's 4th congressional district), but he did not run.^[161][162]

Barbara Bollier, a state senator and former Republican,^[163] defeated former congressional candidate Robert Tillman^[164] for the Democratic nomination, but lost to Marshall with a more than expected 11.4 point margin.