United States Senate election in Hawaii, 1986

United States Senate elections, 1986

← 1984 November 4, 1986 1988 →
Class 3 (34 of the 100) seats in the United States Senate 51 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Robert Byrd Bob Dole Party Democratic Republican Leader's seat West Virginia Kansas Seats before 47 53 Seats after 55 45 Seat change 8 8 Popular vote 24,347,369 23,126,219 Percentage 50.1% 47.6% Swing 0.3% 1.7% Seats up 12 24 Races won 20 16
Results      Democratic gain      Democratic hold      Republican gain      Republican hold
Majority leader before election Bob Dole Republican Elected Majority leader Robert Byrd Democratic

Alabama election

← 1980 1992 →
Nominee Richard Shelby Jeremiah Denton Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 609,360 602,537 Percentage 50.3% 49.7%
U.S. Senator before election Jeremiah Denton Republican Elected U.S. Senator Richard Shelby Democratic

Alaska election

← 1980 1992 →
Nominee Frank Murkowski Glenn Olds Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 97,764 79,727 Percentage 54.02% 44.10%
U.S. Senator before election Frank Murkowski Republican Elected U.S. Senator Frank Murkowski Republican

Arizona election

← 1980 1992 →
Nominee John McCain Richard Kimball Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 521,850 340,965 Percentage 60.4% 39.5%
U.S. Senate election results map. Red denotes counties won by McCain. Blue denotes those won by Kimball.
U.S. Senator before election Barry Goldwater Republican Elected U.S. Senator John McCain Republican

Arkansas election

← 1980 1992 →
Nominee Dale Bumpers Asa Hutchinson Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 433,122 262,313 Percentage 62.3% 37.7%
U.S. Senator before election Dale Bumpers Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Dale Bumpers Democratic

California election

← 1980 1992 →
Nominee Alan Cranston Ed Zschau Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 3,646,672 3,541,804 Percentage 49.3% 47.9%
U.S. Senator before election Alan Cranston Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Alan Cranston Democratic

Colorado election

← 1980 1992 →
Nominee Tim Wirth Ken Kramer Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 529,449 512,994 Percentage 49.9% 48.4%
U.S. Senator before election Gary Hart Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Tim Wirth Democratic

Connecticut election

← 1980 1992 →
Nominee Chris Dodd Roger Eddy Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 632,695 340,438 Percentage 64.8% 34.9%
County Results
U.S. Senator before election Chris Dodd Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Chris Dodd Democratic

Florida election

← 1980 1992 →
Nominee Bob Graham Paula Hawkins Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,877,543 1,552,376 Percentage 54.7% 45.2%
U.S. Senator before election Paula Hawkins Republican Elected U.S. Senator Bob Graham Democratic

Georgia election

← 1980 1992 →
Nominee Wyche Fowler Mack Mattingly Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 623,707 601,241 Percentage 50.92% 49.08%
County Results
U.S. Senator before election Mack Mattingly Republican Elected U.S. Senator Wyche Fowler Democratic

Bob Dole
Republican

Robert Byrd
Democratic

The United States Senate elections, 1986 was an election for the United States Senate in the middle of Ronald Reagan's second presidential term. The Republicans had to defend an unusually large number of freshman Senate incumbents who had been elected on President Ronald Reagan's coattails in 1980. Democrats won a net of eight seats, defeating seven freshman incumbents and regaining control of the Senate for the first time since January 1981. The party not controlling the presidency gained seats, as usually occurs in mid-term elections.

Shading indicates party with largest share of that line.

Democrats gained a net of eight seats, and recaptured control of the Senate from the Republicans with a 55–45 majority. Robert Dole (R-Kansas) and Robert C. Byrd (D-West Virginia) exchanged positions as the Majority Leader and the Minority Leader.

This was the last election — until 2016 — in which the Democrats in this Class of Senators (1/3 of the Senate) amassed a gain in seats (not including special elections held in off-years in some states to fill the seats that had been vacated by Senators due to death, resignation, or otherwise).

The only gain by the Republican Party was for one "open seat" in Missouri. On the other hand, the Democratic Party gained the "open seats" in Maryland and Nevada, and the Democrats also defeated seven incumbent Republican Senators, six of them who were first-term senators who had been elected in 1980.