The 1992 United States Senate elections, held November 3, 1992, were elections for the United States Senate. The 34 seats of Class 3 were contested in regular elections, along with special elections to fill vacancies. They coincided with Bill Clinton's victory in the presidential election. This was the first time since 1956 that the balance of the Senate remained the same.

Quick Facts 36 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate 51 seats needed for a majority, Majority party ...

1992 United States Senate elections

← 1990 November 3, 1992 November 24 (Georgia runoff) 1994 →
← 1991 (PA) 1993 (TX) →
36 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate 51 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader George Mitchell Bob Dole Party Democratic Republican Leader since January 3, 1989 January 3, 1985 Leader's seat Maine Kansas Seats before 57 43 Seats after 57 43 Seat change Popular vote 40,589,727[1][lower-alpha 1] 35,449,473[1][lower-alpha 1] Percentage 49.9% 43.6% Seats up 21 15 Races won 21[lower-alpha 1] 15
Results of the elections:      Democratic gain      Democratic hold      Republican gain      Republican hold      No election Rectangular inset (Calif. & N. D.): both seats up for election
Majority Leader before election George Mitchell Democratic Elected Majority Leader George Mitchell Democratic

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Both parties swapped a pair of seats, resulting in no net change in the partisan breakdown, which had been at 57–43 since Democrats flipped a seat in Pennsylvania in a special election. Democratic victories over Republicans John F. Seymour in the special California race and Bob Kasten in Wisconsin were cancelled out by the defeats of Democrats Wyche Fowler in Georgia and Terry Sanford in North Carolina.

The election of four new Democratic women to the Senate was notable with it being referred to in the press as the "Year of the Woman". Due to a special election in California, both of California's Senate seats were up for election in 1992, and these seats were won by Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer. Thus, California became the first state to have elected women to occupy both of its Senate seats. Democrat Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois, became the first African-American woman in the United States Senate. As of 2023^[update], this was the last election cycle in which Republicans won a Senate election in New York and Democrats in Kentucky.

Seat totals include both the special elections in California and North Dakota, but vote totals exclude the North Dakota total.

More information Parties, Total ...

Parties							Total
		Democratic	Republican	Libertarian	Independent	Other
Last elections (1990)		56	44	0	0	0	100
Before these elections		57	43	0	0	0	100
Not up		36	28	—	—	—	64
Up		21	15	—	—	—	36
	Class 3 (1986→1992)	20	14	—	—	—	34
	Special: Class 1	1	1	—	—	—	2
Incumbent retired		5[lower-alpha 2]	3	—	—	—	8
	Held by same party	5	3	—	—	—	8
	Replaced by other party	0	0	—	—	—	0
	Result	5	3	—	—	—	8
Incumbent ran		16[lower-alpha 3]	12[lower-alpha 4]	—	—	—	28
	Won re-election	13	10	—	—	—	23
	Lost re-election	2 Republicans replaced by 2 Democrats 2 Democrats replaced by 2 Republicans		—	—	—	4
	Lost renomination, but held by same party	1	0	—	—	—	1
	Result	16	12	—	—	—	28
Total elected		21	15	—	—	—	36
Net gain/loss							0
Nationwide vote		40,589,727	35,449,473	1,234,416	624,673	3,486,729	81,385,018
	Share	49.87%	43.56%	1.52%	0.77%	4.28%	100%
Result		57	43	—	—	—	100

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Source: Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives^[1]

In thirteen races, the margin of victory was under 10%.

Illinois was the tipping point state, decided by a margin of 10%.

Quick Facts Nominee, Party ...

Alabama election

← 1986 1998 →

Nominee Richard Shelby Richard Sellers Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,022,698 522,015 Percentage 64.8% 33.1%

County results Shelby:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Sellers:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Richard Shelby Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Richard Shelby Democratic

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Incumbent Democrat Richard Shelby won re-election to a second term, beating Richard Sellers, a conservative activist.^[2]

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Alaska election

← 1986 1998 →

Nominee Frank Murkowski Tony Smith Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 127,163 92,065 Percentage 53.05% 38.41%   Nominee Mary Jordan Party Green Popular vote 20,019 Percentage 8.35%

Results by state house district Murkowski:      40–50%      50–60% Smith:      40–50%      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Frank Murkowski Republican Elected U.S. Senator Frank Murkowski Republican

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Incumbent Republican Frank Murkowski sought re-election to a third term in the United States Senate. Tony Smith, the Democratic nominee and a former Commissioner of Economic Development, won his party's nomination in a crowded primary and faced off against Murkowski in the general election. Though Murkowski was held to a lower vote percentage than he received six years prior, he was ultimately re-elected.

Quick Facts Nominee, Party ...

Arizona election

← 1986 1998 →

Nominee John McCain Claire Sargent Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 771,395 436,321 Percentage 55.8% 31.6%   Nominee Evan Mecham Party Independent Popular vote 145,361 Percentage 10.3%

County results McCain:      40–50%      50–60% Sargent:      40–50%

U.S. senator before election John McCain Republican Elected U.S. Senator John McCain Republican

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Incumbent Republican John McCain won re-election to a second term over Democrat Claire Sargent, community activist^[6] and Independent former Governor Evan Mecham.

Quick Facts Nominee, Party ...

Arkansas election

← 1986 1998 →

Nominee Dale Bumpers Mike Huckabee Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 553,635 366,373 Percentage 60.2% 39.8%

County results Bumpers:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Huckabee:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Dale Bumpers Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Dale Bumpers Democratic

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Incumbent Democratic senator Dale Bumpers won re-election to a fourth term. His Republican opponent was future Arkansas lieutenant governor, governor, and two-time presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, a church pastor from Texarkana.

The 1992 election coincided with Arkansas governor Bill Clinton's election as President of the United States, in which he also won his home state. In contrast with Bumpers' landslide where he won over 60% of the vote, Clinton won only 53.21% of the vote. Bumpers would serve another term in the U.S. Senate before deciding to retire in 1998.

Due to the resignation of Pete Wilson to become Governor of California, there were two senate elections in California as both seats were up for election and both won by women. California ultimately become the first state to have two sitting women senators.

California (regular)

Quick Facts Nominee, Party ...

California general election

← 1986 1998 →

Nominee Barbara Boxer Bruce Herschensohn Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 5,173,467 4,644,182 Percentage 47.9% 43.0%

County results Boxer:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Herchensohn:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Alan Cranston Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer Democratic

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Main article: 1992 United States Senate election in California

See also: List of United States senators from California and 1992 United States Senate special election in California

Incumbent Democrat Alan Cranston decided to retire. Democratic U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Boxer won the open seat over Republican conservative TV talk show commentator Bruce Herschensohn. Both of California's senators were elected for the first time. This is not a unique occurrence; it would happen again in Tennessee in 1994, Kansas in 1996 and Georgia in 2020-2021. Fellow Democrat Dianne Feinstein, California's other senator, won the special election and was inaugurated in November 1992.

The election between Boxer and Herschensohn was very close. At the eleventh hour, controversy emerged that the Republican nominee attended a strip club, which some Republican operatives later blamed for Herschensohn's loss.^[8]

Four days before Election Day polls showed Herschensohn had narrowed a double digit deficit, trailing by 3 points. Political operative Bob Mulholland disrupted a campaign appearance with a large poster advertising a strip club shouting "Should the voters of California elect someone who frequently travels the strip joints of Hollywood?" Herschensohn admitted he had visited a strip club once, with his girlfriend and another couple. With press coverage of the story, Herschensohn spent the waning days of the campaign denying related allegations. When the votes were cast and counted, Barbara Boxer won the election by five points.^[9] Although Republicans have blamed the defeat on the underhanded tactics of the Boxer campaign, evidence of the connection between Mulholland's outburst and the campaign never surfaced.^[10][11][12]

The election was very close. Boxer was declared the winner by the Associated Press at 1:22 A.M. Pacific Coast Time.

More information Party, Candidate ...

1992 United States Senate election, California

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Barbara Boxer	5,173,467	47.90
	Republican	Bruce Herschensohn	4,644,182	43.00
	American Independent	Jerome N. McCready	373,051	3.45
	Peace and Freedom	Genevieve Torres	372,817	3.45
	Libertarian	June R. Genis	235,919	2.18
	No party	Write-ins	267	0.00
Invalid or blank votes			574,862	5.05
Total votes			11,374,565	100.00
Turnout			{{{votes}}}	54.52
	Democratic hold

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California (special)

Quick Facts Nominee, Party ...

California special election

← 1988 1994 →

Nominee Dianne Feinstein John F. Seymour Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 5,853,651 4,093,501 Percentage 54.29% 37.96%

County results Feinstein:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Seymour:      40–50%      50–60%

U.S. senator before election John F. Seymour Republican Elected U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein Democratic

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Main article: 1992 United States Senate special election in California

In the 1990 gubernatorial election, Republican senator Pete Wilson had beaten Democrat Dianne Feinstein for governor. He appointed John F. Seymour to the Senate to replace himself. In this special election held simultaneously with the regular Senate election, Feinstein defeated Seymour to serve the remaining 2 years of the term and took office November 4, only 1 day after the election. Fellow Democrat Barbara Boxer won the regular election and was sworn in in January 1993.

Both of California's senators were elected for the first time. This is not a unique occurrence; it would happen again in Tennessee in 1994, Kansas in 1996, and Georgia in 2020.

More information Party, Candidate ...

1992 special United States Senate election, California

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Dianne Feinstein	5,853,651	54.29%
	Republican	John F. Seymour (Incumbent)	4,093,501	37.96%
	Peace and Freedom	Gerald Horne	305,697	2.84%
	American Independent	Paul Meeuwenberg	281,973	2.62%
	Libertarian	Richard Benjamin Boddie	247,799	2.30%
	No party	Write-ins	122	0.00%
Invalid or blank votes			591,822	5.20%
Total votes			11,374,565	100.00%
Turnout			{{{votes}}}	54.52
	Democratic gain from Republican

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Quick Facts Nominee, Party ...

Colorado election

← 1986 1998 →

Nominee Ben Nighthorse Campbell Terry Considine Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 803,725 662,893 Percentage 51.8% 42.7%

County results Nighthorse Campbell:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Considine:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Tim Wirth Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell Democratic

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Incumbent Democrat Tim Wirth decided to retire instead of seeking a second term. Democratic congressman Ben Nighthorse Campbell won the open seat, beating Republican State senator Terry Considine.

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Connecticut election

← 1986 1998 →

Nominee Chris Dodd Brook Johnson Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 882,569 572,036 Percentage 58.8% 38.1%

County results Municipality results Dodd:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Johnson:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Chris Dodd Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Chris Dodd Democratic

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Incumbent Democrat Christopher Dodd won re-election for a third term over Republican businessman Brook Johnson.

Johnson, a millionaire businessman who had never run for public office before, spent about $900,000 during the primary campaign. His television and radio commercials said that he would bring "a dose of success Washington needs." Dodd had $2 million cash on hand following the primaries.^[14]

Quick Facts Nominee, Party ...

Florida election

← 1986 1998 →

Nominee Bob Graham James W. Grant Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 3,245,585 1,716,511 Percentage 65.4% 35.4%

Graham:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Grant:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Bob Graham Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Bob Graham Democratic

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Incumbent Democrat Bob Graham won re-election to a second term, beating Republican former U.S. Representative Bill Grant.

Graham defeated Grant in a landslide, as Grant won just one county in the state (Okaloosa County, Florida). There were no third party or independent candidates.

Quick Facts Nominee, Party ...

1992 United States Senate election in Georgia

← 1986 November 3, 1992 (first round) November 24, 1992 (runoff) 1998 →

Nominee Paul Coverdell Wyche Fowler Party Republican Democratic First round 1,073,282 47.67% 1,108,416 49.23% Runoff 635,118 50.65% 618,774 49.35%

First round county results Runoff county results Coverdell:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Fowler:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

U.S. senator before election Wyche Fowler Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Paul Coverdell Republican

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Incumbent Democrat Wyche Fowler did not receive a simple majority in the general election, which demanded a runoff. Paul Coverdell, former Director of the Peace Corps and former State senator, edged out Fowler in the runoff with a narrow margin.^[5]

The general primary was held July 21, 1992.^[18] A run-off between the top two Republican contenders was held on August 11, in which Paul Coverdell defeated Bob Barr.

Results^[19] for the first round showed that since Paul Coverdell did not win a majority of the vote, a runoff was held between him and Barr. Coverdell subsequently won the runoff.

As no candidate reached a majority on November 3, a runoff election was held on November 24, which Coverdell won.

Quick Facts Nominee, Party ...

Hawaii election

← 1986 1998 →

Nominee Daniel Inouye Rick Reed Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 208,266 97,928 Percentage 57.3% 26.9%   Nominee Linda Martin Party Green Popular vote 49,921 Percentage 13.7%

County results Inouye:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Daniel Inouye Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye Democratic

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Incumbent Democrat Daniel Inouye won re-election to a sixth term over Republican State senator Rick Reed.^[20]

Quick Facts Nominee, Party ...

Idaho election

← 1986 1998 →

Nominee Dirk Kempthorne Richard H. Stallings Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 270,468 208,036 Percentage 56.5% 43.5%

County results Kempthorne:      50–60%      60–70% Stallings:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Steve Symms Republican Elected U.S. Senator Dirk Kempthorne Republican

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Incumbent Republican Steve Symms decided to retire instead of seeking a third term. Republican Mayor of Boise Dirk Kempthorne won the open seat, beating Democratic congressman Richard H. Stallings.

Quick Facts Nominee, Party ...

Illinois election

← 1986 1998 →

Nominee Carol Moseley Braun Richard S. Williamson Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 2,631,229 2,162,833 Percentage 53.0% 43.0%

County Results Braun:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Williamson:      40–50%      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Alan J. Dixon Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Carol Moseley Braun Democratic

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Incumbent Democrat Alan J. Dixon decided to run for re-election a third term, but was defeated in the primary against Carol Moseley Braun, Cook County Recorder of Deeds and former State Representative, who then won the general election over Republican Richard S. Williamson, former Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs. Braun (whose victory coincided with Bill Clinton's win in the presidential election and Illinois) made history in this election by becoming the first African-American woman ever elected to the U.S. Senate, and also the first African-American elected to the U.S. Senate as a Democrat.

This defeat shocked observers; at the time no senator had been defeated in a primary in over a decade and Dixon had a long record of electoral success. He was a moderate Democrat, who recently voted to confirm Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court.^[23] Braun, a black woman and known reformist liberal, got a large share of black, liberal, and women voters ("The Year of the Woman").

In addition, she carried Cook County, Illinois, by far the most populated county in the state. Another factor was the third candidate in the race, multi-millionaire attorney Al Hofeld. Hofeld drew away some of the moderate and conservative Democrats who normally supported Dixon. He also spent a lot of money running advertisements attacking Dixon, weakening his support.

Moseley Braun won the 1992 Illinois Senate Race by a fairly comfortable margin. Moseley Braun did well as expected in Cook County home of Chicago. Williamson did well in the Chicago collar counties, and most northern parts of the state. Moseley Braun had a surprisingly strong showing in southern Illinois, which Republicans had come to dominate in the last several decades. Braun also did well in Rock Island County.

Quick Facts Nominee, Party ...

Indiana election

← 1990 (special) 1998 →

Nominee Dan Coats Joe Hogsett Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,267,972 900,148 Percentage 57.3% 40.8%

County results Coats:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Hogsett:      40–50%      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Dan Coats Republican Elected U.S. Senator Dan Coats Republican

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Incumbent Republican Dan Coats won re-election to his first full term, beating the Democratic Indiana Secretary of State Joe Hogsett.^[24]

When incumbent Republican Dan Quayle resigned from the Senate after being elected Vice President of the United States in 1988, Coats was appointed to Quayle's former seat. He then won election to serve the remainder of the term in 1990.

Coats won 79 of Indiana's counties compared to 13 for Hogsett.^[25]

Quick Facts Nominee, Party ...

Iowa election

← 1986 1998 →

Nominee Chuck Grassley Jean Hall Lloyd-Jones Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 899,761 351,561 Percentage 69.6% 27.2%

County results Grassley:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%      80-90%      >90%

U.S. senator before election Chuck Grassley Republican Elected U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley Republican

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Incumbent Republican Chuck Grassley ran for re-election to a third term in the United States Senate, which he won easily against his Democratic opponent, State senator Jean Hall Lloyd-Jones.