| Election Name: | 1808–09 United States Senate elections |
| Country: | United States |
| Flag Year: | 1795 |
| Type: | legislative |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1806–07 United States Senate elections |
| Next Election: | 1810–11 United States Senate elections |
| Seats For Election: | 12 of the 34 seats in the United States Senate (plus special elections) |
| Majority Seats: | 18 |
| Election Date: | Dates vary by state |
| 1Blank: | Seats up |
| Party1: | Democratic-Republican Party |
| Last Election1: | 27 seats |
| Seats Before1: | 28 |
| Seats1: | 8 |
| Seats After1: | 27 |
| Seat Change1: | 1 |
| 1Data1: | 9 |
| Party2: | Federalist Party |
| Last Election2: | 7 seats |
| Seats Before2: | 6 |
| Seats2: | 4 |
| Seats After2: | 7 |
| Seat Change2: | 1 |
| 1Data2: | 3 |
| Majority Party | |
| Before Party: | Democratic-Republican Party |
| After Party: | Democratic-Republican Party |
The 1808–09 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states, coinciding with the 1808 presidential election. As these U.S. Senate elections were prior to the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, senators were chosen by state legislatures. Senators were elected over a wide range of time throughout 1808 and 1809, and a seat may have been filled months late or remained vacant due to legislative deadlock.[1] In these elections, terms were up for the senators in Class 1.
The Federalist Party gained one seat in these elections. The Federalists had gone into the elections with such a small share of Senate seats (6 out of 34, or 18%) that even if they had won every election, they would have still remained a minority caucus.
Senate party division, 11th Congress (1809–1811)
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| V | DR | DR | DR | DR | DR | DR | DR | DR | |||||||||||
| F | F | F | F | F | F | F |
| Key: |
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Except if/when noted, the number following candidates is the whole number vote(s), not a percentage.
In these special elections, the winner was elected during 1808 or before March 4, 1809; ordered by election date.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||||||
| Massachusetts (Class 1) | John Quincy Adams | Federalist | 1803 | Incumbent resigned June 8, 1808, having broken with his party and lost re-election to the next term. New senator elected June 9, 1808 having already won election to the next term, see below. Federalist hold. | nowrap | ||||
| Ohio (Class 1) | John Smith | Democratic- Republican | 1803 | Incumbent resigned April 25, 1808, despite surviving an expulsion trial in the Senate. New senator elected December 10, 1808. Democratic-Republican hold. Successor was also elected the same day to the next term, see below. | nowrap | ||||
| Pennsylvania (Class 1) | Samuel Maclay | Democratic- Republican | 1802 | Incumbent resigned before the December 1808 general election (but effective January 4, 1809), believing he would lose re-election. New senator elected January 9, 1809. Democratic-Republican hold. Incumbent's belief was justified as the successor was elected to the next term, see below. | nowrap | ||||
In these regular elections, the winner was seated on March 4, 1809; ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 1 seats.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Connecticut | James Hillhouse | Federalist | 1796 1797 1803 | Incumbent re-elected in 1809. | nowrap | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Delaware | Samuel White | Federalist | 1801 1803 | Incumbent re-elected January 11, 1809. | nowrap | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maryland | Samuel Smith | Democratic- Republican | 1802 | Incumbent re-elected November 14, 1809. | nowrap | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Massachusetts | John Quincy Adams | Federalist | 1803 | Incumbent lost re-election as a Democratic-Republican. New senator elected June 2, 1808. Federalist hold. Incumbent resigned and winner was elected to finish the current term.| nowrap | |-! New Jersey| John Condit| | Democratic- |-! New York| Samuel L. Mitchill| | Democratic- |-! Ohio| Return Meigs| | Democratic- |-! Pennsylvania| Samuel Maclay| | Democratic- |-! Rhode Island| Benjamin Howland| | Democratic- |-! Tennessee| Joseph Anderson| | Democratic- |-! Vermont| Jonathan Robinson| | Democratic- |-! Virginia| Andrew Moore| | Democratic- |} Special elections during the next CongressIn this special election, the winner was elected in 1809 after March 4; ordered by election date.
Early race leading to the Congress-after-nextIn this regular election, the winner was seated on March 4, 1811; ordered by state. This election involved a Class 2 seat. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||