1826–27 United States Senate elections explained

Election Name:	1826–27 United States Senate elections
Country:	United States
Flag Year:	1822
Type:	legislative
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	1824–25 United States Senate elections
Next Election:	1828–29 United States Senate elections
Seats For Election:	16 of the 48 seats in the United States Senate (plus special elections)
Majority Seats:	25
Election Date:	Dates vary by state
1Blank:	Seats up
Party1:	Jacksonian Party
Last Election1:	26 seats
Seats Before1:	26
Seats1:	9
Seats After1:	27
Seat Change1:	1
1Data1:	8
Party2:	Anti-Jacksonian Party
Last Election2:	21 seats
Seats Before2:	22
Seats2:	6
Seats After2:	20
Seat Change2:	2
1Data2:	8
Majority Party
Before Party:	Jacksonian Party (US)
After Party:	Jacksonian Party (US)

The 1826–27 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states. 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 1826 and 1827, 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 majority Jacksonians gained a seat in the United States Senate. Senators who called themselves "Anti-Jacksonian" or "National Republicans" were also called "Adams" or "Adams Men."

Results summary

Senate party division, 20th Congress (1827–1829)

Majority party: Jacksonian (27)
Minority party: Anti-Jacksonian (20–21)
Other parties: (0)
Total seats: 48

Change in composition

Before the elections

At the beginning of 1826.

							A		A		A		A
width=50px	A	width=50px	A	width=50px	A	width=50px	A	width=50px	A	width=50px	A	width=50px	A	width=50px	A	width=50px	A	width=50px	A
	A		A		A		A		A		A		A		V		J	J
Majority →
	J		J		J		J		J		J		J		J		J		J
	J		J		J		J		J		J		J		J		J		J
							J		J		J		J

Result of the regular elections

							A		A		A		A
width=50px	A	width=50px	A	width=50px	A	width=50px	A	width=50px	A	width=50px	A	width=50px	A	width=50px	A	width=50px	A	width=50px	A
	A		A		A		A		A		V		V		J		J	J
Majority →
	J		J		J		J		J		J		J		J		J		J
	J		J		J		J		J		J		J		J		J		J
							J		J		J		J

Result of the special elections

Before the March 4, 1827, beginning of the new Congress.

							A		A		A		A
width=50px	A	width=50px	A	width=50px	A	width=50px	A	width=50px	A	width=50px	A	width=50px	A	width=50px	A	width=50px	A	width=50px	A
	A		A		A		A		A		A		V		J		J	J
Majority →
	J		J		J		J		J		J		J		J		J		J
	J		J		J		J		J		J		J		J		J		J
							J		J		J		J

Key:

align=center	A	= Anti-Jacksonian
align=center	J	= Jacksonian
align=center	V	= Vacant

Race summaries

Special elections during the 19th Congress

In these special elections, the winners were seated during 1826 or before March 4, 1827; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
New York (Class 3)	Vacant				Seat vacant after an 1824 legislative deadlock. New senator elected January 14, 1826. Anti-Jacksonian gain.	nowrap
Maryland (Class 3)	Edward Lloyd		Jacksonian	1819 1825		Incumbent resigned January 14, 1826. New senator elected January 24, 1826. Anti-Jacksonian gain.	nowrap
Mississippi (Class 1)	Powhatan Ellis		Jacksonian	1825		Interim appointee lost election. New senator elected January 28, 1826. Jacksonian hold.	nowrap
Massachusetts (Class 2)	James Lloyd		Anti-Jacksonian	1808 1808 1813 1822 1822		Incumbent resigned May 23, 1826. New senator elected May 31, 1826. Anti-Jacksonian hold.	nowrap
New Jersey (Class 1)	Joseph McIlvaine		Anti-Jacksonian	1823		Incumbent died August 19, 1826 New senator elected November 10, 1826. Anti-Jacksonian hold. Winner also elected to the next term, see below.	nowrap
Alabama (Class 3)	Israel Pickens		Jacksonian	1826		Interim appointee not elected to finish the term. New senator elected November 27, 1826. Jacksonian hold.	nowrap
South Carolina (Class 3)	William Harper		Jacksonian	1826		Interim appointee not elected to finish the term. New senator elected November 29, 1826. Jacksonian hold.	nowrap
Delaware (Class 2)	Daniel Rodney		Anti-Jacksonian	1826		Interim appointee not elected to finish the term. New senator elected January 12, 1827. Jacksonian gain.	nowrap

Races leading to the 20th Congress

In these regular elections, the winner was seated on March 4, 1827; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 1 seats.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Connecticut	Henry W. Edwards		Jacksonian	1823 1824		Unknown if incumbent retired or lost. New senator elected. Anti-Jacksonian gain.	nowrap
Delaware	Thomas Clayton		Anti-Jacksonian	1824		Unknown if incumbent retired or lost. New senator elected. Jacksonian gain.	nowrap
Indiana	James Noble		Anti-Jacksonian	1816 1821	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap
Maine	John Holmes		Anti-Jacksonian	1820 1821		Unknown if incumbent retired or lost. New senator elected. Jacksonian gain.	nowrap
Maryland	Samuel Smith		Jacksonian	1802 1809 1815 1822	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap
Massachusetts	Elijah H. Mills		Anti-Jacksonian	1820 1820		Incumbent lost re-election. Legislature elected late. Anti-Jacksonian loss.
Mississippi	Thomas Reed		Jacksonian	1826		Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1826 or 1827. Jacksonian hold.	nowrap
Missouri	Thomas H. Benton		Jacksonian	1821	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap
New Jersey	Joseph McIlvaine		Anti-Jacksonian	1823		Died August 19, 1826. New senator elected November 10, 1826. Anti-Jacksonian hold. Winner was also elected to finish the preceding term, see above.	nowrap
New York	Martin Van Buren		Jacksonian	1821	Incumbent re-elected February 6, 1827.	nowrap
Ohio	Benjamin Ruggles		Anti-Jacksonian	1815 1821	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap
Pennsylvania	William Findlay		Jacksonian	1821		Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Jacksonian hold.	nowrap
Rhode Island	Asher Robbins		Anti-Jacksonian	1825	Incumbent re-elected November 2, 1826.	nowrap
Tennessee	John H. Eaton		Jacksonian	1818 1819 1821	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap
Vermont	Horatio Seymour		Anti-Jacksonian	1821	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap
Virginia	John Randolph		Jacksonian	1825		Appointee lost election. New senator elected. Jacksonian hold.	nowrap

Elections during the 20th Congress

In this election, the winner was seated in 1827 after the new Congress began on March 4.

Alabama (special)

Connecticut

Delaware

See also: List of United States senators from Delaware. Delaware had two elections: A special for the class 2 seat and a regular election for the class 1 seat. The elections flipped both seats from Anti-Jacksonian to Jacksonian.

Delaware (special)

Anti-Jacksonian senator Nicholas Van Dyke died May 21, 1826, and Anti-Jacksonian Daniel Rodney was appointed to continue the class 2 term (ending March 3, 1829) until a special election.

Jacksonian Henry M. Ridgely was elected January 12, 1827.

Delaware (regular)

Anti-Jacksonian Thomas Clayton had served since winning an 1824 special election. It is unknown if Clayton was a candidate for re-election in 1827, but that election was won by Jacksonian Louis McLane.

Indiana

Maine

Maryland

Maryland (special)

Election Name:	1826 United States Senate special election in Maryland
Popular Vote1:	49
Colour1:	FFE6B0
Percentage1:	59.04%
Party1:	National Republican
Candidate1:	Ezekiel F. Chambers
Image1:	Ezekiel Forman Chambers (1788–1867).jpg
Popular Vote2:	34
Colour2:	AACC99
Percentage2:	40.96%
Party2:	Democratic-Republican
Candidate2:	Philip Reed
Next Year:	1831
Next Election:	1831 United States Senate election in Maryland
Previous Year:	1825
Previous Election:	1825 United States Senate election in Maryland
Votes For Election:	80 members of the Maryland General Assembly
Vote Type:	Legislative
Election Date:	January 24, 1826
Type:	presidential

Ezekiel F. Chambers won election over Philip Reed by a margin of 18.07%, or 15 votes, for the Class 3 seat.^[2]

Maryland (regular)

Election Name:	1827 United States Senate election in Maryland
Popular Vote1:	78
Colour1:	DDEEFF
Percentage1:	93.98%
Party1:	Jacksonian democracy
Candidate1:	Samuel Smith
Image1:	SSmith.jpg
Popular Vote2:	5
Percentage2:	6.02
Candidate2:	Did not vote
Next Year:	1833
Next Election:	1833 United States Senate election in Maryland
Previous Year:	1822
Previous Election:	1822 United States Senate special election in Maryland
Votes For Election:	80 members of the Maryland General Assembly
Vote Type:	Legislative
Election Date:	January 9, 1827
Type:	presidential

Samuel Smith won election by a margin of 87.95%, or 73 votes, for the Class 1 seat.^[3]

Massachusetts

Massachusetts (special, class 1)

Mississippi

See also: List of United States senators from Mississippi. Jacksonian interim appointee Powhatan Ellis had served in the class 1 seat since 1825 for the term ending March 3, 1827.

He faced a special election to finish the term and a regular election to the next term.

Mississippi (special)

Jacksonian Thomas Buck Reed was elected January 27, 1826, to finish the term, but not to the next full term.

Mississippi (regular)

Jacksonian interim appointee Powhatan Ellis was elected sometime (date unknown) to the next term, and would go on to serve until 1832.

Missouri

New Jersey

New Jersey (special)

New York

See main article: 1827 United States Senate election in New York.

Ohio

Pennsylvania

See main article: 1826 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania.

Rhode Island

South Carolina (special)

Tennessee

Vermont

Virginia

References

Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present, via Senate.gov

Notes and References

Web site: 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators (1913). National Archives and Records Administration. February 8, 2022.
Web site: Our Campaigns - MD US Senate Race - Jan 24, 1826. 2022-11-05. www.ourcampaigns.com.
Web site: Our Campaigns - MD US Senate Race - Jan 09, 1827. 2022-11-05. www.ourcampaigns.com.