| Election Name: | 1846–47 United States Senate elections |
| Country: | United States |
| Flag Year: | 1846 |
| Type: | legislative |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1844–45 United States Senate elections |
| Next Election: | 1848–49 United States Senate elections |
| Seats For Election: | 19 of the 58 seats in the United States Senate (with special elections) |
| Election Date: | Various dates |
| Majority Seats: | 30 |
| 1Blank: | Seats up |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (US) |
| Last Election1: | 35 seats |
| Seats Before1: | 33 |
| Seats1: | 10 |
| Seats After1: | 35 |
| Seat Change1: | 2 |
| 1Data1: | 8 |
| Party2: | Whig Party (US) |
| Last Election2: | 24 seats |
| Seats Before2: | 23 |
| Seats2: | 7 |
| Seats After2: | 19 |
| Seat Change2: | 4 |
| 1Data2: | 10 |
| Party4: | Liberty Party (US, 1840) |
| Last Election4: | New party |
| Seats Before4: | 1 |
| Seats4: | 0 |
| Seats After4: | 0 |
| Seat Change4: | 1 |
| 1Data4: | 1 |
| Party5: | Independent Democratic |
| Last Election5: | 0 |
| Seats Before5: | 0 |
| Seats5: | 1 |
| Seats After5: | 1 |
| Seat Change5: | 1 |
| 1Data5: | 0 |
| Majority Party | |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (US) |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (US) |
| Map Size: | 380px |
The 1846–47 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 1846 and 1847, 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 2.
The Democratic Party gained four seats in the United States Senate.
Senate party division, 30th Congress (1847–1849)
After the February 1846 elections in Texas.
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In these special elections, the winners were seated during 1846 or in 1847 before March 4; ordered by election date.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | ||||||
| Mississippi (Class 2) | Joseph W. Chalmers | Democratic | 1845 | Interim appointee elected January 10, 1846. | nowrap | |||
| Texas (Class 1) | New state | Texas was admitted to the Union December 29, 1845. Winner elected February 21, 1846. Democratic gain. | nowrap | |||||
| Texas (Class 2) | Texas was admitted to the Union December 29, 1845. Winner elected February 21, 1846. Democratic gain. | nowrap | ||||||
| New Hampshire (Class 2) | Benning W. Jenness | Democratic | 1845 | Appointee lost election to finish the term. Winner elected June 13, 1846. Liberty gain. Winner was not elected to the next term, see below. | nowrap | |||
| North Carolina (Class 3) | William H. Haywood Jr. | Democratic | 1843 | Incumbent resigned July 25, 1846 rather than disobey instructions from the N.C. General Assembly. Winner elected November 25, 1846. Whig gain. | nowrap | |||
| Louisiana (Class 2) | Alexander Barrow | Whig | 1840 | Incumbent died December 29, 1846. Winner elected January 21, 1847. Democratic gain. Winner was not elected to the next term, see below. | nowrap | |||
| Virginia (Class 1) | Isaac S. Pennybacker | Democratic | 1845 | Incumbent died January 12, 1847. Winner elected January 21, 1847. Democratic hold. | nowrap | |||
| Iowa (Class 2) | New state | Iowa was admitted to the Union December 28, 1846. Legislature failed to elect due to a three-way split that prevented any candidate from earning the required number of 30 legislators' votes.[2] Seat vacant until December 7, 1848. | nowrap | |||||
| Iowa (Class 3) | Iowa was admitted to the Union December 28, 1846. Legislature failed to elect due to a three-way split that prevented any candidate from earning the required number of 30 legislators' votes. Seat vacant until December 7, 1848. | nowrap | ||||||
In these regular elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1847; ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||||||
| Alabama | Dixon Hall Lewis | Democratic | 1844 | Incumbent elected to full term in 1847. | nowrap | ||||
| Arkansas | Chester Ashley | Democratic | 1844 | Incumbent re-elected in 1846. | nowrap | ||||
| Delaware | Thomas Clayton | Whig | 1837 1841 | Unknown in incumbent lost re-election or retired. Winner elected in 1846 or 1847. Whig hold. | nowrap | ||||
| Georgia | John M. Berrien | Whig | 1825 1829 1840 1845 1845 | Incumbent re-elected in 1846. | nowrap | ||||
| Illinois | James Semple | Democratic | 1843 ? | Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1846. Democratic hold. | nowrap | ||||
| Kentucky | James T. Morehead | Whig | 1841 | Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. Winner elected in 1846 or 1847. Whig hold. | nowrap | ||||
| Louisiana | Pierre Soulé | Democratic | 1847 | Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. Winner elected in 1847. Democratic hold. | nowrap | ||||
| Maine | George Evans | Whig | 1840 | Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1846.[3] Democratic gain. | nowrap | ||||
| Massachusetts | John Davis | Whig | 1835 1841 1845 | Incumbent re-elected in 1847. | nowrap | ||||
| Michigan | William Woodbridge | Whig | 1841 | Incumbent retired. Winner elected in February 1847. Democratic gain. | nowrap | ||||
| Mississippi | Joseph W. Chalmers | Democratic | 1845 ? | Unknown if incumbent lost re-election or retired. Winner elected in 1846 or 1847. Democratic hold. | nowrap | ||||
| New Hampshire | Joseph Cilley | Liberty | 1846 | Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1846. Independent Democratic gain. | nowrap | ||||
| New Jersey | Jacob W. Miller | Whig | 1841 | Incumbent re-elected in 1846. | nowrap | ||||
| North Carolina | Willie Mangum | Whig | 1840 1841 | Incumbent re-elected in 1847. | nowrap | ||||
| Rhode Island | James F. Simmons | Whig | 1841 | Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1846 or 1847. Whig hold. | nowrap | ||||
| South Carolina | John C. Calhoun | Democratic | 1832 1834 1840 1843 1845 | Incumbent re-elected in 1846. | nowrap | ||||
| Tennessee | Spencer Jarnagin | Whig | 1843 | Incumbent retired. Legislature failed to elect. Whig loss. | nowrap | ||||
| Texas | Sam Houston | Democratic | 1846 | Incumbent re-elected in 1847 | nowrap | ||||
| Virginia | William S. Archer | Whig | 1846 | Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1846. Democratic gain. | nowrap | ||||
In this special election, the winner was elected in 1847 after March 4.
See also: List of United States senators from Iowa. Iowa became a state in December 1846, but did not elect its senators until December 1848.
See also: List of United States senators from Louisiana. Alexander Barrow (W) died December 29, 1846. Pierre Soulé (D) was elected January 21, 1847 just to finish the term. Solomon W. Downs (D) was elected to the next term.
Democratic appointee Benning W. Jenness lost the June 13, 1846 election to finish the term and the election the same day to the next term. Joseph Cilley (Liberty) was elected to finish the term, but lost the election to the next term. John P. Hale was (Independent Democratic) was elected to the next term and would later become a Free Soiler.
See also: List of United States senators from Virginia. William S. Archer (W) lost re-election to Democrat Robert M. T. Hunter.
See also: List of United States senators from Virginia. Isaac S. Pennybacker (D), who was not up for election, died January 12, 1847. James Murray Mason (D) was elected January 21, 1847.