The 2010 U.S. Senate Race At A Glance

Learning About The U.S. Senate

12 January 2009

One-third of the 100 U.S. Senate seats are up for election every two years. The 2010 election will be held on Tuesday 2 November, with at least 36 of the 100 seats in the Senate being contested. Thirty-four of these are to six-year terms, from January 3, 2011 to January 3, 2017. These incoming Senators are part of Senate Class III, which traces its roots to six-year terms running from 4 March 1789 to 3 March 1795.

Special elections will be held for the seats vacated by Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Additional special elections will be held for any Senators appointed to the cabinet whose terms do not end in 2011.

Election day 2010 includes elections to the U.S. House of Representatives as well as some state and local elections.

The current make-up of the U.S. Senate is 56 Democrats, 41 Republicans, and two Independents; Minnesota remains under contention. In case of a tie, the Vice President (D) casts the deciding ballot.

As we get closer to 2010, the following chart will analyze the potential that a seat might change parties in this election cycle; it is based on analysis from several election consultants.

The legend for this chart follows:

• Likely: These races have the potential to become competitive.
• Lean: Although a competitive race, one party has an advantage.
• Toss-Up: These are the most competitive races and are too close to call at this time.

Following standard demarcation, "red" indicates seat held by a Republican and "blue" indicates a seat held by a Democrat.

Contested Senate Seats In 2010 Election