The 1952 United States Senate elections was an election for the United States Senate which coincided with the election of Dwight D. Eisenhower to the presidency by a large margin. The 32 Senate seats of Class 1 were contested in regular elections, and three special elections were held to fill vacancies. The Republicans took control of the Senate by managing to make a net gain of two seats. However, Wayne Morse (R-OR) became an independent forcing Republicans to rely on Vice President Richard Nixon's tie-breaking vote, although Republicans maintained a 48–47–1 plurality. Wayne Morse would caucus with the Republicans at the start of Congress’ second session on January 6, 1954, to allow the GOP to remain in control of the Senate. This was the third time, as well as second consecutive, in which a sitting Senate leader lost his seat.
The 1952 United States Senate elections marked a significant shift in power, with the Republicans gaining control of the Senate by making a net gain of two seats.
This was the last time the Senate changed hands in a presidential election year until 1980 and the last time the Republicans won control of the Senate until 1980. As of 2026, this is the last time both houses simultaneously changed hands in a presidential year.
Results summary
{| style="width:50em; text-align:center"
|+ ↓
|- style="color:white"
| style="background:; width:48.96%" | 47
| style="background:; width:51.04%" | 49
|-
| <span style="color:">Democratic</span>
| <span style="color:">Republican</span>
|}
Colored shading indicates party with largest share of that row.
{| class=wikitable style=text-align:center
|-
! colspan=2 rowspan=2 | Parties
|
|
|
! rowspan=2 | Total
|- valign=bottom
! Democratic
! Republican
! Other
|-
! colspan=2 | Last elections (1950)<br />Before these elections
| | 49<!--including Humphrey (DFL-MN) as a DEM; the Clerk classifies the DFL as an "Other" party-->
| 47
| 0
! 96
|-
! colspan=2 style="background:#ccc" | Not up
| | 35
| 26
| 0
! 61
|-
! colspan=2 style="background:#ccc" | Up
| 14
| | 21
| —
! 35
|-
! rowspan=3 | <!-- Gap for "Up" -->
! style="background:#ddd" |
| 13
| | 19
| —
! 32
|-
! style="background:#ddd" |
| 1
| 1
| —
! 2
|-
! style="background:#ddd" |
| 0
| | 1
| —
! 1
|-
| colspan=100 |
|-
! colspan=2 style="background:#ccc" | Incumbent retired
| 2
| 2
| —
! 4
|-
! rowspan=3 |
!
| 1
| | 2
| —
! 3
|-
!
| colspan=2 | 1 Democrat replaced by 1 Republican<!--MD-->
| —
! 1
|-
!
! 1
! | 3
! 0
! 4
|-
! colspan=2 style="background:#ccc" | Incumbent ran
| 12
| | 19
| —
! 31
|-
! rowspan=4 |
!
| 6
| | 14
| —
! 20
|-
!
| colspan=2 | 4 Republicans replaced by 4 Democrats<!--MA, MO, MT, WA--><br />5 Democrats replaced by 5 Republicans<!--AZ, CT, KY, MI, WY-->
| —
! 9
|-
!
| 1<!--TN-->
| 1<!--ME-->
| —
! 2
|-
!
! 11
! | 20
! 0
! 31
|-
| colspan=99 |
|-
! colspan=2 | Total elected
! 12
! | 23
! 0
! 35
|-
! colspan=2 | Net change
| 2
| | 2
|
| 2
|-
| colspan=99 |
|-
! colspan=2 style="background:#ccc" | Nationwide vote
| 21,236,793
| | 24,665,569
| 1,534,837
! 47,437,199
|-
! <!-- Gap for "Nationwide vote" -->
! Share
| 44.77%
| | 52.00%
| 3.24%
! 100%
|-
! colspan=2 | Result
! 47
! | 49
! 0
! 96
|}
Source: Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives
Gains, losses and holds
Retirements
One Republican and one Democrat retired instead of seeking re-election. One Republican and one Democrat also retired instead of finishing the unexpired term.
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
! scope="col" |State
! scope="col" |Senator
! scope="col" |Replaced by
|-
! Connecticut (special)
| |
| |
|-
! Maryland
| |
| |
|-
! Nebraska (special)
| |
| |
|-
! Texas
| |
| |
|}
Defeats
Four Republicans and five Democrats sought re-election, and one Republican and one Democrat also sought election to run to finish the unexpired term or in the six-year term but lost in the primary or general election.
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
! scope="col" |State
! scope="col" |Senator
! scope="col" |Replaced by
|-
! Arizona
| |
| |
|-
! Connecticut (regular)
| |
| |
|-
! Kentucky (special)
| |
| |
|-
! Maine
| |
| |
|-
! Massachusetts
| |
| |
|-
! Michigan
| |
| |
|-
! Missouri
| |
| |
|-
! Montana
| |
| |
|-
! Tennessee
| |
| |
|-
! Washington
| |
| |
|-
! Wyoming
| |
| |
|}
Post-election changes
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
! scope="col" |State
! scope="col" |Senator
! scope="col" |Replaced by
|-
! Oregon
| |
| |
|-
! Nebraska (Class 1)
| |
| |
|-
! Nebraska (Class 2)
| |
| |
|-
! Nevada
| |
| |
|-
! New Hampshire
| |
| |
|-
! North Carolina (Class 2)
| |
| |
|-
! North Carolina (Class 3)
| |
| |
|-
! Ohio
| |
| |
|-
! South Carolina
| |
| |
|-
! Wyoming
| |
| |
|}
Change in composition
Before the elections
Going into the November elections.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
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| colspan=2 |
| | D
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| width=10% | D
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| | D
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| | D<br /><br />
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| | D<br /><br />
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| colspan=9 align=right | Majority →
| rowspan=2 | D<br /><br />
|-
| | R<br /><br />
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| | R
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| | R
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| colspan=2 |
| | R
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|}
Results of the elections
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
| colspan=2 |
| | D
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| width=10% | D
| width=10% | D
| width=10% | D
| width=10% | D
| width=10% | D
| width=10% | D
| width=10% | D
| width=10% | D
| width=10% | D
| width=10% | D
|-
| | D
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| rowspan=2 | R<br /><br />
|-
| colspan=9 align=right | Majority →
|-
| | R<br /><br />
| | R<br /><br />
| | R<br /><br />
| | R<br /><br />
| | R<br /><br />
| | R<br /><br />
| | R<br /><br />
| | R<br /><br />
| | R<br /><br />
| | R<br /><br /><br />
|-
| | R<br /><br />
| | R<br /><br />
| | R<br /><br />
| | R<br /><br />
| | R<br /><br />
| | R<br /><br />
| | R<br /><br />
| | R<br /><br />
| | R<br /><br />
| | R<br /><br />
|-
| | R
| | R
| | R
| | R
| | R
| | R
| | R
| | R
| | R<br /><br />
| | R<br /><br />
|-
| | R
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| | R
| | R
|-
| colspan=2 |
| | R
| | R
| | R
| | R
| | R
| | R
| | R
| | R
|}
Beginning of the next Congress
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
| colspan=2 |
| | D
| | D
| | D
| | D
| | D
| | D
| | D
| | D
|-
| width=10% | D
| width=10% | D
| width=10% | D
| width=10% | D
| width=10% | D
| width=10% | D
| width=10% | D
| width=10% | D
| width=10% | D
| width=10% | D
|-
| | D
| | D
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|-
| | D
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| | D
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| | D
| | D
|-
| | D
| | D
| | D
| | D
| | D
| | D
| | D
| | D
| | D
| | I<br /><br />
|-
| colspan=10 align=right | Majority using VP's vote ↓
|-
| | R
| | R
| | R
| | R
| | R
| | R
| | R
| | R
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| | R
|-
| | R
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|-
| | R
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|-
| | R
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| | R
| | R
| | R
| | R
| | R
| | R
| | R
| | R
|-
| colspan=2 |
| | R
| | R
| | R
| | R
| | R
| | R
| | R
| | R
|}
{|
|- valign=top
! Key
|
{| class=wikitable
|-
| align=center | D
| Democratic
|-
| align=center | I
| Independent
|-
| align=center | R
| Republican
|}
|}
Race summaries
Special elections during the 82nd Congress
In these special elections the winners were seated before January 3, 1953; ordered by election date, then state.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|- valign=bottom
! rowspan=2 | State
! colspan=3 | Incumbent
! rowspan=2 | Results
! rowspan=2 | Candidates
|-
! Senator
! Party
! class="unsortable" |Electoral history
|-
! Connecticut<br />(Class 3)
|
| | Republican
| 1952
| | Interim appointee retired to run for the Class 1 seat.<br />New senator elected November 4, 1952.<br />Republican hold.
| nowrap |
|-
! Kentucky<br />(Class 2)
|
| | Democratic
| 1951
| | Interim appointee lost election.<br />New senator elected November 4, 1952.<br />Republican gain.
| nowrap |
|-
! Michigan<br />(Class 1)
|
| | Democratic
| 1951
| | Interim appointee lost election.<br />New senator elected November 4, 1952.<br />Republican gain.<br />Winner was also elected to the next term; see below.
| nowrap |
|-
! Nebraska<br />(Class 2)
|
| | Republican
| 1951
| | Interim appointee retired.<br />New senator elected November 4, 1952.<br />Republican hold.
| nowrap |
|}
Races leading to the 83rd Congress
In these general elections, the winner was seated on January 3, 1953; ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 1 seats.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|- valign=bottom
! rowspan=2 | State
! colspan=3 | Incumbent
! rowspan=2 | Results
! rowspan=2 | Candidates
|-
! Senator
! Party
! Electoral<br />history
|-
! Arizona
|
| | Democratic
| 1940<br />1946
| | Incumbent lost re-election.<br />New senator elected.<br />Republican gain.
| nowrap |
|-
! California
|
| | Republican
| 1945 <br />1946 <br />1946
| Incumbent re-elected.
| nowrap |
|-
! Connecticut
|
| | Democratic
| 1949 <br />1950
| | Incumbent lost re-election.<br />New senator elected.<br />Republican gain.
| nowrap |
|-
! Delaware
|
| | Republican
| 1946
| Incumbent re-elected.
| nowrap |
|-
! Florida
|
| | Democratic
| 1946 <br />1946
| Incumbent re-elected.
| nowrap |
|-
! Indiana
|
| | Republican
| 1944 <br />1944 <br />1946
| Incumbent re-elected.
| nowrap |
|-
! Maine
|
| | Republican
| 1940<br />1946
| | Incumbent lost renomination.<br />New senator elected.<br />Republican hold.<br />Incumbent resigned December 31, 1952.
| nowrap |
|-
! Maryland
|
| | Democratic
| 1946
| | Incumbent retired.<br />New senator elected.<br />Republican gain.
| nowrap |
|-
! Massachusetts
|
| | Republican
| 1936<br />1942<br />1944 <br />1946
| | Incumbent lost re-election.<br />New senator elected.<br />Democratic gain.
| nowrap |
Connecticut (regular)
Indiana
Michigan
There were two elections to the same seat on the same day due to the April 18, 1951 death of five-term Republican Arthur Vandenberg. Democratic journalist Blair Moody was appointed April 23, 1951 to continue the term pending a special election. The primary elections were held August 5, 1952. Moody lost both the special and the regular elections to Republican congressman Charles E. Potter.