1810–11 United States Senate elections
elections for the U.S. Senate
The 1810–11 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 1810 and 1811, and a seat may have been filled months late or remained vacant due to legislative deadlock. In these elections, terms were up for the senators in Class 2.
The Democratic-Republican Party maintained their Senate majority. The minority Federalist Party had gone into the elections with such a small share of Senate seats (8 out of 34, or 23.5%) that, had they won all of the elections, they would still not have reached a majority.
Change in composition
Senate Composition in 1809
Democratic-Republicans: 28 seats Federalists: 6 seats
Senate Composition in 1811
Democratic-Republicans: 30 seats Federalists: 6 seats
Key Changes
Democratic-Republicans: The Democratic-Republicans gained 2 seats, increasing their majority from 28 to 30 seats. Federalists: The number of Federalist seats remained unchanged at 6.
Context
The Democratic-Republican Party continued to dominate the United States Senate during this period, reflecting the broader political landscape of the early 19th century. Following the decline of the Federalist Party after the election of 1800, Democratic-Republicans held a clear majority in both chambers of Congress for much of the decade.
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