# 1810–11 United States Senate elections

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 Federalists 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 Senate, reflecting the broader political landscape of the era. The period was marked by the lead-up to the War of 1812, with growing tensions between the United States and Great Britain influencing political discourse and legislative priorities.
| DR$_7$ | DR$_6$ | DR$_5$ | DR$_4$ | DR$_3$ | DR$_2$ | DR$_1$ |
| DR$_8$ | DR$_9$ | DR$_{10}$ | DR$_{11}$ | DR$_{12}$ | DR$_{13}$ | DR$_{14}$ | DR$_{15}$ | DR$_{16}$ | DR$_{17}$ |
| Majority → | Majority → | Majority → | Majority → | Majority → | Majority → | DR$_{18}$ Ga. Ran |
| F$_8$ Mass. Ran | DR$_{26}$ Va. Ran | DR$_{25}$ Tenn. Ran | DR$_{24}$ S.C. Retired | DR$_{23}$ R.I. Unknown | DR$_{22}$ N.C. Ran | DR$_{18}$ Ga. Ran | DR$_{21}$ N.J. Ran | DR$_{20}$ N.H. Ran | DR$_{19}$ Ky. Retired |
| F$_7$ Del. Ran | F$_6$ | F$_5$ | F$_4$ | F$_3$ | F$_2$ | F$_1$ |

### Result of the regular elections

| DR$_7$ | DR$_6$ | DR$_5$ | DR$_4$ | DR$_3$ | DR$_2$ | DR$_1$ |
| DR$_8$ | DR$_9$ | DR$_{10}$ | DR$_{11}$ | DR$_{12}$ | DR$_{13}$ | DR$_{14}$ | DR$_{15}$ | DR$_{16}$ | DR$_{17}$ |
| Majority → | Majority → | Majority → | Majority → | Majority → | Majority → | DR$_{18}$ Ga. Re-elected |
| V$_1$ Mass. F Loss | DR$_{26}$ Va. Re-elected | DR$_{25}$ Tenn. Re-elected | DR$_{24}$ S.C. Hold | DR$_{23}$ R.I. Hold | DR$_{22}$ N.C. Re-elected | DR$_{18}$ Ga. Re-elected | DR$_{21}$ N.J. Re-elected | DR$_{20}$ N.H. Re-elected | DR$_{19}$ Ky. Hold |
| F$_7$ Del. Re-elected | F$_6$ | F$_5$ | F$_4$ | F$_3$ | F$_2$ | F$_1$ |
| Key | DR$_#$ Democratic-Republican F$_#$ Federalist V$_#$ Vacant |

## Race summaries

Except if/when noted, number following candidates is whole number votes.

### Special elections during the 11th Congress

In these special elections, the winners were seated during 1810 or before March 4, 1811; ordered by election date.
| State | Incumbent | Incumbent | Incumbent | Results | Candidates |
| State | Senator | Party | Electoral history | Results | Candidates |
| Delaware (Class 1) | Samuel White | Federalist | 1796 (special) 1801 (appointed) 1803 1809 | Incumbent died November 4, 1809. New senator elected January 12, 1810. Federalist hold. | ▌Y Outerbridge Horsey (Federalist) 27 Blank 1 |
| New Hampshire (Class 3) | Nahum Parker | Democratic- Republican | 1807 | Incumbent resigned June 1, 1810. New senator elected June 21, 1810. Federalist gain. | ▌Y Charles Cutts (Federalist) 99 ▌Thomas W. Thompson (Federalist) 73 ▌Jedediah K. Smith (Democratic-Republican) 4 ▌Oliver Peabody (Federalist) 2 ▌Isaac Hill (Democratic-Republican) 1 Nay 5 |
| Connecticut (Class 1) | James Hillhouse | Federalist | 1796 (special) 1797 1803 1809 | Incumbent resigned June 10, 1810. New senator elected in June 1810. Federalist hold. | ▌Y Samuel W. Dana (Federalist) 137 ▌Asa Spalding (Democratic-Republican) 19 |
| Ohio (Class 1) | Return J. Meigs Jr. | Democratic- Republican | 1808 (special) 1808 | Incumbent resigned December 8, 1810, to become Governor of Ohio. New senator elected December 15, 1810 on the sixth ballot. Democratic-Republican hold. | ▌Y Thomas Worthington (Democratic-Republican) 35 ▌Samuel Huntington (Democratic-Republican) 31 ▌James Pritchard (Democratic-Republican) 2 ▌George Tod (Unknown) Eliminated ▌John Bigger (Democratic-Republican) Eliminated ▌Thomas Kirker (Democratic-Republican) Eliminated ▌Thomas Morris (Democratic-Republican) Eliminated ▌James Caldwell (Democratic-Republican) Eliminated |
| South Carolina (Class 2) | Thomas Sumter | Democratic- Republican | 1801 (special) 1809 | Incumbent resigned December 16, 1810. New senator elected December 18, 1810 on the third ballot. Democratic-Republican hold. Winner also elected to the next term; see below. | ▌Y John Taylor (Democratic-Republican) 83 ▌Joseph Alston (Democratic-Republican) 74 |

### Races leading to the 12th Congress

In these regular elections, the winner was seated on March 4, 1811 (except where noted due to late election); ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.
| State | Incumbent | Incumbent | Incumbent | Results | Candidates |
| State | Senator | Party | Electoral history | Results | Candidates |
| Delaware | James A. Bayard | Federalist | 1804 (special) 1805 | Incumbent re-elected January 8, 1811. | ▌Y James A. Bayard (Federalist) 17 ▌James Tilton (Democratic-Republican) 9 |
| Georgia | William H. Crawford | Democratic- Republican | 1807 (special) | Incumbent re-elected in 1810 or 1811. | ▌Y William H. Crawford (Democratic-Republican) [data missing] |
| Kentucky | Henry Clay | Democratic- Republican | 1810 (appointed) | Appointee retired to run for U.S. House of Representatives. New senator elected January 8, 1811. Democratic-Republican hold. | ▌Y George M. Bibb (Democratic-Republican) 77 ▌Christopher Greenup (Democratic-Republican) 20 ▌Matthew Lyon (Democratic-Republican) 0 |
| Massachusetts | Timothy Pickering | Federalist | 1803 (special) 1805 | Incumbent lost re-election. Legislature failed to elect due to partisan deadlock in the Massachusetts Senate. Federalist loss. | ▌Timothy Pickering (Federalist) ▌Joseph B. Varnum (Democratic-Republican) ▌William King (Democratic-Republican) ▌Richard Cutts (Democratic-Republican) ▌Perez Morton (Unknown) ▌Josiah Quincy III (Federalist) ▌Joseph Sprague (Unknown) |
| New Hampshire | Nicholas Gilman | Democratic- Republican | 1804 | Incumbent re-elected June 21, 1810, on the fourth ballot. | ▌Y Nicholas Gilman (Democratic-Republican) ▌Jedediah K. Smith (Democratic-Republican) 78 ▌Charles Cutts (Democratic-Republican) 1 ▌Oliver Peabody (Federalist) 1 Nay 1 |
| New Jersey | John Condit | Democratic- Republican | 1803 (appointed) 1803 (special) 1809 (lost) 1809 (appointed) 1809 (special) | Incumbent re-elected November 5, 1810. | ▌Y John Condit (Democratic-Republican) Unopposed |
| North Carolina | James Turner | Democratic- Republican | 1804 | Incumbent re-elected November 28, 1810 on the third vote. | ▌Y James Turner (Democratic-Republican) 106 ▌David Stone (Democratic-Republican) 83 Blank 1 ▌Benjamin Smith (Democratic-Republican) Eliminated ▌Thomas Davis (Unknown) Eliminated |
| Rhode Island | Elisha Mathewson | Democratic- Republican | 1807 (special) | Incumbent retired or lost re-election. New senator elected November 2, 1810. Democratic-Republican hold. | ▌Y Jeremiah B. Howell (Democratic-Republican) 42 ▌James Burrill Jr. (Federalist) 41 |
| South Carolina | Thomas Sumter | Democratic- Republican | 1801 (special) 1809 | Incumbent resigned December 16, 1810. New senator elected December 18, 1810 on the third ballot. Democratic-Republican hold. Winner also elected to finish the current term; see above. | ▌Y John Taylor (Democratic-Republican) 83 ▌Joseph Alston (Democratic-Republican) 74 |
| Tennessee | Jenkin Whiteside | Democratic- Republican | 1809 (special) | Incumbent re-elected early October 28, 1809. | ▌Y Jenkin Whiteside (Democratic-Republican) 39 Unopposed |
| Virginia | William B. Giles | Democratic- Republican | 1804 (appointed) 1804 (special) 1804 | Incumbent re-elected January 2, 1811. | ▌Y William B. Giles (Democratic-Republican) 123 Scattering 15 |

### Special elections during the 12th Congress

In these special elections, the winners were seated in 1811 after March 4; ordered by election date.
| State | Incumbent | Incumbent | Incumbent | Results | Candidates |
| State | Senator | Party | Electoral history | Results | Candidates |
| Massachusetts (Class 2) | Vacant | Vacant | Vacant | Legislature had failed to elect; see above. New senator elected late June 6, 1811 on the second ballot. Democratic-Republican gain. | ▌Y Joseph Varnum (Democratic-Republican) 341 ▌Timothy Pickering (Federalist) 267 |
| Tennessee (Class 2) | Jenkin Whiteside | Democratic- Republican | 1809 (special) | Incumbent resigned October 8, 1811. New senator elected October 1, 1811. Democratic-Republican hold. | ▌Y George W. Campbell (Democratic-Republican) 38 Unopposed |
| Rhode Island (Class 1) | Christopher G. Champlin | Federalist | 1809 (special) | Incumbent resigned October 12, 1811. New senator elected October 28, 1811. Federalist hold. | ▌Y William Hunter (Federalist) Unanimous |