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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Senate
LAST ELECTIONS

Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module

A historical Archive of past election results for this chamber can be found on a separate page

Parliament name Congress
Structure of parliament Bicameral
Chamber name Senate
Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) House of Representatives
BACKGROUND
Dates of election / renewal (from/to) 8 November 2016
Purpose of elections The Republicans retained the control of the House of Representatives and the Senate, albeit with a reduced majority. Mr. Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, defeated Ms. Hillary Clinton of the Democratic Party to become President of the United States (see note).

The presidential election campaign pushed congressional elections to the background. Mr. Trump, a wealthy businessman, pledged to "Make America Great Again". He promised to create more jobs, tighten US borders and renegotiate free trade deals. Ms. Clinton promised reforms that would give unauthorised immigrants a path to full citizenship. Mr. Trump also promised to "repeal and replace" Obamacare (the federal health insurance system introduced under the Obama Administration in 2010). Ms. Clinton praised Obamacare but promised to block unreasonable premium increases.

Note:
An American president is chosen by a group of electors known as the electoral college, which currently comprises 538 people. On election day, Americans cast votes for electors. In 2016, candidates needed to win 270 to be elected President. Mr. Trump won 306 electors against Ms. Clinton's 232, although Ms. Clinton won the popular vote.
Date of previous elections: 4 November 2014

Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature: N/A

Timing of election: Upon normal expiry

Expected date of next elections: November 2018

Number of seats at stake: 34 (partial renewal)

Number of candidates: Not available.

Percentage of women candidates: Not available.
16 women won party primary.

Number of parties contesting the election: 2*
*Only two parties, the Democrats and Republicans, fielded Congressional candidates in all 50 US states and the territories.

Number of parties winning seats: 2

Alternation of power: Yes

Number of parties in government: 1

Names of parties in government: Republican Party

Date of the first session of the new parliament: 3 January 2017

Name of the new Speaker:
- President of the Senate: Mr. Mike Pence (Republican Party)
- President pro tempore: Mr. Orrin G. Hatch (Republican Party)
STATISTICS
Voter turnout
Round no 18 November 2016
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes



Notes
Distribution of votes
Round no 1
Political Group Candidates Votes %
Republican Party
Democratic Party
Distribution of seats
Round no 1
Political Group Total Seats 2016
Republican Party 52 22
Democratic Party 48 12
Distribution of seats according to sex
Men
Women
Percent of women
30
4
11.76%
Distribution of seats according to age
Distribution of seats according to profession
Comments
Note on the "Distribution of seats according to sex":
The "Distribution of seats according to sex" above shows the breakdown for the senators elected in 2016: 4 women of 34 senators.
After the 2016 elections, there were 21 women in all out of 100 senators.

Sources:
US Congressional Research Service Library of Congress (14.11.2016, 19.11.2016, 09.02.2017, 03.01.2018, 03.05.2018, 27.08.2018, 06.09.2018)
http://www.fec.gov/data/CandidateSummary.do
http://www.cawp.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/library/cansum16.pdf
http://www.nytimes.com/elections/results/senate
https://www.ft.com/us-election/trump-clinton-policies

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