Indiana Arkansas 48 47 Start date November 4, 1930 | 56 seats 39 seats 8 8 | |
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Winner James Eli Watson | ||
The United States Senate elections of 1930 occurred in the middle of Republican President Herbert Hoover's term. With the Great Depression beginning to take hold, Republican incumbents became unpopular, and Democrats picked up a net of eight seats, erasing the Republican gains from the previous election cycle. Republicans retained control of the chamber since Vice President Charles Curtis cast the tie-breaking vote.
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This was the first of four consecutive Senate elections in the Depression in which Democrats made enormous gains, achieving a cumulative pick-up of 34 seats.
Gains and losses
The Republicans only gained one seat by defeating incumbent Daniel F. Steck (D-IA). The Democrats took open seats in Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, and West Virginia, and defeated five incumbents:
Notable freshmen were future Secretaries of State James F. Byrnes (D-SC) and Cordell Hull (D-TN).
Complete list of races
All races are for the Class 2 seats unless otherwise indicated. Bold states indicates link to election article.