2004 Senatorial Elections (Kerry 2004)

The United States senate elections of 2004 were elections of one third of the seats in the United States senate which coincided with John Kerry´s victory in the presidential election and the house eleactions.Senators who were elected in 1998,Knows as senate cklass 3 were seeking reelection or retiring in 2004.This was the third consecutive election for Senate Class 3 where the Democrats failed to end up with a net gain.

Gains and Losses
Republicans won four seats but lost ffours themselfes giving them a net gain of none:Conservative Democrat Zell miller,who had campaigned for bush choose to not run for re-election and republican John Isakson won his seat; Democrat Fritz Hollings of South Carolina chose not to run for re-election and Republican Jim DeMint succeeded him; Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards did not run for re-election and Republican Richard Burr won his North Carolina seat; Democrat Bob Graham of Florida chose not to run for re-election, and his seat went to Democrat Betty castor by a small margin.Incumbent Jim Bunning of kentucky lost his re-election and his seat went to Democrat Daniel Mongiardo;

Democrat John Breaux chose not to run for re-election and Republican David Vitter won his seat in Louisiana; Republican Senator Peter Fitzgerald of Illinois chose not to run for re-election and Democrat Barack Obama won in a landslide, becoming the Senate's only black member and only the third popularly elected since Reconstruction. Also, Republican Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado chose not to run for re-election and Democrat Ken Salazar won the open seat.

Political Parties
he Senate, as of the pre-election 108th Congress, was composed of 51 Republicans, 48 Democrats, and 1 independent. (The independent, Jim Jeffords of Vermont, was allied with the Democratic caucus and had voted with Democrats to give them the majority in the past.)The Democrats therefore needed to make a net gain of 1 seat from retiring or incumebent republicans to gain control of the senate.In the election, incumbent senators won reelection in all races but one (Republican Jim Bunning of Kentucky,lost re-election to democrat Daniel Mongiardo. ==Race Summary

Special election during the 108th congress
There were no spelcial election held during the 108th congress.

Elections leading to the next Congress
In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning January 3, 2005; ordered by state. All of the elections involved the Class 3 seats.