2000 United States Senate Elections (The New Millennium)

The 2000 United States Senate Elections were held on Tuesday, November 7, 2000. The elections coincided with the 2000 Presidential Election which was won by the incumbent Vice-President, Al Gore. The senate elections saw many close and fiercely contested races that ultimately resulted in a victory for the Democratic Party as they gained a net total of 4 seats from the Republicans.

These elections saw the contest of the Senate seats in Class 1, previously contested in 1994 which saw the Republicans win a net total of 8 seats. Along with Gore's victory, Democrats unseated incumbent Republicans in 5 states: Delaware, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and Washington. In Missouri, the winner was elected posthumously. Democrats also won an open seat in Florida. Meanwhile, Republicans unseated a Democratic incumbent in Virginia and won an open seat in Nevada.

The elections resulted in an equal 50-50 split between Republicans and Democrats, with the elected Vice-President, Joe Lieberman, being the tiebreaker for the Democrats. This marked the third time there had been a tied Senate, after the results from the 1880 elections and in 1953. Following the elections, Lieberman's election to the position of Vice-President opened a vacancy in Connecticut filled by Phillip Giordano, a Republican, giving Republicans a majority in the chamber. Trent Lott became Majority Leader for only a brief time until Vermont Senator Jim Jeffords switch from Republican to Independent on June 6 and caucused with Democrats, giving them back the majority and making Tom Daschle the Majority Leader.