The longest one-party holds on a seat

The U.S. Senate seats and governorships one party held for the most consecutive elections without losing.

The longest unbroken one-party hold in the dataset is the governorship of Vermont: 61 consecutive elections, Republican, 1855 to 1960. Texas (48) and Arkansas (45) follow. The longest Senate run belongs to Kansas, 18 straight, Republican, 1918 to 2020. These come out of the one-party South and the Republican strongholds of northern New England, where a general election was for decades a formality.

What is the longest a single party has held a seat?

The governorship of Vermont, for 61 consecutive elections, Republican, 1855 to 1960. Among U.S. Senate seats the longest is Kansas, 18 in a row, Republican, 1918 to 2020. The streak counts elections, not years, and ends the first time the other party wins.

Why do these streaks cluster in certain regions?

For most of the century after Reconstruction, the Democratic Party won essentially every general election across the South while Republicans did the same in parts of northern New England. In both cases the real contest was the primary, which this dataset does not cover.

How is a hold measured?

Consecutive regular general elections for the same seat won by the same party, ending at the first loss. Senate seats are counted separately by class, and special elections are excluded.

Governorships

The longest one-party holds on a seat
#	Seat	Consecutive wins	Party	Years
1	Vermont	61	R	1855–1960
2	Texas	48	D	1873–1974
3	Arkansas	45	D	1874–1964
4	Alabama	35	D	1874–1982
5	Connecticut	28	F	1789–1816
6	New Hampshire	26	D	1829–1854
7	North Carolina	24	D	1808–1831
8	Georgia	22	D	1872–1924
9	Virginia	21	D	1885–1965
10	Rhode Island	20	R	1866–1886
11	Tennessee	20	D	1922–1966
12	New Jersey	19	D	1813–1831
13	Iowa	19	R	1893–1930
14	Wisconsin	19	R	1894–1930
15	Massachusetts	17	R	1857–1873
16	Mississippi	17	D	1877–1987
17	New York	16	D	1801–1836
18	Minnesota	16	R	1865–1896
19	Louisiana	15	D	1876–1975
20	South Carolina	14	D	1800–1842
21	Maine	14	R	1866–1879
22	Oklahoma	14	D	1907–1958
23	South Dakota	13	R	1900–1924
24	Ohio	12	D	1803–1824
25	Nebraska	12	R	1866–1888

U.S. Senate seats

Counted by class, so a state’s two seats are never mixed together.

The longest one-party holds on a seat
#	Seat	Consecutive wins	Party	Years
1	Kansas	18	R	1918–2020
2	Arkansas	16	D	1914–2004
3	Louisiana	16	D	1918–2008
4	Montana	16	D	1918–2008
5	South Carolina	15	D	1914–1998
6	Vermont	15	R	1916–2000
7	West Virginia	15	D	1934–2018
8	Rhode Island	15	D	1936–2020
9	Kansas	15	R	1938–2022
10	Georgia	14	D	1918–1996
11	Louisiana	14	D	1920–1998
12	Texas	13	D	1916–1988
13	Alabama	13	D	1918–1990
14	New Hampshire	13	R	1938–2010
15	Utah	13	R	1950–2022
16	Massachusetts	13	D	1952–2024
17	Florida	12	D	1916–1982
18	Mississippi	12	D	1916–1982
19	Arkansas	12	D	1918–1990
20	Idaho	12	R	1954–2020
21	New Jersey	12	D	1958–2024
22	Wisconsin	12	D	1958–2024
23	Alabama	11	D	1914–1974
24	Georgia	11	D	1914–1974
25	North Carolina	11	D	1914–1974

How this ranking is measured

The longest run of consecutive regular general elections for one seat won by the same party. U.S. Senate seats are separated by class so a state’s two seats are never mixed, and special elections and recalls are excluded. Counted in elections rather than years, since Senate terms run six years and gubernatorial terms two or four. The New Hampshire and Vermont governorships, on two-year terms, therefore accumulate elections faster than a four-year office.

Compiled by PolitiFinder · published June 14, 2026 · sources: Data & sources · data last verified September 9, 2026.