The 1958 United States Senate elections were elections for the United States Senate which occurred in the middle of President Dwight D. Eisenhower's second term. Thirty-two seats of Class 1 were contested in regular elections, the new state of Alaska held its first Senate elections for its Class 2 and 3 seats, and two special elections were held to fill vacancies. As is common in mid-term elections, the party in the White House lost seats, but losses this year were heavy due to the Recession of 1958, the Eisenhower Administration's position on right-to-work issues that galvanized labor unions which supported Democrats, and the launch of Sputnik. This was the first time since 1934 that Democrats gained seats in this class of Senators. Democrats won both seats in West Virginia, making the last time that Democrats simultaneously flipped both of a state's Senate seats until Georgia's elections in 2020 and 2021. The Democratic Party gained a record 15 seats in this election, defeating 10 Republican incumbents, gaining three open Republican seats, and winning both seats from the new state of Alaska. This gave the Democrats a strong Senate majority of 64–34 over the Republicans, and the largest swing in the history of the Senate. After the new state of Hawaii elected its first Senators in 1959, the Senate's balance changed to 65–35. This is only one of two occasions in U.S. history that 10 or more Senate seats changed hands in a mid-term election (the other being in 1946), and also one of five occasions where 10 or more Senate seats changed hands in an election, with the other occasions being in 1920, 1932, 1946, and 1980. Results summary For the November 5 and 25, 1958 regular and special elections. Colored shading indicates party with largest share of that row. Source: Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives Gains, losses, and holds Retirements Six Republicans retired instead of seeking re-election. Defeats Ten Republicans sought re-election but lost in the general election. New states Alaska was admitted into the Union and elected two Democrats to the Senate. Post-election changes Hawaii was admitted into the Union and elected one Democrat and one Republican to the Senate on July 28th, 1959. Change in composition Before the elections After the elections Race summaries Special / new state elections In the special elections, the winners were seated during 1958 or before January 3, 1959. In the