List of African-American United States Senate candidates

Hiram Revels

Carol Moseley Braun

Blanche Bruce

This page is a list of African-American United States Senate candidates.

Listed are those African-American candidates who achieved ballot access for a federal election. They made the primary ballot, and have votes in the election in order to qualify for this list.

Not included are African-Americans potential candidates (suggested by media, objects of draft movements, etc.), potential candidates who did not file for office or fictional candidates. Two biracial candidates are included: Barack Obama and Kamala Harris.

In 2024, two African-American women won their United States Senate races: Lisa Blunt Rochester and Angela Alsobrooks.

U.S. Senate candidates

The default sort is by descending year, followed by state, followed by candidate surname.

Denotes winning candidate.
+ Denotes party nominee.

African-American candidates

Year	Name	Party	Details	State
2024	Barbara Lee	Democratic	9.8% all-party primary result [1]	California
2024	Lisa Blunt Rochester +	Democratic	56.6% [2]	Delaware
2024	Angela Alsobrooks +	Democratic	54.6% [3]	Maryland
2024	Royce White +	Republican	40.5% [4]	Minnesota
2022	Val Demings +	Democratic	41.3%	Florida
2022	Herschel Walker +	Republican	48.6% runoff result [5]	Georgia
2022	Raphael Warnock +	Democratic	51.4% runoff result [6]	Georgia
2022	Charles Booker +	Democratic	38.2%	Kentucky
2022	Gary Chambers +	Democratic	17.9%	Louisiana
2022	Joe Pinion +	Republican	42.8%	New York
2022	Cheri Beasley +	Democratic	47.3%	North Carolina
2022	Malcolm Kenyatta	Democratic	10.85% primary result [7]	Pennsylvania
2022	Catherine Fleming Bruce	Democratic	44.23% primary runoff result [8]	South Carolina
2022	Krystle Matthews +	Democratic	37%	South Carolina
2022	Tim Scott +	Republican	62.9%	South Carolina
2022	Mandela Barnes +	Democratic	49.4%	Wisconsin
2020	Raphael Warnock +	Democratic	51%; special/runoff election (2021)	Georgia
2020	Willie Wilson	Willie Wilson Party	4%	Illinois
2020	John James +	Republican	48.2%	Michigan
2020	Mike Espy +	Democratic	44.1%	Mississippi
2020	Preston Love Jr.	Democratic	6.3% primary result [9]	Nebraska
2020	Cory Booker +	Democratic	57.2%	New Jersey
2020	Jaime Harrison +	Democratic	44.2%	South Carolina
2020	Marquita Bradshaw	Democratic	35.2%	Tennessee
2018	John James +	Republican	45.8%	Michigan
2018	Mike Espy +	Democratic	46.4%; special election	Mississippi
2016	Kamala Harris +	Democratic	61.8%	California
2016	Donna Edwards	Democratic	38.9% primary result [10]	Maryland
2016	Thomas Dixon	Democratic, Green	36.9%	South Carolina
2016	Tim Scott +	Republican	60.6%	South Carolina
2014	Cory Booker +	Democratic	55.8%	New Jersey
2014	Constance N. Johnson +	Democratic	29%	Oklahoma
2014	Joyce Dickerson +	Democratic	37.1%	South Carolina
2013	Cory Booker +	Democratic	54.9%; special election	New Jersey
2010	Kendrick Meek +	Democratic	20.1%	Florida
2010	Mike Thurmond +	Democratic	39.2%	Georgia
2010	Alvin Greene +	Democratic	28.2%	South Carolina
2008	Vivian Davis Figures +	Democratic	36.5%	Alabama
2008	Erik R. Fleming +	Democratic	38.6%	Mississippi
2006	Kweisi Mfume	Democratic	40.5% primary result [11]	Maryland
2006	Michael Steele +	Republican	44.2%	Maryland
2006	Erik R. Fleming +	Democratic	34.8%	Mississippi
2006	Harold Ford Jr. +	Democratic	48%	Tennessee
2006	Aaron Dixon +	Green	1.02%	Washington
2004	Denise Majette +	Democratic	40%	Georgia
2004	Barack Obama +	Democratic	70%	Illinois
2004	Alan Keyes +	Republican	27%	Illinois
2004	Tee Ferguson +	United Citizens	0.4%	South Carolina
2004	Efia Nwangaza +	Green	0.3%	South Carolina
2002	Ron Kirk +	Democratic	43.3%	Texas
1998	Gary Franks +	Republican	32.4%	Connecticut
1998	Carol Moseley Braun +	Democratic	47.4%	Illinois
1996	Harvey Gantt +	Democratic	45.9%	North Carolina
1994	Ron Sims +	Democratic	44.25%	Washington
1992	Gerald Horne +	Peace and Freedom	2.8%	California
1992	Carol Moseley Braun +	Democratic	53.3%; first African-American woman elected to the U.S. Senate	Illinois
1992	Alan Keyes +	Republican	29%	Maryland
1990	Harvey Gantt +	Democratic	47.4%	North Carolina
1988	Alan Keyes +	Republican	38.2%	Maryland
1988	Ernie Chambers +	New Alliance	1.6%	Nebraska
1978	Edward Brooke +	Republican	44.9%	Massachusetts
1978	Charles Evers	Independent	22.6%	Mississippi
1972	Edward Brooke +	Republican	63.5%	Massachusetts
1966	Edward Brooke +	Republican	60.7%; first African-American senator elected by popular vote	Massachusetts
1926	Nick Chiles	Republican	14.39%	Kansas
1874	Blanche Bruce	Republican	First African American to serve a full term in the U.S. Senate [12]	Mississippi
1872	P. B. S. Pinchback	Republican	Won the election; not seated due to election challenges [13]	Louisiana
1870	Hiram Revels +	Republicans	First African-American senator (elected by state legislature to fill a vacant seat) [14]	Mississippi

References

1. "California Senate primary election results and maps 2024 | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
2. Powers, Kelly (November 7, 2024). "Lisa Blunt Rochester sweeps US Senate race as the first Black Delawarean to do it". The News Journal . Retrieved December 10, 2024.
3. Schwartzman, Paul (November 6, 2024). "Alsobrooks faced a proven winner. Here's how she defeated Larry Hogan". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
4. ""State Primary Tuesday, August 13, 2024 - U.S. Senator" | Minnesota Secretary of State". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
5. Gringlas, Sam (December 7, 2022). "Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock defeats Republican Herschel Walker in Georgia runoff". NPR. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
6. Gringlas, Sam (December 7, 2022). "Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock defeats Republican Herschel Walker in Georgia runoff". NPR. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
7. "Pennsylvania Elections - Summary Results". www.electionreturns.pa.gov. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
8. "Election Night Reporting". www.enr-scvotes.org. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
9. "Preston Love Jr". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
10. "Donna Edwards". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
11. "Official 2006 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for U.S. Senator". elections.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
12. Glass, Andrew (February 14, 2008). "Freed slave presides over Senate: Feb. 14, 1879". Politico. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
13. Knight, Christina (2013-11-07). "P.B.S. Pinchback. The Black Governor Who Almost Was a Senator". The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
14. "U.S. Senate: Hiram Revels: First African American Senator". www.senate.gov. Retrieved 2024-07-27.