The ELPAC Report January 2004

2004 Congressional 
Election Overview

Thirty-four Senate seats are up for election in 2004, with seven of them being "open," meaning the incumbent is retiring or not running for re-election. Incumbent Senators are usually re-elected, so open seats are the primary vehicle for changes in Senatorial power.

The open seats are in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and South Carolina. This year Democrats are more vulnerable than Republicans, since five of their seats are open, while only two Republican seats are open (Illinois and Oklahoma). 

None of the open seats were held by Senators who took the lead on English language issues, though six of the seven voted in favor of quadrupling funding for bilingual education in 2002 (only retiring Don Nickels of Oklahoma voted against the funding increase).

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