Which Senate seats have been held the longest by Democrats?

[elperromagico]

I'm not just referring to long-serving Democratic senators, such as Byrd, Kennedy, and Inouye. I'm referring to seats that have been held continuously by only Democrats.

For instance, Arkansas' Class III US Senate seat (currently held by Blanche Lincoln) has been held by a Democrat continuously for the last 125 years:

James Walker (D) (1879-1885)
James Jones (D) (1885-1903)
James Clarke (D) (1903-1916)
William Kirby (D) (1916-1921)
Thaddeus Caraway (D) (1921-1931)
Hattie Caraway (D) (1931-1945)
J. William Fulbright (D) (1945-1975)
Dale Bumpers (D) (1975-1999)
Blanche Lincoln (D) (1999- )

[Catch22Dem]

1. Wow, that's impressive!

I'd like to see some others.

[elperromagico]

3. The Class II seat was held by a Democrat nearly as long.

120 years, to be exact:

Augustus Garland (D) (1877-1885)
James Berry (D) (1885-1907)
Jeff Davis (D) (1907-1913)
John Heiskell (D) (1913)
William Kavanaugh (D) (1913)
Joseph Robinson (D) (1913-1937)
John Miller (D) (1937-1941)
George Spencer (D) (1941-1943)
John McClellan (D) (1943-1977)
Kaneaster Hodges (D) (1977-1979)
David Pryor (D) (1979-1997)

Then a Republican won the seat in '96. He lost in '02, and now the seat is back in Democratic hands. It's been held by a Democrat for 121 of the last 127 years.

[unblock]

2. byrd was an independent for quite a long time first.

so his seat hasn't even been democratic for as long as he's held it.

[elperromagico]

4. Are you sure you aren't referring to Harry Flood Byrd,

the Senator from Virginia who ran several times as an independent?

I believe Robert Byrd has always run as a Democrat.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

5. Ted Kennedy 1962-Present

His brother held it before him. So what is your criteria again?

[carpetbagger]

6. Long-held Senate seats.

SC (Hollings): since 1879
LA (Breaux) since 1876

However, it's not a particularly good thing that the democrats held these seats. They were taken by beating down a good portion of the electorate.

If anyone can think of the longest-held seat by non-Dixiecrat/racist democrats, I'd like to know.

As to purity, Inouye's seat has never been held by a non-Democrat. No, sir, no santorum on that seat.

[elperromagico]

7. Yes, most of the Democratic stronghold seats are a direct consequence

of the end of Reconstruction.

I'd be hard-pressed to find a Senate seat outside of the South that has been held by a single party for over 100 years. Of course, it's possible - but you might wind up looking all night.