Washington Post chart examines each state's Senate history; trends could be reversed this year

Control of the Senate is often a focal point of elections. Each party tries to gain the upper hand by reversing trends in states that have typically swung in another party's direction. How deep does political control go, and how long can that control last? With November Senate elections on the horizon, Phillip Bump of The Washington Post takes a closer look at how in many states Senate representation has been guided for years by one political party but how that trend could come to an end in the coming months.

Louisiana Democrats have held the seat currently held by Sen. Mary Landrieu for 132 years, the second longest streak in the history of the Senate, Bump writes. Democrats have controlled Sen. John Walsh's Montana seat for 102 years and Republicans Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts' seat for 96 years. All three of those Senators are in for tough fights this year and could lose those seats to the opposing parties. West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin's seat has been held by Democrats for 56 years, but the Republicans may take over it this year.

How has your state historically voted in Senate elections? This Post graphic looks at the history of Senate voting in the U.S. "For any year in which a senator was in place for more than half of the year we assigned a Democratic, Republican, or other value to seat, based on the party that controlled the seat for the majority of that time," Bump writes. (Read more)