1954 United States elections

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1954 United States elections
1952          1953         1954         1955          1956
Midterm elections
Election dayNovember 2
Incumbent president Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican)
Next Congress 84th
Senate elections
Overall controlDemocratic gain
Seats contested38 of 96 seats
(32 Class 2 seats + 9 special elections) [1]
Net seat changeDemocratic +2
1954 United States Senate elections results map.svg
1954 Senate election results

  Democratic gain  Democratic hold

  Republican gain  Republican hold
House elections
Overall controlDemocratic gain
Seats contestedAll 435 voting seats
Popular vote marginDemocratic +5.5%
Net seat changeDemocratic +19
Gubernatorial elections
Seats contested34
Net seat changeDemocratic +8
1954 United States gubernatorial elections results map.svg
1954 gubernatorial election results

  Democratic gain  Democratic hold

  Republican hold

The 1954 United States elections were held on November 2, 1954. The election took place in the middle of Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower's first term. In the election, the Republicans lost the Congressional majorities they had won in the previous election, due in most part to the backlash against McCarthyism and the numerous controversies it spawned including the Army hearings and the suicide of Democratic Senator Lester C. Hunt. The Democratic gains were modest, but they were enough for the party to win back control of both chambers of Congress.

In the House, the Republicans lost eighteen seats to the Democratic Party, losing control of the chamber. Republicans would not retake the House until 1994. [2] The Republicans also lost control of the U.S. Senate, losing two seats to the Democrats. [3] [4] Republicans would not retake control of the Senate until 1980. [5]

See also

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References

  1. The Class 2 Senate seats in Nebraska, North Carolina, and Wyoming each held a regularly-scheduled election and a special election in 1954. These three seats are not double-counted for the total number of seats contested.
  2. "Party Divisions of the House of Representatives". United States House of Representatives. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  3. Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 1954. U.S. House of Reps, Office of the Clerk. 1955. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  4. "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 1954 (Revision)" (PDF). U.S. House of Reps, Office of the Clerk. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
  5. "Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present". United States Senate. Retrieved 25 June 2014.