1982 United States elections

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1982 United States elections
1980          1981         1982         1983          1984
Midterm elections
Election dayNovember 2
Incumbent president Ronald Reagan (Republican)
Next Congress 98th
Senate elections
Overall controlRepublican hold
Seats contested33 of 100 seats
Net seat changeDemocratic +1
1982 United States Senate elections results map.svg
1982 Senate election results

  Democratic gain  Democratic hold

  Republican gain  Republican hold
House elections
Overall controlDemocratic hold
Seats contestedAll 435 voting seats
Popular vote marginDemocratic +11.8%
Net seat changeDemocratic +26
The 1982 House Elections in the United States (wiki colors).png
1982 House of Representatives election results

  Democratic gain  Democratic hold

  Republican gain  Republican hold
Gubernatorial elections
Seats contested38 (36 states, 2 territories)
Net seat changeDemocratic +7
1982 United States gubernatorial elections results map.svg
1982 gubernatorial election results
Territorial races not shown

  Democratic gain  Democratic hold

  Republican gain  Republican hold

The 1982 United States elections were held on November 2, 1982. The elections occurred in the middle of Republican President Ronald Reagan's first term and after the 1980 United States census. Neither chamber of Congress changed hands.

The party balance in the Senate remained practically unchanged; Democrats only gained one seat after a Democratic-leaning Independent left the Senate. Democrats won the nationwide popular vote for the House of Representatives by a margin of 11.8 points and gained 26 seats, cementing their majority in that chamber. [1] The House elections took place after the 1980 United States census and the subsequent Congressional re-apportionment. [2] [3] In the gubernatorial elections, Democrats won a net gain of seven seats.

The Democratic election gains have been linked to President Ronald Reagan's unpopularity as a result of the deepening 1982 recession, which many voters blamed on his economic policies. Prior to the elections, some observers predicted a poor performance for Republicans due to the difficult economic conditions. [4] The Democrats' gains put a check on Reagan's policies, as the incoming Congress (particularly the House) was significantly less open to Reagan's conservative policies. Despite the Democratic electoral gains, this election was the first time that the Republican Party had successfully defended a majority in either chamber of Congress since 1930. [5]

See also

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References

  1. "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 1982" (PDF). U.S. House of Reps, Office of the Clerk. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  2. Robertson, Andrew W. (1983). "American redistricting in the 1980s: The effect on the mid-term elections". Electoral Studies. 2 (2): 113–129. doi:10.1016/0261-3794(83)90055-0. ISSN   0261-3794.
  3. Abramowitz, Alan I. (1983). "Partisan Redistricting and the 1982 Congressional Elections". The Journal of Politics. 45 (3): 767–770. doi:10.2307/2130716. ISSN   0022-3816.
  4. Jacobson, Gary C.; Kernell, Samuel (1982). "Strategy and Choice in the 1982 Congressional Elections". PS: Political Science & Politics. 15 (3): 423–430. doi:10.2307/418903. ISSN   0030-8269.
  5. Busch, Andrew (1999). Horses in Midstream . University of Pittsburgh Press. pp.  126–135.