| ← 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 → Midterm elections | |
| Election day | November 2 |
|---|---|
| Incumbent president | Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican) |
| Next Congress | 84th |
| Senate elections | |
| Overall control | Democratic gain |
| Seats contested | 38 of 96 seats (32 Class 2 seats + 9 special elections)[1] |
| Net seat change | Democratic +2 |
 | |
| 1954 Senate election results
Democratic gain Democratic hold | |
| House elections | |
| Overall control | Democratic gain |
| Seats contested | All 435 voting seats |
| Popular vote margin | Democratic +5.5% |
| Net seat change | Democratic +19 |
 | |
| Gubernatorial elections | |
| Seats contested | 34 |
| Net seat change | Democratic +8 |
 | |
| 1954 gubernatorial election results
Democratic gain Democratic 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; Democratic gains were modest, but 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]
A contribution to the Republican reversal was backlash against GOP-driven McCarthyism and the numerous controversies it spawned, including the Army–McCarthy hearings. Other factors included a comment made in Detroit by Defense Secretary Charles Wilson, former president of General Motors, equating unemployed auto workers with "lazy kennel dogs who sit... and yell."[6]
However, it has been pointed out that losses in the midterm election were considerably less than the White House party generally faces in the midterm elections, and this has been attributed to the overall popularity of President Eisenhower, who participated in the campaign along with Vice-President Richard Nixon and other members of the cabinet.[7]
See also
[edit]- 1954 United States House of Representatives elections
- 1954 United States Senate elections
- 1954 United States gubernatorial elections
References
[edit]- ^ 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.
- ^ "Party Divisions of the House of Representatives". United States House of Representatives. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
- ^ Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 1954. U.S. House of Reps, Office of the Clerk. 1955. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
- ^ "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 1954 (Revision)" (PDF). U.S. House of Reps, Office of the Clerk. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
- ^ "Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present". United States Senate. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
- ^ Ambrose, Stephen (1991). Eisenhower: Soldier and President. Simon and Schuster. p. 375. ISBN 9780671747589.
- ^ Ambrose, Stephen (1991). Eisenhower: Soldier and President. Simon and Schuster. p. 375. ISBN 9780671747589.
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