1846 United States elections

Summary

The 1846 United States elections occurred in the middle of Democratic President James Polk's term, during the Second Party System. The election took place during the Mexican–American War. Members of the 30th United States Congress were chosen in this election. Wisconsin joined the union during the 30th Congress. Democrats kept control of the Senate, but lost control of the House.

1846 United States elections
1844          1845          1846          1847          1848
Midterm elections
Incumbent presidentJames K. Polk (Democratic)
Next Congress30th
Senate elections
Overall controlDemocratic hold
Seats contested19 of 58 seats[1]
Net seat changeDemocratic +2[2]
House elections
Overall controlWhig gain
Seats contestedAll 230 voting seats
Net seat changeWhig +37[2]

In the House, the Whigs won major gains, turning a dominant Democratic majority into a narrow Whig majority.[3]

In the Senate, Democrats picked up a moderate number of seats, building on their majority.[4]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Not counting special elections.
  2. ^ a b Congressional seat gain figures only reflect the results of the regularly-scheduled elections, and do not take special elections into account.
  3. ^ "Party Divisions of the House of Representatives". United States House of Representatives. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  4. ^ "Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present". United States Senate. Retrieved 25 June 2014.