1890 United States elections

Summary

The 1890 United States elections occurred in the middle of Republican President Benjamin Harrison's term. Members of the 52nd United States Congress were chosen in this election. The Republicans suffered major losses due to the Panic of 1890 and the unpopularity of the McKinley Tariff. The Populist Party also emerged as an important third party.

1890 United States elections
1888          1889          1890          1891          1892
Midterm elections
Election dayNovember 4
Incumbent presidentBenjamin Harrison (Republican)
Next Congress52nd
Senate elections
Overall controlRepublican hold
Seats contested28 of 85 seats[1]
Net seat changeDemocratic +2[2]
House elections
Overall controlDemocratic gain
Seats contestedAll 332 voting seats
Net seat changeDemocratic +86[2]
1890 House of Representatives election results

  Democratic seat
  Republican seat

  Independent seat

Republicans suffered massive losses to Democrats in the House, and the Democrats took control of the chamber.[3]

In the Senate, Democrats made minor gains, but Republicans kept control of the chamber. The Populists joined the Senate for the first time, electing two senators.[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.

Further reading edit

  • Cooper, William J. "Economics or Race: An Analysis of the Gubernatorial Election of 1890 in South Carolina." South Carolina Historical Magazine 73.4 (1972): 209–219. online
  • Holmes, William F. "The Southern Farmers' Alliance and the Georgia Senatorial Election of 1890." Journal of Southern History 50.2 (1984): 197–224.
  • Jensen, Richard J. The Winning of the Midwest: Social and Political Conflict, 1888-1896 (1971). pp. 89–153. online
  • Reed, Thomas B. "The Federal Control of Elections." The North American Review 150.403 (1890): 671–680. online
  • Valelly, Richard M. "Partisan Entrepreneurship and Policy Windows: George Frisbie Hoar and the 1890 Federal Elections Bill." in Formative Acts: American Politics In The Making. (2007): 126–149.
  • Wyman, Roger E. "Wisconsin ethnic groups and the election of 1890." Wisconsin Magazine of History (1968): 269–293.