1950 United States elections

Summary

The 1950 United States elections were held on November 7, 1950, and elected the members of the 82nd United States Congress. The election took place during the Korean War, during Democratic President Harry S. Truman's second (only full) term. The Democrats lost twenty-eight seats to the Republican Party in the House of Representatives. The Democrats also lost five seats in the U.S. Senate to the Republicans.[2] The defeat of the Labor Party congressman Vito Marcantonio left third parties without representation in Congress for the first time since 1908.

1950 United States elections
1948          1949          1950          1951          1952
Midterm elections
Election dayNovember 7
Incumbent presidentHarry S. Truman (Democratic)
Next Congress82nd
Senate elections
Overall controlDemocratic hold
Seats contested36 of 96 seats
(32 Class 3 seats + 6 special elections)[1]
Net seat changeRepublican +5
1950 United States Senate special election in Rhode Island1950 United States Senate special election in Connecticut1950 United States Senate special election in Idaho1950 United States Senate special election in North Carolina1950 United States Senate election in Alabama1950 United States Senate election in Arizona1950 United States Senate election in Arkansas1950 United States Senate election in California1950 United States Senate election in Colorado1950 United States Senate election in Connecticut1950 United States Senate election in Florida1950 United States Senate election in Georgia1950 United States Senate election in Idaho1950 United States Senate election in Illinois1950 United States Senate election in Indiana1950 United States Senate election in Iowa1950 United States Senate election in Kansas1950 United States Senate election in Kentucky1950 United States Senate election in Louisiana1950 United States Senate election in Maryland1950 United States Senate election in Missouri1950 United States Senate election in Nevada1950 United States Senate election in New Hampshire1950 United States Senate election in New York1950 United States Senate election in North Carolina1950 United States Senate election in North Dakota1950 United States Senate election in Ohio1950 United States Senate election in Oklahoma1950 United States Senate election in Oregon1950 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania1950 United States Senate election in South Carolina1950 United States Senate election in South Dakota1950 United States Senate election in Utah1950 United States Senate election in Vermont1950 United States Senate election in Washington1950 United States Senate election in Wisconsin
1950 Senate election results

  Democratic gain   Democratic hold

  Republican gain   Republican hold
House elections
Overall controlDemocratic hold
Seats contestedAll 358 voting seats
Popular vote marginDemocratic +0.7%
Net seat changeRepublican +28
Gubernatorial elections
Seats contested33
Net seat changeRepublican +6
1950 North Dakota gubernatorial election1950 Alabama gubernatorial election1950 Arizona gubernatorial election1950 Arkansas gubernatorial election1950 California gubernatorial election1950 Colorado gubernatorial election1950 Connecticut gubernatorial election1950 Georgia gubernatorial election1950 Idaho gubernatorial election1950 Iowa gubernatorial election1950 Kansas gubernatorial election1950 Maine gubernatorial election1950 Maryland gubernatorial election1950 Massachusetts gubernatorial election1950 Michigan gubernatorial election1950 Minnesota gubernatorial election1950 Nebraska gubernatorial election1950 Nevada gubernatorial election1950 New Hampshire gubernatorial election1950 New Mexico gubernatorial election1950 New York gubernatorial election1950 Ohio gubernatorial election1950 Oklahoma gubernatorial election1950 Oregon gubernatorial election1950 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election1950 Rhode Island gubernatorial election1950 South Carolina gubernatorial election1950 South Dakota gubernatorial election1950 Tennessee gubernatorial election1950 Texas gubernatorial election1950 Vermont gubernatorial election1950 Wisconsin gubernatorial election1950 Wyoming gubernatorial election
1950 gubernatorial election results

  Democratic hold

  Republican gain   Republican hold

Like his predecessor Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938, Truman and the Democratic party managed to maintain control of both houses, defying the six-year itch phenomenon for the second time in a row. However, the election was still a defeat for Truman, as it strengthened the conservative coalition and ensured that none of Truman's Fair Deal policies would pass. Republicans also ran against Truman's prosecution of the Korean War, and the 82nd Congress subsequently conducted numerous investigations into the course of the war. The election set the stage for the presidency of Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower and the centre-right policies of the 1950s.[3]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Two Class 3 seats held both a regularly-scheduled election and a special election in 1950. These two seats are not double-counted for the total number of seats contested.
  2. ^ "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 1950" (PDF). U.S. House of Reps, Office of the Clerk.
  3. ^ Busch, Andrew (1999). Horses in Midstream. University of Pittsburgh Press. pp. 91–94.