| ←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 | |
Elections were held on November 2, 1954. The election took place in the middle ofRepublicanPresidentDwight 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 ofCongress.
In the House, the Republicans lost eighteen seats to theDemocratic Party, losing control of the chamber. Republicans would not retake the House until1994.[2] The Republicans also lost control of theU.S. Senate, losing two seats to the Democrats.[3][4] Republicans would not retake control of the Senate until1980.[5]
A contribution to the Republican reversal was backlash againstGOP-drivenMcCarthyism and the numerous controversies it spawned, including theArmy–McCarthy hearings. Other factors included a comment made in Detroit by Defense SecretaryCharles Wilson, former president ofGeneral 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-PresidentRichard Nixon and other members of the cabinet.[7]
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