| ←1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 → Presidential election year | |
| Election day | November 6 |
|---|---|
| Incumbent president | Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican) |
| Next Congress | 85th |
| Presidential election | |
| Partisan control | Republican hold |
| Popular vote margin | Republican +15.4% |
| Electoral vote | |
| Dwight D. Eisenhower (R) | 457 |
| Adlai Stevenson (D) | 73 |
 | |
| 1956 presidential election results.Red denotes states won by Eisenhower,blue denotes states won by Stevenson. Numbers indicate theelectoral votes won by each candidate. | |
| Senate elections | |
| Overall control | Democratic hold |
| Seats contested | 35 of 96 seats (32 Class 3 seats + 3 special elections) |
| Net seat change | 0[1] |
 | |
| 1956 Senate results Democratic gain Democratic hold | |
| House elections | |
| Overall control | Democratic hold |
| Seats contested | All 435 voting members |
| Popular vote margin | Democratic +2.5% |
| Net seat change | Democratic +2 |
 | |
| Gubernatorial elections | |
| Seats contested | 30 |
| Net seat change | Democratic +2 |
 | |
| 1956 gubernatorial election results Democratic gain Democratic hold | |
Elections were held on Tuesday, November 6, 1956. IncumbentRepublican PresidentDwight D. Eisenhower won reelection in a landslide, while theDemocrats retained control ofCongress.
In the presidential election, Republican PresidentDwight D. Eisenhower defeated Democratic former GovernorAdlai E. Stevenson of Illinois in a re-match of the1952 election. Eisenhower won the popular vote by fifteen points and once again won every state outside the South. At theDemocratic convention, Stevenson easily defeated New York GovernorW. Averell Harriman, taking the nomination on the first ballot.
In the Senate, the party balance of the chamber remained unchanged as Republican and Democratic gains cancelled each other out. In the House, the Democrats picked up two seats, increasing their majority.[2][3][4]
This was the first of two consecutive election cycles in which the winning presidential candidate did not have coattails in either house of Congress.