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| ←1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 → Midterm elections | |
| Election day | November 5 |
|---|---|
| Incumbent president | Gerald Ford(Republican) |
| Next Congress | 94th |
| Senate elections | |
| Overall control | Democratic hold |
| Seats contested | 34 of 100 seats |
| Net seat change | Democratic +4 |
 | |
| 1974 Senate election results Democratic gain Democratic hold Republican gain Republican hold | |
| House elections | |
| Overall control | Democratic hold |
| Seats contested | All 435 voting seats |
| Popular vote margin | Democratic +16.8% |
| Net seat change | Democratic +45 |
 | |
| 1974 House of Representatives election results Democratic gain Democratic hold Republican gain Republican hold | |
| Gubernatorial elections | |
| Seats contested | 37 (35 states, 2 territories) |
| Net seat change | Democratic +4 |
 | |
| 1974 gubernatorial election results Territorial races not shown Democratic gain Democratic hold Republican gain Republican hold Independent gain | |
Elections were held on November 5, 1974. The elections occurred in the wake of theWatergate scandal and three months into the term ofRepublican PresidentGerald Ford. Democrats expanded their majorities in both houses of Congress.
Ford'sgranting of a pardon to his predecessor,Richard Nixon, along with soaringinflation caused by the1973 oil crisis, created a tough environment for the Republican Party. Democrats won net gains of four seats in the Senate, 49 seats in the House of Representatives, and four seats in the gubernatorial elections. Many of the newly elected Democrats were Northernliberals, shifting the balance of power away fromconservative Southern Democrats.
The Democrats made a net gain of total four Senate seats from the Republicans. DemocratJohn A. Durkin won a special election inNew Hampshire after the Senate voided theoriginal contested election. After the special election, Democrats possessed 60 seats to 38 for the Republicans, with one independent who caucused with the Democrats and oneConservative who caucused with the Republicans.
The Democrats won the nationwide popular vote for the House of Representatives by a margin of 16.8 points.[1] This translated to a net gain of 49 seats from the Republicans, increasing the party's majority above the two-thirds mark.
Many of the newly elected Democrats in the House and Senate were liberal northerners (known asWatergate Babies), and the influx of liberals moved power away from the conservative southern Democrats who held most committee chairs in both houses.[2]
The Democratic Party picked up a net of four seats in the gubernatorial elections and picked up four seats in U.S. Senate as well.
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