| ←1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 → Midterm elections | |
| Election day | November 5 |
|---|---|
| Incumbent president | Harry S. Truman (Democratic) |
| Next Congress | 80th |
| Senate elections | |
| Overall control | Republican gain |
| Seats contested | 37 of 96 seats (32 Class 1 seats + 8 special elections)[1] |
| Net seat change | Republican +12[2] |
 | |
| 1946 Senate election results Democratic gain Democratic hold | |
| House elections | |
| Overall control | Republican gain |
| Seats contested | All 435 voting seats |
| Popular vote margin | Republican +8.5% |
| Net seat change | Republican +55 |
 | |
| 1946 House election results Democratic gain Democratic hold | |
| Gubernatorial elections | |
| Seats contested | 34 |
| Net seat change | Republican +3 |
 | |
| 1946 gubernatorial election results Democratic gain Democratic hold | |
Elections were held on November 5, 1946, and elected the members of the80th United States Congress. In the first election afterWorld War II, incumbentPresidentHarry S. Truman (who took office on April 12, 1945, upon the death of his predecessor,Franklin D. Roosevelt) and theDemocratic Party suffered large losses. After having been in the minority of both chambers of Congress since1932, Republicans took control of both the House and the Senate.[3][4]
ThisRepublican wave reflected the public backlash against President Truman for the post-war economic hardships the country suffered, strainingAmerican-Soviet relations, and his handling of theUnited Auto Workers strike. Afterwards, Truman was widely expected to face a tough reelection environment in the subsequentpresidential election, but he ultimately defied expectations.
Democrats lost fifty-four seats to theRepublican Party in theHouse of Representatives, and Democrats also lost eleven seats to the Republicans in theU.S. Senate, allowing Republicans to take control of both chambers. AProgressive also lost a seat to a Republican.[5]
In California, newcomerRichard Nixon defeated incumbent liberal DemocratJerry Voorhis. Nixon campaigned on such issues as price controls, housing, and labor-management relations, but gained his greatest publicity from attacks on Voorhis left-wing associations and policies.[6]
Another future US president,John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts was first elected to the House of Representatives in this election as well.
In Mississippi, SenatorTheodore G. Bilbo sought reelection to a third six-year term in the Democratic primary. He was under daily newspaper attack fromHodding Carter, one of the state's best-known political journalists and editors. Carter supported racial segregation but was a moderate on civil rights. His 1946 Pulitzer Prize for editorials on racial and religious tolerance as editor of the GreenvilleDelta Democrat-Times had won him a national reputation. Bilbo narrowly won reelection with only 51% of the vote, but he died within a year.[7]
In Georgia,white supremacy was the main theme asEugene Talmadge was elected to a fourth term as governor. He had promoted purges of blacks from the voting lists in certain key Georgia counties.[8]
The election stymied Truman's efforts to enact hisFair Deal policies and helped ensure the passage of theLabor Management Relations Act of 1947. However, Truman was able to implement theMarshall Plan, theNational Security Act of 1947, and otherCold War policies following the election. Future presidentsJohn F. Kennedy andRichard Nixon first won election to Congress in this election, whileThomas Dewey's re-election as Governor of New York helped him earn the 1948 Republican nomination for president.Joseph McCarthy also won election as Senator from Wisconsin in 1946.[9]