| ←1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 → Midterm elections | |
| Election day | November 2 |
|---|---|
| Incumbent president | Ronald Reagan(Republican) |
| Next Congress | 98th |
| Senate elections | |
| Overall control | Republican hold |
| Seats contested | 33 of 100 seats |
| Net seat change | Democratic +1 |
 | |
| 1982 Senate election results Democratic gain Democratic hold | |
| House elections | |
| Overall control | Democratic hold |
| Seats contested | All 435 voting seats |
| Popular vote margin | Democratic +11.8% |
| Net seat change | Democratic +26 |
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| 1982 House of Representatives election results Democratic gain Democratic hold | |
| Gubernatorial elections | |
| Seats contested | 38 (36 states, 2 territories) |
| Net seat change | Democratic +7 |
 | |
| 1982 gubernatorial election results Territorial races not shown Democratic gain Democratic hold | |
Elections were held on November 2, 1982. The elections occurred in the middle ofRepublicanPresidentRonald Reagan's first term and after the1980 United States census. Neither chamber ofCongress changed hands.
The party balance in theSenate remained practically unchanged;Democrats only gained one seat after a Democratic-leaning Independent left the Senate. Democrats won the nationwide popular vote for theHouse of Representatives by a margin of 11.8 points and gained 26 seats, cementing their majority in that chamber.[1] The House elections took place after the1980 United States census and the subsequentCongressional re-apportionment.[2][3] In the gubernatorial elections, Democrats won a net gain of seven seats.
The Democratic election gains have been linked to PresidentRonald Reagan's unpopularity as a result of the deepening1982 recession, which many voters blamed on his economic policies. Prior to the elections, some observers predicted a poor performance for Republicans due to the difficult economic conditions.[4] The Democrats' gains put a check on Reagan's policies, as the incoming Congress (particularly the House) was significantly less open to Reagan's conservative policies. Despite the Democratic electoral gains, this election was the first time that theRepublican Party had successfully defended a majority in either chamber of Congress since1930.[5]