1974 United States elections

The 1974 United States elections were held on November 5. The elections occurred in the wake of the Watergate scandal and three months into term of Republican President Gerald Ford. Democrats expanded their majorities in both houses of Congress.

1974 United States elections

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 +49
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

Ford's granting of a pardon to his predecessor, Richard Nixon, along with soaring inflation caused by the 1973 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 Northern liberals, shifting the balance of power away from conservative Southern Democrats.

Federal elections

United States Senate

Main article: 1974 United States Senate elections

The Democrats made a net gain of four Senate seats from the Republicans. Democrat John A. Durkin won a special election in New Hampshire after the Senate voided the original contested election. After the special election, Democrats possessed 60 seats to 38 for the Republicans, with one independent who caucused with the Democrats and one Conservative who caucused with the Republicans.

United States House of Representatives

Main article: 1974 United States House of Representatives elections

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 as Watergate Babies), and the influx of liberals moved power away from the conservative southern Democrats who held most committee chairs in both houses.[2]

State elections

Main article: 1974 United States gubernatorial elections

The Democratic Party picked up a net of four seats in the gubernatorial elections.

References

1. "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 1974" (PDF). U.S. House of Reps, Office of the Clerk. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
2. Sinclair, Barbara (2006). Party Wars. University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 187–188.