From Wikipedia - Reading time: 6 min
| ← 1790 1791 1792 1793 1794 → Presidential election year | |
| Incumbent president | George Washington (Independent) |
|---|---|
| Next Congress | 3rd |
| Presidential election | |
| Electoral vote | |
| George Washington | 132 |
| Presidential election results map. Green denotes states won by Washington. Numbers indicate the number of electoral votes cast by each state. | |
| Senate elections | |
| Overall control | Pro-Administration hold |
| Seats contested | 10 of 30 seats[1] |
| Net seat change | Pro-Administration +1[2] |
| House elections | |
| Overall control | Anti-Administration gain |
| Seats contested | All 105 voting members |
| Net seat change | Anti-Administration +24[2] |
| House of Representatives elections Pro-Administration (F) majority Anti-Administration (DR) majority Even split | |
Elections were held for the 3rd United States Congress, in 1792 and 1793. Congress was broadly divided between a Pro-Administration faction supporting the policies of George Washington's administration and an Anti-Administration faction opposed to those policies. Due to this, the Federalist Party (generally overlapping with the Pro-Administration faction) and the Democratic-Republican Party (generally overlapping with the Anti-Administration faction) were starting to emerge as the distinct political parties of the First Party System. In this election, the Pro-Administration faction maintained control of the Senate, but lost its majority in the House.
In the presidential election, incumbent President George Washington was re-elected without any major opposition.[3] Washington had considered retirement, but was convinced to seek re-election for the purpose of national unity.[4] Though Washington went unchallenged, Governor George Clinton of New York sought to unseat John Adams as vice president. However, Adams received the second most electoral votes, and so was re-elected to office.[4] Washington remained unaffiliated with any political faction or party throughout his presidency.[5]
In the House, 37 seats were added following the 1790 census. The Anti-Administration faction picked up several seats, narrowly taking the majority from the Pro-Administration faction.[6] However, Frederick Muhlenberg, who leaned closer to the Pro-Administration faction, was elected Speaker of the House.[7]
In the Senate, the Anti-Administration faction picked up one seat, but the Pro-Administration faction maintained a small majority.[8]