1974 United States elections

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1974 United States elections← 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 the Watergate scandal and three months into the term of Republican President Gerald Ford. Democrats expanded their majorities in both houses of Congress.

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

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### United States Senate

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Main article: 1974 United States Senate elections

The Democrats made a net gain of total 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

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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

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Main article: 1974 United States gubernatorial elections

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.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 1974" (PDF). U.S. House of Reps, Office of the Clerk. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
2. ^ Sinclair, Barbara (2006). Party Wars. University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 187–188. ISBN 9780806137797.

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(1973 <-)  1974 United States elections (-> 1975)

U.S.
Senate|

* Alabama
* Alaska
* Arizona
* Arkansas
* California
* Colorado
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* New Hampshire
* New York
* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
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* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Utah
* Vermont
* Washington
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U.S.
House|

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* 6th
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Attorneys
General|

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State
legislatures|

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Mayors|

* Washington, D.C.

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See also
Presidential elections
Senate elections
House elections
Gubernatorial elections

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