The 1958 United States House of Representatives elections was an election for the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
in 1958 which occurred in the middle of
Dwight Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 โ March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
's second term.
The economy was suffering the
Recession of 1958
The Recession of 1958, also known as the Eisenhower Recession, was a sharp worldwide economic downturn in 1958. The effect of the recession spread beyond the United States borders to Europe and Canada, causing many businesses to shut down. It was t ...
, which Democrats blamed on Eisenhower. The President's
Republican Party lost 48 seats in this midterm election, increasing the
Democratic Party's majority to a commanding level.
Another factor which may have contributed to the Democratic gains include public consternation over the launch of
Sputnik
Sputnik 1 (; see ยง Etymology) was the first artificial Earth satellite. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957 as part of the Soviet space program. It sent a radio signal back to Earth for t ...
and
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
politics.
Disappointment with the results led House Republicans to replace
Minority Leader Joseph W. Martin Jr.
Joseph William Martin Jr. (November 3, 1884 โ March 6, 1968) was an American Republican Party (United States), Republican politician who served as the List of speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 44th speaker of the United Sta ...
with his deputy,
Charles Halleck
Charles Abraham Halleck (August 22, 1900 โ March 3, 1986) was an American politician. He was the History of the United States Republican Party, Republican leader of the United States House of Representatives from the Indiana's 2nd congressional ...
.
Overall results
Source
Election Statistics - Office of the Clerk
Special elections
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Texas eliminated its at-large district and added a new 22nd district formed from part of the Houston area 8th district.
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
Washington redistricted its at-large seat into a 7th district formed in the Seattle suburbs designed to include the at-large incumbent Don Magnuson's residence.
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
See also
*
1958 United States elections
The 1958 United States elections were held on November 4, 1958, and elected members of the 86th United States Congress. The election took place in the middle of Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower's second term. Eisenhower's party suffered ...
**
1958 United States Senate elections
The 1958 United States Senate elections were elections for the United States Senate which occurred in the middle of President Dwight D. Eisenhower's second term.
As is common in mid-term elections, the party in the White House lost seats, but l ...
**
1958 United States gubernatorial elections
United States gubernatorial elections were held in 1958, in 34 states, concurrent with the House and Senate elections, on November 4, 1958 (September 8 in Maine, November 25 in Alaska). Alaska held its first gubernatorial election on achieving ...
*
85th United States Congress
The 85th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 1957 ...
*
86th United States Congress
The 86th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 1959 ...
Notes
References
{{Gerald Ford