The 1974 United States elections were held on November 5. The elections occurred in the wake of the

Watergate scandal The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's continual ...

and three months into term of Republican President

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...

. Democrats expanded their majorities in both houses of Congress. Ford's granting of a pardon to his predecessor,

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was t ...

, along with soaring

inflation In economics, inflation is an increase in the general price level of goods and services in an economy. When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services; consequently, inflation corresponds to a reductio ...

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 Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

Southern Democrats.

Federal elections

United States Senate

The Democrats made a net gain of four Senate seats from the Republicans. Democrat

John A. Durkin John Anthony Durkin (March 29, 1936 – October 16, 2012) was an American politician who served as a Democratic U.S. Senator from New Hampshire from 1975 until 1980. Early life Born March 29, 1936, in Brookfield, Massachusetts, Durkin was the yo ...

won a special election in

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

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 Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

who caucused with the Republicans.

United States House of Representatives

The Democrats won the nationwide popular vote for the House of Representatives by a margin of 16.8 points. 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.

State 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

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of President of the United States, United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom K ...

United States midterm elections November 1974 events in the United States {{US-election-stub