Elections An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...

were held on November 2, 1982. The elections occurred in the middle of Republican President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

's first term and after the 1980 United States census. Neither chamber of

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

changed hands. The party balance in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

remained practically unchanged; Democrats only gained one seat after a Democratic-leaning Independent left the Senate. Democrats won the nationwide popular vote for the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

by a margin of 11.8 points and gained 26 seats, cementing their majority in that chamber. The House elections took place after the 1980 United States census and the subsequent Congressional re-apportionment. In the gubernatorial elections, Democrats won a net gain of seven seats. The Democratic election gains have been linked to President

's unpopularity as a result of the deepening 1982 recession, which many voters blamed on his economic policies. Prior to the elections, some observers predicted a poor performance for Republicans due to the difficult economic conditions. The Democrats' gains put a check on Reagan's policies, as the incoming Congress (particularly the House) was significantly less open to Reagan's conservative policies. Despite the Democratic electoral gains, this election was the first time that the Republican Party had successfully defended a majority in either chamber of Congress since 1930.

References

{{United States elections 1982 United States midterm elections November 1982 in the United States

See also

References