How the president’s party has fared in every US midterm election since 1946
Summary
Since 1946, the president’s party has lost House seats in 18 of 20 U.S. midterm elections, with an average loss of 26 seats. Senate results have been less consistent because only about one-third of seats are contested each cycle, and the two chambers sometimes shift in opposite directions.Key Facts
- The 20 midterms covered in the article ran from 1946 through 2022.
- The president’s party lost House seats in 18 of those elections, averaging 26 seats lost.
- The only exceptions were Bill Clinton’s Democrats in 1998 and George W. Bush’s Republicans in 2002.
- The largest House loss was 64 Democratic seats in 2010, during Barack Obama’s presidency.
- The president’s party lost Senate seats in 13 of the 20 midterms and lost Senate control in six.
- Senators serve six-year terms, so about one-third of Senate seats are contested in each election cycle.
- In 2018, Republicans lost the House but gained a Senate seat; in 2022, Democrats lost the House but gained one Senate seat.
- An opposition majority in either chamber can block legislation, since bills must pass both the House and Senate.
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