CONGRESS / THE MIDTERM RECORD

Presidents
& Midterms.

What changed in the House?
Who organized each chamber?

Every midterm from 1934 through 2022: 23 completed elections in this modern edition. The 2026 election is shown separately: race calls now, official figures when the 120th Congress convenes. This is a defined historical window, not complete presidential history since 1789.

Edition as of November 1, 2026 (KST). Official sources read October 31, 2026 (UTC).

1934–2022 / COMPLETED ELECTIONS

The modern midterm record.

House seats belong to the president’s party. Control arrows name the organizing party before and after the election; Senate control includes caucus partners and vice-presidential tie-breaking where applicable.

President-party House seats and separate chamber control outcomes. House counts use one consistent House Historian initial-election series. D = Democratic; R = Republican. All control outcomes are relative to the president’s party.
Midterm / president	Previous presidential election	Midterm House seats	House change	House control	Senate organized control	Notes & row sources
1934Franklin D. RooseveltDemocratic · First term	3131932 · Congress 73	3221934 · Congress 74	+9	Retained majorityDemocratic → Democratic	Retained majorityDemocratic → Democratic	Senate control is organizational, not a subtraction of seating snapshots. 1934 source locators House HistorianCongress 73 and Congress 74 rows U.S. SenateCongress 74 and preceding-Congress entries/footnotes
1938Franklin D. RooseveltDemocratic · Second term	3341936 · Congress 75	2621938 · Congress 76	−72	Retained majorityDemocratic → Democratic	Retained majorityDemocratic → Democratic	1938 source locators House HistorianCongress 75 and Congress 76 rows U.S. SenateCongress 76 and preceding-Congress entries/footnotes
1942Franklin D. RooseveltDemocratic · Third term	2671940 · Congress 77	2221942 · Congress 78	−45	Retained majorityDemocratic → Democratic	Retained majorityDemocratic → Democratic	1942 source locators House HistorianCongress 77 and Congress 78 rows U.S. SenateCongress 78 and preceding-Congress entries/footnotes
1946Harry S. TrumanDemocratic · Succession term	2441944 · Congress 79	1881946 · Congress 80	−56	Lost majorityDemocratic → Republican	Lost majorityDemocratic → Republican	Truman succeeded Roosevelt in 1945; the baseline election was 1944. 1946 source locators House HistorianCongress 79 and Congress 80 rows U.S. SenateCongress 80 and preceding-Congress entries/footnotes
1950Harry S. TrumanDemocratic · First elected term	2631948 · Congress 81	2351950 · Congress 82	−28	Retained majorityDemocratic → Democratic	Retained majorityDemocratic → Democratic	1950 source locators House HistorianCongress 81 and Congress 82 rows U.S. SenateCongress 82 and preceding-Congress entries/footnotes
1954Dwight D. EisenhowerRepublican · First term	2211952 · Congress 83	2031954 · Congress 84	−18	Lost majorityRepublican → Democratic	Lost majorityRepublican → Democratic	Republicans organized the 83rd Senate with Independent Wayne Morse and retained control despite membership changes. In the 84th, Morse and Strom Thurmond caucused with Democrats. 1954 source locators House HistorianCongress 83 and Congress 84 rows U.S. SenateCongress 84 and preceding-Congress entries/footnotes
1958Dwight D. EisenhowerRepublican · Second term	2031956 · Congress 85	1531958 · Congress 86	−50	No majority before or afterDemocratic → Democratic	No majority before or afterDemocratic → Democratic	House size changed: Alaska entered at the start of the 86th Congress; Hawaii followed later. This is an absolute seat comparison. 1958 source locators House HistorianCongress 85 and Congress 86 rows U.S. SenateCongress 86 and preceding-Congress entries/footnotes
1962John F. KennedyDemocratic · First term	2641960 · Congress 87	2581962 · Congress 88	−6	Retained majorityDemocratic → Democratic	Retained majorityDemocratic → Democratic	House size declined from 437 to 435. This source reports Democrats at 264 then 258; other official compilations can differ. 1962 source locators House HistorianCongress 87 and Congress 88 rows U.S. SenateCongress 88 and preceding-Congress entries/footnotes
1966Lyndon B. JohnsonDemocratic · First elected term	2951964 · Congress 89	2481966 · Congress 90	−47	Retained majorityDemocratic → Democratic	Retained majorityDemocratic → Democratic	Johnson succeeded Kennedy in 1963; this midterm followed Johnson’s 1964 election. 1966 source locators House HistorianCongress 89 and Congress 90 rows U.S. SenateCongress 90 and preceding-Congress entries/footnotes
1970Richard NixonRepublican · First term	1921968 · Congress 91	1801970 · Congress 92	−12	No majority before or afterDemocratic → Democratic	No majority before or afterDemocratic → Democratic	1970 source locators House HistorianCongress 91 and Congress 92 rows U.S. SenateCongress 92 and preceding-Congress entries/footnotes
1974Gerald FordRepublican · Succession term	1921972 · Congress 93	1441974 · Congress 94	−48	No majority before or afterDemocratic → Democratic	No majority before or afterDemocratic → Democratic	Ford succeeded Nixon in 1974; the baseline election was 1972. The following Senate had a contested New Hampshire seat. 1974 source locators House HistorianCongress 93 and Congress 94 rows U.S. SenateCongress 94 and preceding-Congress entries/footnotes
1978Jimmy CarterDemocratic · First term	2921976 · Congress 95	2781978 · Congress 96	−14	Retained majorityDemocratic → Democratic	Retained majorityDemocratic → Democratic	House Historian: 292 to 278 (-14). The frozen Clerk-based comparison uses 292 to 277 (-15); these are distinct source editions. 1978 source locators House HistorianCongress 95 and Congress 96 rows U.S. SenateCongress 96 and preceding-Congress entries/footnotes
1982Ronald ReaganRepublican · First term	1921980 · Congress 97	1661982 · Congress 98	−26	No majority before or afterDemocratic → Democratic	Retained majorityRepublican → Republican	1982 source locators House HistorianCongress 97 and Congress 98 rows U.S. SenateCongress 98 and preceding-Congress entries/footnotes
1986Ronald ReaganRepublican · Second term	1811984 · Congress 99	1771986 · Congress 100	−4	No majority before or afterDemocratic → Democratic	Lost majorityRepublican → Democratic	Historian baseline: 181 Republican seats plus one vacancy in the 99th Congress. Do not replace with the Clerk table’s 182. 1986 source locators House HistorianCongress 99 and Congress 100 rows U.S. SenateCongress 100 and preceding-Congress entries/footnotes
1990George H. W. BushRepublican · First term	1751988 · Congress 101	1671990 · Congress 102	−8	No majority before or afterDemocratic → Democratic	No majority before or afterDemocratic → Democratic	1990 source locators House HistorianCongress 101 and Congress 102 rows U.S. SenateCongress 102 and preceding-Congress entries/footnotes
1994Bill ClintonDemocratic · First term	2581992 · Congress 103	2041994 · Congress 104	−54	Lost majorityDemocratic → Republican	Lost majorityDemocratic → Republican	1994 source locators House HistorianCongress 103 and Congress 104 rows U.S. SenateCongress 104 and preceding-Congress entries/footnotes
1998Bill ClintonDemocratic · Second term	2071996 · Congress 105	2111998 · Congress 106	+4	No majority before or afterRepublican → Republican	No majority before or afterRepublican → Republican	1998 source locators House HistorianCongress 105 and Congress 106 rows U.S. SenateCongress 106 and preceding-Congress entries/footnotes
2002George W. BushRepublican · First term	2212000 · Congress 107	2292002 · Congress 108	+8	Retained majorityRepublican → Republican	Gained majorityDemocratic → Republican	The 2000 Senate election yielded 50–50: Gore initially broke ties, then Cheney. Jeffords’ June 2001 change gave Democrats control. Republicans regained control after the 2002 election. 2002 source locators House HistorianCongress 107 and Congress 108 rows U.S. SenateCongress 108 and preceding-Congress entries/footnotes
2006George W. BushRepublican · Second term	2322004 · Congress 109	2022006 · Congress 110	−30	Lost majorityRepublican → Democratic	Lost majorityRepublican → Democratic	Democratic Senate control includes both non-Democratic senators caucusing with Democrats. 2006 source locators House HistorianCongress 109 and Congress 110 rows U.S. SenateCongress 110 and preceding-Congress entries/footnotes
2010Barack ObamaDemocratic · First term	2572008 · Congress 111	1932010 · Congress 112	−64	Lost majorityDemocratic → Republican	Retained majorityDemocratic → Democratic	Senate control includes Democratic caucus partners. No numeric Senate change is calculated from start-of-Congress totals. 2010 source locators House HistorianCongress 111 and Congress 112 rows U.S. SenateCongress 112 and preceding-Congress entries/footnotes
2014Barack ObamaDemocratic · Second term	2012012 · Congress 113	1882014 · Congress 114	−13	No majority before or afterRepublican → Republican	Lost majorityDemocratic → Republican	2014 source locators House HistorianCongress 113 and Congress 114 rows U.S. SenateCongress 114 and preceding-Congress entries/footnotes
2018Donald TrumpRepublican · First term	2412016 · Congress 115	1992018 · Congress 116	−42	Lost majorityRepublican → Democratic	Retained majorityRepublican → Republican	House Historian leaves NC-09 uncertified at the opening of the following Congress. No later special-election result is substituted. 2018 source locators House HistorianCongress 115 and Congress 116 rows U.S. SenateCongress 116 and preceding-Congress entries/footnotes
2022Joe BidenDemocratic · First term	2222020 · Congress 117	2132022 · Congress 118	−9	Lost majorityDemocratic → Republican	Retained majorityDemocratic → Democratic	The 2020 House baseline leaves NY-22 uncertified at the opening of the 117th Congress. Senate control includes the three Independents caucusing with Democrats in the 118th; it is not a claim of 51 elected Democrats. The preceding Senate majority also depended on Democratic caucus partners and Vice President Harris’s tie-breaking vote. 2022 source locators House HistorianCongress 117 and Congress 118 rows U.S. SenateCongress 118 and preceding-Congress entries/footnotes

2026 / RACE CALLS · OFFICIAL COUNT PENDING

2026 midterm: the president’s party lost both chambers.

Donald Trump · Second term (nonconsecutive) · Republican

The election was held on November 3, 2026. According to Associated Press race calls, as reported November 3–4, 2026, Democrats won control of both the House and the Senate in the 120th Congress. These are race calls, not certified results. Votes were still being counted in several House races, so the final House seat count and change are not yet known.

2024 House baseline: 220 Republican seats · Congress 119
2026 House seats / change: Final count pending / Pending
House / Senate outcome: Lost majority / Lost majority (race calls)

Race calls: Scripps News, citing The Associated Press: Democrats will win control of US House (Nov. 4, 2026); checked November 11, 2026. Baseline: House Historian, 119th Congress; Senate, 119th Congress. Election date: FEC election and voting information. The House Historian and Senate party divisions for the 120th Congress will replace these calls in a later dated edition, on the same basis as every other row.

DEFINITIONS / LIMITS / ORIGINAL SOURCES

Keep the baseline with the number.

House: initial-election figures

Each change equals the following Congress’s president-party House seats minus the seats reported for the Congress elected two years earlier. Congress locators accompany every row. These are the Historian’s source-defined initial-election divisions, including its vacancies or uncertified seats, not a reconstruction of all later membership.

Absolute seat counts are not vote shares or seats flipped. House size changed around statehood and reapportionment: the 1958 and 1962 comparisons span different chamber sizes. The 2018 row preserves the source’s uncertified NC-09 seat; the 2020 baseline preserves uncertified NY-22.

1978 source difference: House Historian reports Carter’s party at 292 → 278 (−14). The existing frozen Clerk-based comparison reports 292 → 277 (−15). This page retains one consistent Historian series; it does not revise that comparison or silently combine archival sources. For 1986, the Historian baseline is 181 Republican seats and one vacancy, unlike the Clerk historical table’s 182.

Senate: organization, not seat arithmetic

“Retained,” “lost,” “gained” and “no majority before or after” refer to control by the president’s party. The before state is organized control before the midterm; the after state is organization in the following Congress. This can differ from the party with the most individually labeled members. Independent caucus partners and the vice president can determine organization.

In 2002, Republicans gained Senate control: a 50–50 result after 2000 first depended on Gore and then Cheney, and Jeffords’ 2001 change gave Democrats control before the midterm. Other caucus, succession and vacancy qualifications appear beside their rows.

No Senate numerical change is calculated. Beginning-of-Congress membership totals can mix elections, appointments, special elections, delayed seating, party changes and vacancies. Succession terms are labeled explicitly; Truman 1950 and Johnson 1966 are their first elected terms.

Official source register

House Historian: Party Divisions of the House of Representatives
73rd through 119th Congress rows and notes; initial election results
Read October 31, 2026 (UTC) / November 1 (KST)
U.S. Senate: Party Division
73rd through 119th Congress entries and organization/caucus footnotes
Read October 31, 2026 (UTC) / November 1 (KST)
FEC: Election results and voting information
Next regular federal general election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026; official results and certification guidance
Read October 31, 2026 (UTC) / November 1 (KST)

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