1842 United States elections

1842 United States elections
← 1840          1841          1842          1843          1844 →
Midterm elections
Incumbent presidentJohn Tyler (Independent)[1]
Next Congress28th
Senate elections
Overall controlWhig hold
Seats contested17 of 52 seats[2]
Net seat changeDemocratic +3[3]
House elections
Overall controlDemocratic gain
Seats contestedAll 223 voting seats
Net seat changeDemocratic +49[3]

The 1842 United States elections occurred in the middle of President John Tyler's term, during the Second Party System. Tyler had become president on April 4, 1841, upon the death of his predecessor, William Henry Harrison. Elected as vice president on the Whig ticket with Harrison in 1840, Tyler was expelled from the party in September 1841. Members of the 28th United States Congress were chosen in this election. Florida joined the union during the 28th Congress. Whigs kept control of the Senate, but lost control of the House.

Following the 1840 census, the size of the House was reduced by 19 seats. Democrats won massive gains, turning a commanding Whig majority into a dominant Democratic majority.[4]

In the Senate, Democrats picked up one seat, but Whigs retained the majority.[5]

  1. ^ Tyler was elected vice president on the Whig ticket in the 1840 presidential election, and became president after the death of William Henry Harrison in April 1841. Due to various disagreements with congressional Whigs, he was expelled from the Whig Party in September 1841.
  2. ^ Not counting special elections.
  3. ^ a b Congressional seat gain figures only reflect the results of the regularly-scheduled elections, and do not take special elections into account.
  4. ^ "Party Divisions of the House of Representatives". United States House of Representatives. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  5. ^ "Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present". United States Senate. Retrieved 25 June 2014.