1946 United States elections

1946 United States elections

← 1944          1945          1946          1947          1948 → Midterm elections
Election day	November 5
Incumbent president	Harry S. Truman (Democratic)
Next Congress	80th
Senate elections
Overall control	Republican gain
Seats contested	37 of 96 seats (32 Class 1 seats + 8 special elections)[1]
Net seat change	Republican +12[2]
1946 Senate election results   Democratic gain   Democratic hold   Republican gain   Republican hold
House elections
Overall control	Republican gain
Seats contested	All 435 voting seats
Popular vote margin	Republican +8.5%
Net seat change	Republican +55
1946 House election results   Democratic gain   Democratic hold   Republican gain   Republican hold
Gubernatorial elections
Seats contested	34
Net seat change	Republican +3
1946 gubernatorial election results   Democratic gain   Democratic hold   Republican gain   Republican hold

The 1946 United States elections were held on November 5, 1946, and elected the members of the 80th United States Congress. In the first election after World War II, incumbent President Harry S. Truman (who took office on April 12, 1945, upon the death of his predecessor, Franklin D. Roosevelt) and the Democratic Party suffered large losses. After having been in the minority of both chambers of Congress since 1932, Republicans took control of both the House and the Senate.^[3][4]

This Republican wave reflected the public backlash against President Truman for the post-war economic hardships the country suffered, straining American-Soviet relations, and his handling of the United Auto Workers strike. Afterwards, Truman was widely expected to face a tough reelection environment in the subsequent presidential election, but he ultimately defied expectations.