The1858 United States electionsoccurred in the middle ofDemocraticPresidentJames Buchanan's term and marked the end of the transitional period between theSecond Party Systemand theThird Party System.[3]Members of the36th United States Congresswere chosen in this election. In the first election since the Supreme Court decidedDred Scott v. Sandford,theRepublican Partywon a plurality in the House, taking control of a chamber of Congress for the first time in the party's history. Although Democrats lost control of the House, they retained their majority in the Senate.
| ←18561857185818591860→ Midterm elections | |
| Incumbent president | James Buchanan(Democratic) |
|---|---|
| Next Congress | 36th |
| Senate elections | |
| Overall control | Democratic hold |
| Seats contested | 22 of 66 seats[1] |
| Net seat change | Republican +5[2] |
| House elections | |
| Overall control | Republican gain |
| Seats contested | All 238 voting seats |
| Net seat change | Republican +23[2] |
 | |
| 1858 House of Representatives election net gains by state
6+ Republican gain3 to 5 Republican gain 1 to 2 Republican gain1 to 2 Democratic gain Territory | |
In theHouse,Democrats suffered a major defeat, losing seats to Republicans and a group of southern party members who opposed secession, running on theOpposition Party ticket.Although no party won a majority, Republicans won a plurality of seats.[4]RepublicanWilliam Penningtonwon election asSpeaker of the House,becoming the first Republican Speaker.
In theSenate,Republicans picked up several seats, but Democrats retained a commanding majority. Nonetheless the gains were a major win for Republicans who had benefitted from the fallout of the Dred Scott ruling.[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^Not counting special elections.
- ^abCongressional seat gain figures only reflect the results of the regularly-scheduled elections, and do not take special elections into account.
- ^"Economic Change and Political Realignment in Antebellum Pennsylvania".The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography.113(3). The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, vol. 113, no. 3, 1989, pp. 347–95. JSTOR: 347–395. 1989.JSTOR20092358.Retrieved14 September2022.
- ^"Party Divisions of the House of Representatives".United States House of Representatives.Retrieved25 June2014.
- ^"Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present".United States Senate.Retrieved25 June2014.
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