# 1862 Midterm Elections First-term [[Abraham Lincoln]] administration midterm, conducted during the **[[American Civil War]]** — eleven Confederate states had seceded and did not participate; the preliminary **[[Emancipation Proclamation]]** had been issued September 22, 1862. Republicans lost seats in the House but retained majority control; Democrats gained substantially in the Northern states, fueling concerns about the political viability of continued prosecution of the war. ## Result - **House:** Republicans lost ~22 seats but held majority (~85 of 184 Republicans vs. ~72 Democrats in the 38th Congress; absence of Confederate states reduced total House membership) - **Senate:** Republicans held substantial majority (Confederate states' Senate seats remained vacant) - **Chambers flipped:** None — Republican wartime control held - **Net change:** Republican losses; Democratic gains in Northern states ## Notable - Democratic gains in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, New York, and Pennsylvania reflected opposition to the Emancipation Proclamation, the September 1862 suspension of habeas corpus, and broader war-weariness through summer 1862 (before the Antietam and Vicksburg turning points) - The 38th Congress (1863-1865) was the Reconstruction-shaping Congress that passed the [[Thirteenth Amendment]] (January 1865) abolishing slavery - Lincoln's continued prosecution of the war was substantially enabled by Republican congressional majorities that this election preserved despite the losses ## Connections - [[Abraham Lincoln]] — Sitting president.