# 1946 Midterm Elections First-term [[Harry S. Truman]] administration midterm — Truman had been president for 19 months (since FDR's April 1945 death). Republicans took both chambers for the first time since 1928, in one of the larger postwar Republican waves. The drivers: post-WWII inflation, the **Republican slogan "Had Enough?"**, labor unrest in the immediate post-war period, and broader Truman-administration unpopularity. The 80th Congress (1947-1949) that this election produced would become the famous "**Do-Nothing Congress**" of Truman's 1948 reelection campaign. ## Result - **House:** Republicans gained ~55 seats; took majority (~246 of 435 Republicans vs. ~188 Democrats in the 80th Congress) - **Senate:** Republicans gained ~12 seats; took majority (~51 of 96 Republicans vs. ~45 Democrats) - **Chambers flipped:** Both — House and Senate flipped from Democratic to Republican - **Net change:** Major Republican gains; both-chamber flip ## Notable - **Richard Nixon** elected to the U.S. House from California (defeating Jerry Voorhis); his anti-communist campaign style established the post-war Republican playbook - **John F. Kennedy** elected to the U.S. House from Massachusetts — the future president's congressional debut - **[[Joseph McCarthy]]** elected to the U.S. Senate from Wisconsin — the future McCarthy-era namesake's congressional debut - The 80th Congress passed the **[[Taft-Hartley Act]]** (1947, over Truman's veto) — landmark anti-union labor legislation - The 80th Congress passed the **[[22nd Amendment]]** (proposed 1947, ratified 1951) limiting presidents to two terms — direct Republican response to FDR's four-term run ## Connections - [[Harry S. Truman]] — Sitting president; the "Do-Nothing Congress" was his 1948 campaign foil. - [[Richard Nixon]] — Elected to House 1946. - [[John F. Kennedy]] — Elected to House 1946.