# 1986 Midterm Elections Second-term [[Ronald Reagan]] administration midterm. Democrats gained 8 Senate seats and took Senate majority — recovering the chamber they had lost in the 1980 Reagan landslide. Democrats also held the House and made small gains. The cycle was held weeks before the **Iran-Contra Affair** broke publicly (November 1986); the broader political environment included Reagan's second-term loss of momentum after the 1986 Tax Reform Act passage. ## Result - **House:** Democrats gained ~5 seats; expanded majority (~258 of 435 Democrats vs. ~177 Republicans in the 100th Congress) - **Senate:** Democrats gained ~8 seats; took majority (~55 of 100 Democrats vs. ~45 Republicans) - **Chambers flipped:** Senate — flipped from Republican to Democratic - **Net change:** Substantial Democratic gains; recovered Senate control ## Notable - The **Iran-Contra Affair** broke publicly in early November 1986 (Lebanese magazine *Ash-Shiraa* reported the arms-for-hostages exchange November 3, between the election and the formal swearing-in of the 100th Congress); subsequent Tower Commission and Iran-Contra investigations dominated the 100th Congress - Reagan's Senate Republican losses included Mack Mattingly (GA, lost to Wyche Fowler), James Abdnor (SD, lost to Tom Daschle), Jeremiah Denton (AL, lost to Richard Shelby) - The 1986 Senate freshman class included multiple future major figures including **Tom Daschle** (SD), **Harry Reid** (NV), and **Barbara Mikulski** (MD) - The Democratic Senate enabled the 1987 **[[Robert Bork]]** Supreme Court confirmation defeat — the failed nomination that substantially defined post-1987 judicial-confirmation politics ## Connections - [[Ronald Reagan]] — Sitting president; Iran-Contra would dominate his last two years. - [[Iran-Contra Affair]] — Broke publicly weeks after the election.