1930 Midterm Elections

In the midterm elections of 1930, the Democratic Party gained 49-seats from the Republican Party in the U.S. House of Representatives and gained eight seats in the U.S. Senate. Democrats won the governorships of Ohio and Massachusetts, long held Republican strongholds. Franklin D. Roosevelt was easily reelected Governor of New York, where his victory was so close in 1928. Following Herbert Hoover's sweeping presidential win in 1928, Republicans had controlled Congress since 1919. However, this marked the first election since the 1929 stock market crash, and the Great Depression was in full swing, which began a Democratic Party dominance in the United States.

Although it appeared Republicans would maintain a narrow majority following the election, a series of special elections gave Democrats a bare one-seat majority in the House and Republicans a one-seat majority in the Senate. Several progressive Republicans gave the Democrats a working-majority. Congressional disputes between Hoover and Congress played a part in Roosevelt's victory in the 1932 presidential election. Hoover vetoed a federal relief bill, while Roosevelt praised the 72nd Congress. In the 1932 elections, Democrats gained nearly a 100 House seats, which led to the New Deal.