1974 United States elections
The 1974 United States elections were held on November 5. The elections occurred in the wake of the Watergate scandal and three months into the term of Republican President Gerald Ford. Democrats expanded their majorities in both houses of Congress.
Election day
November 5
Gerald Ford (Republican)
Democratic hold
34 of 100 seats
Democratic +4
Democratic hold
All 435 voting seats
Democratic +16.8%
Democratic +49
37 (35 states, 2 territories)
Democratic +4
Ford's granting of a pardon to his predecessor, Richard Nixon, along with soaring inflation caused by the 1973 oil crisis, created a tough environment for the Republican Party. Democrats won net gains of four seats in the Senate, 49 seats in the House of Representatives, and four seats in the gubernatorial elections. Many of the newly elected Democrats were Northern liberals, shifting the balance of power away from conservative Southern Democrats.