1962 United States elections

The 1962 United States elections were held on November 6, and elected the members of the 88th United States Congress. The election occurred in the middle of Democratic President John F. Kennedy's term. The Republican Party picked up four seats in the House of Representatives, but the Democrats retained strong majorities in both houses of Congress. In the Senate, Democrats won a net gain of four seats from the Republicans, maintaining control of the Senate. In the gubernatorial elections, neither party won a net gain of seats.[1] Notably, 1960 Republican presidential nominee Richard Nixon lost the California gubernatorial election, which many analysts, as well as Nixon himself, incorrectly predicted to be the end of his political career.

1962 United States elections

Midterm elections
Election day	November 6
Incumbent president	John F. Kennedy (Democratic)
Next Congress	88th
Senate elections
Overall control	Democratic hold
Seats contested	39 of 100 seats (34 Class 3 seats + 5 special elections)
Net seat change	Democratic +4
1962 Senate election results   Democratic gain   Democratic hold   Republican gain   Republican hold
House elections
Overall control	Democratic hold
Seats contested	All 435 voting seats
Popular vote margin	Democratic +5.3 percentage points
Net seat change	Republican +1
Gubernatorial elections
Seats contested	35
Net seat change	No change
1962 gubernatorial election results   Democratic gain   Democratic hold   Republican gain   Republican hold

After failing to pass his New Frontier programs in the face of the powerful conservative coalition, Kennedy's victory in this election helped bolster his presidency. Republicans campaigned on Kennedy's handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the end of the crisis shortly before the election helped the Democrats avoid the typical midterm losses. The election also saw the Republicans pick up several House seats in the South for the first time in the Fifth Party System. The GOP would later build on these inroads with Nixon's Southern strategy. The ranks of liberal Democrats were bolstered in this election, allowing for the passage of the Clean Air Act, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other liberal programs.[2]