1790 United States elections explained

Year:1790 and 1791
Type:Midterm elections
Incumbent President:George Washington (Independent)
Next Congress:2nd
Senate Control:Pro-Administration hold
Senate Seats Contested:9 of 26 seats[1]
Senate Net Change:Pro-Administration +1[2]
House Control:Pro-Administration hold
House Seats Contested:All 67 voting seats
House Net Change:Pro-Administration +3
House Map Caption:House of Representative Results:


The 1790 United States elections were the first U.S. midterm elections. They occurred in the middle of President George Washington's first term, and determined the members of the 2nd United States Congress. Formal political parties did not exist, but Congress was broadly divided between a faction supporting the policies of the Washington administration and a faction opposed to those policies. Despite modest gains for the anti-administration faction, the pro-administration faction retained control of both houses of Congress. Vermont and Kentucky joined the union during the 2nd Congress.

In the House, neither faction made significant gains or losses, and the pro-administration faction retained control of the chamber.[3]

In the Senate, the anti-administration faction picked up a moderate number of seats, but the pro-administration faction narrowly retained control of the chamber.[4]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Not counting special elections.
  2. Congressional seat gain figures only reflect the results of the regularly-scheduled elections, and do not take special elections into account.
  3. Web site: Party Divisions of the House of Representatives. United States House of Representatives. 25 June 2014.
  4. Web site: Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present. United States Senate. 25 June 2014.