1916 United States elections explained

Year:1916
Type:Presidential election year
Election Day:November 7
Incumbent President:Woodrow Wilson (Democratic)
Next Congress:65th
President Control:Democratic hold
President Candidate1:Woodrow Wilson (D)
Electoral Vote1:277
President Candidate2:Charles Evans Hughes (R)
Electoral Vote2:254
President Pv Margin:Democratic +3.1%
President Map Caption:1916 presidential election results. Red denotes states won by Hughes, blue denotes states won by Wilson. Numbers indicate the electoral votes won by each candidate.
Senate Seats Contested:35 of 96 seats
(32 Class 1 seats + 3 special elections)
Senate Control:Democratic hold
Senate Net Change:Republican +2[1]
Senate Map Caption:1916 Senate results
House Seats Contested:All 435 voting members
House Control:Democratic hold[2]
House Net Change:Republican +19
House Map Caption:1916 House of Representatives results
Governor Seats Contested:36
Governor Net Change:Republican +2
Governor Map Caption:1916 gubernatorial election results

The 1916 United States elections elected the members of the 65th United States Congress. The election occurred during the Fourth Party System, six months before the United States entered World War I. Unlike 1912, the Democrats did not benefit from a split in the Republican Party, but the Democrats still retained the presidency and the majority in the Senate. Democrats lost the majority in the House, but retained control of the chamber.

Democratic President Woodrow Wilson defeated the Republican nominee, former Supreme Court Justice Charles Evans Hughes, in the presidential election.[3] Hughes won the Republican nomination on the third ballot of the 1916 Republican National Convention, defeating several other candidates. Republicans won several Northern states, but Wilson's success in the rest of the country gave him a small margin in the electoral college and the popular vote. Wilson's win made him the first sitting Democratic president to win re-election since Andrew Jackson. Wilson's running mate, Thomas R. Marshall, was the first sitting vice president to win re-election since John C. Calhoun.

Republicans made moderate gains in the House, gaining a narrow plurality.[4] However, Democrat Champ Clark won re-election as Speaker of the House.

In the second Senate election since the ratification of the 17th Amendment, Republicans made minor gains, but Democrats retained a solid majority.[5]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Republicans picked up one seat in the regularly-scheduled elections and an additional seat in the special elections.
  2. Democrats lost their House majority in the 1916 elections, but the party retained control of the House through a coalition with minor parties.
  3. Web site: 1916 Presidential Election. The American Presidency Project. 25 June 2014.
  4. Web site: Party Divisions of the House of Representatives. United States House of Representatives. 25 June 2014.
  5. Web site: Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present. United States Senate. 25 June 2014.