1938 United States midterm elections
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| 1938 United States midterm elections | |
|---|---|
| Election name | 1938 United States midterm elections |
| Country | United States |
| Type | legislative |
| Previous election | 1936 United States elections |
| Previous year | 1936 |
| Next election | 1940 United States elections |
| Next year | 1940 |
| Election date | November 8, 1938 |
1938 United States midterm elections The 1938 United States midterm elections were held on November 8, 1938, amid a political realignment that affected the New Deal coalition led by Franklin D. Roosevelt. Opposition gains in the United States House of Representatives and modest changes in the United States Senate reflected national responses to policies such as the Wagner Act, the Social Security Act, and Roosevelt’s 1937 court-packing plan. The contests intersected with regional dynamics involving the Solid South, Midwestern Progressive Movement, and urban machines like those in New York City and Chicago.
Background and Political Context
By 1938 the Great Depression remained a dominant backdrop to American politics, with policy debates shaped by figures such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Cordell Hull, Henry A. Wallace, Harry Hopkins, and Hugh S. Johnson. The earlier landslide elections of 1932 and 1936 had empowered New Deal legislation championed by congressional leaders like Sam Rayburn, Joseph T. Robinson, and John Nance Garner, while critics included Alfred M. Landon, Americans for Democratic Action, and conservative Democrats like John E. Rankin. The 1937-38 recession, sometimes called the "Roosevelt Recession," and disputes over the National Labor Relations Act energized opponents including Herbert Hoover supporters, Conservative Coalition members, and groups linked to industrial centers such as Detroit and Pittsburgh. Labor organizations such as the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations clashed over endorsements, and business interests rallied through entities like the Chamber of Commerce of the United States.
Election Date and Offices Contested
The general election occurred on November 8, 1938, with all 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives and 32 of 96 seats in the United States Senate contested. Numerous gubernatorial elections coincided, including high-profile contests in New York (state), California, Ohio, and Massachusetts. State legislative contests in places such as Texas, Georgia (U.S. state), Pennsylvania, and Illinois influenced redistricting dynamics. Special elections, party primaries involving figures like Alf Landon affiliates, and municipal races in cities like Philadelphia and Los Angeles added layers to the national outcome.
Campaigns and Key Issues
Campaigns revolved around debates over New Deal programs including the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Works Progress Administration, and the Civilian Conservation Corps. Opponents criticized fiscal policy and judicial reform efforts associated with Roosevelt’s 1937 Court Packing Plan and clashes with the United States Supreme Court. Labor issues featured the Sit-down strike tactics exemplified by the 1936–1937 Flint Sit-Down Strike and union leaders such as John L. Lewis and C. J. McNamara. Foreign policy and isolationism surfaced, involving personalities like Charles Lindbergh and groups such as the America First Committee precursors; debates referenced events in Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and the Spanish Civil War. Campaign media included outlets such as the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Herald Tribune, and radio networks like NBC and CBS with commentators paralleling the influence of columnists including Walter Lippmann and H.L. Mencken.
Results and Composition Changes
Republicans, bolstered by conservative Democrats and the emergent Conservative Coalition, made gains in the House of Representatives, while Democrats retained control of both chambers. In the House, Republicans picked up dozens of seats, reversing some of the 1936 Democratic surge and affecting committee leadership under figures like John McCormack and Sam Rayburn. In the Senate, Democrats suffered smaller net losses but faced high-profile defeats and retirements involving senators such as Huey Long’s allies and other Southern incumbents. The electoral map shifted in industrial states including Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Massachusetts, and in agricultural regions across the Midwest as candidates aligned with or against the Agricultural Adjustment Act saw varying fortunes.
Regional and Demographic Voting Patterns
Voting exhibited regional cleavages: the Solid South largely remained Democratic due to entrenched machines and figures like Richard Russell Jr. and James F. Byrnes, whereas urban Northeastern and Midwestern districts saw Democratic losses where political machines in New York City and Chicago faced reformist challengers linked to Al Smith allies. Rural constituencies in states such as Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas showed resistance to New Deal agricultural policies, while industrial workers in Pittsburgh and Detroit displayed cross-pressures between Congress of Industrial Organizations and American Federation of Labor allegiances. Ethnic and immigrant communities—Irish, Italian, Jewish voters concentrated in cities like New York City and Boston—reacted variably to labor and social welfare appeals, shaped by local leaders and newspapers such as the Jewish Daily Forward.
Aftermath and Political Consequences
The 1938 outcomes checked further expansion of some New Deal initiatives and strengthened the Congressional conservative bloc led by Republicans and conservative Democrats, influencing legislative agendas concerning the Wagner Act and future appropriations for Works Progress Administration projects. Political actors including Franklin D. Roosevelt recalibrated strategies, shifting emphasis toward coalition management with figures like Henry A. Wallace and negotiating with congressional leaders including Alben W. Barkley. The electoral shift contributed to realignments that affected the 1940 United States presidential election and prewar policy debates, intersecting with mobilization efforts tied to Lend-Lease discussions and military preparedness in the late 1930s.
Historical Significance and Legacy
Historically, the 1938 elections marked a partial repudiation of the 1936 Democratic consolidation and revealed limits of executive influence over Congress, with long-term implications for party coalitions involving the Democratic Party (United States) and the Republican Party (United States). The results informed scholarly works on the New Deal coalition and influenced interpretations by historians such as Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. and political scientists analyzing the Party Realignment phenomenon. The electoral dynamics presaged shifts in American politics during the World War II era and informed postwar policy debates over labor legislation, social welfare, and federal-state relations involving institutions like the Federal Communications Commission and the Internal Revenue Service.