1870 United States elections

1870 United States elections

← 1868          1869          1870          1871          1872 → Midterm elections
Election day	November 8
Incumbent president	Ulysses S. Grant (Republican)
Next Congress	42nd
Senate elections
Overall control	Republican hold
Seats contested	25 of 70 seats[1]
Net seat change	Democratic +3[2]
House elections
Overall control	Republican hold
Seats contested	All 243 voting seats
Net seat change	Democratic +33[2]
1870 House of Representatives election results   Democratic seat   Republican seat   Independent seat

The 1870 United States elections occurred in the middle of Republican President Ulysses S. Grant's first term, during the Third Party System. Members of the 42nd United States Congress were chosen in this election. The election took place during the Reconstruction Era, and many Southerners were barred from voting. It was also the first election after the passage of the 15th Amendment, which prohibits state and federal governments from denying the right to vote on the basis of race, color, or previous condition of servitude, although disenfranchisement would persist. The Republican Party maintained a majority in both houses of Congress, although Democrats picked up several seats in both chambers.

In the House, Democrats won major gains, but Republicans retained a solid majority.^[3]

In the Senate, Democrats won moderate gains, but Republicans retained a commanding majority.^[4]

See also

• 1870–71 United States House of Representatives elections
• 1870–71 United States Senate elections

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. "Party Divisions of the House of Representatives". United States House of Representatives. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
4. "Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present". United States Senate. Retrieved 25 June 2014.