Democratic gain Democratic hold Republican gain Republican hold
Farmer-Labor gain Independent gain
The 1930 United States elections were held on November 4, 1930, in the middle of Republican President Herbert Hoover's term. Taking place shortly after the start of the Great Depression, the Republican Party suffered substantial losses. The election was the last of the Fourth Party System, and marked the first time since 1918 that Democrats controlled either chamber of Congress.[4][5]
The Republicans lost fifty-two seats to the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives. While the Republicans maintained a one-seat majority after the polls closed, they lost a number of special elections (since some Republican members died) before the start of the new Congress. This allowed the Democrats to take control of the chamber.[4]
The Republicans also lost eight seats to the Democrats in the U.S. Senate, but were able to narrowly maintain control.[6]
The election was a victory for progressives of both parties, as Republicans closely aligned with Hoover lost several Congressional elections. Additionally, New York Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt's landslide re-election established him as the front-runner for the 1932 Democratic nomination.[7]
^Four Class 2 seats held both a regularly-scheduled election and a special election in 1930. These seats are not double-counted for the total number of seats contested.
^Democrats picked up six seats in the regularly-scheduled elections and an additional two seats in the special elections.
^Democrats fell just short of winning a majority in the regularly-scheduled elections of 1930, but they won a majority in special elections that preceded the next Congress.
