Why did republicans gain so many seats in the 1942 midterms?

[Bootes Void]

Was the world war  unpopular? Was FDR unpopular? I always assumed FDR was popular throughout most of his presidency.

What happened that caused republicans to gain 47 seats in a middle of a war?

[Sir Tiki]

From the admittedly little that I've read on the 1942 midterms, it was a mix of very low turnout (only 33%) and people generally being unhappy with how the war was going.

[Orser67]

-45/-8 is basically just a normal mid-term, especially when you consider that the parties essentially split the total number of Senate races won that year, and that Democrats retained control of both houses of Congress. Democrats did probably get a little unlucky in that Operation Torch (the Allied landing in North Africa, and the first major U.S. operation in the European theater) took place pretty much right after the election.

[TheElectoralBoobyPrize]

They also won the House popular vote that year...the last time they would win the House popular vote without getting a majority.

I think I read somewhere that there were domestic issues that favored Republicans.

Democrats did probably get a little unlucky in that Operation Torch (the Allied landing in North Africa, and the first major U.S. operation in the European theater) took place pretty much right after the election.

I wonder how the 1918 midterms might've been different if the armistice had happened just a little bit earlier. Sure second term midterms tend to be bad, but the congressional majorities Republicans won that year weren't huge.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

War weariness was a major factor.

Also generational. Since this was the lowest turnout election until 2014, it was pretty much the case that only old Yankees were voting in many districts that had become majority ethnic or were in the process of being majority ethnic white.

[Orser67]

I wonder how the 1918 midterms might've been different if the armistice had happened just a little bit earlier. Sure second term midterms tend to be bad, but the congressional majorities Republicans won that year weren't huge.

Yeah, that would be interesting, and could potentially have had major implications if Democrats held onto the Senate and possibly managed to push through the Treaty of Versailles (although they would still face a difficult battle in getting the two-thirds vote).

[Clarko95 📚💰📈]

I remember reading that enlisted men supported FDR and Democrats strongly in 1944, were there any logistical problems in getting them to vote in 1942? If there were issues, and they supported Democrats, that could be one reason

[TransfemmeGoreVidal]

War weariness was a major factor.

Also generational. Since this was the lowest turnout election until 2014, it was pretty much the case that only old Yankees were voting in many districts that had become majority ethnic or were in the process of being majority ethnic white.

In New England Democrats actually experienced a pretty large drop-off in the white ethnic, particularly Irish and German vote as well due to both groups tending to be anti-war at the time. I was recently reading a book (I can't remember the title) about ethnic voting trends in Boston and it demonstrated how at the federal level there was a mini-trend among Irish-Catholics towards the GOP between 1936 and 42 with Willkie actually winning the middle class Irish vote in 1940. It may initially have been influenced by the popularity of Father Coughlin and his break with FDR but then accelerated as the possibility of war increasingly threatened. It's been speculated that a young JFK may even have voted for Willkie.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

War weariness was a major factor.

Also generational. Since this was the lowest turnout election until 2014, it was pretty much the case that only old Yankees were voting in many districts that had become majority ethnic or were in the process of being majority ethnic white.

In New England Democrats actually experienced a pretty large drop-off in the white ethnic, particularly Irish and German vote as well due to both groups tending to be anti-war at the time. I was recently reading a book (I can't remember the title) about ethnic voting trends in Boston and it demonstrated how at the federal level there was a mini-trend among Irish-Catholics towards the GOP between 1936 and 42 with Willkie actually winning the middle class Irish vote in 1940. It may initially have been influenced by the popularity of Father Coughlin and his break with FDR but then accelerated as the possibility of war increasingly threatened. It's been speculated that a young JFK may even have voted for Willkie.

I knew about this in relation to NYC, but not so with MA. I just figured it was a turnout drop off there.

If you can find the title of that book, I would be interested in getting a copy for myself.

[TransfemmeGoreVidal]

War weariness was a major factor.

Also generational. Since this was the lowest turnout election until 2014, it was pretty much the case that only old Yankees were voting in many districts that had become majority ethnic or were in the process of being majority ethnic white.

In New England Democrats actually experienced a pretty large drop-off in the white ethnic, particularly Irish and German vote as well due to both groups tending to be anti-war at the time. I was recently reading a book (I can't remember the title) about ethnic voting trends in Boston and it demonstrated how at the federal level there was a mini-trend among Irish-Catholics towards the GOP between 1936 and 42 with Willkie actually winning the middle class Irish vote in 1940. It may initially have been influenced by the popularity of Father Coughlin and his break with FDR but then accelerated as the possibility of war increasingly threatened. It's been speculated that a young JFK may even have voted for Willkie.

I knew about this in relation to NYC, but not so with MA. I just figured it was a turnout drop off there.

If you can find the title of that book, I would be interested in getting a copy for myself.

Just came across it, "The Making of New Deal Democrats" by Gerald Gamm. Really interesting book in general which examines how the party allegiances of the Irish, Italian, Jewish, Black and Yankees in Boston shifted in the period between 1920 and 1940. Highly recommended.

[Statilius the Epicurean]

I think I read somewhere that there were domestic issues that favored Republicans.

There was a lot of conservative anger about rationing, federal control of war industry and and a wave of labour militancy that was especially controversial. The level of state intervention in the economy looked really radical at the time and produced a backlash among middle (by that I mean not working) class voters.

[Sir Mohamed]

From the admittedly little that I've read on the 1942 midterms, it was a mix of very low turnout (only 33%) and people generally being unhappy with how the war was going.

That's obviously the answer, though FDR had high approvals for his foreign policy in 1942. I think it was mainly due to low turnout. That's actually lower than 2014.

[Clarko95 📚💰📈]

How much of the Senate losses could be seen as a correction from 1936?

[vitoNova]

Natural fatigue.

Jesus H. Christ himself could descend from Heaven and be elected president in 2024 as a Democrat.  And Democrats will still lose seats in Congress in subsequent midterm elections. 

[Orser67]

How much of the Senate losses could be seen as a correction from 1936?

Quite a bit. It was really a broader correction from the Democratic high point of the first half of the 1930s, as Democrats had had an historically unusual run of four straight good even year elections from 1930-1936.