| Parliament name |
Congress |
| Structure of parliament |
Bicameral |
| Chamber name |
Senate |
| Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) |
House of Representatives
|
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
4 November 2014 |
| Purpose of elections |
The Republicans were victorious in the mid-term elections, regaining control of the 100-member Senate for the first time since 2006. After the partial Senate renewal, they hold 54 seats against 44 for President Barack Obama's Democrats. The Republicans also extended their majority in the House of Representatives, and now hold 247 seats, one more than the previous record set in 1946. The Democrats took the remaining 188 seats, down from 201 in 2012. The total number of women in the US Congress surpassed 100 for the first time, with 84 women in the House of Representatives and 20 in the Senate.
Despite signs of economic recovery, the Democrats had to contend with rising public discontent, fuelled by attacks on the Obama administration. The election campaign reflected the growing polarisation of party politics in the USA. Many Republican candidates called for "Obamacare" (the federal health insurance system introduced by the Affordable Care Act in 2010) to be repealed. President Obama said he would veto any attempt to repeal the Act. Republicans also criticized the administration's efforts to overhaul immigration laws for the first time since 1986. A 2013 bipartisan Senate bill, which would have created a path to citizenship for millions of undocumented residents, was unable to progress in the Republican-led House of Representatives. In response, President Obama said that he would issue an executive order on immigration reform, though he did not do so before the midterm elections as initially had been expected. Furthermore, he argued that his plan for federal spending to rebuild infrastructure would improve the lives of many Americans and create jobs, while Republicans criticized the plan as wasteful. |
Date of previous elections: 6 November 2012
Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature: N/A
Timing of election: Upon normal expiry
Expected date of next elections: 8 November 2016
Number of seats at stake: 36 (partial renewal)*
*33 regular renewal and 3 special elections.
Number of candidates: Not available.
Percentage of women candidates: Not available.
Number of parties contesting the election: 2
Number of parties winning seats: 2
Alternation of power: N/A (presidential system)
Number of parties in government: 1
Names of parties in government: Democratic Party
Date of the first session of the new parliament: 6 January 2015
Name of the new Speaker:
- President of the Senate: Mr. Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (Democratic Party)
- President pro tempore: Mr. Orrin G. Hatch (Republican Party) |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 4 November 2014 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
|
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
Seats 2014 |
|
|
|
| Republican Party |
54
|
24 |
|
|
|
| Democratic Party |
44
|
12 |
|
|
|
| Independents |
2
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
32
4
11.11%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
|
|
| Comments |
Note on the "Distribution of seats according to sex":
The "Distribution of seats according to sex" above shows the breakdown for the senators elected in 2014: 4 women of 36 senators.
After the 2014 elections, there were 20 women in all out of 100 senators.
Source: US Congressional Research Service Library of Congress (09.12.2014) |
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
