Figure 1.--Here on Christmas eve a few weeks after the 1962 election, the president's younger brother, senator-elect Ted Kennedy visits a Bostin hospital with his wife. The oress caption read, "Senator Elect Edward (Ted) Kenndy abd his wife visut Boston City Hospital nd make the kiddies happy by destrubuting gifts. Here Thomas Hornick of E Street, South Bistin receives his gift." Despite four new Democratic senators, the president's legislative program showed not sign of movenment. It was bitteled up by conservative southern Democrats.

The Republicans were generally hopeful to chip away at the substantial Democratic majorities in both Congressional houses. Since the New Deal, the Democrats with a few exceptions had remained in control of Congress. The elections were important for the Kennedy Administration. Although it had Democratic majorities in both houses, conservative Democrats even without potential Senate fiibusters had bottled up their legislative agenda which included Medicare, a farm bill, Civil Rights, public works, mass transit and, and other bills. Conservative southern Democrats held key leadership roles in both the House and Senate and were often more of a problem for President Kennedy than the Republicans. This of course was especially the case for Civil Rights legislation. The Administration had a master legislator on their team--Lyndon Johnson. But they declined to use him him in any constructive way. Kennedy urged voters to give the Democrats more seats, arguing that it could make the difference for passage of the Administration social agenda. He did not, hoever, take on conservative southern Democrats as President Roosevelt had done in 1938. Rather the President continue to speak out against the Republicans as he had done in his successful presidential campaign. At one of his press conferences he described Congressional Republicans as both negative and unimaginative on domestic matters (July 23). His personal popularity seems to have helped shift the debate in the favor of Congressional Democtats who began to think that they might avoid the normal losses sustained by the President's party in these mid-term elections. The President was weakest in the south, but the Democrats there were among his critics. The Republicans primarily concentrated on foreign policy and national security issues. They raised the issue of both the Administration's will and competence to resist the Communists. This had been the very issue that Kennedy had raised in the 1960 campaign. The mishandled Bay of Pigs invasion opened Kennedy up to criticism. Since that time a flood of Cubans had sought refuge in Cuba and Castro admitted to being a Communist. And adding to the ferment were reports of Soviet arms flowing into Cuba. Congressional Republicans charged that the Administration was weak on national security. Some Republicans, including California gubernatorial candidate and former Vice President Richard Nixon, called for a full-scale American invasion of Cuba to stop the Soviet military build up there. It is unclear how these changes ould have played out. Just weeks before the election, President Kennedy came on the television and announced that the Soviet were installing balistic missles in Cuba and ordered an embargo (October 1962). That was the beginning of the Cuban Missle Crisis, the most dangerous American-Soviet confrontation of the Cold War.

Background

The Republicans were generally hopeful to chip away at the substantial Democratic majorities in both Congressional houses. The party holding the white House usually loses seats in mid-term elections. Since the New Deal, the Democrats with a few exceptions had remained in control of Congress.

Kennedy Administration

The elections were important for the Kennedy Administration. Although it had Democratic majorities in both houses, conservative Democrats even without potential Senate fiibusters had bottled up their legislative agenda which included Medicare, a farm bill, Civil Rights, public works, mass transit and, and other bills. Conservative southern Democrats held key leadership roles in both the House and Senate and were often more of a problem for President Kennedy than the Republicans. This of course was especially the case for Civil Rights legislation. The Administration had a master legislator on their team--Lyndon Johnson. But they declined to use him him in any constructive way.

Campaign

President Kennedy urged voters to give the Democrats more seats, arguing that it could make the difference for passage of the Administration social agenda. He did not, hoever, take on consrvative southern Democrats as President Roosevelt had done in 1938. Rather the President continue to speak out against the Republicans as he had done in his successful presidential campaign. At one of his press conferences he described Congressional Republicans as both negative and unimaginative on domestic matters (July 23). His personal popularity seems to have helped shift the debate in the favor of Congressional Democtats who began to think that they might avoid the normal losses sustained by the President's party in these mid-term elections. The President was weakest in the south, but the Democrats there were among his critics. The Republicans primarily concentrated on foreign policy and national security issues. They raised the issue of both the Administration's will and competence to resist the Communists. This had been the very issue that Kennedy had strongly raised in the 1960 campaign. The mishandled Bay of Pigs invasion opened Kennedy up to criticism. Since that time a flood of Cubans had sought refuge in Cuba and Castro admitted to being a Communist. And adding to the ferment were reports of Soviet arms flowing into Cuba. Congressional Republicans charged that the Administration was weak on national security.

Gubenatotial Contests

There were of course gubenatorial races. The most interesting was former Vice-President Nixon's race in California. Some Republicans, including Nixon, called for a full-scale American invasion of Cuba to stop the Soviet military build up there. It is unclear how these changes ould have played out. We know now that this could have resulted in a nuclear exchange. Nixon while pursuing an uncompromising anti-Communist stance, criticised the John Birch Society. This was aight-wing group, but had some support within the Republican Party.

Cuban Missle Crisis (October 1962)

Just weeks before the election, President Kennedy came on the television and announced that the Soviet were installing balistic missles in Cuba and ordered an embargo (October 1962). That was the beginning of the Cuban Missle Crisis, the most dangerous American-Soviet confrontation of the Cold War. Some Republicans charged that the Administration had manufactured a crisis. The Soviet decesion to withdraw the missles and the public's assessment that the President had dftly handeled the crisis undoubtedly had a major impact on the election. Americans had been terrified by the threat of nuclear war. Few incliding Administration officials themselves knew just how close they had come to a niclear holocaust.

Results

Some political commentators thought that the Republicans might win control of the House. The election was held with the Cuban Missle Crisis and the President's handling of it very fresh in the minds of voters (November 6). President Kennedy's resolution of the Cuban missile crisis just a few weeks before the election resulted in a surge of popularity in the President's popularity which aided Congressional Democrats. The Democrats in the House lost seats to the Republicans, but less than had been expected ans retained their majority. , The Democrats only lost four House seats, far below the average losses. Their majority declined from 263 to 259. The Republicans went from 174 to 176 Repreentatives a still smll minority. The Democrats lost four searsnd the Reoublicans gained one seat. (This decrepancy had to deal with the temporary seats awarded two new states (Alaska abd Hawaii). This was not enough to make a major difference in the House. The Senate results were much more important. The Democrats gained three seats and the Republicans lost three seats. As a result of the 66 / 34 seats, the Republican ability to filibuster President Kennedy's was greatly weakened and stood on a razor edge of one vote. (This was more complicated than it appears because the issues did not split on a strict party basis, especially Civil Rights. Here quite a number of Republicans supported the bill and Southern Democrats opposed it.) This gave the President somewhat more flexibility n Capitol Hill. One of the new Democratic senators was the President's brother Teddy The gubernatorial races did not change the destribtion of power with 34 Democrat and 16 Republican governors. One highly publicized race was in California. Democratic incumbent Pat Brown, defeated former Vice President Richard Nixon. Nixon's criticism of the John Birch Society may have cost him the election. [Mulloy] Nixon famiously after the election gowled at the press, "You won't have Dick Nixon to kick around any more."

Sources

Mulloy, D.J. The World of the John Birch Society: Conspiracy, Conservatism and the Cold War (2014). The 1962 mid-terms did not change the Congress sufficdmtly to have enabled President Kennedy to forward his legislative prigram. His tragic assasination, however, brought his side-lined vice-president to office. And President Lyndon Johnson would take that same Congress and produce the landmark Civil Rights Law of 1964. >

Created: 3:35 AM 8/1/2012
Last edited: 7:18 PM 8/12/2016