1956 United States elections

The 1956 United States elections was held on Tuesday, November 6, 1956. Incumbent Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower won reelection in a landslide, while the Democrats retained control of Congress.

1956 United States elections

← 1954          1955          1956          1957          1958 → Presidential election year
Election day	November 6
Incumbent president	Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican)
Next Congress	85th
Presidential election
Partisan control	Republican hold
Popular vote margin	Republican +15.4%
Electoral vote
Dwight D. Eisenhower (R)	457
Adlai Stevenson (D)	73
1956 presidential election results. Red denotes states won by Eisenhower, blue denotes states won by Stevenson. Numbers indicate the electoral votes won by each candidate.
Senate elections
Overall control	Democratic hold
Seats contested	35 of 96 seats (32 Class 3 seats + 3 special elections)
Net seat change	No change[1]
1956 Senate results   Democratic gain   Democratic hold   Republican gain   Republican hold
House elections
Overall control	Democratic hold
Seats contested	All 435 voting members
Popular vote margin	Democratic +2.5%
Net seat change	Democratic +2
Gubernatorial elections
Seats contested	30
Net seat change	Democratic +2
1956 gubernatorial election results   Democratic gain   Democratic hold   Republican gain   Republican hold

In the presidential election, Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower defeated Democratic former Governor Adlai E. Stevenson of Illinois in a re-match of the 1952 election. Eisenhower won the popular vote by fifteen points and once again won every state outside the South. At the Democratic convention, Stevenson easily defeated New York Governor W. Averell Harriman, taking the nomination on the first ballot.

In the Senate, the party balance of the chamber remained unchanged as Republican and Democratic gains cancelled each other out. In the House, the Democrats picked up two seats, increasing their majority.[2][3][4]