What the 1958 Elections Mean

The Democratic surge to lopsided control of the 86th Congress began with the night’s first returns. The sun had barely set in the Pacific when Democrats got the news of a stunning party sweep in Connecticut. Then came word that Vermont had sent its first Democrat to Congress in 106 years. The Democratic bandwagon came to a screeching halt in New York, where Republican Nelson Rockefeller, after a remarkable personal campaign, carried the G.O.P. ticket to a vital win. But the Democrats regained their momentum moving westward, and climaxed their victory with the overwhelming defeat of Republican William Knowland for Governor in California.

Plainly Personal. In part, the Democratic wins followed the tradition favoring the party out of White House power in off-year elections. But even more, the 1958 election was based on bread-and-butter issues and on personalities. In state after state, voters showed themselves willing to split their tickets to elect the most attractive candidates, regardless of party. Rockefeller’s win was plainly personal—and so was Knowland’s defeat.

In New England, chronic economic problems obviously played a major part in Democratic gains and sharply reduced Republican margins. In West Virginia, hard hit by recession, Democrats easily won two Senate seats. In New York, Rockefeller successfully managed to blame state economic problems on Democratic Governor Averell Harriman.

Labor unions poured in money and effort as rarely before against right-to-work laws and proposals—and the results came to exciting focus in the Democratic victories in such generally Republican states as Indiana and Ohio. Economic hotspots, e.g., Indiana’s South Bend district with its hundreds of unemployed Studebaker workers, took out their resentment on Republicans. Farmers, despite their own upturning economy, failed to return to their historic Republicanism in nearly enough numbers to make up the difference. Only in the South, with its improving economy, did Republicans come near holding their own in the congressional elections—and there, they had precious little to hold.

Notable Failures. Admitting defeat within four hours after the Eastern polling places had closed, Republican National Chairman Meade Alcorn grimly promised that the campaign for the 1960 elections would “begin on November 5, 1958.” From the Republican standpoint, it would have to. The 1958 elections proved that party organization work is a fulltime job, that last-minute campaign efforts are not enough. President Eisenhower, entering the campaign in its last weeks, notably failed—as he had failed in 1954—to reverse the Democratic trends in California, West Virginia, Kansas, Iowa and Colorado (and Ike’s own Pennsylvania Congressman, Republican S. Walter Stauffer, went down to defeat).

More than anything else, the 1958 elections showed that neither political party can count on blind following from the U.S. voter. Many a split ticket elected a Governor of one party and Senator of another in the same state. Result of the split ticket: the U.S. is in for more than its usual share of bipartisan government, beginning at the statehouses and running resoundingly to Washington.