1792 United States elections

The 1792 United States elections elected the members of the 3rd United States Congress. Congress was broadly divided between a Pro-Administration faction supporting the policies of George Washington's administration and an Anti-Administration faction opposed to those policies. Due to this, the Federalist Party (generally overlapping with the Pro-Administration faction) and the Democratic-Republican Party (generally overlapping with the Anti-Administration faction) were starting to emerge as the distinct political parties of the First Party System. In this election, the Pro-Administration faction maintained control of the Senate, but lost its majority in the House.

1792 United States elections
Presidential election year
Incumbent presidentGeorge Washington (Independent)
Next Congress3rd
Presidential election
Electoral vote
George Washington132
Presidential election results map. Green denotes states won by Washington. Numbers indicate the number of electoral votes cast by each state.
Senate elections
Overall controlPro-Administration hold
Seats contested10 of 30 seats[1]
Net seat changePro-Administration +1[2]
House elections
Overall controlAnti-Administration gain
Seats contestedAll 105 voting members
Net seat changeAnti-Administration +24[2]
House of Representatives elections
     Pro-Administration (F) majority
     Anti-Administration (DR) majority
     Even split

In the presidential election, incumbent President George Washington was re-elected without any major opposition.[3] Washington had considered retirement, but was convinced to seek re-election for the purpose of national unity.[4] Though Washington went unchallenged, Governor George Clinton of New York sought to unseat John Adams as vice president. However, Adams received the second most electoral votes, and so was re-elected to office.[4] Washington remained unaffiliated with any political faction or party throughout his presidency.[5]

In the House, 37 seats were added following the 1790 census. The Anti-Administration faction picked up several seats, narrowly taking the majority from the Pro-Administration faction.[6] However, Frederick Muhlenberg, who leaned closer to the Pro-Administration faction, was elected Speaker of the House.[7]

In the Senate, the Anti-Administration faction picked up one seat, but the Pro-Administration faction maintained a small majority.[8]

See also

References
  1. Not counting special elections.
  2. Congressional seat gain figures only reflect the results of the regularly-scheduled elections, and do not take special elections into account.
  3. "1792 Presidential Election". The American Presidency Project. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  4. "Presidential elections". History.com. History Channel. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  5. Jamison, Dennis (December 31, 2014). "George Washington's views on political parties in America". The Washington Times. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  6. "Party Divisions of the House of Representatives". United States House of Representatives. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  7. Jenkins, Jeffrey A.; Stewart, Charles Haines (2013). Fighting for the Speakership: The House and the Rise of Party Government. pp. 57–58. ISBN 978-0691156446. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  8. "Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present". United States Senate. Retrieved 25 June 2014.


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