We’ve checked the Jim Heath Channel on YouTube archives, and found some highlights of President Reagan’s first midterm election in 1982.
It’s an election that many Republicans would rather forget, and one that Democrats completely misread for 1984.
Democrats gained 27 seats in the House, cementing their majority in that chamber.
Democrats gained one seat in the Senate.
Democrats did well nationally, with a net gain of 7 governorships, including in Arkansas where Democrat Bill Clinton defeated the Republican incumbent Frank White.
Democrats also gained state legislative seats across the country.
The Democratic election gains were largely due to Reagan’s unpopularity as a result of the deepening 1982 recession which many voters blamed on his economic policies.
Former Vice President Walter Mondale unofficially started his campaign for president on election night ’82, convinced Reagan could be easily defeated in 24 months.
The midterm results also led Nancy Reagan to question her husband on whether he should seek reelection in 1984.
“You can’t govern this country when it’s polarized,” said Senator William Cohen, a Republican moderate from Maine. “I think the President has got to compromise on most issues until the unemployment rate comes down.”
Reagan prided himself on the ability to compromise with Democrats, and by 1984 would turn the economy around and win reelection by a 49-1 state landslide.
Here is some network coverage from Election Night ’82 from The Jim Heath Channel: