United States Midterm Elections of 2010

Republicans gained 63 House seats, the largest midterm swing since 1938, in a Tea Party wave.

Overview

Two years after Barack Obama's victory, high unemployment, the bank and auto bailouts, and opposition to the Affordable Care Act fueled the Tea Party movement and a sharp swing against Democrats. Republicans gained 63 seats to retake the House, the largest midterm seat change since 1938, and added six Senate seats, though Democrats kept the upper chamber. Republicans also won hundreds of state legislative seats and several governorships just before the decennial redistricting, shaping district maps for a decade. Obama called the result a shellacking, and John Boehner became Speaker, ushering in years of divided government and budget confrontations.