The congressional elections of 1900 were overshadowed by the thrilling presidential contest, but they presented a victory for the new heterodox movements, and a further disintegration of the hitherto firmly established two-party system.
In the House, the Socialists added 21 seats to the 34 they’d won in ’98, bringing their total to 54. Colorado, with its two representatives, became the first state to send a delegation to Washington composed entirely of Socialists. They also elected two from Louisiana, one from Florida, and one from Georgia. Indeed, gains were being made in the south. In Pennsylvania, they expanded their seven representatives to thirteen, coming just shy of a majority of the delegation. They also won one from Washington, two from Nebraska, and three from Missouri.
Most of these were poached from the Populists—however, the latter were benefitting greatly from the collapse of the Democratic Party, and so there was still not so much occasion for hostility between them and the SLP. Their own total rose from 70 to 89. This included six of nine North Carolinian representatives, and eight out of 11 Georgians. There were also three from Louisiana, and two each from Alabama and Mississippi.
The Republicans witnessed the worrying fall of their own majority to a very near plurality of 171. These were mostly lost to the Socialists or the Populists. But there was a new challenger on the scene.
Frick’s National Party, formed as it was only a few months before the election, had little time to prepare any candidates for congressional contests. Nevertheless, a number of galvanized anti-socialists eagerly joined the ranks of the party and stood for election. A fairly impressive 8 representatives managed to make it to office, four from Pennsylvania, three from California, and one from New York. A small presence, but a foreboding one. The Nationalists had their first taste of state power.
As for the Democrats, they dropped to 24, controlling outright only the delegations now of Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, and Arkansas.
So, as it stood when the 55th Congress was seated, there were 171 Republicans, 89 Populists, 54 Socialists, 24 Democrats, 8 Nationalists, and 15 Independents or members of smaller parties.
It was the most divided the House of Representatives had been in a very long time.
There were great changes in the Senate, as well.
The 54th Congress had hosted 60 Republicans, for a solid majority. There were also 16 Democrats, 13 Populists, and 1 stubborn Free Silver Republican from Wyoming.
In 1900, the Populists rose to 25 seats. The Republicans fell to 51 seats, still maintaining their majority, though a slimmer one. The Democrats sank to 6 senators, fattening primarily the Populists with their loss.
Most importantly, in 1900 the Socialists sent their first ever representative to the Senate: none other than Pennsylvania’s James Maurer.
When he entered the Senate chamber for the first time on 4 May 1901, he found few but the Populists and a small smattering of (quickly dwindling) liberal-minded Republicans would so much as shake his hand.
