Confederate Congressional elections, 1863
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All 106 seats to the Confederate States House of Representatives 54 seats were needed for a majority |
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15
15Thomas Bocock
Proadministration
Thomas Bocock
Proadministration
Elections to the Confederate States Congress were held from May to November 1863, during the first and last midterm of Jefferson Davis' presidency. The number of Congressmen in the House of Representatives who openly opposed the policies of President Davis increased from 26 to 41 out of 106, while the number of antiadministration Senators went from 11 to 12. The proadministration Senators thus had a narrow majority of two with 14 out of the 26 seats in the Confederate Senate. The 2nd Confederate States Congress would be seated on May 2, 1864.
The Confederate government did not have formal parties, and candidates ran individual campaigns. Nonetheless, some voters cast their ballots according to past party affiliations such as Democrat or Whig. The lack of parties was popularly believed to be a source of strength, however historians believe that the lack of such organizations prevented Davis from distributing patronage or commanding party loyalty from other elected officials to mobilize support for his policies. Despite this, historians have identified factions or proto-parties. One was largely supportive of President Davis's policies, or proadministration, and the other was largely opposed to Davis' policies, or antiadministration. The antiadministration faction consisted of former Whigs as well as Fire-Eaters and other former Democrats.
Public grievances with the administration included supply shortages, inflation, and general financial mismanagement. Other issues that featured prominently in the elections were conscription and taxation. Antiadministration candidates decried perceived federal government overreach, including Davis' decision to suspend habeas corpus and impose martial law. Proadministration officials attempted to appeal to the Confederate public's loyalty and foster a spirit of self-sacrifice for eventual independence of the Confederate States of America.
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