United States congressional elections, 2002

The 2002 United States elections were held on November 5, in the middle of Republican President George W. Bush's first term. Unusual in midterm elections, the incumbent president's party gained seats in both chambers of the United States Congress. The Republicans picked up net gains of 2 Senate seats and 8 House seats.

These elections were held just a little under fourteen months after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Thus the elections were heavily overshadowed by the war on terror, the impending war with Iraq, the Early 2000s recession, and the sudden death of Democratic Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone about one week before the election.

These elections marked only the third time since the Civil War that the president's party gained seats in a midterm election (the first two being 1934 and 1998), and the first time that this happened under a Republican president. These elections were the second consecutive midterm elections held in a President's first term (regardless of the President's party) where Republicans netted a gain in both houses of Congress.

Despite being the incumbent party in the White House, which is usually a disadvantage for the President's party during midterm Congressional elections, Republicans achieved gains in both chambers of the United States Congress.

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