This was the first midterm election cycle, which took place in the middle of President George Washington's first term.

Aedanus Burke, a U.S. representative from South Carolina's 2nd congressional district, either retired or lost re-election but it is not known.

In this period, each state fixed its own date for congressional general elections, as early as April 27, 1790 (in New York) and as late as October 11, 1791 (in Pennsylvania).

In some states, the congressional delegation was not elected until after the legal start of the Congress (on the 4th day of March in the odd-numbered year).

In Maryland, two local factions briefly emerged, the Chesapeake and Potomac (or Potowmack) "parties".

The Potomac faction, consisting of individuals from the small counties of southern Maryland and the Eastern Shore, aimed to maintain their status by curbing the increasing influence of the city of Baltimore and the more populous counties.

To do so, they supported the development of the federal city and a canal on the Potomac River to secure their economic future.

Their strategy involved improving the Susquehanna River to channel the lucrative wheat trade from western Maryland and Pennsylvania through Baltimore.

They also believed that political representation should reflect population growth patterns rather than be defined by the counties.

They feared that a canal on the Potomac River would undermine Baltimore's prosperity by diverting trade to competitors like Georgetown, the proposed federal city, and Alexandria.

[5][6] Temporarily setting aside differences at the national level, the "Chesapeake Ticket" was formed to punish incumbents who had supported the Potomac location for the proposed federal city.