Truman had campaigned against a "do-nothing"' Republican Party Congress that had opposed his initiatives and was seen as counterproductive.

The Democratic Party regained control of both the House and Senate in this election.

These were the last elections until 1980 when a member of a political party other than the Democrats, Republicans, or an independent had one or more seats in the chamber.

As of 2023[update], this is the last time the Democrats gained more than 50 seats in a U.S. House election.

Illinois redistricted its at-large seat into an additional geographical district for a total of 26, changing boundaries across the state and moving several seats from downstate into the Chicago suburbs.