Evening star., 1962-11-07
Kennedy Halls
Poll Results
As Net Gain
BY GARNETT d. HORNER
Star staff Writer

AS NCI V0MI
BY GARNETT d. HORNER
Star staff Writer
President Kennedy said today
he is 'heartened" by the results
OF yesterdays election, which
White House analysts believe
produced "a clear net gain in
support Of the Presidents pro-
gram" in Congress.
Mr.. Kennedy commented only
In a statement read to news
men this afternoon by White
House Press Secretary Pierre
Salinger. The statement said:
II am heartened by the re-
suits of yesterdays election.
This country and the Congress
face major responsibilities in
the coming two years and / am
certain that the Congress will
meet these responsibilities in a
progressive and vigorous man
ner."
See Net Gains
Some of the Presidents key
associates went into more
exultant detail in talking with
newsmen.
ut now appears" q spokes-
man said, that. the number of
Democratic seats in the House
and Senate combined will not
be materially reduced and may
well be increased as a result of
yesterdays election.
IF the Republican gain of
no more than two seats in the
House while losing a net of
four seats in the Senate re-
mains as it is at present, the
Democratic Party will have
scored a victory exceeded in
the last so years only by the
Democratic Party under Frank
lin Roosevelt in 1884"
The White House spokesman
added that, ian analysis of
those House seats won and lost
by the Democrats shows a clear
net gain in support of the
Presidents program"
District Changes
He explained that this gain
resulted largely from shifts
produced by redistricting. He
added that House seats picked
up by Democrats in the West
as a result of redistricting will
be filled by Democrats who can
be counted on to support the
Administration.
When reporter asked if the
"net gain" claimed by the
White House analysts resulted
largely from conservative DEM
ocratic Congressman being re-
placed by New Frontier Demo-
Gratis from the West, the
spokesman replied that he
WOULD rather say that, I'VE are
always interested in having
Democrats who support the
Presidents program elected to
Congress.
White House officials attrib-
uted the unusually big turnout
of voters yesterday to a variety
of factors, among them interest
aroused by the campaigning of
both President Kennedy and
former President Eisenhower
last month until the President
cut off his campaigning because
of the Cuban crisis.
Another factor in the large
voter turnout seen by the White
House was that the Cuban
crisis stirred more interest in
the problems of Government.
But there was no attempt at
the White House to analyze
what role the Cuban crisis may
have played in influencing
which way voters cast their
ballots.
In claiming a Democratic
victory, a White House Spokes-
man noted that only in the
first terms of Theodore Roose-
welt in 1902 and of Franklin
Roosevelt in 1894 has the party
in power in the last 100 years
been able to prevent opposi-
tion gains in mid-term elec-
tionS.
Less Losses Cited
They noted that the party in
power has lost an average of
seven or eight seats in the Sen
ate in all mid-term elections
since World War / except 1884.
They also pointed to the last
mid-term election of 1858,
when President Eisenhower was
in office and Republicans lost
l3 Senate seats.
Democratic National Com
mittee Chairman John M.
Bailey declared that this vote
which has reversed the normal
mid-term trend of consequent
tial losses is a great victory for
the Kennedy administration
and the Democratic party"
Democratic gains in the
Senate, Mr.. Bailey said, show
a remarkable vote of confidence
in the Democratic party when
you consider that since World
War II with the exception of
1884, the party in power has
lost an average of nearly eight
seats in the Senate in the mid
term elections"
Finance Minister
y