1956

Dwight D. Eisenhower and the 1956 map

Eisenhower won re-election in an even larger landslide over a second Stevenson challenge, despite concerns about Ike's health after a heart attack in 1955. The Suez Crisis erupted days before the election, which paradoxically helped Eisenhower by reinforcing his image as the steady hand America needed in a dangerous world. Democrats retained control of Congress, making Eisenhower the first president since Zachary Taylor to win while his party lost both houses. A faithless elector in Alabama voted for Walter Jones.