1996 United States House of Representatives elections


The 1996 United States House of Representatives elections were held for the United States House of Representatives on November 5, 1996, to elect members to serve in the 105th United States Congress. They coincided with the re-election of President Bill Clinton. Democrats won the popular vote by almost 60,000 votes and gained a net of two seats from the Republicans, but the Republicans retained an overall majority of seats in the House for the first time since 1928.
Although the Republicans lost three seats, one of them included an independent who would caucus with them and switch to the Republicans, resulting in a nine-seat Republican majority. A total of 12 freshman Republicans who were elected in the 1994 Republican Revolution were defeated in the election, while at least 36 were re-elected.
The election was the fourth and final time in the 20th century in which either party won the House majority without winning the popular vote, with the previous three instances occurring in 1914, 1942, and 1952. In terms of the total vote, the 1996 result remains one of the closest in U.S. history. This remains the last election in which Republicans won a majority of seats in the New Jersey delegation, and it was also the first election since 1872 in which Republicans won a majority of seats in Mississippi's delegation.

Special elections

DistrictIncumbentPartyFirst electedResultCandidates
Walter R. Tucker IIIDemocratic1992Incumbent resigned December 15, 1995 due to scandals during his past tenure as Mayor of Compton, California.
New member elected March 26, 1996.
Democratic hold.
Kweisi MfumeDemocratic1986Incumbent resigned February 15, 1996 to become President of the NAACP.
New member elected April 16, 1996.
Democratic hold.
Ron WydenDemocratic1980Incumbent resigned February 6, 1996 when elected U.S. Senator.
New member elected May 21, 1996.
Democratic hold.
Sam BrownbackRepublican1994Incumbent resigned November 27, 1996 when elected U.S. Senator.
New member elected November 5, 1996.
Winner also elected to the next term, [|see below].
Republican hold.
Bill EmersonRepublican1980Incumbent died June 22, 1996.
New member elected November 5, 1996.
Republican hold.
Winner also elected to the next term, see below.

Results summary

Source:

Retiring incumbents

50 incumbents retired: 29 Democrats and 21 Republicans, giving the Republicans a net gain of six seats from the Democrats.

Democrats

Democratic hold

  1. : Blanche Lincoln
  2. : Ray Thornton
  3. : Anthony Beilenson
  4. : Pat Schroeder
  5. : Pete Peterson
  6. : Sam Gibbons
  7. : Harry Johnston
  8. : Cardiss Collins
  9. : Andrew Jacobs Jr.
  10. : Gerry Studds
  11. : Robert Torricelli, to run for U.S. senator
  12. : Charlie Rose
  13. : Jack Reed, to run for U.S. senator
  14. : Harold Ford Sr.
  15. : Jim Chapman, to run for U.S. senator
  16. : Charlie Wilson
  17. : Kika de la Garza
  18. : Ronald D. Coleman
  19. : Lewis F. Payne Jr.

Republican gain

  1. : Glen Browder, to run for U.S. senator
  2. : Tom Bevill
  3. : Dick Durbin, to run for U.S. senator
  4. : Cleo Fields
  5. : Sonny Montgomery
  6. : Pat Williams
  7. : William K. Brewster
  8. : Tim Johnson, to run for U.S. senator
  9. : John Bryant, to run for U.S. senator
  10. : Pete Geren

Republicans

Republican hold

  1. : Tim Hutchinson, to run for U.S. senator
  2. : Carlos Moorhead
  3. : Wayne Allard, to run for U.S. senator
  4. : John Myers
  5. : Pat Roberts, to run for U.S. senator
  6. : Sam Brownback, to run for U.S. senator
  7. : Jan Meyers
  8. : Mel Hancock
  9. : Barbara Vucanovich
  10. : Bill Zeliff, to run for governor
  11. : Dick Zimmer, to run for U.S. senator
  12. : Wes Cooley
  13. : Bill Clinger
  14. : Robert Smith Walker
  15. : Jimmy Quillen
  16. : Jack Fields
  17. : Enid Greene

Democratic gain

  1. : Jim Ross Lightfoot, to run for U.S. senator
  2. : Jimmy Hayes, to run for U.S. senator
  3. : Steve Gunderson
  4. : Toby Roth

Incumbents defeated

In primary elections

Democrats

  1. : Barbara-Rose Collins lost to Carolyn Kilpatrick, who later won the general election.

Republicans

  1. : Greg Laughlin lost to Ron Paul, who later won the general election.

In the general elections

21 seats switched parties in the November elections, giving the Democrats a net gain of 15 seats from the Republicans.

Democrats who lost to Republicans

  1. : Mike Ward lost to Anne Northup.
  2. : Harold Volkmer lost to Kenny Hulshof.
  3. : Bill Orton lost to Chris Cannon.

Republicans who lost to Democrats

  1. : William P. Baker lost to Ellen Tauscher.
  2. : Andrea Seastrand lost to Walter Capps.
  3. : Bob Dornan lost to Loretta Sanchez.
  4. : Gary Franks lost to James H. Maloney.
  5. : Michael Patrick Flanagan lost to Rod Blagojevich.
  6. : James B. Longley Jr. lost to Tom Allen.
  7. : Peter I. Blute lost to Jim McGovern.
  8. : Peter G. Torkildsen lost to John F. Tierney.
  9. : Dick Chrysler lost to Debbie Stabenow.
  10. : William J. Martini lost to Bill Pascrell.
  11. : Dan Frisa lost to Carolyn McCarthy.
  12. : David Funderburk lost to Bob Etheridge.
  13. : Fred Heineman lost to David Price in a rematch of the 1994 election.
  14. : Frank Cremeans lost to Ted Strickland.
  15. : Martin Hoke lost to Dennis Kucinich.
  16. : Jim Bunn lost to Darlene Hooley.
  17. : Steve Stockman lost to Nick Lampson.
  18. : Randy Tate lost to Adam Smith.

Closest races

Eighty races were decided by 10% or lower.
DistrictWinnerMargin
data-sort-value=1 0.03%
data-sort-value=-0.5 0.13%
data-sort-value=1 0.36%
data-sort-value=0.5 0.51%
data-sort-value=0.5 0.52%
data-sort-value=1 0.70%
data-sort-value=1 0.75%
data-sort-value=-0.5 0.96%
data-sort-value=-1 0.96%
data-sort-value=1 1.10%
data-sort-value=1 1.36%
data-sort-value=-0.5 0.36%
data-sort-value=1 1.66%
data-sort-value=0.5 1.70%
data-sort-value=-0.5 1.71%
data-sort-value=1 1.83%
data-sort-value=0.5 2.36%
data-sort-value=1 2.43%
data-sort-value=-0.5 2.65%
data-sort-value=-0.5 2.74%
data-sort-value=-0.5 2.88%
data-sort-value=0.5 3.09%
data-sort-value=-0.5 3.24%
data-sort-value=1 3.42%
data-sort-value=1 3.45%
data-sort-value=1 3.49%
data-sort-value=1 3.57%
data-sort-value=1 3.80%
data-sort-value=1 3.86%
data-sort-value=0.5 3.87%
data-sort-value=-1 3.88%
data-sort-value=-0.5 4.07%
data-sort-value=-0.5 4.19%
data-sort-value=-0.5 4.22%
data-sort-value=-1 4.27%
data-sort-value=1 4.41%
data-sort-value=-1 4.66%
data-sort-value=1 4.69%
data-sort-value=-1 4.69%
data-sort-value=-1 4.82%
data-sort-value=1 5.12%
data-sort-value=-0.5 5.18%
data-sort-value=1 5.31%
data-sort-value=-1 5.48%
data-sort-value=1 5.50%
data-sort-value=-0.5 5.67%
data-sort-value=-1 5.85%
data-sort-value=1 5.92%
data-sort-value=-0.5 6.13%
data-sort-value=0.5 6.14%
data-sort-value=1 6.18%
data-sort-value=0.5 6.20%
data-sort-value=-0.5 6.24%
data-sort-value=1 6.60%
data-sort-value=-1 6.62%
data-sort-value=-1 6.64%
data-sort-value=-1 6.65%
data-sort-value=1 6.72%
data-sort-value=-0.5 6.87%
data-sort-value=1 6.90%
data-sort-value=1 7.00%
data-sort-value=1 7.03%
data-sort-value=-1 7.06%
data-sort-value=1 7.10%
data-sort-value=1 7.21%
data-sort-value=1 7.48%
data-sort-value=1 7.56%
data-sort-value=-0.5 7.59%
data-sort-value=-1 7.79%
data-sort-value=-1 7.93%
data-sort-value=-1 8.11%
data-sort-value=-1 8.45%
data-sort-value=1 8.52%
data-sort-value=-1 8.56%
data-sort-value=-1 8.82%
data-sort-value=0.5 9.26%
data-sort-value=1 9.44%
data-sort-value=-0.5 9.62%
data-sort-value=1 9.63%
data-sort-value=1 9.85%

Arkansas

Delaware

Idaho

Kansas

DistrictIncumbentPartyFirst
elected		ResultResults
Pat RobertsRepublican1980Incumbent retired to run for U.S. senator.
Republican hold.
Sam BrownbackRepublican1994Incumbent retired to run for U.S. senator.
Republican hold.
Jan MeyersRepublican1984Incumbent retired.
Republican hold.
Todd TiahrtRepublican1994Incumbent re-elected.

Kentucky

DistrictIncumbentPartyFirst
elected		ResultResults
Ed WhitfieldRepublican1994Incumbent re-elected.
Ron LewisRepublican1994Incumbent re-elected.
Mike WardDemocratic1994Incumbent lost re-election.
Republican gain.
Jim BunningRepublican1986Incumbent re-elected.
Hal RogersRepublican1980Incumbent re-elected.
Scotty BaeslerDemocratic1992Incumbent re-elected.

Massachusetts

Minnesota

DistrictIncumbentPartyFirst
elected		ResultResults
Gil GutknechtRepublican1994Incumbent re-elected.
David MingeDFL1992Incumbent re-elected.
Jim RamstadRepublican1990Incumbent re-elected.
Bruce VentoDFL1976Incumbent re-elected.
Martin Olav SaboDFL1978Incumbent re-elected.
Bill LutherDFL1994Incumbent re-elected.
Collin PetersonDFL1990Incumbent re-elected.
Jim OberstarDFL1974Incumbent re-elected.

Mississippi

With Republican Chip Pickering flipping the Democratic-held 3rd district, the Republican Party gained a majority in the state's U.S. House delegation for the first time since Reconstruction. This would not occur again until 2010.

Missouri

  • Jo Ann Emerson was elected as a Republican in a special to serve the remaining months of the term and was elected as an Independent caucusing with Republicans due to Missouri state law. She later switched to the Republican Party a few days after the start of the new Congress.

New Hampshire

North Carolina

Oregon

South Dakota

Vermont

Washington

, these were the last elections in which the Republican Party won a majority of congressional districts from Washington.