The 1996 United States House of Representatives elections was an election 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 (0.07%) 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 3 seats, 1 of them included an independent who would caucus with them and switch to the Republicans. This resulted in a 227 Republican majority to the Democrats' 208 minority which also included an Independent caucusing with them. 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 second time in the 20th century, after the 1952 elections, in which Republicans won a House majority without winning a majority of votes, a situation that occurred again in 2012, though in terms of the total vote this 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 was also the first election since Reconstruction in which Republicans won a majority of seats in Mississippi's delegation.

Special elections

Results summary

Source: Election Statistics – Office of the Clerk

Retiring incumbents

50 incumbents retired: 29 Democrats and 21 Republicans, giving the Republicans a net gain of 6 seats from the Democrats.

Democrats

Democratic hold

1. Arkansas's 1st district: Blanche Lincoln
2. Arkansas's 2nd district: Ray Thornton
3. California's 24th district: Anthony Beilenson
4. Colorado's 1st district: Pat Schroeder
5. Florida's 2nd district: Pete Peterson
6. Florida's 11th district: Sam Gibbons
7. Florida's 19th district: Harry Johnston
8. Illinois's 7th district: Cardiss Collins
9. Indiana's 10th district: Andrew Jacobs Jr.
10. Massachusetts's 10th district: Gerry Studds
11. New Jersey's 9th district: Robert Torricelli, to run for U.S. Senator
12. North Carolina's 7th district: Charlie Rose
13. Rhode Island's 2nd district: Jack Reed, to run for U.S. Senator
14. Tennessee's 9th district: Harold Ford Sr.
15. Texas's 1st district: Jim Chapman, to run for U.S. Senator
16. Texas's 2nd district: Charlie Wilson
17. Texas's 15th district: Kika de la Garza
18. Texas's 16th district: Ronald D. Coleman
19. Virginia's 5th district: Lewis F. Payne Jr.

Republican gain

1. Alabama's 3rd district: Glen Browder, to run for U.S. Senator
2. Alabama's 4th district: Tom Bevill
3. Illinois's 20th district: Dick Durbin, to run for U.S. Senator
4. Louisiana's 5th district: Cleo Fields
5. Mississippi's 3rd district: Sonny Montgomery
6. Montana's at-large district: Pat Williams
7. Oklahoma's 3rd district: William K. Brewster
8. South Dakota's at-large district: Tim Johnson, to run for U.S. Senator
9. Texas's 5th district: John Bryant, to run for U.S. Senator
10. Texas's 12th district: Pete Geren

Republicans

Republican hold

1. Arkansas's 3rd district: Tim Hutchinson, to run for U.S. Senator
2. California's 27th district: Carlos Moorhead
3. Colorado's 4th district: Wayne Allard, to run for U.S. Senator
4. Indiana's 7th district: John Myers
5. Kansas's 1st district: Pat Roberts, to run for U.S. Senator
6. Kansas's 2nd district: Sam Brownback, to run for U.S. Senator
7. Kansas's 3rd district: Jan Meyers
8. Missouri's 7th district: Mel Hancock
9. Nevada's 2nd district: Barbara Vucanovich
10. New Hampshire's 1st district: Bill Zeliff, to run for Governor
11. New Jersey's 12th district: Dick Zimmer, to run for U.S. Senator
12. Oregon's 2nd district: Wes Cooley
13. Pennsylvania's 5th district: Bill Clinger
14. Pennsylvania's 16th district: Robert Smith Walker
15. Tennessee's 1st district: Jimmy Quillen
16. Texas's 8th district: Jack Fields
17. Utah's 2nd district: Enid Greene

Democratic gain

1. Iowa's 3rd district: Jim Ross Lightfoot, to run for U.S. Senator
2. Louisiana's 7th district: Jimmy Hayes, to run for U.S. Senator
3. Wisconsin's 3rd district: Steve Gunderson
4. Wisconsin's 8th district: Toby Roth

Incumbents defeated

In primary elections

Democrats

1. Michigan's 15th district: Barbara-Rose Collins lost to Carolyn Kilpatrick, who later won the general election

Republicans

1. Texas's 14th district: 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. Kentucky's 3rd district: Mike Ward lost to Anne Northup
2. Missouri's 9th district: Harold Volkmer lost to Kenny Hulshof
3. Utah's 3rd district: Bill Orton lost to Chris Cannon

Republicans who lost to Democrats

1. California's 10th district: William P. Baker lost to Ellen Tauscher
2. California's 22nd district: Andrea Seastrand lost to Walter Capps
3. California's 46th district: Bob Dornan lost to Loretta Sanchez
4. Connecticut's 5th district: Gary Franks lost to James H. Maloney
5. Illinois's 5th district: Michael Patrick Flanagan lost to Rod Blagojevich
6. Maine's 1st district: James B. Longley Jr. lost to Tom Allen
7. Massachusetts's 3rd district: Peter I. Blute lost to Jim McGovern
8. Massachusetts's 6th district: Peter G. Torkildsen lost to John F. Tierney
9. Michigan's 8th district: Dick Chrysler lost to Debbie Stabenow
10. New Jersey's 8th district: William J. Martini lost to Bill Pascrell
11. New York's 4th district: Dan Frisa lost to Carolyn McCarthy
12. North Carolina's 2nd district: David Funderburk lost to Bob Etheridge
13. North Carolina's 4th district: Fred Heineman lost to David Price in a rematch of the 1994 election.
14. Ohio's 6th district: Frank Cremeans lost to Ted Strickland
15. Ohio's 10th district: Martin Hoke lost to Dennis Kucinich
16. Oregon's 5th district: Jim Bunn lost to Darlene Hooley
17. Texas's 9th district: Steve Stockman lost to Nick Lampson
18. Washington's 9th district: Randy Tate lost to Adam Smith

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

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.

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

As of 2022, these were the last elections in which the Republican Party won a majority of congressional districts from Washington.

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

See also

• 104th United States Congress
• 105th United States Congress

Notes

References

Articles connexes

1. 2020 United States House of Representatives elections
2. 2018 United States House of Representatives elections
3. 1982 United States House of Representatives elections
4. 2008 United States House of Representatives elections
5. 1994 United States House of Representatives elections
6. 2000 United States House of Representatives elections
7. 2010 United States House of Representatives elections
8. 1964 United States House of Representatives elections
9. 1980 United States House of Representatives elections
10. 1976 United States House of Representatives elections
11. 1996 United States House of Representatives elections in California
12. 1998 United States House of Representatives elections
13. 1974 United States House of Representatives elections
14. 1956 United States House of Representatives elections
15. 2006 United States House of Representatives elections
16. 2024 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania
17. 2002 United States House of Representatives elections
18. 2004 United States House of Representatives elections
19. 1996 United States House of Representatives election in Vermont
20. 1996 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas