July 2, 1838 - November 5, 1839 1840 → 125 109 7 seats 0 seats Start date 1838 | 128 seats 100 seats 3 9 6 2 | |
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Winner Robert M T Hunter | ||
Elections to the United States House of Representatives for the 26th Congress took place at various dates in each state, from July 2, 1838 (Louisiana) until November 5, 1839 (Mississippi) during Martin Van Buren's term in office, after the formal start of the 26th Congress but before the first session convened.
The Panic of 1837 set the background for this election cycle, as the carryover effects of the economic downturn led to Whig gains. President Martin Van Buren was deeply unpopular and Whig ideas for economic nationalism made slight inroads in suffering districts. However, the Democrats were able to lessen their loss by portraying the crisis as the result of missteps within the private banking industry and not as caused by government inactivity. The Anti-Masonic Party remained as a presence during this election, but also saw a drop in its seat total, while the Nullifier Party completely disappeared. Two Representatives in Virginia were elected under the Conservative Party label.
Pennsylvania
In the 3rd district, Charles Naylor's election was unsuccessfully contested by Charles J. Ingersoll.
There were three special elections in Pennsylvania during the 26th Congress. The first was in the 14th district to fill a vacancy left by the death of William W. Potter (D) on October 28, 1839, and was filled by George McCulloch (D). The second was in the 22nd district to fill a vacancy left by Richard Biddle's resignation and was filled by Henry M. Brackenridge (W). The third was held in the 13th district to fill a vacancy left by the death of William S. Ramsey (D) on October 17, 1840. Ramsey had also been re-elected to the 27th Congress and so an additional special election was held the following May to fill the vacancy in the 27th Congress.