November 5, 1996 1998 → 227 206 43,447,962 43,507,586 Start date April 16, 1996 | 230 seats 204 seats 3 2 48.2% 48.2% | |
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The 1996 United States House of Representatives elections was an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 5, 1996, which coincided with the re-election of Bill Clinton as President of the United States. Clinton's Democratic Party won by almost 60,000 votes (0.07%) and gained a net of two seats from the Republican Party, but the Republicans retained an overall majority of seats in the House for the first time since 1928. The election is similar to the 1952 elections, although, in terms of the total vote this result remains one of the closest in U.S. history.
Contents
Retiring incumbents
40 incumbents retired: 29 Democrats and 21 Republicans, giving the Republicans a net gain of 6 seats from the Democrats.
Democratic hold
- Arkansas's 1st congressional district: Blanche Lincoln
- Arkansas's 2nd congressional district: Ray Thornton
- California's 24th congressional district: Anthony C. Beilenson
- Colorado's 1st congressional district: Patricia Schroeder
- Florida's 2nd congressional district: Pete Peterson
- Florida's 11th congressional district: Sam Gibbons
- Florida's 19th congressional district: Harry Johnston
- Illinois's 7th congressional district: Cardiss Collins
- Indiana's 10th congressional district: Andrew Jacobs, Jr.
- Massachusetts's 10th congressional district: Gerry Studds
- New Jersey's 9th congressional district: Robert Torricelli, to run for U.S. Senate
- North Carolina's 7th congressional district: Charlie Rose
- Rhode Island's 2nd congressional district: Jack Reed, to run for U.S. Senate
- Tennessee's 9th congressional district: Harold Ford, Sr.
- Texas's 1st congressional district: Jim Chapman, to run for U.S. Senate
- Texas's 2nd congressional district: Charlie Wilson
- Texas's 15th congressional district: Kika de la Garza
- Texas's 16th congressional district: Ronald D. Coleman
- Virginia's 5th congressional district: Lewis Payne
Republican gain
- Alabama's 3rd congressional district: Glen Browder, to run for U.S. Senate
- Alabama's 4th congressional district: Tom Bevill
- Illinois's 20th congressional district: Dick Durbin, to run for U.S. Senate
- Louisiana's 5th congressional district: Cleo Fields
- Mississippi's 3rd congressional district: Sonny Montgomery
- Montana's at-large congressional district: Rick Hill
- Oklahoma's 3rd congressional district: William K. Brewster
- South Dakota's at-large congressional district: Tim Johnson, to run for U.S. Senate
- Texas's 5th congressional district: John Bryant, to run for U.S. Senate
- Texas's 12th congressional district: Pete Geren
Republican hold
- Arkansas's 3rd congressional district: Tim Hutchinson, to run for U.S. Senate
- California's 27th congressional district: Carlos Moorhead
- Colorado's 4th congressional district: Wayne Allard, to run for U.S. Senate
- Indiana's 7th congressional district: John Myers
- Kansas's 1st congressional district: Pat Roberts, to run for U.S. Senate
- Kansas's 2nd congressional district: Sam Brownback, to run for U.S. Senate
- Kansas's 3rd congressional district: Jan Meyers
- Missouri's 7th congressional district: Mel Hancock
- Nevada's 2nd congressional district: Barbara Vucanovich
- New Hampshire's 1st congressional district: Bill Zeliff, to run for Governor
- New Jersey's 12th congressional district: Dick Zimmer, to run for U.S. Senate
- Oregon's 2nd congressional district: Wes Cooley
- Pennsylvania's 5th congressional district: Bill Clinger
- Pennsylvania's 16th congressional district: Robert Smith Walker
- Tennessee's 1st congressional district: Jimmy Quillen
- Texas's 8th congressional district: Jack Fields
- Utah's 2nd congressional district: Enid Greene
Democratic gain
- Iowa's 3rd congressional district: Jim Ross Lightfoot, to run for U.S. Senate
- Louisiana's 7th congressional district: Jimmy Hayes, to run for U.S. Senate
- Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district: Steve Gunderson
- Wisconsin's 8th congressional district: Toby Roth
Democrats
- Michigan's 5th congressional district: Barbara-Rose Collins, lost to Carolyn Kilpatrick, who later won the general election
Republicans
- Texas's 14th congressional 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
- Kentucky's 3rd congressional district: Mike Ward, lost to Anne Northup
- Missouri's 9th congressional district: Harold Volkmer, lost to Kenny Hulshof
- Utah's 3rd congressional district: Bill Orton, lost to Chris Cannon
Republicans who lost to Democrats
- California's 10th congressional district: William P. Baker, lost to Ellen Tauscher
- California's 22nd congressional district: Andrea Seastrand, lost to Walter Capps
- California's 46th congressional district: Bob Dornan, lost to Loretta Sanchez
- Connecticut's 5th congressional district: Gary Franks, lost to Jim Maloney
- Illinois's 5th congressional district: Michael Flanagan, lost to Rod Blagojevich
- Maine's 1st congressional district: James B. Longley, Jr., lost to Tom Allen
- Massachusetts's 3rd congressional district: Peter Blute, lost to Jim McGovern
- Massachusetts's 6th congressional district: Peter Torkildsen, lost to John F. Tierney
- Michigan's 8th congressional district: Dick Chrysler, lost to Debbie Stabenow
- New Jersey's 8th congressional district: Bill Martini, lost to Bill Pascrell
- New York's 4th congressional district: Daniel Frisa, lost to Carolyn McCarthy
- North Carolina's 2nd congressional district: David Funderburk, lost to Bob Etheridge
- North Carolina's 4th congressional district: Fred Heineman, lost to David Price
- Ohio's 6th congressional district: Frank Cremeans, lost to Ted Strickland
- Ohio's 10th congressional district: Martin Hoke, lost to Dennis J. Kucinich
- Oregon's 5th congressional district: Jim Bunn, lost to Darlene Hooley
- Texas's 9th congressional district: Steve Stockman, lost to Nick Lampson
- Washington's 9th congressional district: Randy Tate, lost to Adam Smith
November elections
Key to party abbreviations: AI=American Independent, C=Constitution, D=Democratic, G=Green, I=Independent, IP=Independence Party, L=Libertarian, NL=Natural Law, R=Republican, Ref=Reform, T=U.S. Taxpayers Party.