Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.
Results of U.S. House elections in presidential election years, 1920-2024
Presidential elections occur every four years and always coincide with elections in the U.S. House of Representatives, whose 435 members are considered for re-election every even year. The results of the elections in the House determine which party holds the majority. In some election years, control of the House flips from one party to another. In others, the party in power maintains its majority but gains or loses seats. This article explores the results of the House elections in all 27 presidential election years since 1920.
The data in this article come from the Office of the Clerk for the U.S. House and can be accessed here.[1] Majority party gains and losses are calculated by taking the difference between the number of seats won in that election and the number of seats won in the preceding presidential election year. These figures include only the number of seats held by the Republican and Democratic parties at the start of each Congress, and do not include vacancies or seats held by third parties.
On this page you will find:
- Elections where the winning presidential candidate's party lost seats in the House
- Elections where the winning presidential candidate's party gained seats in the House but did not achieve a majority
- Elections that resulted in a continuation of partisan control of the presidency and a narrowed House majority
- Elections that resulted in an expanded House majority
- Elections that resulted in a change in partisan control of the House
Elections where the winning presidential candidate's party lost seats in the House
Since 1920, there have been six presidential election years where the winning presidential candidate’s party lost U.S. House seats. In all of these cases, the party that lost seats in the House maintained the majority it had going into the election.
In 2024, Republican Donald Trump defeated Democrat Kamala Harris in the presidential election, giving Republicans control of the White House. At the same time, Republicans maintained a majority in the U.S. House but lost seats to Republicans. At the start of the 117th Congress in 2021, Republicans held a 222-213 advantage. That declined to 220-215 following the November, 5, 2024, election.
The largest decline in this category occurred in 1960, when Democrats lost 21 seats. In that election, Democrat John F. Kennedy took control of the presidency from the Republican Party for the first time since Franklin Roosevelt won election in 1932. At the start of the 86th Congress in 1959, Democrats held a 283-153 advantage. That declined to 262-175 at the start of the next Congress in 1961.
| Year | Party of winning presidential candidate | House majority[2] | Seats held by the majority following the previous election | Seats held by the majority at the start of the new Congress | Seats lost by majority | Percentage decrease in seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Democratic Party (election won by John F. Kennedy) | Democratic Party | 283-153 | 262-175 | 21 | -7.42% |
| 1992 | Democratic Party (election won by Bill Clinton) | Democratic Party | 267-167 | 258-176 | 9 | -3.37% |
| 2000 | Republican Party (election won by George W. Bush) | Republican Party | 223-211 | 221-212 | 2 | -0.90% |
| 2016 | Republican Party (election won by Donald Trump) | Republican Party | 247-188 | 241-194 | 6 | -2.43% |
| 2020 | Democratic Party (election won by Joe Biden) | Democratic Party | 235-199 | 222-213 | 13 | -5.53% |
| 2024 | Republican Party (election won by Donald Trump) | Republican Party | 222-213 | 220-215 | 2 | -0.90% |
Elections where the winning presidential candidate's party gained seats in the House but did not achieve a majority
In two presidential election years since 1920 that resulted in a partisan change in the presidency, the winning presidential candidate's party gained seats but did not achieve a majority. The greatest gain in seats in this set of circumstances occurred in 1980, when Ronald Reagan (R) defeated incumbent Jimmy Carter (D) for control of the presidency and the Republican Party won 35 seats. Nevertheless, the Democratic Party came out of the election with a 242-192 advantage.
| Year | Party of winning presidential candidate | House majority[3] | Seats held by the majority following the previous election | Seats held by the majority at the start of the new Congress | Seats lost by majority | Percentage decrease in seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Republican Party (election won by Richard Nixon) | Democratic Party | 248-187 | 243-192 | 5 | -2.02% |
| 1980 | Republican Party (election won by Ronald Reagan) | Democratic Party | 277-158 | 242-192 | 35 | -12.64% |
Elections that resulted in a continuation of partisan control of the presidency and a narrowed House majority
In four presidential elections since 1920, the incumbent party has maintained control of the White House, while the majority party in the House has kept its majority but lost seats. The largest decrease in seats happened in 1984, when Democrats lost 16 seats. Going into the election, Democrats held a 269-166 majority. That fell to a 253-182 majority at the start of the next Congress in 1985. In that election, Republican Ronald Reagan defeated Democrat Walter Mondale to win re-election.
| Year | Party of winning presidential candidate | House majority[4] | Seats held by the majority following the previous election | Seats held by the majority at the start of the new Congress | Seats lost by majority | Percentage decrease in seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Republican Party (election won by Richard Nixon) | Democratic Party | 255-180 | 242-192 | 13 | -5.10% |
| 1984 | Republican Party (election won by Ronald Reagan) | Democratic Party | 269-166 | 253-182 | 16 | -5.97% |
| 1996 | Democratic Party (election won by Bill Clinton) | Republican Party | 230-204 | 226-207 | 4 | -1.74% |
| 2012 | Democratic Party (election won by Barack Obama) | Republican Party | 242-193 | 234-200 | 8 | -3.31% |
Elections that resulted in an expanded House majority
In 12 of the last 26 House elections that coincided with a presidential election year, the party in control of the U.S. House expanded its majority. The largest increase in this category happened in 1920, when the Republican Party gained 63 seats. At the start of the 66th Congress in 1919, Republicans held a 237-191 advantage. That increased to 300-132 at the start of the 67th Congress in 1921.
| Presidential election year | Party of winning presidential candidate | House majority[5] | Seats held by the majority following the previous election | Seats held by the majority at the start of the new Congress | Seats gained by majority | Percentage increase in seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | Republican Party (election won by Warren Harding) | Republican Party | 237-191 | 300-132 | 63 | 26.58% |
| 1924 | Republican Party (election won by Calvin Coolidge) | Republican Party | 225-207 | 247-183 | 22 | 9.78% |
| 1928 | Republican Party (election won by Herbert Hoover) | Republican Party | 237-195 | 267-163 | 30 | 12.66% |
| 1936 | Democratic Party (election won by Franklin Roosevelt) | Democratic Party | 322-103 | 333-89 | 11 | 3.42% |
| 1940 | Democratic Party (election won by Franklin Roosevelt) | Democratic Party | 262-169 | 267-162 | 5 | 1.91% |
| 1944 | Democratic Party (election won by Franklin Roosevelt) | Democratic Party | 222-209 | 243-190 | 21 | 9.46% |
| 1956 | Republican Party (election won by Dwight Eisenhower) | Democratic Party | 232-203 | 234-201 | 2 | 0.86% |
| 1964 | Democratic Party (election won by Lyndon Johnson) | Democratic Party | 258-176 | 295-140 | 37 | 14.34% |
| 1976 | Democratic Party (election won by Jimmy Carter) | Democratic Party | 291-144 | 292-143 | 1 | 0.34% |
| 1988 | Republican Party (election won by George H.W. Bush) | Democratic Party | 258-177 | 259-174 | 1 | 0.39% |
| 2004 | Republican Party (election won by George W. Bush) | Republican Party | 229-205 | 232-201 | 3 | 1.31% |
| 2008 | Democratic Party (election won by Barack Obama) | Democratic Party | 233-202 | 256-178 | 23 | 9.87% |
Elections that resulted in a change in partisan control of the House
In three of the last 26 House elections that coincided with a presidential election year, the party in control of the House lost its majority. The last time this happened was in 1952, when Democrats lost 21 seats to Republicans. Democrats began the 82nd Congress in 1951 with a 234-199 advantage. Republicans began the 83rd Congress with a 221-213 advantage.
The largest decline in seats since 1920 occurred in 1932, when Republicans gave up 101 seats to Democrats. Republicans started the 72nd Congress, which began in 1931, with a 218-216 advantage. Democrats began the 73rd Congress in 1933 with a 313-117 advantage over Republicans.
| Presidential election year | Party of winning presidential candidate | Pre-election House majority | Seats held by the majority following the previous election | Seats held by the majority at the start of the new Congress | Seats lost by pre-election House majority party | Percentage decrease in seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | Democratic Party (election won by Franklin Roosevelt) | Republican Party | 218-216 | 313-117 | 101 | -46.33% |
| 1948 | Democratic Party (election won by Harry Truman) | Republican Party | 246-188 | 263-171 | 75 | -30.49% |
| 1952 | Republican Party (election won by Dwight Eisenhower) | Democratic Party | 234-199 | 221-213 | 21 | -8.97% |
See also
- 119th Congress
- 118th Congress
- 117th Congress
- 116th Congress
- 115th Congress
- 114th Congress
- 113th Congress
- 112th Congress
- 111th Congress
- 110th Congress
- Staff salaries of United States Senators and Representatives
- National Journal vote ratings
Footnotes
- ↑ U.S. House of Representatives, "Election Statistics, 1920 to Present," accessed on December 14, 2020
- ↑ Denotes the party that had more seats in the U.S. House going into the election.
- ↑ Denotes the party that had more seats in the U.S. House going into the election.
- ↑ Denotes the party that had more seats in the U.S. House going into the election.
- ↑ Denotes the party that had more seats in the U.S. House going into the election.
