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1992 United States House of Representatives elections

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House elections for the 103rd U.S. Congress

1992 United States House of Representatives elections

← 1990 November 3, 1992 1994 →
All 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives 218 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Tom Foley Bob Michel Party Democratic Republican Leader since June 6, 1989 January 3, 1981 Leader's seat Washington 5th Illinois 18th Last election 267 seats 167 seats Seats won 258 176 Seat change 9 9 Popular vote 48,654,189 43,812,063 Percentage 50.1% 45.1% Swing 2.0% 0.8%   Third party   Party Independent Last election 1 seat Seats won 1 Seat change Popular vote 1,255,726 Percentage 1.3%
Results:      Democratic hold      Democratic gain      Republican hold      Republican gain      Independent hold
Speaker before election Tom Foley Democratic Elected Speaker Tom Foley Democratic

The 1992 United States House of Representatives elections were held on November 3, 1992, to elect U.S. Representatives to serve in the 103rd United States Congress. They coincided with the 1992 presidential election, in which Democrat Bill Clinton was elected as President, defeating Republican incumbent President George H. W. Bush.

Despite this, however, the Democrats lost a net of nine seats in the House to the Republicans, in part due to redistricting following the 1990 census. This election was the first to use districts drawn up during the 1990 United States redistricting cycle on the basis of the 1990 census. The redrawn districts were notable for the increase in majority-minority districts, drawn as mandated by the Voting Rights Act. The 1980 census resulted in 17 majority-black districts and 10 majority-Hispanic districts, but 32 and 19 such districts, respectively, were drawn after 1990.^[1]

This was the first time ever that the victorious presidential party lost seats in the House in two consecutive elections. As of 2022^[update], this is the last congressional election in which Republicans won a House seat in Rhode Island, and the last time the Democrats won the House for more than two consecutive elections.

Overall results[edit]

Party		Seats			Share	Popular vote
		Last election (1990)	This election	Net change
	Democratic Party	267	258	9	59.3%	50.1%	48,654,189
	Republican Party	167	176	9	40.5%	45.1%	43,812,063
	Independent	1	1		0.2%	1.3%	1,255,726
	Libertarian Party	0	0		0.0%	0.9%	848,614
	Peace and Freedom Party	0	0		0.0%	0.3%	267,827
	Green Party	0	0		0.0%	0.1%	134,072
	Natural Law Party	0	0		0.0%	0.1%	100,782
	Right to Life Party	0	0		0.0%	0.1%	93,452
	Conservative Party	0	0		0.0%	0.1%	74,387
	A Connecticut Party	0	0		0.0%	0.1%	65,701
	Others	0	0		0.0%	1.9%	1,891,503
Totals		435	435		100.0%	100.0%	97,198,316

Source: Election Statistics - Office of the Clerk

Retiring incumbents[edit]

65 members did not seek re-election: 41 Democrats and 24 Republicans.

Democrats[edit]

1. Alabama 7: Claude Harris Jr. retired.
2. California 6: Barbara Boxer retired to run for U.S. Senator.
3. California 30: Edward R. Roybal retired.
4. California 36: Mel Levine retired to run for U.S. Senator.
5. California 37: Mervyn Dymally retired.
6. California 38: Glenn M. Anderson retired.
7. Colorado 3: Ben Nighthorse Campbell retired to run for U.S. Senator.
8. Delaware at-large: Tom Carper retired to run for governor.
9. Florida 3: Charles E. Bennett retired.
10. Florida 16: Lawrence J. Smith retired.
11. Florida 17: William Lehman retired.
12. Florida 19: Dante Fascell retired.
13. Georgia 1: Lindsay Thomas retired.
14. Georgia 9: Ed Jenkins retired.
15. Georgia 10: Doug Barnard Jr. retired.
16. Idaho 2: Richard H. Stallings retired to run for U.S. Senator.
17. Illinois 5: Frank Annunzio retired.
18. Kentucky 7: Chris Perkins retired.
19. Massachusetts 9: Brian J. Donnelly retired.
20. Michigan 5: J. Bob Traxler retired.
21. Michigan 8: Howard Wolpe retired.
22. Michigan 12: Dennis Hertel retired.
23. New Jersey 6: Bernard J. Dwyer retired.
24. New Jersey 8: Robert A. Roe retired
25. New Jersey 14: Frank J. Guarini retired.
26. New York 3: Robert J. Mrazek retired to run for U.S. Senator.
27. New York 8: James H. Scheuer retired.
28. New York 28: Matthew F. McHugh retired.
29. New York 33: Henry J. Nowak retired.
30. North Dakota at-large: Byron Dorgan retired to run for U.S. Senator.
31. Ohio 1: Charlie Luken retired.
32. Ohio 11: Dennis E. Eckart retired.
33. Ohio 13: Don Pease retired.
34. Ohio 19: Ed Feighan retired.
35. Oregon 1: Les AuCoin retired to run for U.S. Senator.
36. Pennsylvania 6: Gus Yatron retired.
37. Pennsylvania 20: Joseph M. Gaydos retired.
38. South Carolina 6: Robin Tallon retired.
39. Utah 2: Wayne Owens retired. to run for U.S. Senator.
40. Virginia 6: Jim Olin retired.
41. Wisconsin 5: Jim Moody retired to run for U.S. Senator.

Republicans[edit]

1. Alabama 2: William L. Dickinson retired.
2. Arkansas 3: John Paul Hammerschmidt retired.
3. California 14: Tom Campbell retired to run for U.S. Senator.
4. California 39: William Dannemeyer retired to run for U.S. Senator.
5. California 41: Bill Lowery retired.
6. Florida 4: Craig James retired.
7. Florida 10: Andy Ireland retired.
8. Kentucky 6: Larry J. Hopkins retired.
9. Michigan 1: Bob Davis retired.
10. Michigan 7: Carl Pursell retired.
11. Michigan 11: William Broomfield retired.
12. Minnesota 2: Vin Weber retired.
13. New Jersey 7: Matthew J. Rinaldo retired.
14. New York 4: Norman F. Lent retired.
15. New York 5: Raymond J. McGrath retired.
16. New York 26: David O'Brien Martin retired.
17. New York 29: Frank Horton retired.
18. Ohio 15: Chalmers Wylie retired.
19. Pennsylvania 5: Dick Schulze retired.
20. Pennsylvania 13: Lawrence Coughlin retired.
21. Virginia 7: George Allen retired to run Governor of Virginia.
22. Washington 1: John Miller retired.
23. Washington 4: Sid Morrison retired to run for Governor of Washington.
24. Washington 8: Rod Chandler retired to run for U.S. Senator.

Resignation and deaths[edit]

Three seats were left vacant on the day of the general election due to resignations or death in 1992, two of which were not filled until the next Congress.

Democrats[edit]

Two Democrats died in office

• New York 17: Ted Weiss died on September 14, 1992.
• North Carolina 1: Walter B. Jones Sr. died on September 15, 1992.

Popular Democrats[edit]

One popular democrat resigned before the end of their term.

• Puerto Rico at-large: Jaime Fuster resigned March 4, 1992 to become Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico.

Incumbents defeated[edit]

In primary elections[edit]

Democrats[edit]

Fourteen Democrats lost renomination.

• Arkansas 1. Bill Alexander lost renomination to Blanche Lincoln, who won the general election.
• Arkansas 4. Beryl Anthony Jr. lost renomination to Bill McCuen, who lost the general election to Jay Dickey.
• Georgia 2. Charles Hatcher lost renomination to Sanford Bishop, who won the general election.
• Georgia 10. Ben Jones lost renomination to Don Johnson Jr., who won the general election.
• Illinois 1. Charles Hayes lost renomination to Bobby Rush, who won the general election.
• Illinois 2. Gus Savage lost renomination to Mel Reynolds, who won the general election.
• Illinois 3. Marty Russo lost a redistricting race to fellow incumbent Bill Lipinski, who won the general election.
• Illinois 19. Terry L. Bruce lost a redistricting race to fellow incumbent Glenn Poshard, who won the general election.
• Kentucky 1. Carroll Hubbard lost renomination to Thomas Barlow, who won the general election.
• Maryland 6. Beverly Byron lost renomination to Thomas Hattery, who lost the general election to Roscoe Bartlett.
• Massachusetts 5. Chester G. Atkins lost renomination to Marty Meehan, who won the general election.
• New York 12. Stephen Solarz lost renomination to Nydia Velázquez, who won the general election.
• Pennsylvania 4. Joseph P. Kolter lost renomination to Ron Klink, who won the general election.
• West Virginia 1. Harley O. Staggers Jr. lost a redistricting race to Alan Mollohan, who won the general election.

Republicans[edit]

Five Republicans lost renomination.

• California 22. Robert Lagomarsino lost renomination to Michael Huffington, who won the general election.
• Kansas 4. Dick Nichols lost renomination to Eric R. Yost, who lost the general election to Dan Glickman.
• Michigan 2. Guy Vander Jagt lost renomination to Pete Hoekstra, who won the general election.
• Ohio 6. Clarence E. Miller lost a redistricting race to fellow incumbent Bob McEwen, who lost the general election to Ted Strickland.
• Oklahoma 5. Mickey Edwards lost renomination to Ernest Istook, who won the general election.

In the general election[edit]

Democrats[edit]

Sixteen Democrats lost re-election to Republicans.

• Alabama 6. Ben Erdreich (first elected in 1982) lost re-election to Spencer Bachus.
• Georgia 3. Richard Ray (first elected in 1982) lost re-election to Mac Collins.
• Illinois 16. John W. Cox Jr.(first elected in 1986) lost re-election to Dan Manzullo.
• Indiana 5. Jim Jontz (first elected in 1986) lost re-election to Steve Buyer.
• Iowa 2. David R. Nagle (first elected in 1986) lost a redistricting race to Jim Nussle.
• Louisiana 5. Jerry Huckaby (first elected in 1976) lost a redistricting race to Jim McCrery.
• Maryland 1. Tom McMillen (first elected in 1986) lost a redistricting race to Wayne Gilchrest.
• Massachusetts 3. Joseph D. Early (first elected in 1974) lost re-election to Peter Blute.
• Massachusetts 6. Nicholas Mavroules (first elected in 1978) lost re-election to Peter G. Torkildsen.
• Minnesota 6. Gerry Sikorski (first elected in 1982) lost re-election to Rod Grams.
• Missouri 2. Joan Kelly Horn (first elected in 1990) lost re-election to Jim Talent.
• New York 2. Thomas Downey (first elected in 1974) lost re-election to Rick Lazio.
• Ohio 10. Mary Rose Oakar (first elected in 1976) lost re-election to Martin Hoke.
• Pennsylvania 8. Peter H. Kostmayer (first elected in 1976, and then re-elected in 1982 after losing in 1980) lost re-election to Jim Greenwood.
• South Carolina 4. Liz J. Patterson (first elected in 1982) lost re-election to Bob Inglis.
• Texas 23. Albert Bustamante (first elected in 1984) lost re-election to Henry Bonilla.

Republicans[edit]

Eight Republicans lost re-election to Democrats.

• Arizona 1. Jay Rhodes (first elected in 1986) lost re-election to Sam Coppersmith.
• California 1. Frank Riggs (first elected in 1990) lost re-election to Daniel Hamburg.
• Guam at-large. Ben Blaz (first elected in 1986) lost re-election to Robert A. Underwood.
• Missouri 6. Tom Coleman (first elected in 1976) lost re-election to Pat Danner.
• Montana at-large. Ron Marlenee (first elected in 1976) lost a redistricting race to Pat Williams.
• New York 14. Bill Green (first elected in 1980) lost re-election to Carolyn Maloney.
• Ohio 8. Bob McEwen (first elected in 1982) lost a redistricting race to Ted Strickland.
• Pennsylvania 15. Donald L. Ritter (first elected in 1978) lost re-election to Paul McHale.

One Republican lost re-election to a Republican.

• Louisiana 6. Clyde C. Holloway (first elected in 1986) lost a redistricting race to Richard Baker.

Popular Democrats[edit]

One Popular Democrat lost re-election to a New Progressive.

• Puerto Rico at-large. Antonio Colorado (first elected in 1992) lost re-election to Carlos Romero Barceló.

Reapportionment[edit]

The 1990 United States census determined how many of the 435 congressional districts each state receives for the 1990 redistricting cycle. Due to population shifts, New York lost three seats; Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania lost two seats; Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, and West Virginia lost one seat; Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington gained one seat; Texas gained three seats; Florida gained four seats; California gained seven seats.^[2]

Seats with multiple incumbents running[edit]

The following districts had multiple incumbent representatives running, a product of multiple districts merging in redistricting.

1. Illinois 3: Bill Lipinski (D) defeated Marty Russo (D).
2. Illinois 19: Glenn Poshard (D) defeated Terry L. Bruce (D).
3. Iowa 2: Jim Nussle (R) defeated David R. Nagle (D).
4. Louisiana 5: Richard Baker (R) defeated Clyde C. Holloway (R).
5. Maryland 1: Wayne Gilchrest (R) defeated Tom McMillen (D).
6. Montana at-large: Ron Marlenee (R) defeated Pat Williams (D).

Open seats that changed parties[edit]

Open seats that parties held[edit]

Of the 435 districts created in the 2020 redistricting, twenty-seven had no incumbent representative.

Special elections[edit]

Alabama[edit]

Alaska[edit]

Arizona[edit]

Arkansas[edit]

California[edit]

The delegation increased from 45 to 52 seats. To create the seven-seat net gain, eight seats were added, designated as: the 10th, 11th, 25th, 33rd, 41st, 43rd, 49th, and 50th districts, and one seat was lost through the merger of two seats: the former 41st and 44th districts merged into the redesignated 51st district, in an election contest.