Contents

1982 United States House of Representatives elections

House elections for the 98th U.S. Congress

1982 United States House of Representatives elections

← 1980 November 2, 1982 1984 →
All 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives 218 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Tip O'Neill Bob Michel Party Democratic Republican Leader since January 4, 1977 January 3, 1981 Leader's seat Massachusetts 8th Illinois 18th Last election 243 seats 191 seats Seats won 269 165 Seat change 26 26 Popular vote 35,284,473 27,625,593 Percentage 55.2% 43.4% Swing 4.7% 4.4%   Third party   Party Conservative Last election 1[a] Seats won 1[a] Seat change Popular vote 140,404 Percentage 0.2% Swing 0.1%
Results:      Democratic hold      Democratic gain      Republican hold      Republican gain      Conservative hold
Speaker before election Tip O'Neill Democratic Elected Speaker Tip O'Neill Democratic

The 1982 United States House of Representatives elections was an election for the United States House of Representatives held on November 2, 1982, to elect members to serve in the 98th United States Congress. They occurred in the middle of President Ronald Reagan's first term, whose popularity was sinking due to economic conditions under the 1982 recession. The President's Republican Party lost seats in the House, which could be viewed as a response to the President's approval at the time. Unlike most midterm election cycles, the number of seats lost—26 seats to the Democratic Party—was a comparatively large swap. It included most of the seats that had been gained the previous election, cementing the Democratic majority.^[1] Coincidentally, the number of seats the Democrats picked up (26), was the exact amount the Republicans would have needed to win the House majority. It was the first election held after the 1980 United States redistricting cycle.

In the previous election of 1980 Republicans gained many seats as the result of President Ronald Reagan's coattails. In 1982, 14 freshman representatives who ran for re-election lost their seats.

To date, this election marks the last time the Democrats picked up a House seat in West Virginia. It was also the last time the party holding the White House won independent voters in a congressional midterm election until 2022.^[2]

Overall results[edit]

Parties		Seats				Popular vote
		1980	1982	+/-	Strength	Vote	%	Change
	Democratic Party	243	269	26	61.8%	35,284,473	55.2%	4.7%
	Republican Party	191	165	26	38.0%	27,625,593	43.4%	4.4%
	Libertarian Party	0	0		0.0%	462,767	0.7%
	Conservative Party	1	1		0.2%	140,404	0.2%	0.1%
	Independent	0	0		0.0%	120,476	0.2%	0.1%
	Right to Life Party	0	0		0.0%	45,819	0.1%
	Milton Street Party	0	0		0.0%	35,205	0.1%	0.1%
	Peace and Freedom Party	0	0		0.0%	34,422	0.1%
	Others	0	0		0.0%	131,685	0.2%
Total		435	435	0	100.0%	63,880,844	100.0%
Source: Election Statistics – Office of the Clerk

Retiring incumbents[edit]

Thirty-nine representatives retired. Thirty-one of those seats were held by the same party, eight seats changed party.

Democrats[edit]

Eighteen Democrats retired. Eleven of those seats were held by Democrats, four were won by Republicans, and three seats were eliminated in redistricting.

Democratic held[edit]

1. California 5: John L. Burton, was succeeded by Barbara Boxer (with district being renumbered as California 6).
2. Georgia 1: Ronald 'Bo' Ginn, to run for Governor of Georgia, was succeeded by Lindsay Thomas.
3. Michigan 17: William M. Brodhead, was succeeded by Sander Levin.
4. Missouri 5: Richard Bolling, was succeeded by Alan Wheat.
5. New York 12: Shirley Chisholm, was succeeded by Major Owens.
6. North Carolina 2: Lawrence H. Fountain, was succeeded by Tim Valentine.
7. South Carolina 5: Kenneth Lamar Holland, was succeeded by John Spratt.
8. Texas 5: Jim Mattox, to run for Attorney General of Texas, was succeeded by John Wiley Bryant.
9. Texas 16: Richard C. White, was succeeded by Ronald D. Coleman.
10. West Virginia 1: Bob Mollohan, was succeeded by Alan Mollohan.
11. Wisconsin 5: Henry Reuss, was succeeded by Jim Moody.

Republican gain[edit]

1. Connecticut 6: Toby Moffett, to run for U.S. senator, was succeeded by Nancy Johnson.
2. Mississippi 2: David R. Bowen, was succeeded by Webb Franklin.
3. Nevada at-large: James David Santini, to run for U.S. senator, was succeeded by Barbara Vucanovich (with district being renumbered as Nevada 2).
4. Pennsylvania 17: Allen E. Ertel, to run for Governor of Pennsylvania, was succeeded by George Gekas.

Seat eliminated in redistricting[edit]

1. Indiana 2: Floyd Fithian who ran for U.S. senator.
2. Michigan 18: James J. Blanchard who ran for Governor of Michigan.
3. New York 22: Jonathan Brewster Bingham.

Republicans[edit]

Twenty-one Republicans retired. Eleven of those seats were held by Republicans, four were won by Democrats, and six seats were eliminated in redistricting.

Republican held[edit]

1. Arizona 1: John Jacob Rhodes, was succeeded by John McCain.
2. California 12: Pete McCloskey, to run for U.S. senator, was succeeded by Ed Zschau.
3. California 43: Clair Burgener, was succeeded by Ron Packard.
4. Florida 10: Louis A. Bafalis, to run for Governor of Florida, was succeeded by Tom Lewis (with district being renumbered as Florida 12).
5. Maine 1: David F. Emery, to run for U.S. senator, was succeeded by John R. McKernan Jr.
6. New York 31: Donald J. Mitchell, was succeeded by Sherwood Boehlert (with district being renumbered as New York 25).
7. Ohio 7: Bud Brown, to run for Governor of Ohio, was succeeded by Mike DeWine.
8. Pennsylvania 24: Marc L. Marks, was succeeded by Tom Ridge (with district being renumbered as Pennsylvania 21).
9. Tennessee 6: Robin Beard, to run for U.S. senator, was succeeded by Don Sundquist (with district being renumbered as Tennessee 7).
10. Texas 3: James M. Collins, to run for U.S. senator, was succeeded by Steve Bartlett.
11. Virginia 1: Paul S. Trible Jr., to run for U.S. senator, was succeeded by Herbert H. Bateman.

Democratic gain[edit]

1. California 27: Bob Dornan, to run for U.S. senator, was succeeded by Mel Levine.
2. Kansas 2: James Edmund Jeffries, was succeeded by Jim Slattery.
3. West Virginia 2: Cleve Benedict, to run for U.S. senator, was succeeded by Harley O. Staggers Jr.
4. Virginia 6: M. Caldwell Butler, was succeeded by Jim Olin.

Seat eliminated in redistricting[edit]

1. California 20: Barry Goldwater Jr., who ran for U.S. senator.
2. Illinois 13: Robert McClory.
3. New Jersey 5: Millicent Fenwick, who ran for U.S. senator.
4. New York 3: Gregory W. Carman.
5. Ohio 11: J. William Stanton.
6. Ohio 17: Jean Spencer Ashbrook.

Defeated incumbents[edit]

As a result of redistricting, many incumbents were forced to compete against each other in the same district, which resulted in a larger number of incumbents being defeated in primaries.

In primary elections[edit]

Ten representatives lost renomination: Six lost in redistricting battles pitting incumbents against each other, and four lost nomination to non-incumbent challengers.

Democrats[edit]

Six Democrats lost renomination: three in redistricting races and three to a non-incumbent challenger. All the seats were held by Democrats.

1. Georgia 8: Billy Lee Evans lost to challenger J. Roy Rowland.
2. Illinois 5: John G. Fary lost to challenger Bill Lipinski.
3. Indiana 11: David W. Evans lost a redistricting race to fellow incumbent Andrew Jacobs Jr.
4. Ohio 19: Ronald M. Mottl lost to challenger Ed Feighan.
5. Pennsylvania 1: Joseph F. Smith lost a redistricting race to fellow incumbent Thomas M. Foglietta.
6. Pennsylvania 12: Donald A. Bailey lost a redistricting race to fellow incumbent John Murtha.

Republicans[edit]

Four Republicans lost renomination: three in redistricting races and one to a non-incumbent challenger.

Seat held by a Republican[edit]

These primary winners later won the general election.

1. California 33: Wayne R. Grisham lost a redistricting race to fellow incumbent David Dreier.
2. Illinois 4: Ed Derwinski lost a redistricting race to fellow incumbent George M. O'Brien.
3. New York 27: Gary A. Lee lost a redistricting race to fellow incumbent George C. Wortley.

Seat lost to a Democrat[edit]

1. Illinois 17: Tom Railsback lost to challenger Kenneth G. McMillan, who later lost the general election to Lane Evans.

In the general election[edit]

Democrats[edit]

Three incumbent Democrats lost re-election; two lost to Republican incumbents and one to a non-incumbent challenger.

Seat lost to a Republican incumbent[edit]

1. New York 14: Leo C. Zeferetti lost a redistricting race to Guy V. Molinari.
2. New York 22: Peter A. Peyser lost a redistricting race to Benjamin A. Gilman.

Seat lost to a Republican challenger[edit]

1. Ohio 12: Bob Shamansky lost to John Kasich.

Republicans[edit]

Twenty-six incumbent Republicans lost re-election; five loss to Democratic incumbents while twenty-one loss to non-incumbent challengers, ten of whom were first elected in 1980.

Seat lost to a Democratic incumbent[edit]

1. California 30: John H. Rousselot lost a redistricting race to Matthew G. Martinez.
2. Massachusetts 4: Margaret Heckler lost a redistricting race to Barney Frank.
3. Missouri 4: Wendell Bailey lost a redistricting race to Ike Skelton.
4. New York 3: John LeBoutillier lost a redistricting race to Robert J. Mrazek.
5. South Dakota at-large: Clint Roberts lost a redistricting race to Tom Daschle.

Seat lost to a Democratic challenger[edit]

1. Alabama 6: Albert L. Smith Jr. lost to Ben Erdreich.
2. California 1: Donald H. Clausen lost to Douglas H. Bosco.
3. Connecticut 3: Lawrence J. DeNardis lost to Bruce A. Morrison.
4. Delaware at-large: Tom Evans lost to Thomas R. Carper.
5. Illinois 20: Paul Findley lost to Dick Durbin.
6. Indiana 8: H. Joel Deckard lost to Frank McCloskey.
7. Michigan 6: James Whitney Dunn lost to Milton Robert Carr.
8. Minnesota 1: Tom Hagedorn lost to Tim Penny.
9. Minnesota 6: Arlen Erdahl lost to Gerry Sikorski.
10. New Jersey 9: Harold C. Hollenbeck lost to Robert Torricelli.
11. North Carolina 6: Walter E. Johnston, III lost to Charles Robin Britt.
12. North Carolina 11: Bill Hendon lost to James M. Clarke.
13. Ohio 9: Ed Weber lost to Marcy Kaptur.
14. Pennsylvania 3: Charles F. Dougherty lost to Robert A. Borski, Jr.
15. Pennsylvania 4: Eugene Atkinson lost to Joseph P. Kolter.
16. Pennsylvania 8: James K. Coyne, III lost to Peter H. Kostmayer.
17. Pennsylvania 11: James L. Nelligan lost to Frank Harrison.
18. South Carolina 6: John Light Napier lost to Robin Tallon.
19. Virginia 4: Robert Daniel lost to Norman Sisisky.
20. Virginia 9: William C. Wampler lost to Rick Boucher.
21. West Virginia 3: Mick Staton lost to Bob Wise.

Special elections[edit]

Alabama[edit]

Alaska[edit]

Arizona[edit]

Arizona received an additional seat at reapportionment and added a 5th district in the southeast of the state.^[3]

Arkansas[edit]

California[edit]

The delegation increased from 43 to 45 seats. To create the two-seat net gain, five seats with no incumbent were added.

Colorado[edit]

Colorado added a sixth seat in reapportionment, adding the new district near Denver.^[3]

Connecticut[edit]

Delaware[edit]

Florida[edit]

Florida added 4 new districts, going from 15 to 19 seats, adding a new district near Miami and 3 more in central and southwestern Florida.^[3]

Georgia[edit]