The 1986 United States House of Representatives elections was held on November 4, 1986, in the middle of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

's second term in office, while he was still relatively popular with the American public. As in most mid-term elections, the President's party — in this case, the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa * Republican Party (Liberia) *Republican Party ...

— lost seats, with the Democratic Party gaining a net of five seats and cementing its majority. These results were not as dramatic as those in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

, where the Republicans lost control of the chamber to the Democrats.

Overall results

Source
Election Statistics - Office of the Clerk

Retiring incumbents

Forty incumbents retired.

Democrats

Nineteen incumbent Democrats retired. # :

Richard Shelby Richard Craig Shelby (born May 6, 1934) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Alabama. First elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986 as a Democrat who later switched to the Republican Party in 1994, h ...

: To run for U.S. senator # :

Tim Wirth Timothy Endicott "Tim" Wirth (born September 22, 1939) is an American politician from Colorado who served as a Democrat in both the United States Senate (1987-1993) and the United States House of Representatives (1975–1987). He also served i ...

: To run for U.S. senator # :

Don Fuqua John Donald Fuqua (born August 20, 1933) is a former U.S. Democratic politician. Early years and Education Don Fuqua was born in Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida in 1933. Fuqua attended the University of Florida at Gainesville from 1951 t ...

# :

Wyche Fowler William Wyche Fowler Jr. (born October 6, 1940) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat. He is a member of the Democratic Party and served as a U.S. Senator from Georgia from 1987 to 1993. He had previously served in the U.S. House o ...

: To run for U.S. senator # :

Berkley Bedell Berkley Warren Bedell (March 5, 1921 – December 7, 2019) was an American Democratic Party politician and businessman who served as the U.S. representative for Iowa's 6th congressional district from 1975 to 1987. After starting a successful bus ...

# :

John Breaux John Berlinger Breaux (; born March 1, 1944) is an American lobbyist, attorney, and retired politician who was a member of the United States Senate from Louisiana from 1987 until 2005. He was also a member of the U.S. House of Representatives ...

: To run for U.S. senator # :

Catherine Small Long Mary Catherine Small Long (born Mary Catherine Small; February 7, 1924 – November 23, 2019) was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Louisiana's 8th congressional district, which she filled from 1985 to 1987, the r ...

# :

Barbara Mikulski Barbara Ann Mikulski ( ; born July 20, 1936) is an American politician and social worker who served as a United States senator from Maryland from 1987 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, she also served in the United States House of Repr ...

: To run for U.S. senator # : Parren Mitchell # :

Michael D. Barnes Michael Darr Barnes (born September 3, 1943) is an American lawyer and politician who represented the eighth district of Maryland in the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 1987. Early life Born in Washington, D.C. to John P. Ba ...

: To run for U.S. senator # :

Tip O'Neill Thomas Phillip "Tip" O'Neill Jr. (December 9, 1912 – January 5, 1994) was an American politician who served as the 47th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 1987, representing northern Boston, Massachusetts, as ...

# :

Harry Reid Harry Mason Reid Jr. (; December 2, 1939 – December 28, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Nevada from 1987 to 2017. He led the Senate Democratic Caucus from 2005 to 2017 and was the Sena ...

: To run for U.S. senator # :

Stan Lundine Stanley Nelson Lundine (born February 4, 1939) is an American politician from Jamestown, New York who served as Mayor of Jamestown, a United States representative, and Lieutenant Governor of New York. Life and career Lundine graduated from ...

: To run for Lieutenant Governor of New York # : Charles Orville Whitley # : John F. Seiberling # :

James R. Jones James Robert Jones (born May 5, 1939) is an American lawyer, diplomat, Democratic politician, a retired U.S. Congressman from Oklahoma, and a former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico under President Bill Clinton. Jones grew up in Muskogee, Oklahoma, ...

: To run for U.S. senator # : Jim Weaver: To run for U.S. senator # :

Robert W. Edgar Robert William "Bob" Edgar (May 29, 1943 – April 23, 2013) was an American politician and administrator from Pennsylvania, and a member of the Democratic Party. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1975 to 19 ...

: To run for U.S. senator # :

Tom Daschle Thomas Andrew Daschle ( ; born December 9, 1947) is an American politician and lobbyist who served as a United States senator from South Dakota from 1987 to 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, he became U.S. Senate Minority Leader in 1995 a ...

: To run for U.S. senator

Republicans

Twenty-one incumbent Republicans retired. # :

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two te ...

: To run for U.S. senator # :

Eldon Rudd Eldon Dean Rudd (July 15, 1920February 8, 2002) was a U.S. Republican politician. Early life Rudd was born in Camp Verde, Arizona. A 1939 graduate of Clarkdale High School in Clarkdale, Arizona, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps ...

# :

Eugene A. Chappie Eugene Albert Chappie (March 28, 1920 – May 31, 1992) was a United States Congressman from California. He served as a Republican between 1981 and 1987. Chappie was born in Sacramento, California. After graduating from high school, he joined ...

# :

Ed Zschau Edwin Van Wyck "Ed" Zschau (; born January 6, 1940) is an American educator who represented California's 12th District in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 1987. In 1986 he ran as the Republican candidate for a seat in ...

: To run for U.S. senator # :

Bobbi Fiedler Roberta Frances "Bobbi" Fiedler (née Horowitz; April 22, 1937 – March 3, 2019) was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Representative from California. Early life and education Born Roberta Frances Horowitz in Santa Monica, ...

: To run for U.S. senator # :

Ken Kramer Kenneth Bentley Kramer (born February 19, 1942) is an American lawyer, politician, and jurist from Colorado. He is a former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives. Born in 1942, in Chicago, Kramer grew up in the city' ...

: To run for U.S. senator # : George M. O'Brien # : John E. Grotberg # :

Elwood Hillis Elwood Haynes "Bud" Hillis (March 6, 1926 – January 4, 2023) was an American politician and lawyer from Indiana. He was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, serving Indiana's 5th congressional district for 8 term ...

# :

T. Cooper Evans Thomas Cooper Evans (May 26, 1924 – December 22, 2005) was a three-term Republican U.S. Representative from Iowa's 3rd congressional district. First elected to Congress in a close race amidst a Republican landslide, in a district that became l ...

# :

Gene Snyder Marion Eugene Snyder (January 26, 1928 – February 16, 2007) was an American politician elected as a Republican to the United States House of Representatives from two different districts in his native Kentucky. Background Snyder was born ...

# :

Henson Moore William Henson Moore III (born October 4, 1939) is an American attorney and businessman who is a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, having represented Louisiana's 6th congressional district, based about Baton Rouge, from 1975 to ...

: To run for U.S. senator # : John R. McKernan Jr.: To run for Governor of Maine # :

Marjorie Holt Marjorie Sewell Holt (September 17, 1920 – January 6, 2018), a Republican, was a U.S. Congresswoman who represented Maryland's 4th congressional district from January 3, 1973, to January 3, 1987. She was the first Republican woman elected to ...

# : William Carney # :

Tom Kindness Thomas Norman Kindness (August 26, 1929January 8, 2004) was a member of the United States House of Representatives representing Ohio from January 3, 1975 to January 3, 1987. Life and career Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, Kindness graduated from ...

: To run for U.S. senator # :

Thomas F. Hartnett Thomas Forbes "Tommy" Hartnett (born August 7, 1941) is a former U.S. Representative from South Carolina. Life and career Hartnett was born in Charleston. He graduated from Bishop England High School in Charleston in 1960. He attended the Co ...

: To run for Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina # :

Carroll A. Campbell Jr. Carroll Ashmore Campbell Jr. (July 24, 1940December 7, 2005), was an American Republican Party politician who served as the 112th governor of South Carolina from 1987 to 1995. Prior to this, he served as a member of the South Carolina Sena ...

: To run for Governor of South Carolina # :

Tom Loeffler Thomas Gilbert Loeffler (born August 1, 1946) is an American politician and Republican former member of the United States House of Representatives from central Texas. Loeffler was born in Fredericksburg in the heart of the Texas Hill Country an ...

: To run for Governor of Texas # : David Smith Monson # :

G. William Whitehurst George William Whitehurst (born March 12, 1925) is an American former journalist and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from the commonwealth of Virginia. He began his career as a professor at the Norfolk campu ...

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, - , ,

Les Aspin Leslie Aspin Jr. (July 21, 1938 – May 21, 1995) was an American Democratic Party politician who served as the U.S. representative for Wisconsin's 1st congressional district from 1971 to 1993 and as the 18th United States Secretary of Defen ...

, , Democratic ,

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). Between 10,000 and ...

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - , ,

Robert Kastenmeier Robert William Kastenmeier (January 24, 1924March 20, 2015) was an American Democratic politician who represented central Wisconsin in the United States House of Representatives for 32 years, from 1959 until 1991. He was a key sponsor of the Cop ...

, , Democratic ,

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - , ,

Steve Gunderson Steven Craig Gunderson (born May 10, 1951) is an American former politician who was a Republican U.S. Representative for representing Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district from 1981 to 1997, when he was succeeded by Democrat Ron Kind. After l ...

, , Republican ,

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 ...

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - , ,

Jerry Kleczka Gerald Daniel Kleczka (; November 26, 1943 – October 8, 2017) was an American politician and Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1984 to 2005, representing . The district included the city of Milwaukee. ...

, , Democratic ,

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - , ,

Jim Moody James Powers Moody (September 2, 1935March 22, 2019) was an American economist and Democratic politician. He served five terms as the U.S. representative for Wisconsin's 5th congressional district (1983–1993). At the time, the 5th congre ...

, , Democratic ,

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C ...

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - , ,

Tom Petri Thomas Evert Petri (born May 28, 1940) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 1979 to 2015; he is a member of the Republican Party. Early life Petri was born in Marinette, Wisconsin. When he was a toddler, his fat ...

, , Republican , 1979 , Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - , ,

Dave Obey David Ross Obey ( ; born October 3, 1938) is an American lobbyist and former politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for from 1969 to 2011. The district includes much of the northwestern portion of the st ...

, , Democratic , 1969 , Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - , ,

Toby Roth Tobias Anton "Toby" Roth (born October 10, 1938) is a former Republican U.S. Representative from Wisconsin. Roth represented Wisconsin's 8th congressional district. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1979, first being ...

, , Republican ,

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd government). * January 6 ...

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - , ,

Jim Sensenbrenner Frank James Sensenbrenner Jr. (; born June 14, 1943) is an American politician who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 2021 (numbered as the 9th district until 2003). He is a member of the Republican Party. ...

, , Republican ,

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap ,

Wyoming

Notes

External links

Clerk of the House's election data
{{DEFAULTSORT:United States House Of Representatives Elections, 1986

Overall results

Retiring incumbents

Democrats

Republicans

Special elections

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

See also

Notes

External links