The 1984 United States House of Representatives elections was an election for the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
in 1984 which coincided with the
re-election
The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-ele ...
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 in a landslide. This victory also yielded gains for Reagan's
Republican Party in the House, where they picked up a net of sixteen seats from the
Democratic Party. Despite Reagan's extremely large electoral victory, the Democrats nonetheless retained a commanding majority in the House and actually
gained seats in the Senate. These elections were the last until 2020 when a member of a political party other than the Democrats, Republicans, or an independent had one or more seats in the chamber.
This would be the last time for
eight years that the Democrats experienced a net loss of seats in the House.
Overall results
Retiring incumbents
Twenty-two representatives retired. Sixteen of those seats were held by the same party, six seats changed party.
Democrats
Nine Democrats retired. Four of those seats were held by Democrats and five were won by Republicans.
Democratic held
# :
Paul Simon: to
run for U.S. Senate. Was succeeded by
Kenneth J. Gray.
# :
James Shannon: to
run for U.S. Senate. Was succeeded by
Chester G. Atkins.
# :
Geraldine Ferraro
Geraldine Anne Ferraro (August 26, 1935 March 26, 2011) was an American politician, diplomat, and attorney. She served in the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 1985, and was the Democratic Party's vice presidential nominee ...
: to
run for Vice President. Was succeeded by
Thomas J. Manton.
# :
Al Gore
Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic no ...
: to
run for U.S. Senate. Was succeeded by
Bart Gordon.
Republican gain
# :
Raymond P. Kogovsek. Was succeeded by
Michael L. Strang.
# :
Tom Harkin
Thomas Richard Harkin (born November 19, 1939) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as a United States senator from Iowa from 1985 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously was the U.S. representative for Io ...
: to
run for U.S. Senate. Was succeeded by
Jim Ross Lightfoot
James Ross Lightfoot (born September 27, 1938) is an American businessman-broadcaster who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa.
Early life
Lightfoot was born in the Florence Crittenton Home for Unwed Mothers ...
.
# :
Norman D'Amours: to
run for U.S. Senate. Was succeeded by
Robert C. Smith.
# :
Richard Ottinger
Richard Lawrence Ottinger (born January 27, 1929) is an American legal educator and politician from New York. A Democrat, he served in the United States House of Representatives for eight terms, from 1965 to 1971 and from 1975 to 1985.
Early y ...
. Was succeeded by
Joseph J. DioGuardi.
# :
Kent Hance
Kent Ronald Hance (born November 14, 1942) is an American politician and lawyer who is the former Chancellor of the Texas Tech University System. In his role, he oversaw Texas Tech University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and Ang ...
: to
run for U.S. Senate. Was succeeded by
Larry Combest
Larry Ed Combest (born March 20, 1945) is a retired American Republican politician who represented Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1985 to 2003.
Early life
Combest was born in Memphis, Texas, a small town in West Texas and the s ...
.
Republicans
Twelve Republicans retired. Eleven of those seats were held by Republicans and one was won by a Democrat.
Republican held
# :
Jack Edwards. Was succeeded by
Sonny Callahan
Herbert Leon "Sonny" Callahan (September 11, 1932 – June 24, 2021) was an American businessman and politician from Alabama. After being elected as a Democrat from Mobile to the state house and senate, he shifted to the Republican Party after ...
.
# :
John N. Erlenborn. Was succeeded by
Harris W. Fawell.
# :
Tom Corcoran: to
run for U.S. Senate. Was succeeded by
John E. Grotberg.
# :
Larry Winn. Was succeeded by
Jan Meyers.
# :
Harold S. Sawyer. Was succeeded by
Paul B. Henry.
# :
Barber Conable
Barber Benjamin Conable Jr. (November 2, 1922 – November 30, 2003) was a U.S. Congressman from New York and former President of the World Bank Group.
Biography
Conable was born in Warsaw, New York on November 2, 1922. Conable was an Eagle Scou ...
. Was succeeded by
Fred J. Eckert.
# :
James G. Martin: to
run for Governor of North Carolina. Was succeeded by
Alex McMillan.
# :
Phil Gramm: to
run for U.S. Senate. Was succeeded by
Joe Barton
Joseph Linus Barton (born September 15, 1949) is an American politician who represented in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1985 to 2019. The district included Arlington, part of Fort Worth, and several small towns and rural areas south ...
.
# :
Ron Paul: to
run for U.S. Senate. Was succeeded by
Tom DeLay
Thomas Dale DeLay (; born April 8, 1947) is an American author and retired politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1985 until 2006. He was Republic ...
.
# :
David Daniel Marriott: to
run for Governor of Utah. Was succeeded by
David Smith Monson
David Smith Monson (born June 20, 1945) is an American politician
and former United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative and the Lieutenant Governor of Utah, second Lieutenant Governor of Utah. He is a member of the Republican P ...
.
# :
J. Kenneth Robinson. Was succeeded by
D. French Slaughter Jr.
Daniel French Slaughter Jr. (May 20, 1925 – October 2, 1998) was an American politician and member of the United States House of Representatives from January 3, 1985, until his resignation on November 5, 1991.
Early life and education
Daniel S ...
# :
Joel Pritchard. Was succeeded by
John Miller.
Democratic gain
# :
Ed Bethune: to
run for U.S. Senate. Was succeeded by
Tommy F. Robinson.
Defeated incumbents
In primary election
Democrats
Three Democrats lost renomination.
# :
Katie Hall lost to challenger
Pete Visclosky
Peter John Visclosky ( ; born August 13, 1949) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1985 until his retirement in 2021. He is a member of the Democratic Party and was the dean of the Indiana congressional d ...
.
# :
Frank G. Harrison lost to challenger
Paul E. Kanjorski.
# :
Abraham Kazen lost to challenger
Albert Bustamante.
In the general election
Democrats
Thirteen Democrats lost re-election.
#:
James F. McNulty Jr. lost to
Jim Kolbe
James Thomas Kolbe (June 28, 1942 – December 3, 2022) was an American politician who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives. He represented Arizona's 5th congressional district from 1985 to 2003 and its 8 ...
.
#:
Jerry M. Patterson lost to
Bob Dornan
Robert Kenneth Dornan (born April 3, 1933) is an American politician and actor from California. A Republican, Dornan served in the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 1983 and from 1985 to 1997. He has become well known for public ...
.
#:
William R. Ratchford lost to
John G. Rowland.
#:
Elliott H. Levitas lost to
Pat Swindall.
#:
Clarence Long lost to
Helen Delich Bentley
Helen Delich Bentley (November 28, 1923 – August 6, 2016) was an American politician who was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland from 1985 to 1995. Before entering politics, she had been a leadi ...
.
#:
Donald J. Albosta lost to
Bill Schuette
William Duncan Schuette ( ; born October 13, 1953) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 53rd attorney general of Michigan from 2011 to 2019. He was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for Senate in 1990 and for Governor of Mi ...
.
#:
Joseph Minish lost to
Dean Gallo
Dean Anderson Gallo (November 23, 1935 – November 6, 1994) was an American politician and businessman who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing from 1985 until his death from prostate cancer in Denvi ...
.
#:
Ike Franklin Andrews lost to
Bill Cobey
William Wilfred Cobey Jr. (born May 13, 1939) is an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served one term in the United States House of Representatives for North Carolina's 4th congressional district from 1985 to 1987.
Biog ...
.
#:
Charles Robin Britt
Charles Robin Britt (born June 29, 1942) is a former one-term congressmen, Member of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina's 6th congressional district. A Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, he served one term fro ...
lost to
Howard Coble
John Howard Coble (March 18, 1931 – November 3, 2015) was an American politician who was the U.S. Representative for , serving from 1985 to 2015. He was a member of the Republican Party. The district includes all or portions of ten counties in ...
.
#:
James M. Clarke
James "Jamie" McClure Clarke (June 12, 1917 – April 13, 1999) was a North Carolina politician and farmer. He is a former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives.
Born in Manchester, Vermont, Clarke grew up in Ashevil ...
lost to
Bill Hendon.
#:
Jack Hightower lost to
Beau Boulter.
#:
William Neff Patman
William Neff Patman (March 26, 1927 – December 9, 2008) was an American politician who served from 1981 to 1985 as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives for Texas's 14th congressional district. He was the son of Wri ...
lost to
Mac Sweeney
David McCann "Mac" Sweeney (born September 15, 1955) is a Republican Party (United States), Republican former member of the United States House of Representatives from Texas.
Born in Wharton, Texas, Wharton in Wharton County, Texas, Wharton Co ...
.
#:
Tom Vandergriff
Tommy Joe Vandergriff (January 29, 1926December 30, 2010) was a politician from Texas. He served as Mayor of Arlington from 1951 to 1977, as a U.S. Representative from from 1983 to 1985, and as County Judge of Tarrant County from 1991 to 2007 ...
lost to
Dick Armey
Richard Keith Armey (; born July 7, 1940) is an American economist and politician. He was a U.S. Representative from Texas's (1985–2003) and House Majority Leader (1995–2003). He was one of the engineers of the "Republican Revolution" of t ...
.
Republicans
Three Republicans lost re-election.
#:
George V. Hansen lost to
Richard H. Stallings.
#:
Dan Crane
Daniel Bever Crane (January 10, 1936 – May 28, 2019) was an American dentist and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1983, he was censured by the House for having sex with a 17-year-old page.
He served as a Republican congressm ...
lost to
Terry L. Bruce.
#:
Lyle Williams lost to
Jim Traficant.
Special elections
There were three special elections to the
98th Congress
The 98th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 1983 ...
in 1984, two of which were held on the same day as the general election for the next term.
Elections are sorted here by date then district.
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
, -
,
,
Les Aspin
, , 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
, , 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
, , Republican
,
1980
, 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
, , Democratic
,
1982
, Incumbent re-elected.
, nowrap ,
, -
,
,
Tom Petri
, , 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
, , Republican
,
1978
, Incumbent re-elected.
, nowrap ,
, -
,
,
Jim Sensenbrenner
, , Republican
,
1978
, Incumbent re-elected.
, nowrap ,
Wyoming
See also
*
1984 United States elections
The 1984 United States elections was held on November 6, and elected the members of the 99th United States Congress. Republicans won a landslide victory in the presidential election, picked up seats in the House of Representatives, and successful ...
**
1984 United States gubernatorial elections
**
1984 United States presidential election
The 1984 United States presidential election was the 50th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 6, 1984. Incumbent Republican President Ronald Reagan defeated Democratic former Vice President Walter Mondale, in ...
**
1984 United States Senate elections
The 1984 United States Senate elections coincided with the landslide re-election of President Ronald Reagan in the presidential election. In spite of the lopsided presidential race, Reagan's Republican Party suffered a net loss of two Senate sea ...
*
98th United States Congress
*
99th United States Congress
The 99th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 1 ...
Notes
References
*
Federal Elections 84: Election Results for U.S. President, the U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House of Representatives'. Washington, D.C.:
Federal Election Commission
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent regulatory agency of the United States whose purpose is to enforce campaign finance law in United States federal elections. Created in 1974 through amendments to the Federal Election Cam ...
. 1985. pp. 27–118. Archived fro
the originalon November 5, 2021.
{{1984 United States elections