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 ...

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 Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

. 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 Barton Jennings Gordon (born January 24, 1949) is an American politician and former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1985 until 2011. The district includes several rural areas and fast-growing suburbs east of Nashville. He was Chairman of ...

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 Norman Edward D'Amours (born October 14, 1937) is an American Democratic politician who was a member of the United States House of Representatives from New Hampshire from 1975 to 1985. Early life Born in Holyoke, Hampden County, Massachusetts ...

: 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 James Grubbs Martin (born December 11, 1935) is an American organic chemist and politician who served as the 70th governor of North Carolina from 1985 to 1993. He was the third Republican elected to the office after Reconstruction, and the ...

: to run for Governor of North Carolina. Was succeeded by

Alex McMillan John Alexander McMillan III (born May 9, 1932) is a North Carolina Republican politician who served five terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing North Carolina's 9th congressional district from 1985 to 1995. Biography McMilla ...

. # : 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 David Daniel Marriott (born November 2, 1939) is an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for Utah's 2nd congressional district from 1977 to 1985. Early life and education Born in Bingham, Uta ...

: 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 Abraham Kazen Jr., usually known as Chick Kazen (January 17, 1919 – November 29, 1987), was a U.S. Representative from Texas's 23rd congressional district, the first to serve in that particular position. Elected in 1966, Kazen served unti ...

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 Elliott Harris Levitas (December 26, 1930 – December 16, 2022) was an American politician and lawyer from Georgia. He was a former U.S. Representative from Georgia's 4th congressional district, serving five consecutive terms from 1975 to 1985. ...

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 George Vernon Hansen (September 14, 1930 – August 14, 2014) was a United States Republican Party, Republican politics, politician from the U.S. state of Idaho. He served in the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representative ...

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 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 Defe ...

, , 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 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 , 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 , Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - , , Jim Sensenbrenner , , Republican , 1978 , Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap ,

Wyoming

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 original
on November 5, 2021. {{1984 United States elections

Overall results

Retiring incumbents

Democrats

Democratic held

Republican gain

Republicans

Republican held

Democratic gain

Defeated incumbents

In primary election

Democrats

In the general election

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

References