1948 United States House of Representatives elections

The 1948 United States House of Representatives elections were elections for the United States House of Representatives to elect members to serve in the 81st United States Congress. They were held for the most part on November 2, 1948, while Maine held theirs on September 13. These elections coincided with President Harry S. Truman's election to a full term. Truman had campaigned against a "do-nothing"' Republican Party Congress that had opposed his initiatives and was seen as counterproductive. The Democratic Party regained control of both the House and Senate in this election. For Democrats, this was their largest gain since 1932.

These were the last elections until 1980 when a member of a political party other than the Democrats, Republicans, or an independent had one or more seats in the chamber. To date, this is the last time the Democrats gained more than 50 seats in a U.S. House election.

Overall results + ↓ 263 1 171 Democratic Republican Party Totalseats Change Seatpercentage VotepercentageElection Statistics - Office of the Clerk Popularvote Democratic Party 263 75 60.5% 52.6% 24,217,516 Republican Party 171 75 39.3% 45.4% 20,894,960 American Labor Party 1 0.2% 0.9% 409,789 Progressive Party 0 0.0% 0.8% 362,514 Prohibition Party 0 0.0% 0.1% 32,648 Independent 0 0.0% 0.1% 29,419 Liberal Party 0 0.0% 0.1% 27,394 Socialist Party 0 0.0% <0.1% 20,473 Socialist Workers Party 0 0.0% <0.1% 2,496 Communist Party 0 0.0% <0.1% 775 Socialist Labor Party 0 0.0% <0.1% 48 Others 0 0.0% <0.1% 12,593 Totals 435 100.0% 100.0% 46,010,625

Special elections

Sorted by election date, then by district. District Vacated by Reason for Vacancy Candidates Representative Party First elected Benjamin J. Rabin Democratic 1944 Incumbent resigned December 31, 1947 to become a New York Supreme Court justice.New member elected February 17, 1948.American Labor gain.Winner later lost re-election; see below. Patrick H. Drewry Democratic 1920 Incumbent died December 21, 1947.New member elected February 17, 1948.Democratic hold.Winner later re-elected to the next term; see below. Earle Clements Democratic 1944 Incumbent resigned January 6, 1948 to become Governor of Kentucky.New member elected April 17, 1948.Democratic hold.Winner later re-elected to the next term; see below. John Robsion Republican 1918 Incumbent died February 17, 1948.New member elected April 24, 1948.Republican hold.Winner later re-elected to the next term; see below. Orville Zimmerman Democratic 1934 Incumbent died April 7, 1948.New member elected November 2, 1948.Democratic hold.Winner also elected to the next term; see below. J. Lindsay Almond Democratic 1946 Incumbent resigned April 17, 1948 to become Attorney General of Virginia.New member elected November 2, 1948.Democratic hold.Winner also elected to the next term; see below. Milton H. West Democratic 1933 Incumbent announced retirement but then died October 28, 1948.New member elected December 4, 1948.Democratic hold.Winner had already been elected to the next term; see below.

Alabama

District Incumbent Party Firstelected Result Candidates Frank W. Boykin Democratic 1935 Incumbent re-elected. George M. Grant Democratic 1938 Incumbent re-elected. George W. Andrews Democratic 1944 Incumbent re-elected. Sam Hobbs Democratic 1934 Incumbent re-elected. Albert Rains Democratic 1944 Incumbent re-elected. Pete Jarman Democratic 1936 Incumbent lost renomination.Democratic hold. Carter Manasco Democratic 1941 Incumbent lost renomination.Democratic hold. Robert E. Jones Jr. Democratic 1947 Incumbent re-elected. Laurie C. Battle Democratic 1946 Incumbent re-elected.

Arizona

District Incumbent Party Firstelected Result Candidates John R. Murdock Democratic 1936 Incumbent re-elected. Richard F. Harless Democratic 1942 Incumbent retired to run for Governor of Arizona.Democratic hold.

Arkansas

District Incumbent Party Firstelected Result Candidates Ezekiel C. Gathings Democratic 1938 Incumbent re-elected. Wilbur Mills Democratic 1938 Incumbent re-elected. James William Trimble Democratic 1944 Incumbent re-elected. William Fadjo Cravens Democratic 1939 Incumbent retired.Democratic hold. Brooks Hays Democratic 1942 Incumbent re-elected. William F. Norrell Democratic 1938 Incumbent re-elected. Oren Harris Democratic 1940 Incumbent re-elected.

California

District Incumbent Party Firstelected Result Candidates Clarence F. Lea Democratic 1916 Incumbent retired.Republican gain. Clair Engle Democratic 1943 Incumbent re-elected. J. Leroy Johnson Republican 1942 Incumbent re-elected. Franck R. Havenner Democratic 1944 Incumbent re-elected. Richard J. Welch Republican 1926 Incumbent re-elected. George P. Miller Democratic 1944 Incumbent re-elected. John J. Allen Jr. Republican 1946 Incumbent re-elected. Jack Z. Anderson Republican 1938 Incumbent re-elected. Bertrand W. Gearhart Republican 1934 Incumbent lost re-election.Democratic gain. Alfred J. Elliott Democratic 1937 Incumbent retired.Republican gain. Ernest K. Bramblett Republican 1946 Incumbent re-elected. Richard Nixon Republican 1946 Incumbent re-elected. Norris Poulson Republican 1946 Incumbent re-elected. Helen Gahagan Douglas Democratic 1944 Incumbent re-elected. Gordon L. McDonough Republican 1944 Incumbent re-elected. Donald L. Jackson Republican 1946 Incumbent re-elected. Cecil R. King Democratic 1942 Incumbent re-elected. Willis W. Bradley Republican 1946 Incumbent lost re-election.Democratic gain. Chet Holifield Democratic 1942 Incumbent re-elected. John Carl Hinshaw Republican 1938 Incumbent re-elected. Harry R. Sheppard Democratic 1936 Incumbent re-elected. John Phillips Republican 1942 Incumbent re-elected. Charles K. Fletcher Republican 1946 Incumbent lost re-election.Democratic gain.

Colorado

District Incumbent Party Firstelected Result Candidates John A. Carroll Democratic 1946 Incumbent re-elected. William S. Hill Republican 1940 Incumbent re-elected. John Chenoweth Republican 1940 Incumbent lost re-election.Democratic gain. Robert F. Rockwell Republican 1941 (special) Incumbent lost re-election.Democratic gain.

Connecticut

District Incumbent Party Firstelected Result Candidates William J. Miller Republican 1946 Incumbent lost re-election.Democratic gain. Horace Seely-Brown Jr. Republican 1946 Incumbent lost re-election.Democratic gain. Ellsworth Foote Republican 1946 Incumbent lost re-election.Democratic gain. John Davis Lodge Republican 1946 Incumbent re-elected. James T. Patterson Republican 1946 Incumbent re-elected. Antoni Sadlak Republican 1946 Incumbent re-elected.

Delaware

District Incumbent Party Firstelected Result Candidates J. Caleb Boggs Republican 1946 Incumbent re-elected.

Florida

District Incumbent Party Firstelected Result Candidates J. Hardin Peterson Democratic 1932 Incumbent re-elected. Emory H. Price Democratic 1942 Incumbent lost renomination.Democratic hold. Bob Sikes Democratic 19401944 1974 Incumbent re-elected. George Smathers Democratic 1946 Incumbent re-elected. Joe Hendricks Democratic 1936 Incumbent retired.Democratic hold. Dwight L. Rogers Democratic 1944 Incumbent re-elected.

Georgia

District Incumbent Party Firstelected Result Candidates Prince Preston Democratic 1946 Incumbent re-elected. E. Eugene Cox Democratic 1924 Incumbent re-elected. Stephen Pace Democratic 1936 Incumbent re-elected. A. Sidney Camp Democratic 1939 Incumbent re-elected. James C. Davis Democratic 1946 Incumbent re-elected. Carl Vinson Democratic 1914 Incumbent re-elected. Henderson L. Lanham Democratic 1946 Incumbent re-elected. William M. Wheeler Democratic 1946 Incumbent re-elected. John Stephens Wood Democratic 1944 Incumbent re-elected. Paul Brown Democratic 1933 Incumbent re-elected.

Idaho

District Incumbent Party Firstelected Result Candidates Abe Goff Republican 1946 Incumbent lost re-election.Democratic gain. John C. Sanborn Republican 1946 Incumbent re-elected.

Illinois

Illinois redistricted its at-large seat into an additional geographical district for a total of 26, changing boundaries across the state and moving several seats from downstate into the Chicago suburbs.

District Incumbent Party Firstelected Result Candidates William L. Dawson Democratic 1942 Incumbent re-elected. Richard B. Vail Republican 1946 Incumbent lost re-election.Democratic gain. Fred E. Busbey Republican 1946 Incumbent lost re-election.Democratic gain. None (new district) New seat.Democratic gain. Martin Gorski Democratic 1942 Incumbent re-elected. Thomas J. O'Brien Democratic 1942 Incumbent re-elected. Adolph J. Sabath Democratic 1906 Incumbent re-elected. Thomas S. Gordon Democratic 1942 Incumbent re-elected. Robert Twyman Republican 1946 Incumbent lost re-election.Democratic gain. None (new district) New seat.Republican gain. None (new district) New seat.Democratic gain. None (new district) New seat.Republican gain. Ralph E. Church Republican 1942 Incumbent re-elected. Thomas L. Owens Republican 1946 Incumbent died.Republican loss. Chauncey W. Reed Republican 1934 Incumbent re-elected. Noah M. Mason Republican 1936 Incumbent re-elected. Leo E. Allen Republican 1932 Incumbent re-elected. Leslie C. Arends Republican 1934 Incumbent re-elected. Everett Dirksen Republican 1932 Incumbent retired.Republican hold. Robert B. Chiperfield Republican 1938 Incumbent re-elected. Sid Simpson Republican 1942 Incumbent re-elected. Anton J. Johnson Republican 1938 Incumbent retired.Republican loss. George Evan Howell Republican 1940 Incumbent resigned when appointed judge.Democratic gain. Rolla C. McMillen Republican 1944 Incumbent re-elected. Edward H. Jenison Republican 1946 Incumbent re-elected. Roy Clippinger Republican 1945 Incumbent retired.Republican loss. Charles W. Vursell Republican 1942 Incumbent re-elected. Melvin Price Democratic 1944 Incumbent re-elected. C. W. Bishop Republican 1940 Incumbent re-elected. (defunct) William Stratton Republican 1946 Incumbent retired.District eliminated.Republican loss.

Indiana

District Incumbent Party Firstelected Result Candidates Ray Madden Democratic 1942 Incumbent re-elected. Charles A. Halleck Republican 1935 Incumbent re-elected. Robert A. Grant Republican 1938 Incumbent lost re-election.Democratic gain. George W. Gillie Republican 1938 Incumbent lost re-election.Democratic gain. Forest Harness Republican 1938 Incumbent lost re-election.Democratic gain. Noble J. Johnson Republican 1938 Incumbent resigned when appointed to the CCPA.Republican hold. Gerald W. Landis Republican 1938 Incumbent lost re-election.Democratic gain. E. A. Mitchell Republican 1946 Incumbent lost re-election.Democratic gain. Earl Wilson Republican 1940 Incumbent re-elected. Ralph Harvey Republican 1947 Incumbent re-elected. Louis Ludlow Democratic 1928 Incumbent retired.Democratic hold.

Iowa

District Incumbent Party Firstelected Result Candidates Thomas E. Martin Republican 1938 Incumbent re-elected. Henry O. Talle Republican 1938 Incumbent re-elected. John W. Gwynne Republican 1934 Incumbent lost renomination.Republican hold. Karl M. LeCompte Republican 1938 Incumbent re-elected. Paul Cunningham Republican 1940 Incumbent re-elected. James I. Dolliver Republican 1944 Incumbent re-elected. Ben F. Jensen Republican 1938 Incumbent re-elected. Charles B. Hoeven Republican 1942 Incumbent re-elected.

Kansas

District Incumbent Party Firstelected Result Candidates Albert M. Cole Republican 1944 Incumbent re-elected. Errett P. Scrivner Republican 1943 (special) Incumbent re-elected. Herbert A. Meyer Republican 1946 Incumbent re-elected. Edward H. Rees Republican 1936 Incumbent re-elected. Clifford R. Hope Republican 1926 Incumbent re-elected. Wint Smith Republican 1946 Incumbent re-elected.

Kentucky