United States House of Representatives elections, 1878

United States House of Representatives elections, 1878

1876 ←
→ 1880

All 293 seats to the United States House of Representatives
147 seats were needed for a majority
  Majority party Minority party
 
Leader Samuel Randall James Garfield
Party Democratic Republican
Leader's seat Pennsylvania-3rd Ohio-19th
Last election 155 seats 136 seats
Seats won 141 132
Seat change -14 -4

Speaker before election

Samuel Randall
Democratic

Elected Speaker

Samuel Randall
Democratic

The U.S. House election, 1878 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1878 which occurred in the middle of President Rutherford B. Hayes' term.

With a sour economy as the nation's pressing issue, both major parties lost seats to the new Greenback Party, which was established to promote the long-term use of paper money as a solution to stop enormous economic fluctuations. The Democratic Party remained the largest party, but lost its majority. However, it allied with several independent politicians and was able to remain in power.

Contents

Overall results

Party Total seats Change Seat percentage
Democratic Party 141 14 48.1%
Republican Party 132 4 45.0%
Greenback Party 13 +13 4.4%
Independent 7 +5 2.3%
Totals 293 +0 100.0%

Complete list of races

California

District Incumbent Party Elected Status Opponent
California 1 Horace Davis Republican 1876 Incumbent re-elected Horace Davis (R) 48.4%
Clitus Barbour (Workingmen) 44.5%
Charles A. Sumner (D) 7.1%
California 2 Horace F. Page Republican 1872 Incumbent re-elected Horace F. Page (R) 51.9%
Thomas J. Clunie (D) 34.4%
H. B. Williams (Workingmen) 13.8%
California 3 John K. Luttrell Democratic 1872 Incumbent retired
Democratic hold
Campbell P. Berry (D) 50.1%
Joseph McKenna (R) 49.6%
G. T. Elliott (Workingmen) 0.3%
California 4 Romualdo Pacheco Republican 1876 Incumbent re-elected Romualdo Pacheco (R) 40.5%
Wallace Leach (D) 31.8%
James J. Ayers (Workingmen) 27.7%

See also