The 1886 United States House of Representatives elections were held for the most part on November 2, 1886, with three states holding theirs early between June and September. They occurred in the middle of President Grover Cleveland's first term. Elections were held for 325 seats of the United States House of Representatives, representing 38 states, to serve in the 50th United States Congress. Special elections were also held throughout the year.
As in many midterm elections, the President's party lost seats to the opposition, in this case, Democrats lost seats to Republicans, although a narrow majority was retained. Many of these Republican pickups were in the industrializing Midwest states, where the debate over tariffs, which were advocated by Republicans to protect domestic industry but opposed by Democrats to allow for free agricultural trade, led to political change. The small Labor Party, supported by industrial workers, gained one seat each in Virginia and Wisconsin, while the Greenback Party maintained its one seat in Iowa (James B. Weaver). One Independent was also elected in North Carolina.
Election summaries
+ ↓ 167 6 152 Democratic Republican StateTypeTotalseats Democratic RepublicanOthers Seats Change Seats Change Seats Change Alabama District 8 8 0 0 Arkansas District 5 5 0 0 California District 6 2 1 4 1 0 Colorado At-large 1 0 1 0 Connecticut District 4 2 2 0 Delaware At-large 1 1 0 0 Florida District 2 2 0 0 Georgia District 10 10 0 0 Illinois District 20 6 4 14 4 0 Indiana District 13 6 3 7 3 0 Iowa District 11 1 2 9 2 1 Kansas District 7 0 7 0 Kentucky District 11 8 2 3 2 0 Louisiana District 6 6 1 0 1 0 Maine District 4 0 4 0 Maryland District 6 5 1 0 Massachusetts District 12 4 2 8 2 0 Michigan District 11 5 2 6 2 0 Minnesota District 5 3 3 2 3 0 Mississippi District 7 7 0 0 Missouri District 14 12 2 0 Nebraska District 3 1 1 2 1 0 Nevada At-large 1 0 1 0 New Hampshire District 2 1 1 1 1 0 New Jersey District 7 2 1 5 1 0 New York District 34 16 1 18 1 0 North Carolina District 9 7 1 1 1 1 Ohio District 21 6 5 15 5 0 Oregon At-large 1 0 1 0 Pennsylvania District+ at-large 28 8 20 0 Rhode Island District 2 0 2 0 South Carolina District 7 7 1 0 1 0 Tennessee District 10 8 1 2 1 0 Texas District 11 11 0 0 Vermont District 2 0 2 0 Virginia District 10 3 5 6 5 1 1 West Virginia District 4 3 1 0 Wisconsin District 9 1 1 7 1 1 Total 325 167 16 154 13 4 3
There were 2 Labor and 1 Independent members elected, and 1 Greenback member re-elected. The previous election saw just the Greenback elected.
Special elections
! | Lewis Beach | | Democratic | 1880 | | Incumbent died August 10, 1886.New member elected November 2, 1886.Democratic hold.Winner also elected to the next term; see below. | nowrap |
! | Joseph Rankin | | Democratic | 1882 | | Incumbent died January 24, 1886.New member elected February 23, 1886.Democratic hold. | nowrap |
Election dates In all the states except three, elections were held November 2, 1886. Those three states, with 7 seats among them, held elections:
June 7, 1886: Oregon September 7, 1886: Vermont September 10, 1886: Maine
Alabama
! | James T. Jones | | Democratic | 1883 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Hilary A. Herbert | | Democratic | 1876 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | William C. Oates | | Democratic | 1880 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Alexander C. Davidson | | Democratic | 1884 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Thomas William Sadler | | Democratic | 1884 | | Incumbent lost renomination.Democratic hold. | nowrap |
! | John Mason Martin | | Democratic | 1884 | | Incumbent lost renomination.Democratic hold. | nowrap |
! | William H. Forney | | Democratic | 1874 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Joseph Wheeler | | Democratic | 1880 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
Arkansas
! | Poindexter Dunn | | 1878 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Clifton R. Breckinridge | | 1882 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Thomas C. McRae | | 1885 (special) | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | John H. Rogers | | 1882 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Samuel W. Peel | | 1882 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
Arizona Territory See Non-voting delegates, below.
California
! | Barclay Henley | | Democratic | 1882 | | Incumbent retired.Democratic hold | nowrap |
! | James A. Louttit | | Republican | 1884 | | Incumbent retired.Democratic gain. | nowrap |
! | Joseph McKenna | | Republican | 1884 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | William W. Morrow | | Republican | 1884 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Charles N. Felton | | Republican | 1884 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Henry Markham | | Republican | 1884 | | Incumbent retired.Republican hold | nowrap |
Colorado
! | George G. Symes | | Republican | 1884 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
Connecticut
! | John R. Buck | | 1884 | | Incumbent lost re-election.Democratic gain. | nowrap |
! | Charles L. Mitchell | | 1882 | | Incumbent retired.Democratic hold. | nowrap |
! | John T. Wait | | 1876 | | Incumbent retired.Republican hold. | nowrap |
! | Edward W. Seymour | | 1882 | | Incumbent retired.Democratic hold. | nowrap |
Dakota Territory See Non-voting delegates, below.
Delaware
! | Charles B. Lore | | Democratic | 1882 | | Incumbent retired.Democratic hold. | nowrap |
Florida
! | Robert H. M. Davidson | | Democratic | 1876 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Charles Dougherty | | Democratic | 1884 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
Georgia
! | Thomas M. Norwood | | Democratic | 1884 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Henry G. Turner | | Democratic | 1880 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Charles F. Crisp | | Democratic | 1882 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Henry R. Harris | | Democratic | 1884 | | Incumbent retired.Democratic hold. | nowrap |
! | Nathaniel J. Hammond | | Democratic | 1878 | | Incumbent retired.Democratic hold. | nowrap |
! | James Henderson Blount | | Democratic | 1872 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Judson C. Clements | | Democratic | 1880 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Seaborn Reese | | Democratic | 1882 | | Incumbent retired.Democratic hold. | nowrap |
! | Allen D. Candler | | Democratic | 1882 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | George Barnes | | Democratic | 1884 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
Idaho Territory See Non-voting delegates, below.
Illinois
! | Ransom W. Dunham | | Republican | 1882 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Frank Lawler | | Democratic | 1884 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | James Hugh Ward | | Democratic | 1884 | | Incumbent retired.Republican gain. | nowrap |
! | George E. Adams | | Republican | 1882 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Albert J. Hopkins | | Republican | 1885 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Robert R. Hitt | | Republican | 1882 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Thomas J. Henderson | | Republican | 1874 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Ralph Plumb | | Republican | 1884 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Lewis E. Payson | | Republican | 1880 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Nicholas E. Worthington | | Democratic | 1882 | | Incumbent lost re-election.Republican gain. | nowrap |
! | William H. Neece | | Democratic | 1882 | | Incumbent lost re-election.Republican gain. | nowrap |
! | James M. Riggs | | Democratic | 1882 | | Incumbent retired.Democratic hold. | nowrap |
! | William McKendree Springer | | Democratic | 1874 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Jonathan H. Rowell | | Republican | 1882 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Joseph Gurney Cannon | | Republican | 1872 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Silas Z. Landes | | Democratic | 1884 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | John R. Eden | | Democratic | 1884 | | Incumbent lost renomination.Democratic hold. | nowrap |
! | William Ralls Morrison | | Democratic | 1872 | | Incumbent lost re-election.Republican gain | nowrap |
! | Richard W. Townshend | | Democratic | 1876 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | John R. Thomas | | Republican | 1878 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
Indiana
! | John J. Kleiner | | Democratic | 1882 | | Incumbent lost renomination.Republican gain. | nowrap |
! | Thomas R. Cobb | | Democratic | 1876 | | Incumbent retired.Democratic hold. | nowrap |
! | Jonas G. Howard | | Democratic | 1884 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | William S. Holman | | Democratic | 1880 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Courtland C. Matson | | Democratic | 1880 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Thomas M. Browne | | Republican | 1876 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | William D. Bynum | | Democratic | 1884 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | James T. Johnston | | Republican | 1884 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Thomas B. Ward | | Democratic | 1882 | | Incumbent retired.Republican gain. | nowrap |
! | William D. Owen | | Republican | 1884 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | George Washington Steele | | Republican | 1880 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Robert Lowry | | Democratic | 1882 | | Incumbent lost re-election.Republican gain. | nowrap |
! | George Ford | | Democratic | 1884 | | Incumbent retired.Democratic hold. | nowrap |
Iowa
! | Benton Jay Hall | | Democratic | 1884 | | Incumbent lost re-election.Republican gain. | nowrap |
! | Jeremiah H. Murphy | | Democratic | 1882 | | Incumbent lost renomination.Democratic hold. | nowrap |
! | David B. Henderson | | Republican | 1882 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | William E. Fuller | | Republican | 1884 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Benjamin T. Frederick | | Democratic | 1882 | | Incumbent lost re-election.Republican gain. | nowrap |
! | James B. Weaver | | Greenback | 1884 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Edwin H. Conger | | Republican | 1884 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | William P. Hepburn | | Republican | 1880 | | Incumbent lost re-election.Independent Republican gain. | nowrap |
! | Joseph Lyman | | Republican | 1884 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Adoniram J. Holmes | | Republican | 1882 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Isaac S. Struble | | Republican | 1882 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
Kansas
! | Edmund N. Morrill | | Republican | 1882 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Edward H. Funston | | Republican | 1884 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Bishop W. Perkins | | Republican | 1882 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Thomas Ryan | | Republican | 1876 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | John Alexander Anderson | | Republican | 1878 | | Incumbent re-elected as an Independent RepublicanIndependent Republican gain. | nowrap |
! | Lewis Hanback | | Republican | 1882 | | Incumbent lost renominationRepublican hold. | nowrap |
! | Samuel R. Peters | | Republican | 1882 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
Kentucky
! | William Johnson Stone | | Democratic | 1884 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | Polk Laffoon | | Democratic | 1884 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | John E. Halsell | | Democratic | 1882 | | Incumbent lost renomination.Republican gain. | nowrap |
! | Thomas A. Robertson | | Democratic | 1882 | | Incumbent lost renomination.Democratic hold. | nowrap |
! | Albert S. Willis | | Democratic | 1876 | | Incumbent lost renomination.Democratic hold. | nowrap |
! | John G. Carlisle | | Democratic | 1876 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | W. C. P. Breckinridge | | Democratic | 1884 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | James B. McCreary | | Democratic | 1884 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
! | William H. Wadsworth | | Republican | 1884 | | Incumbent retired.Republican hold. | nowrap |
! | William P. Taulbee