2010 United States House of Representatives elections

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All 435 seats in theUnited States House of Representatives[a] 218 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	40.9%[1] 13.6pp
Majority party Minority party   Leader John Boehner[2] Nancy Pelosi[5] Party Republican Democratic Leader since January 3, 2007 January 3, 2003 Leader's seat Ohio 8th California 8th Last election 178 seats, 42.6%[3] 257 seats, 53.2% Seats before 180 255 Seats won 242 193 Seat change 62 62 Popular vote 44,829,751[4] 38,980,192 Percentage 51.7% 44.9% Swing 9.1pp 8.3pp
Results:      Democratic hold     Democratic gain      Republican hold     Republican gain
Speaker before election Nancy Pelosi Democratic ElectedSpeaker John Boehner Republican

The2010 United States House of Representatives elections were held on November 2, 2010, as part of the2010 midterm elections during PresidentBarack Obama's first term in office. Voters of the 50U.S. states chose 435U.S. Representatives to serve in the112th United States Congress. Also, voters of the U.S. territories, commonwealths and District of Columbia chose theirnon-voting delegates.^[b]U.S. Senateelections and various state and local elections were held on the same date.

Republicans regained control of the U.S. House they had lost in the2006 midterm election, picking up a net total of 62 seats and erasing the gainsDemocrats made in 2006 and2008. Although the sitting president's party usually loses seats in a midterm election, the 2010 election resulted in the highest losses by a party in a House midterm election since1938,^[6][7] as well as the largest House swing since1948.^[8] In total, 52 House Democrats were defeated, including 36 freshman and sophomore representatives.

Republicans made their largest gain in House seats since 1938.^[9] Three Democratic committee chairmen were defeated: transportation chairmanJim Oberstar of Minnesota, armed services chairmanIke Skelton of Missouri, and budget chairmanJohn Spratt of South Carolina. Democrats made three pick-ups, winning an open seat in Delaware and defeating Republican incumbents in Hawaii and Louisiana.^[c]

The heavy Democratic Party losses in 2010 were attributed to anger at President Obama, opposition to theAffordable Care Act andAmerican Recovery and Reinvestment Act, large budget deficits, and the weak economy.^[10][11][12]

This is the last election in which Democrats won a seat inArkansas, and the last in which Republicans won more than oneseat in Maryland, as well asboth seats in New Hampshire.

Following the2006 elections, Democrats took control of the House as well as the Senate. In the2008 elections, which coincided with DemocratBarack Obama'svictory over RepublicanJohn McCain for thepresidency, Democrats increased their majorities in both chambers. Of the 435 congressional districts, 242 were carried by Obama, while 193 voted for McCain. Of the districts Obama won, 34 elected a Republican to the House, while 49 of the districts McCain won elected a Democrat.^[13]

The Republicans' 63-seat pickup in the House to take control of that chamber, as well as their gain of six Senate seats, signified a dramatic rollback of recent Democratic gains. In the election, Republicans won their greatest number of House seats since 1946.^[14] This has been attributed to the continued economic recession, as well as President Obama's controversialstimulus andhealth care reform bills. Republicans also took control of 29 of the 50 state governorships and gained 690 seats in state legislatures, to hold their greatest number since the 1928 elections.^[15]

Republicans also made historic gains instate legislatures, adding more than 675 state legislative seats, by far surpassing their state-legislative gains in 1994.^[16][17] Republicans gained control of dozens of state legislative chambers,^[16] and took control of "seven more legislatures outright than they did after 1994 and the most since 1952."^[17] Republicans picked up control of theAlabama Legislature for the first time sinceReconstruction; control of theNorth Carolina Senate for the first time since 1870; and control of theMinnesota Senate for the first time since the state returned to partisan elections in 1974.^[16][17]

TheGreat Lakes region, which until then had recently favored the Democratic Party, went strongly Republican. In California and thePacific Northwest, however, the Democrats retained the upper hand.^[18] The biggest change in 2010 occurred in theSouthern United States, which had previously been roughly evenly split between Democrats and Republicans for everything except for president. Just one white Democrat from the Deep South won reelection to the US House in 2010. Prior to 2010, many white conservative southerners had voted Republican for president, but Democratic for other offices.^[19]

Parties (and Independents)		Seats				Popular vote
		2008	2010		Share	Vote	%
	Republican Party	178	242	64	55.6%	44,829,751	51.7%	9.1%
	Democratic Party	257	193	64	44.4%	38,980,192	44.9%	8.3%
	Libertarian Party	—	—	—	—	1,010,891	1.2%	0.3%
	Independent	—	—	—	—	516,733	0.6%
	Green Party	—	—	—	—	252,688	0.3%	0.2%
	Constitution Party	—	—	—	—	195,008	0.2%	0.1%
	Independence Party	—	—	—	—	139,473	0.2%	0.1%
	American Independent Party	—	—	—	—	56,907	0.1%	0.1%
	Others	—	—	—	—	799,461	0.9%	0.8%
Totals		435	435	0	100.0%	86,781,104	100.0%

Sources:House Clerk – Statistics of the Congressional Election, 2010

Source:CNN exit poll^[20]

• 
  Popular vote by states
• 
  Results shaded according to winning candidates share of vote

37 incumbents retired.

17 incumbent Democrats retired.

• Alabama 7:Artur Davis: Torun for Governor of Alabama.^[21]
• Arkansas 1:Marion Berry: Retired due to health concerns.^[22]
• Arkansas 2:Vic Snyder: Retired to spend more time with family.^[23]
• California 33:Diane Watson: Retired; "It should be a seat inherited by someone who can represent everyone in this district."^[24]
• Florida 17:Kendrick Meek: Torun for U.S. Senator.^[25]
• Indiana 8:Brad Ellsworth: Torun for U.S. Senator.
• Kansas 3:Dennis Moore: Retired; "Time for a new generation of leadership."^[26]
• Louisiana 3:Charlie Melançon: Torun for U.S. Senator.^[27]
• Massachusetts 10:Bill Delahunt: Retired; "Life is about change. I think it's healthy. It's time."^[28]
• Michigan 1:Bart Stupak: Retired; "I've accomplished what I want to do."^[29]
• New Hampshire 2:Paul Hodes: Torun for U.S. Senator.^[30]
• Pennsylvania 7:Joe Sestak: Torun for U.S. Senator.^[31]
• Rhode Island 1:Patrick J. Kennedy: Retired to "[take] a new direction."^[32]
• Tennessee 6:Bart Gordon: Retired; "…it's time for a new chapter."^[33]
• Tennessee 8:John S. Tanner: Retired; decided 20 years was long enough.^[34]
• Washington 3:Brian Baird: Retired, to pursue other options.^[35]
• Wisconsin 7:Dave Obey: Retired; "But even more frankly, I am bone tired."^[36] Media reports indicated Obey's future plans included joining a DC lobbying firm run by former RepresentativeDick Gephardt.^[37]

19 incumbent Republicans retired.

• Arkansas 3:John Boozman: torun for U.S. Senator.
• Arizona 3:John Shadegg: to pursue other interests.^[38]
• California 19:George Radanovich: to put family obligations first.^[39]
• Delaware at-large:Mike Castle: torun for U.S. Senator.^[40]
• Florida 5:Ginny Brown-Waite: due to health issues.^[41]
• Florida 12:Adam Putnam: to run forFlorida Commissioner of Agriculture.^[42]
• Florida 21:Lincoln Díaz-Balart: to return to law practice.
• Georgia 7:John Linder^[43]
• Illinois 10:Mark Kirk: torun for U.S. Senator.^[44]
• Indiana 4:Steve Buyer: due to wife's illness^[45]
• Kansas 1:Jerry Moran: torun for U.S. Senator.^[46]
• Kansas 4:Todd Tiahrt: torun for U.S. Senator.^[47]
• Michigan 2:Pete Hoekstra: torun for Governor of Michigan.^[48]
• Michigan 3:Vern Ehlers^[49]
• Missouri 7:Roy Blunt: torun for U.S. Senator.^[50]
• Oklahoma 5:Mary Fallin: torun for Governor of Oklahoma.^[51]
• South Carolina 1:Henry E. Brown Jr.: to spend more time with his family.^[52]
• South Carolina 3:Gresham Barrett: torun for Governor of South Carolina.^[53]
• Tennessee 3:Zach Wamp: torun for Governor of Tennessee.^[54]

There were nine Democrats who survived reelection in the1994 Republican Revolution, but were defeated this year.

Two Democrats lost renomination. One seat was held by Democrats, while the other flipped to Republicans.

• Michigan 13:Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick lost toHansen Clarke.
• West Virginia 1:Alan Mollohan lost toMike Oliverio, who lost the general election toDavid McKinley.

Two Republicans lost renomination. Both seats were eventually held by Republicans.

• Alabama 5:Parker Griffith (first elected in 2008 as a Democrat; switched parties in 2009) lost toMo Brooks.
• South Carolina 4:Bob Inglis lost toTrey Gowdy.

54 incumbents lost in the general election; all but two were Democrats. Many of the Democrats who lost had been initially elected in the Democratic wave years of 2006 and 2008, and several others were longtime incumbents from the southeast.^[55]

52 Democrats lost re-election.

Two Republicans lost re-election.

• Hawaii 1,Charles Djou (first elected in 2010) lost toColleen Hanabusa
• Louisiana 2,Joseph Cao (first elected in 2008) lost toCedric Richmond

14 open seats, held by Democrats, were won by Republicans.

One open seat, held by a Republican, was won by a Democrat.

• ▌Delaware at-large: Won byJohn Carney

Eighty-four races were decided by 10% or lower.

There were six special elections in 2010 to the111th United States Congress, listed here by date and district.