United States House elections, 2008

United States House of Representatives elections, 2008

← 2006 November 4, 2008 2010 →
All 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives and 6 non-voting members 218 seats were needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Nancy Pelosi John Boehner Party Democratic Republican Leader's seat California-8th Ohio-8th Last election 233 seats, 52.3% 202 seats, 44.3% Seats before 236 199 Seats won 257 178 Seat change 21 21 Popular vote 65,237,840 52,249,491 Percentage 53.2% 42.6% Swing 0.9% 1.7%
Results:   Democratic hold   Democratic gain   Republican hold   Republican gain
Speaker before election Nancy Pelosi Democratic Elected Speaker Nancy Pelosi Democratic

Nancy Pelosi
Democratic

Nancy Pelosi
Democratic

The 2008 United States House of Representatives elections were held on November 4, 2008, to elect members to the United States House of Representatives to serve in the 111th United States Congress from January 3, 2009 until January 3, 2011. It coincided with the election of Barack Obama as President. All 435 voting seats, as well as all 6 non-voting seats, were up for election. The Democratic Party, which won a majority of seats in the 2006 election, expanded its control in 2008. The Republican Party, hoping to regain the majority it lost in the 2006 or at least expand its congressional membership, lost additional seats. With one exception (Louisiana's 2nd district), the only seats to switch from Democratic to Republican had been Republican-held prior to the 2006 elections. Republicans gained five Democratic seats total, while losing 26 of their own, giving the Democrats a net gain of 21 seats, effectively erasing all gains made by the GOP since 1994. In addition, with the defeat of a Republican congressman in Connecticut's 4th district, this became the first time since the 1850s that no Republican represented the New England region. Turnout increased due to the 2008 presidential election. The presidential election, 2008 Senate elections, and 2008 state gubernatorial elections, as well as many other state and local elections, occurred on the same date.