The 1946 United States House of Representatives elections were elections for the United States House of Representatives to elect members to serve in the 80th United States Congress. They were held for the most part on November 5, 1946, while Maine held theirs on September 9. November 1946 was 19 months after President Harry S. Truman assumed office upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

While Democrats had controlled the House for 16 years since 1931 and Roosevelt had been elected to a record four terms in office, Truman did not garner the same support as the deceased president. The 1946 election resulted in Republicans picking up 55 seats to win majority control. Joseph Martin, Republican of Massachusetts, became Speaker of the House, exchanging places with Sam Rayburn, Democrat of Texas, who became the new Minority Leader. The Democratic defeat was the largest since they were trounced in the 1928 pro-Republican wave that had seen Herbert Hoover elected president. They also lost the Senate in the concurrent Senate elections.

The vote was largely seen as a referendum on Truman, whose approval rating had sunk to 32 percent over the president's controversial handling of a wave of post-war labor strikes, including a United Auto Workers strike against Ford and General Motors in 1945, a United Mine Workers strike starting in April 1946, and a national railroad worker strike that began in May. Further damage resulted from the back-and-forth over whether to end wartime price controls, unpopular with the American business constituency, to handle shortages, particularly in meat and other foodstuffs. While Truman's early months in the White House had been plagued with questions of "What would Roosevelt do if he were alive?", Republicans now began to joke "What would Truman do if he were alive?" and "To err is Truman." However, the Republican majority was short-lived, as Democrats regained control of the House two years later. With exception of the 1952 election, it took the GOP 48 years to retake the House, with the Republican Revolution against Bill Clinton, who was born in 1946.

Overall results + ↓ 246 1 188 Republican AL Democratic

Party Totalseats Change Seatpercentage Popularvote Votepercentage Republican Party 246 55 56.5% 18,422,363 53.5% Democratic Party 188 54 43.2% 15,491,113 45.0% American Labor Party 1 0.2% 196,866 0.6% Independent 0 0.0% 77,425 0.2% Liberal Party 0 0.0% 61,111 0.2% Prohibition Party 0 0.0% 47,792 0.1% Socialist Party 0 0.0% 38,307 0.1% J. Veterans Party 0 0.0% 9,791 <0.1% U. Citizens Party 0 0.0% 5,688 <0.1% Communist Party 0 0.0% 3,408 <0.1% Independent Voters Party 0 0.0% 2,834 <0.1% Veterans' Victory Party 0 0.0% 2,208 <0.1% Socialist Workers Party 0 0.0% 1,936 <0.1% Justice, Decency, Independence Party 0 0.0% 1,865 <0.1% Socialist Labor Party 0 0.0% 980 <0.1% Constitutional Government Party 0 0.0% 890 <0.1% No Foreign Loans Party 0 0.0% 396 <0.1% Workers Party 0 0.0% 165 <0.1% Progressive Democratic Party 0 0.0% 141 <0.1% $250 State Bonds Party 0 0.0% 115 <0.1% Others 0 1 0.0% 44,930 0.1% Totals 435 100.0% 34,410,324 100.0% Source: Election Statistics - Office of the Clerk

Special elections

In these special elections, the winner was seated during 1946 or before January 3, 1947; ordered by election date, then by district.

District Incumbent Results Candidates Incumbent Party First elected James W. Mott Republican 1932 Incumbent died November 12, 1945.New member elected January 18, 1946.Republican hold.Winner later re-elected to the next term; see below. Joseph Wilson Ervin Democratic 1944 Incumbent died December 25, 1945.New member elected January 22, 1946.Democratic hold.Winner later re-elected to the next term; see below. Clifton A. Woodrum Democratic 1922 Incumbent resigned December 31, 1945, to become president of the American Plant Food Council.New member elected January 22, 1946.Democratic hold. Robert Ramspeck Democratic 1929 Incumbent resigned December 31, 1945.New member elected February 12, 1946.Democratic hold.Winner later lost renomination to the next term; see below. Samuel Dickstein Democratic 1922 Incumbent resigned December 30, 1945.New member elected February 19, 1946.Democratic hold.Winner later re-elected to the next term; see below. J. Buell Snyder Democratic 1932 Incumbent died February 24, 1946.New member elected May 21, 1946.Republican gain.Winner did not run for the next term; see below. Samuel A. Weiss Democratic 1940 Incumbent resigned January 7, 1946 to become judge of the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas.New member elected May 21, 1946.Democratic hold.Winner later re-elected to the next term; see below. William O. Burgin Democratic 1938 Incumbent died April 11, 1946.New member elected May 25, 1946.Democratic hold.Winner did not run for the next term; see below. Luther Alexander Johnson Democratic 1922 Incumbent resigned July 17, 1946, after becoming judge of the U.S. Tax Court.New member elected August 24, 1946.Democratic hold.Winner later re-elected to the next term; see below. Jesús T. Piñero Popular Democratic 1944 Incumbent resigned September 2, 1946 to become Governor of Puerto Rico.New member elected September 11, 1946.Popular Democratic hold.Winner later re-elected to the next term; see below. John W. Murphy Democratic 1942 Incumbent resigned July 17, 1946, to become judge of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.New member elected November 5, 1946.Republican gain.Winner also elected to the next term; see below. Thomas G. Burch Democratic 1930 Incumbent resigned May 31, 1946, after being appointed to the U.S. Senate.New member elected November 5, 1946.Democratic hold.Winner also elected to the next term; see below. A. Willis Robertson Democratic 1932 Incumbent resigned November 5, 1946, after being elected to the U.S. Senate.New member elected November 5, 1946.Democratic hold.Winner also elected to the next term; see below.

Alabama

District Incumbent Results Candidates Incumbent Party First elected 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 re-elected. Carter Manasco Democratic 1941 Incumbent re-elected. John Sparkman Democratic 1936 Incumbent re-elected.Elected simultaneously to U.S. Senate. Luther Patrick Democratic 1944 Incumbent lost renomination.Democratic hold.

Arizona

District Incumbent Results Candidates Incumbent Party First elected John R. Murdock Democratic 1936 Incumbent re-elected. Richard F. Harless Democratic 1942 Incumbent re-elected.

Arkansas

District Incumbent Results Candidates Incumbent Party First elected 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 re-elected. 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 Results Candidates Incumbent Party First elected Clarence F. Lea Democratic 1916 Incumbent re-elected. 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 H. Tolan Democratic 1934 Incumbent retired.Republican gain. Jack Z. Anderson Republican 1938 Incumbent re-elected. Bertrand W. Gearhart Republican 1934 Incumbent re-elected. Alfred J. Elliott Democratic 1937 Incumbent re-elected. George E. Outland Democratic 1942 Incumbent lost re-election.Republican gain. Jerry Voorhis Democratic 1936 Incumbent lost re-election.Republican gain. Ned R. Healy Democratic 1944 Incumbent lost re-election.Republican gain. Helen Gahagan Douglas Democratic 1944 Incumbent re-elected. Gordon L. McDonough Republican 1944 Incumbent re-elected. Ellis E. Patterson Democratic 1944 Incumbent retired to run for U.S. senator.Republican gain. Cecil R. King Democratic 1942 Incumbent re-elected. Clyde Doyle Democratic 1944 Incumbent lost re-election.Republican 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. Edouard Izac Democratic 1936 Incumbent lost re-election.Republican gain.

Colorado

District Incumbent Results Candidates Incumbent Party First elected Dean M. Gillespie Republican 1944 Incumbent lost re-election.Democratic gain. William S. Hill Republican 1940 Incumbent re-elected. John Chenoweth Republican 1940 Incumbent re-elected. Robert F. Rockwell Republican 1941 Incumbent re-elected.

Connecticut

District Incumbent Results Candidates Incumbent Party First elected Herman P. Kopplemann Democratic 1944 Incumbent lost re-election.Republican gain. Chase G. Woodhouse Democratic 1944 Incumbent lost re-election.Republican gain. James P. Geelan Democratic 1944 Incumbent lost re-election.Republican gain. Clare Boothe Luce Republican 1942 Incumbent retired.Republican hold. Joseph E. Talbot Republican 1942 Incumbent retired to run for Governor.Republican hold. Joseph F. Ryter Democratic 1944 Incumbent lost re-election.Republican gain.

Delaware

District Incumbent Results Candidates Incumbent Party First elected Philip A. Traynor Democratic 1944 Incumbent lost re-election.Republican gain.

Florida

District Incumbent Results Candidates Incumbent Party First elected J. Hardin Peterson Democratic 1932 Incumbent re-elected. Emory H. Price Democratic 1942 Incumbent re-elected. Bob Sikes Democratic 19401944 1974 Incumbent re-elected. Pat Cannon Democratic 1938 Incumbent lost renomination.Democratic hold. Joe Hendricks Democratic 1936 Incumbent re-elected. Dwight L. Rogers Democratic 1944 Incumbent re-elected.

Georgia

District Incumbent Results Candidates Incumbent Party First elected Hugh Peterson Democratic 1934 Incumbent lost renomination.Democratic hold. Edward E. Cox Democratic 1924 Incumbent re-elected. Stephen Pace Democratic 1936 Incumbent re-elected. Albert Sidney Camp Democratic 1939 Incumbent re-elected. Helen Douglas Mankin Democratic 1946 Incumbent lost renomination and then lost re-election as an Independent.Democratic hold. Carl Vinson Democratic 1914 Incumbent re-elected. Malcolm C. Tarver Democratic 1926 Incumbent lost renomination.Democratic hold. John S. Gibson Democratic 1940 Incumbent lost renomination.Democratic hold. John Stephens Wood Democratic 1944 Incumbent re-elected. Paul Brown Democratic 1933 Incumbent re-elected.

Idaho

District Incumbent Results Candidates Incumbent Party First elected Compton I. White Democratic 1932 Incumbent lost re-election.Republican gain. Henry Dworshak Republican 1938 Incumbent retired to run for U.S. senator.Republican hold.

Illinois