The 1942 United States House of Representatives elections were elections for the United States House of Representatives to elect members to serve in the 78th United States Congress. They were held for the most part on November 3, 1942, while Maine held theirs on September 14. This was the first election after the congressional reapportionment based on the 1940 census, and was held in the middle of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third term. With involvement in World War II, it was the first wartime election in the United States since 1918.

Roosevelt's Democratic Party lost 45 seats to the Republican Party, retaining only a slender majority even though they lost the popular vote by over 1 million votes (3.9%). The election was the second of four times in the 20th century in which either party won the House majority without winning the popular vote, with the other three instances occurring in 1914, 1952, and 1996; Democrats won the House majority without winning the popular vote in the former election, while Republicans did so in the latter two.

This was the most successful congressional election for Republicans since 1930, and the first time since that election cycle that the House GOP actually won the popular vote. The main factor that led to the Republican gains during this election cycle was dissatisfaction with the conduct of America's war effort in World War II.

, this was the last time the House of Representatives was made up of five parties. This was also the smallest House majority that the Democrats had up until the 2020 elections. Voter turnout was historically low for the time, which was attributed to the absence of military men and the apathy of workers at war production plants, many of whom had failed to re-register to vote in their new communities or become accustomed to local candidates.

Overall results + ↓ 222 1 1 2 209 Democratic AL FL P Republican

Party Totalseats Seatchange Seatpercentage Votepercentage Popularvote Republican 209 47 48.0% 50.8% 14,271,483 Democratic 222 45 51.0% 47.0% 13,181,759 Progressive 2 1 0.4% 0.7% 186,982 Farmer-Labor 1 0.2% 0.5% 151,684 American Labor 1 0.2% 0.3% 91,283 Independent 0 1 0.0% 0.2% 67,333 Socialist 0 0.0% 0.1% 37,390 Communist 0 0.0% 0.1% 29,659 Prohibition 0 0.0% 0.1% 25,413 Townsend 0 0.0% <0.1% 9,843 Socialist Labor 0 0.0% <0.1% 1,963 National Recovery 0 0.0% <0.1% 1,705 Win the War 0 0.0% <0.1% 120 Liberal 0 0.0% <0.1% 114 Social Reconstruction 0 0.0% <0.1% 114 Independent-Labor 0 0.0% <0.1% 75 Others 0 0.0% 0.1% 17,444 Totals 435 100.0% 100.0% 28,074,364 Source: Election Statistics - Office of the Clerk

Special elections Some special elections were held throughout the year.

Elections are listed by date and district.

District Incumbent This race Representative Party First elected Results Candidates J. Joseph Smith Democratic 1934 Incumbent resigned November 4, 1941.New member elected January 20, 1942.Republican gain.Winner was subsequently re-elected in November. J. Harold Flannery Democratic 1936 Incumbent resigned January 3, 1942.New member elected May 19, 1942.Republican gain.Winner was subsequently re-elected in November. Joseph A. McArdle Democratic 1938 Incumbent resigned January 5, 1942.New member elected May 19, 1942.Democratic hold.Winner redistricted to the and retired; see below. Lee E. Geyer Democratic 1938 Incumbent died October 11, 1941.New member elected August 25, 1942.Democratic hold.Winner was subsequently re-elected in November. Vincent F. Harrington 1936 Incumbent resigned September 5, 1942, to serve in the U.S. Army.New member elected November 3, 1942.Republican gain.Winner redistricted to the and retired; see below. Patrick J. Boland 1930 Incumbent died May 18, 1942.New member elected November 3, 1942.Democratic holdWinner was not a candidate for the full term; see below.

Alabama

District Incumbent This race Representative Party First elected Results Candidates Frank W. Boykin Democratic 1935 Incumbent re-elected. George M. Grant Democratic 1938 Incumbent re-elected. Henry B. Steagall Democratic 1914 Incumbent re-elected. Sam Hobbs Democratic 1934 Incumbent re-elected. Joe Starnes Democratic 1934 Incumbent re-elected. Pete Jarman Democratic 1936 Incumbent re-elected. Carter Manasco Democratic 1941 Incumbent re-elected. John Sparkman Democratic 1936 Incumbent re-elected. Luther Patrick Democratic 1936 Incumbent lost renomination.Democratic hold.

Arizona

Arizona received a second representative in reapportionment; it continued to elect both representatives at large rather than drawing districts.

District Incumbent This race Representative Party First elected Results Candidates John R. Murdock Democratic 1936 Incumbent re-elected. None (new district) New seat.Democratic gain.

Arkansas

District Incumbent This race Representative Party First elected Results Candidates Ezekiel C. Gathings Democratic 1938 Incumbent re-elected. Wilbur Mills Democratic 1938 Incumbent re-elected. Clyde T. Ellis Democratic 1938 Incumbent retired to run for U.S. senator.Democratic hold. William Fadjo Cravens Democratic 1939 Incumbent re-elected. David D. Terry Democratic 1933 Incumbent retired to run for U.S. senator.Democratic hold. William F. Norrell Democratic 1938 Incumbent re-elected. Oren Harris Democratic 1940 Incumbent re-elected.

California

Three new seats were added in reapportionment, increasing the delegation from 20 to 23 seats. Two of the new seats were won by Democrats, one by a Republican. One Republican and one Democratic incumbents lost re-election, and one vacancy was won by a Republican. Therefore, both Democrats and Republicans increased by 2 seats.

District Incumbent This race Representative Party First elected Results Candidates Clarence F. Lea Democratic 1916 Incumbent re-elected. Harry Lane Englebright Republican 1926 Incumbent re-elected. Frank H. Buck Democratic 1932 Incumbent died September 17, 1942.Republican gain. Thomas Rolph Republican 1940 Incumbent re-elected. Richard J. Welch Republican 1926 Incumbent re-elected. Albert E. Carter Republican 1924 Incumbent re-elected. John H. Tolan Democratic 1934 Incumbent re-elected. Jack Z. Anderson Republican 1938 Incumbent re-elected. Bertrand W. Gearhart Republican 1934 Incumbent re-elected. Alfred J. Elliott Democratic 1937 Incumbent re-elected. None (new district) New seat.Democratic gain. Jerry Voorhis Democratic 1936 Incumbent re-elected. Charles Kramer Democratic 1932 Incumbent lost re-election.Republican gain. Thomas F. Ford Democratic 1932 Incumbent re-elected. John M. Costello Democratic 1934 Incumbent re-elected. Leland M. Ford Republican 1938 Incumbent lost re-election.Democratic gain. Cecil R. King Democratic 1942 Incumbent re-elected. William Ward Johnson Republican 1940 Incumbent re-elected. None (new district) New seat.Democratic gain. John Carl Hinshaw Republican 1938 Incumbent re-elected. Harry R. Sheppard Democratic 1936 Incumbent re-elected. None (new district) New seat.Republican gain. Edouard Izac Democratic 1936 Incumbent re-elected.

Colorado

District Incumbent This race Representative Party First elected Results Candidates Lawrence Lewis Democratic 1932 Incumbent re-elected. 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 This race Representative Party First elected Results Candidates Herman P. Kopplemann Democratic 1940 Incumbent lost re-election.Republican gain. William J. Fitzgerald Democratic 1940 Incumbent lost re-election.Republican gain. James A. Shanley Democratic 1934 Incumbent lost re-election.Republican gain. Le Roy D. Downs Democratic 1940 Incumbent lost re-election.Republican gain. Joseph E. Talbot Republican 1942 (special) Incumbent re-elected. Lucien J. Maciora Democratic 1940 Incumbent lost re-election.Republican gain.

Delaware

District Incumbent This race Representative Party First elected Results Candidates Philip A. Traynor Democratic 1940 Incumbent lost re-election.Republican gain.

Florida

Florida received a 6th seat in reapportionment; it added an at-large district to its 5 districts rather than redrawing them.

District Incumbent This race Representative Party First elected Results Candidates J. Hardin Peterson Democratic 1932 Incumbent re-elected. Robert A. Green Democratic 1932 Incumbent ran in the at-large districtDemocratic hold. Bob Sikes Democratic 1940 Incumbent re-elected. Pat Cannon Democratic 1938 Incumbent re-elected. Joe Hendricks Democratic 1936 Incumbent re-elected. None (new district) New seat.Democratic gain.

Georgia

District Incumbent This race Representative Party First elected Results Candidates Hugh Peterson Democratic 1934 Incumbent re-elected. Edward E. Cox Democratic 1924 Incumbent re-elected. Stephen Pace Democratic 1936 Incumbent re-elected. Albert Sidney Camp Democratic 1939 Incumbent re-elected. Robert Ramspeck Democratic 1929 Incumbent re-elected. Carl Vinson Democratic 1914 Incumbent re-elected. Malcolm C. Tarver Democratic 1926 Incumbent re-elected. John S. Gibson Democratic 1940 Incumbent re-elected. B. Frank Whelchel Democratic 1934 Incumbent re-elected. Paul Brown Democratic 1933 Incumbent re-elected.

Idaho

District Incumbent This race Representative Party First elected Results Candidates Compton I. White Democratic 1932 Incumbent re-elected. Henry Dworshak Republican 1938 Incumbent re-elected.

Illinois

Illinois was reapportioned from 27 representatives to 26; it went from electing 2 at-large representatives to 1 without redrawing the other districts.

District Incumbent This race Representative Party First elected Results Candidates Arthur W. Mitchell Democratic 1934 Incumbent retired.Democratic hold. Raymond S. McKeough Democratic 1934 Incumbent retired to run for U.S. senator.Democratic hold. Edward A. Kelly Democratic 1930 Incumbent lost re-election.Republican gain. Harry P. Beam Democratic 1930 Incumbent retired to become judge of municipal court of Chicago.Democratic hold. Adolph J. Sabath Democratic 1906 Incumbent re-elected. A. F. Maciejewski Democratic 1938 Incumbent retired.Democratic hold. Leonard W. Schuetz Democratic 1930 Incumbent re-elected. Leo Kocialkowski Democratic 1932 Incumbent lost renomination.Democratic hold. Charles S. Dewey Republican 1940 Incumbent re-elected. George A. Paddock Republican 1940 Incumbent lost renomination.Republican hold. Chauncey W. Reed Republican 1934 Incumbent re-elected. Noah M. Mason Republican 1936 Incumbent re-elected. Leo E. Allen Republican 1932 Incumbent re-elected. Anton J. Johnson Republican 1938 Incumbent re-elected. Robert B. Chiperfield Republican 1938 Incumbent re-elected. Everett Dirksen Republican 1932 Incumbent re-elected. Leslie C. Arends Republican 1934 Incumbent re-elected. Jessie Sumner Republican 1938 Incumbent re-elected. William H. Wheat Republican 1938 Incumbent re-elected. James M. Barnes Democratic 1938 Incumbent lost re-election.Republican gain. George Evan Howell Republican 1940 Incumbent re-elected. Edwin M. Schaefer Democratic 1932 Incumbent retired.Republican gain. Laurence F. Arnold Democratic 1936 Incumbent lost re-election.Republican gain. James V. Heidinger Republican 1940 Incumbent re-elected. C. W. Bishop Republican 1940 Incumbent re-elected. Stephen A. Day Republican 1940 Incumbent re-elected. William Stratton Republican 1940 Incumbent retired to run for Illinois Treasurer.Republican loss.

Indiana