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1850–51 United States House of Representatives elections

← 1848 & 1849 August 5, 1850 – November 4, 1851 1852 & 1853 →
All 233 seats in the United States House of Representatives 117 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Linn Boyd Edward Stanly Party Democratic Whig Leader's seat Kentucky 1st North Carolina 8th Last election 113 seats 106 seats Seats won 120 82 Seat change 7 24 Popular vote 1,142,783 1,105,286 Percentage 43.31% 41.89% Swing 0.85% 2.95%   Third party Fourth party   Party Unionist Southern Rights Last election Pre-creation Pre-creation Seats won 15[a] 8[b] Seat change 15 8 Popular vote 123,727 109,060 Percentage 4.69% 4.13% Swing New Party New Party   Fifth party Sixth party   Party Free Soil Independent Last election 8 seats 3 seats Seats won 4 4[c] Seat change 4 1 Popular vote 82,221 70,262 Percentage 3.12% 2.79% Swing 5.54% 1.03%
Speaker before election Howell Cobb Democratic Elected Speaker Linn Boyd Democratic

The 1850–51 United States House of Representatives elections were held on various dates in various states between August 5, 1850 and November 4, 1851. Each state set its own date for its elections to the House of Representatives before the first session of the 32nd United States Congress convened on December 1, 1851. Elections were held for all 233 seats, representing 31 states.

The Democrats gained 17 seats, increasing their majority relative to the rival Whigs, who lost 22 seats. Incumbent Whig President Millard Fillmore, who succeeded to the Presidency in July 1850 after the death of more charismatic General Zachary Taylor, lacked a strong political base. The Compromise of 1850, which admitted California alone as a free state in exchange for concessions to slave state interests, began integration of the Mexican Cession. It appeared in the short term that Congress had politically feasible options to contain sectionalism and to reduce tensions over expanding slavery in the West. This optimism soon would prove unfounded.

The Unionist Party, formed in support of the Compromise of 1850, gained 10 seats in the South, as did the States' Rights Party. The Free Soil Party, which opposed the expansion of slavery into the Western territories, lost five seats and was reduced to four Representatives, all in New England.

Election summaries

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