The U.S. House election, 1878 was an election for the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 in 1878 which occurred in the middle of President

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

 Rutherford B. Hayes

Rutherford B. Hayes

Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution...

' term.

With a sour economy as the nation's pressing issue, both major parties lost seats to the new Greenback Party

United States Greenback Party

The Greenback Party was an American political party with an anti-monopoly ideology that was active between 1874 and 1884. Its name referred to paper money, or "greenbacks," that had been issued during the American Civil War and afterward...

, which was established to promote the long-term use of paper money as a solution to stop enormous economic fluctuations. The Democratic Party remained the largest party, but lost its majority. However, it allied with several independent politicians and was able to remain in power.

Overall results

Party	Total seats	Change	Seat percentage
Democratic Party	141	14	48.1%
Republican Party	132	4	45.0%
Greenback Party United States Greenback Party The Greenback Party was an American political party with an anti-monopoly ideology that was active between 1874 and 1884. Its name referred to paper money, or "greenbacks," that had been issued during the American Civil War and afterward...	13	+13	4.4%
Independent	7	+5	2.3%
Totals	293	+0	100.0%

California

District	Incumbent	Party	Elected	Status	Opponent
	Horace Davis Horace Davis Horace Davis was a United States Representative from California. He was the son of Massachusetts Governor John Davis and the younger brother of diplomat John Chandler Bancroft Davis.-Biography:...	Republican	1876	Incumbent re-elected	Horace Davis Horace Davis Horace Davis was a United States Representative from California. He was the son of Massachusetts Governor John Davis and the younger brother of diplomat John Chandler Bancroft Davis.-Biography:...  (R) 48.4% Clitus Barbour (Workingmen Workingmen's Party of the United States The Workingmen's Party of the United States , established in 1876, was one of the first Marxist-influenced political parties in the United States... ) 44.5% Charles A. Sumner (D) 7.1%
	Horace F. Page Horace F. Page Horace Francis Page was an American politician that represented a Californian district in the United States House of Representatives. He was born near Medina, Orleans County, New York. He attended public schools and Millville Academy and then taught school in La Porte County, Indiana until 1854...	Republican	1872	Incumbent re-elected	Horace F. Page Horace F. Page Horace Francis Page was an American politician that represented a Californian district in the United States House of Representatives. He was born near Medina, Orleans County, New York. He attended public schools and Millville Academy and then taught school in La Porte County, Indiana until 1854...  (R) 51.9% Thomas J. Clunie (D) 34.4% H. B. Williams (Workingmen Workingmen's Party of the United States The Workingmen's Party of the United States , established in 1876, was one of the first Marxist-influenced political parties in the United States... ) 13.8%
	John K. Luttrell John K. Luttrell John King Luttrell was a U.S. Representative from California.Born near Knoxville, Tennessee, Luttrell attended the common schools. He moved with his parents to a farm in Alabama in 1844. He moved to Missouri in 1845 with his parents, who settled on a farm near St. Joseph. He moved to California in...	Democratic	1872	Incumbent retired Democratic hold	Campbell P. Berry (D) 50.1% Joseph McKenna (R) 49.6% G. T. Elliott (Workingmen Workingmen's Party of the United States The Workingmen's Party of the United States , established in 1876, was one of the first Marxist-influenced political parties in the United States... ) 0.3%
	Romualdo Pacheco Romualdo Pacheco José Antonio Romualdo Pacheco Jr. was an American politician and diplomat. Involved in California state and federal politics, Pacheco was elected and appointed to various posts and offices throughout his more than thirty-year career, including the California State Senate, the 12th Governor of...	Republican	1876	Incumbent re-elected	Romualdo Pacheco Romualdo Pacheco José Antonio Romualdo Pacheco Jr. was an American politician and diplomat. Involved in California state and federal politics, Pacheco was elected and appointed to various posts and offices throughout his more than thirty-year career, including the California State Senate, the 12th Governor of...  (R) 40.5% Wallace Leach (D) 31.8% James J. Ayers (Workingmen Workingmen's Party of the United States The Workingmen's Party of the United States , established in 1876, was one of the first Marxist-influenced political parties in the United States... ) 27.7%

See also

• 46th United States Congress
  46th United States Congress
  The Forty-sixth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1879 to March 4, 1881, during the last two years of...
  
  
• United States Senate elections, 1878
  United States Senate elections, 1878
  The United States Senate election of 1878 was an election which had the Democratic Party retake control of the United States Senate for the first time since before the Civil War....