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At a glance

Overview

The 1978 House cycle left the Democratic Party as the largest caucus with 180 seats, still short of the 218‑seat majority required to control the chamber outright. The Democrats added a net +40 seats, while the Farmer‑Labor Party held steady at 99 seats. The Republican Party fell to 78 seats (‑19), the Constitutional Union Party to 52 seats (‑4), the Conservatives rose to 23 seats (+4), and the Federalist Party of the United States slipped to 3 seats (‑21). The result is a plural‑party chamber in which no single party commands a majority, positioning the Democrats as a strong plurality but forcing coalition‑building to pass legislation.

The Map

The interactive map shows that no state’s controlling party changed compared with the previous cycle; the map’s flip count is 0. Every state’s plurality party remained the same, as indicated by the “no change” delta text on each entry. The visual therefore emphasizes stability rather than turnover: Democratic pluralities dominate the Northeast, Midwest, and much of the South; the Farmer‑Labor Party retains its strongholds in Delaware, Nevada, and several western states; the Republican plurality appears only in Kansas; the Constitutional Union Party holds pluralities in Arkansas, Mississippi, Maryland, and Tennessee; and the Conservative Party’s sole plurality is in Maine. The map’s color‑coded legend makes these patterns instantly readable.

The Balance

Nationally the seat distribution is:

With 180 seats, the Democrats are the largest bloc but remain 38 seats shy of a governing majority. The Farmer‑Labor Party, as the second‑largest group, could be a kingmaker in any coalition, while the combined opposition (Republicans, Constitutional Union, Conservatives, Federalists) totals 155 seats, insufficient to outvote the Democratic plurality without Farmer‑Labor support. The balance bar therefore reflects a plurality chamber where the Democrats must negotiate with at least one other party to secure a functional majority.

Delegations to Watch

Six delegations were decided by a single‑seat margin (seatMargin = 0), highlighting the most competitive races:

These razor‑thin delegations illustrate where a single vote could have altered the partisan balance of a state’s entire House delegation. The visual chart of “closest delegations” will highlight these ties, underscoring the strategic importance of marginal districts in future cycles.

Results by state