United States of America

House of Representatives

Political system
Presidential system
Structure of parliament
Bicameral
IPU membership
No

Election results

Data on parliamentary elections, including the background, candidates, voter turnout, results and the formation of the new legislature. By default the latest election results are displayed. Select a date to view results from previous elections.

Background

Election date(s)
03 Nov 2020
Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature
No information available
Timing of election
Upon normal expiry
Number of seats at stake
435
Scope of elections
Full renewal

Candidates

Number of parties contesting the election
2

Notes:

Only two parties, the Democrats and Republicans, fielded Congressional candidates in all 50 US states and the territories.

Overall, 298 female candidates were on the ballot for House seats in 2020: 204 Democrats and 94 Republicans.

Results

About the election

The Democrats effectively regained control of the 100-member Senate (see note 1) and retained the majority in the 435-member House of Representatives (see note 2), taking 223 seats. The Republicans increased their share of seats from 199 to 212. A record 119 women were elected to the House of Representatives, up from 102 elected in the 2018 elections. The newly elected Congress was sworn in on 3 January 2021. Ms. Nancy Pelosi (Democrat) was re-elected as the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

In the presidential elections held in parallel with the parliamentary polls, former Vice President Joe Biden (Democrat) defeated the incumbent President Donald Trump (Republican), winning over 300 electoral votes. On 6 January 2021, thousands of President Trump’s supporters stormed the seat of Congress where parliamentarians were certifying Mr. Biden's election victory. Four people died. On 20 January, Mr. Biden was sworn in as the President, along with his running mate, senator Kamala D. Harris, who thereby became the first woman Vice President of the United States. By virtue of holding that office, she also serves as the Senate President.

The 2020 elections were held amid the COVID-19 pandemic: by November 2020, over 9 million people had been infected, and 230,000 people had died. President Trump himself was briefly hospitalized during the election campaign. Key electoral issues included the economy, healthcare and abortion, as well as multilateral agreements such as the Paris climate agreement and the country’s membership of the World Health Organization.

Note 1:

Democrats and Republicans held 50 seats each in the 100-member Senate after the 2020 elections. However, the Vice President of the United States (Democrat), who is also the President of the Senate, may cast tie-breaking votes. Democrats therefore regained control of the Senate, which it had lost in 2014.

Note 2:

In addition, there are six non-voting members: five delegates (one each from the District of Columbia, US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) and one Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico.

Number of parties winning seats
2
Percentage of parties winning seats
100.0%
Percentage of seats won by largest party or coalition
51.3%
Alternation of power after elections
Yes
Number of parties in government
1
Names of parties in government
Democratic Party

Parties or coalitions winning seats

Parties or coalitions winning seats
Political group Total
Democratic Party 223
Republican Party 212
Members elected, by sex
Number of men elected
316
Number of women elected
119
Percentage of women elected
27.4%
Women Directly Elected
119
Other notes on the elections

Note on the parties or coalitions winning seats:

The statistics above include one male candidate elect (Republican) who passed away on 29 December 2020, shortly before the newly elected House of Representatives was convened.

Sources

New legislature

Total number of men after the election
316
Total number of women after the election
119
Percentage of women after the election
27.4%
First-term parliamentarians
57
Percentage of first-term parliamentarians
13.1%
Date of the first session
03 Jan 2021

First Speaker of the new legislature

Personal details for the first Speaker of the new legislature
Nancy Pelosi (Female)
Date of birth: 1940
Political party
Democratic Party
Date of election
03 Jan 2021

Historical data for IPU membership

Historical data for IPU membership
Year IPU membership
2020-09
List of values for 2020-09
No
2019-04
List of values for 2019-04
No
2018-06
List of values for 2018-06
No