397 incumbent members sought reelection, but 8 were defeated in primaries and 45 defeated in the general election for a total of 344 incumbents winning.[1]
While the GOP performed badly nationally, Goldwater's tremendous success in the Deep South led to the election of several Republicans to the House from those states, many of them the first Republicans elected there since Reconstruction. These "Goldwater Republicans" were elected:
Incumbent resigned January 7, 1964, to become Mayor of San Francisco. New member elected February 18, 1964. Democratic hold; winner was subsequently re-elected.
Alabama, which had not agreed on a redistricting plan until 1964 and had elected all members at-large in 1962, went back to electing from districts. While most of the at-large representatives were former district representatives and were thus geographically diverse, the 1st district near Mobile lacked an incumbent, and neither of the incumbents who lived in the 7th district were nominated.[2]
Georgia redistricted its existing 12 districts, dividing the Atlanta-area 5th district into a 4th and 5th district, renumbering the existing 4th district to the 6th, and dividing the existing central Georgia 6th district up between its neighbors with compensating boundary changes elsewhere.[2]
Michigan redistricted, converting its at-large seat into a 19th district and realigning the other districts to account for population growth in the Detroit suburbs.[2] Two Democratic seats and one Republican seat were eliminated or combined at redistricting, but the defeat of three Republican incumbents and the election of Democrats to all the new seats yielded a net shift of four seats, changing the party balance from 11–8 Republican to 12–7 Democratic.
Wisconsin redistricted to adjust for demographic changes, merging the existing 9th district into the neighboring 3rd district in the west and forming a new 9th district in the Milwaukee suburbs with compensating boundary changes elsewhere.[2]
^ abcdeMartis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress, 1789-1989. Prentice Hall College Div. ISBN0-02-920170-5.
Works cited
Abramson, Paul; Aldrich, John; Rohde, David (1995). Change and Continuity in the 1992 Elections. CQ Press. ISBN0871878399.