PolitiFinder

Biggest U.S. House landslides

The most lopsided races for the U.S. House of Representatives, ranked by the winner’s margin over the runner-up.

What is the biggest landslide in a U.S. House election?

Dennis M. Hertel’s 1982 win in Michigan’s 14th district, with 94.95% of the vote to Harold H. Dunn’s 5.04%, an 89.9-point margin, the widest of any single-member House race with a real second-place finisher.

Biggest U.S. House landslides
#ElectionResultMargin
11982 MichiganDennis M. Hertel def. Harold H. Dunn+89.9 pts
21936 CaliforniaRichard Welch def. Gilbert McMillan Ross+89.6 pts
31952 North CarolinaL. H. Fountain def. Elihu A White+89.6 pts
41980 AlabamaJack Edwards def. Steve Smith+89.5 pts
51974 MassachusettsMargaret M. Heckler def. Barry F Monahan+89.4 pts
61982 TexasPhil Gramm def. Ron Hard+89.1 pts
71970 CaliforniaAugustus F. Gus Hawkins def. Carl A Johnson+89.1 pts
81944 GeorgiaRobert Ramspeck def. H H Alexander+89.0 pts
92004 PennsylvaniaPaul E. Kanjorski def. Kenneth C. Brenneman+88.8 pts
101976 MarylandParren J. Mitchell def. William Salisbury+88.8 pts
111978 North CarolinaIke Andrews def. Naudeen Beek+88.7 pts
121960 TexasClark Thompson def. A D Rogers+88.6 pts
131982 TexasCharles Wilson def. Ed Richbourg+88.5 pts
141938 CaliforniaAlbert Carter def. Dave L Saunders+88.5 pts
151976 LouisianaGillis W. Long def. Kent Courtney+88.4 pts
161988 AlabamaWilliam L. Bill Dickinson def. Joel Brooke King+88.4 pts
172004 TexasGene Green def. Clifford Lee Messina+88.3 pts
181974 IllinoisRalph H. Metcalfe def. Oscar H Haynes+88.3 pts
191996 IllinoisJesse L. Jackson Jr. def. Frank H. Stratman+88.1 pts
202012 South CarolinaJames E Jim Clyburn def. Nammu Y. Muhammad+88.1 pts
211976 TennesseeAlbert N. Gore Jr. def. William H. McGlamery+88.1 pts
221944 TexasJesse Combs def. Lanar Cecil+88.1 pts
231976 KentuckyJohn B. Breckinridge def. Anthony Albert McCord+88.0 pts
241980 AlabamaRonnie G. Flippo def. Betty T. Benson+88.0 pts
251940 CaliforniaClarence Lea def. Albert J Lima+88.0 pts

How this ranking is measured

U.S. House general elections ranked by the largest gap in vote share between the top two finishers. To keep the list to genuinely contested blowouts we require a real second-place finisher (at least 5% of the vote) in a single-member district, which sets aside uncontested seats, multi-member contests, and rows where the data is missing a major candidate.

Compiled by PolitiFinder · published June 14, 2026 · sources: Data & sources · data last verified August 15, 2026.