They coincided with the election of Ronald Reagan as president, defeating Democratic incumbent Jimmy Carter.

The Democrats nonetheless retained a significant majority, unlike the Senate elections, where Republicans gained control of the chamber.

However, many Democratic congressmen from the south (known as "Boll weevils") frequently took conservative stances on issues, allowing Republicans to have a working ideological majority for some of President Reagan's proposals during his first two years in office.

It was also the first time that the new Libertarian Party received the third-largest share of the popular vote in both chambers of Congress.

This is the earliest House election with currently serving members, those being Chris Smith and Hal Rogers.