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The People's Business
(A Time for Change)
 

The House of Representatives
 

The House has 435 seats, allocated to states based on population.  Each state has at least one Representative.  All House seats are up for election at the same time: in November of every even-numbered year.

 Representatives may serve any number of terms.

  
 
 
 

 Total Cost (Net Operating Expenses) to elect the full House of Representatives in 2009-10: 

$951,700,868.54

  
         
 

 Total Net Operating Expenses of the Winners:

 $529,365,279.61

(55.62% of the Total Cost)

  

 Total Net Operating Expenses of the top-spending Opponent in each race:

 $317,557,417.29

(33.37% of the Total Cost)

  
 
 

The top-spending two candidates in each race spent 88.99% of the total funds expended. 

All the other candidates (996 people) shared the remaining 11.01%   

($104,778,171.64).

  
 

Data extracted from the Federal Election Commission Candidate Summary Reports located at  http://www.fec.gov/data/
 
 
 

 Total Number of Seats:  435

 Incumbents won 77% of the time (335 seats)
Challengers won 13% of the time (58 seats)
The remaining 10% of the contests were for 42 Open Seats

 
         
 

 35 seats were uncontested

ie: there was no opponent listed on the Federal Elections Commission files who reported to the FEC that they spent any money on the race

The total spent by the winners of these races was

 $20,973,890.15

  

 

Out of 58 wins by Challengers,

only 9 out-spent their Opponents.

  

 

 
         
 
  Average spent on a single race:

  Average spent by the winner:   

  Average spent by a winning Incumbent:          
  Average spent by a winning Challenger:
  Average spent by the winner of an Open Seat:
 
$2,187,818.09 

$1,216,931.68
    
$1,131,578.97
$1,548,780.21
$1,439,454.09
  		 
         

Data extracted from the Federal Election Commission Candidate Summary Reports located at  http://www.fec.gov/data/
         
 
 

 We are currently spending $1B every other year to re-elect over three-quarters of the same people!

 This equates to $1.15M
per Representative per year.

 
 
 

Longest-Serving Incumbents:

 

State, District

Representative

Party

Assumed Office

Born In

Age

Years in Office

  
 

Michigan 15

Dingell, John

Democratic

1955

1926

86

57

  
 

Michigan 14

Conyers, John

Democratic

1965

1929

83

47

  
 

Florida 10

Young, Bill

Republican

1971

1930

82

41

  
 

New York 15

Rangel, Charles

Democratic

1971

1930

82

41

  
 

Alaska At Large

Young, Don

Republican

1973

1933

79

39

  
 

California 13

Stark, Pete

Democratic

1973

1931

81

39

  
 

California  7

Miller, George

Democratic

1975

1945

67

37

  
 

California 30

Waxman, Henry

Democratic

1975

1939

73

37

  
 

Massachusetts 7

Markey, Ed

Democratic

1976

1946

66

36

  
 

Michigan  5

Kildee, Dale

Democratic

1977

1929

83

35

  
 

Washington 6

Dicks, Norm

Democratic

1977

1940

72

35

  
 
 

Years Serving:

 

Years Serving

# of Representatives

  
 

Over 50

1

  
 

40 - 49

3

  
 

30 - 39

17

  
 

20 - 29

39

  
 

10 - 19

127

  
 

Under 10

246

  
 

Vacant

2

  
 

TOTAL

435

  
 

Data extracted from Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_current_members_of_the_United_States_House_of_Representatives_by_age_and_generation

Assumed Office dates from each Representative's Wikipedia page.
 
 

10 Most Economical Wins: 

 

State, District

Winning Representative
 (Years in Office)

Incumbent/
Challenger

Winner Spent

Faced # of
Opponents

  
 

California 38

Napolitano, Grace  (13)

I

$112,470.96

0

  
 

Texas  9

Green, Al  (7)

I

$137,070.99

2

  
 

New York 16

Serrano, José  (22)

I

$159,412.68

0

  
 

Colorado 5

Lamborn, Doug  (5)

I

$164,392.58

0

  
 

Pennsylvania  2

Fattah, Chaka  (17)

I

$178,523.93

1

  
 

Illinois  4

Gutierrez, Luis  (19)

I

$205,995.73

0

  
 

Kentucky 1

Whitfield, Ed  (17)

I

$217,506.09

0

  
 

Nebraska 1

Fortenberry, Jeff  (7)

I

$231,390.14

3

  
 

Pennsylvania 19

Platts, Todd  (11)

I

$250,658.92

3

  
 

Florida  1

Miller, Jeff  (11)

I

$260,597.61

3

  
 

10 Most Expensive Wins: 

 

State, District

 Winning Representative
 (Years in Office)		 Incumbent/
Challenger

Winner Spent

Faced # of
Opponents

  
 

Minnesota 6

Bachmann, Michele  (5)

I

$11,226,770.32

6

  
 

Florida 22

West, Allen

C

$6,484,941.91

2

  
 

Ohio  8

Boehner, John  (21)

I

$5,189,160.45

2

  
 

Virginia  7

Cantor, Eric  (11)

I

$5,038,655.34

3

  
 

South Carolina 2

Wilson, Joe  (11)

I

$4,497,665.41

2

  
 

Virginia  2

Rigell, Scott

C

$4,322,002.93

7

  
 

New York 15

Rangel, Charles  (41)

I

$3,711,046.80

5

  
 

Massachusetts  4

Frank, Barney  (31)

I

$3,626,478.81

4

  
 

Arizona 8

Giffords, Gabrielle  (5)

I

$3,557,030.77

5

  
 

New York  2

Israel, Steve  (11)

I

$3,444,906.81

4

  
 

Most money spent by a winner in an uncontested race: 

 

California 22

McCarthy, Kevin  (5)

I

$1,541,149.63

   
 

Data extracted from the Federal Election Commission Candidate Summary Reports located at  http://www.fec.gov/data/
 
 

10 Most Expensive Losses:

 

State, District

Winning Representative
 (Years in Office)

 Incumbent/
Challenger

Winner Spent

Biggest Loser
Spent

  
 

Florida  8

Webster. Daniel

C

$1,739,574.76

$5,379,890.61

 
 

Florida 22

West, Allen

C

$6,484,941.91

$5,165,880.72

 
 

New York 20

Gibson, Chris

C

$1,726,093.24

$5,065,040.90

 
 

Pennsylvania 12

Critz, Mark  (2)

I

$2,411,513.80

$5,043,978.56

 
 

Minnesota 6

Bachmann, Michele  (5)

I

$11,226,770.32

$4,511,186.47

 
 

New York  1

Bishop, Tim  (9)

I

$2,540,759.92

$4,319,337.09

 
 

Pennsylvania  8

Fitzpatrick, Mike

C

$1,997,623.26

$4,196,696.69

 
 

Texas 17

Flores, Bill

C

$3,285,437.92

$3,813,401.14

 
 

Florida  2

Southerland, Steve

C

$1,284,201.24

$3,801,299.37

 
 

Illinois 14

Hultgren, Randy

C

$1,550,352.71

$3,714,909.21

 
 

Data extracted from the Federal Election Commission Candidate Summary Reports located at  http://www.fec.gov/data/
 
 

10 Most Expensive Races: 

 

State, District

Winning Representative
 (Years in Office)

 Incumbent/
Challenger/
Open Seat

Total Expenses
for the Race

Faced # of
Opponents

  
 

Minnesota 6

Bachmann, Michele  (5)

I

$16,502,856.21

6

  
 

Florida 22

West, Allen

C

$11,669,001.87

2

  
 

Pennsylvania 12

Critz, Mark  (2)

I

$9,654,082.35

5

  
 

Tennessee 8

Fincher, Stephen

O

$9,319,035.58

9

  
 

New York  1

Bishop, Tim  (9)

I

$9,169,046.16

6

  
 

Florida  8

Webster. Daniel

C

$8,839,971.64

12

  
 

Illinois 10

Dold, Robert

O

$8,693,320.91

10

  
 

New York 23

Owens, Bill  (3)

I

$8,221,707.35

3

  
 

New York 20

Gibson, Chris

C

$8,220,031.77

5

  
 

Texas 17

Flores, Bill

C

$7,729,339.89

6

  
 

10 Least Expensive Races: 

 

State, District

Winning Representative
 (Years in Office)

 Incumbent/
Challenger

Total Expenses
for the Race

Faced # of
Opponents

  
 

California 38

Napolitano, Grace  (13)

I

$112,470.96

0

  
 

Texas  9

Green, Al  (7)

I

$158,909.99

2

  
 

New York 16

Serrano, José  (22)

I

$159,412.68

0

  
 

Colorado 5

Lamborn, Doug  (5)

I

$164,392.58

0

  
 

Pennsylvania  2

Fattah, Chaka  (17)

I

$193,622.93

1

  
 

Illinois  4

Gutierrez, Luis  (19)

I

$205,995.73

0

  
 

Kentucky 1

Whitfield, Ed  (17)

I

$217,506.09

0

  
 

Nebraska 1

Fortenberry, Jeff  (7)

I

$248,793.06

3

  
 

California 13

Stark, Pete  (39)

I

$304,843.32

2

  
 

Texas 24

Marchant, Kenny  (7)

I

$306,427.19

1

  
 

Data extracted from the Federal Election Commission Candidate Summary Reports located at  http://www.fec.gov/data/
 

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