Success Rates & Quality of Nonincumbent House Candidates, 1946-1994*

 
Type of Race
Number of Cases
Winners 
Former Officeholders
Open Seats      
       
No general election opponent
38
100.0%
76.3%
Held by Candidate's party
1,006
73.7%
66.8%
Held by Neither party
244
50.0%
52.9%
Held by opposite party
1,006
26.3%
37.3%
Total
2,294
50.0%
52.5%
Challengers to Incumbents      
       
Incumbent's vote in
last election (%)		      
50-54.9
1,657
20.3%
44.7%
55-59.9
1,582
8.5%
28.9%
60-64.9
1,514
4.4%
19.2%
65-69.9
1,289
2.3%
14.1%
70 +
1,910
0.5%
8.8%
unopposed
1,557
1.1%
5.1%
Total
9,509
6.3%
20.2%

Gary Jacobson, "The Politics of Congressional Elections," Longman 1997.