Following the U.S. House

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 election of 1858, the Republicans gained control of the House for the first time, benefiting from the continued breakdown in the anti-immigration and anti-Catholic American Party of the Know Nothing Movement, and from strife within the Democratic Party.

The Republicans were actually several seats short of a numerical majority, but were able to exercise authority by mustering support from members of other parties. The deeply divided Democrats continued to fall apart due to the slavery issue, losing a number of seats, and the American Party all but collapsed. A number of former Whigs who were dissatisfied with their short membership in the Republican Party, as well as some former Know Nothings, formed the Opposition Party, which generally allied more with the Republicans than Democrats.

Overall results

Party	Total seats (change)		Seat percentage
Republican Party	116	+26	48.7%
Democratic Party	83	-49	34.9%
Opposition Party Opposition Party (United States) The Opposition Party in the United States is a label with two different applications in Congressional history, as a majority party in Congress 1854-58, and as a Third Party in the South 1858-1860....	19	+19	8.0%
Anti-Lecompton Democrat	8	+8	3.3%
Independent Democrats	7	+6	2.9%
American Party	5	-9	2.1%
Totals	238	+1	100%

California

Note: From statehood to 1864, California's representatives were elected at-large, with the top two vote-getters winning election from 1849 to 1858; in 1860 when California gained a seat in the House the top three vote-getters were elected.

District	Incumbents	Status	Candidates	Winners
	Charles L. Scott Charles L. Scott Charles Lewis Scott is a former American Democratic politician from California.-Biography:Charles L. Scott was born January 23, 1827 in Richmond, Virginia. His father was Robert G. Scott, well known attorney and politition of Richmond VA who was born in McIntosh Co. GA and died in AL. His mother... (Democratic)	Ran for re-election	John C. Burch John C. Burch John Chilton Burch was a California Democratic politician and United States Congressman. He served as the Secretary of the United States Senate from 1879 through 1881....  (Democratic) 28.4% Charles L. Scott Charles L. Scott Charles Lewis Scott is a former American Democratic politician from California.-Biography:Charles L. Scott was born January 23, 1827 in Richmond, Virginia. His father was Robert G. Scott, well known attorney and politition of Richmond VA who was born in McIntosh Co. GA and died in AL. His mother...  (Democratic) 28.1% Joseph C. McKibbin Joseph C. McKibbin Joseph Chambers McKibbin was a California Democratic politician.McKibbin was born 1824 in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.He received a common-school education then attended Princeton College 1840-1842....  (Anti-Lecompton Democratic) 21.4% Edward D. Baker (Republican) 20.4% S. A. Booker (Anti-Lecompton Democratic) 1.5% P. H. Sibley (Republican) 0.1%	John C. Burch John C. Burch John Chilton Burch was a California Democratic politician and United States Congressman. He served as the Secretary of the United States Senate from 1879 through 1881.... (Democratic)
	Joseph C. McKibbin Joseph C. McKibbin Joseph Chambers McKibbin was a California Democratic politician.McKibbin was born 1824 in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.He received a common-school education then attended Princeton College 1840-1842.... (Anti-Lecompton Democratic)	Ran for re-election		Charles L. Scott Charles L. Scott Charles Lewis Scott is a former American Democratic politician from California.-Biography:Charles L. Scott was born January 23, 1827 in Richmond, Virginia. His father was Robert G. Scott, well known attorney and politition of Richmond VA who was born in McIntosh Co. GA and died in AL. His mother... (Democratic)