1862–63 United States House of Representatives elections

The 1862–63 United States House of Representatives elections were held between June 2, 1862, and November 3, 1863, to elect the 184 members and eight non-voting delegates of the House of Representatives. The Republican-Union coalition won a reduced majority against the backdrop of the American Civil War.

In the first real test of opposition to the Lincoln administration, the Democratic Party made large gains in these and concurrent elections held in 1862 and 1863 but failed to take control of the House. Much of the campaign focussed on emancipation and Lincoln's handling of the war. Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, weeks before critical races in Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, (October 14) and New York (November 3). Democrats denounced emancipation as tyrannical and a threat to white supremacy. Democratic election propaganda charged their opponents with bloodlust and religious fanaticism and made frequent appeals to anti-Black racism. While Radical Republicans defended the measure, others felt compelled to distance themselves from the president's policy. In Indiana and Ohio, the Union Party downplayed the slavery issue. The issue was particularly troublesome for Unionists in the border states. Kentucky's Union Democratic Party disavowed the proclamation ahead of congressional elections held in August 1863. In Maryland and Missouri, Unionists welcomed emancipation in principle but divided over questions over gradual versus immediate abolition and the enlistment of Black soldiers.

Other issues impacted the election, including Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus, conscription, and the progress of the war. Inconclusive Union victories at Antietam, Corinth, and Perryville contributed to a perception that the administration's military strategy was ineffective. Democrats charged the administration with subordinating the restoration of the Union to the radical social policy of the abolitionist movement.

During this election, the Republican Party formed a coalition with War Democrats and border state unionists who supported the war effort. In most states, this coalition was known as the Union Party or as the Republican-Union Party. In parts of New England and the Upper Midwest, pro-administration candidates still called themselves Republicans. The Missouri Unionists were known as the Emancipation Party and split between Immediate and Gradual Emancipationists during this election. The Republican-Union coalition became the basis for the National Union Party which contested the next election.

While contemporary observers interpreted the elections as a "severe reproof" of the administration, the results of the elections were inconclusive. Democrats flipped more than 30 seats compared to the last election, while Republican-Unionists suffered serious losses across the Lower North. The strong showing for Union candidates in the border states, however, salvaged the Republican-Unionist majority. Among the defeated Republican-Unionists was the incumbent speaker of the House of Representatives Galusha A. Grow, who lost his Pennsylvania district to a Democratic challenger. This was the last election in which a sitting speaker of the House was defeated for re-election until 1994, when George Nethercutt defeated Tom Foley in Washington's 5th congressional district.