2009 state legislative elections analyzed using a Competitiveness Index

2009 Competitiveness Overview

Primary competition (state comparison)
Major party challengers (state comparison)
Open seats (state comparisons)
Competitiveness Index • Absolute Index • Comparisons Between Years
2009 State Legislative Elections
Competitiveness Studies from Other Years
2007 • 2010 • 2011

By Geoff Pallay with Kevin Diana, Tyler King and Justin Haas

180 of the country's 7,384 state legislative seats were up for election in the November 3, 2009 elections. Only the New Jersey General Assembly and Virginia House of Delegates held regular elections in 2009.

This article is an overview of our analysis of the degree of competitiveness in 2009's state legislative elections. The analysis utilized this 3-factor "Competitiveness Index" .

Using our 3-factor "Competitiveness Index", we've contrasted the two states that held elections.

This study was conducted looking back on the elections, after they had already taken place. The primary purpose of this was in order to use these results to contrast with the upcoming 2011 elections.

Status	House
Seats up	180
Incumbents running	161
% with no incumbent	10.5%
Incumbents with no primary	131
% with no primary	81.4%
Candidates with no major party opposition	48
% with no major party opposition	26.7%

Comparing the two states to the 2010 Competitiveness Index reveals that New Jersey would have ranked among the more competitive states while Virginia would have been near the bottom of the rankings.

Open seats

Main article: Open seats in the 2009 state legislative elections

In 161 (89.5%) of the 180 seats up for election on November 3, the incumbent ran for re-election.

In 19 (10.5%) of the 180 seats up for election on November 3, the incumbent did not run for re-election.

Primary challenges

Main article: Incumbents with no primary challenger in the 2009 state legislative elections

Least competitive state

Virginia: 4.44%. In Virginia, 4 out of 100 incumbents running for election in 2009 faced a primary, which means that 95.66% of the 90 incumbents running automatically advanced to the general election.

Most competitive state

New Jersey: 36.62%. In New Jersey, 26 out of 71 incumbents running for election in 2009 faced a primary, which means that 63.38% of the 71 incumbents running automatically advanced to the general election.

No opposition

Main article: Major party candidates with no major party challengers in the November 2009 state legislative elections

Least competitive state

Virginia: 44.00% In Virginia, 44 of 100 seats up for election contain only one major party candidate, meaning in 66.00% of the races there are Democratic and Republican candidates.

Most competitive state

New Jersey: 5.00%. In New Jersey, 4 of 80 seats up for election contain only one major party candidate, meaning in 95.00% of the races there are Democratic and Republican candidates.

v • e Competitiveness in State Legislative Elections

Background	A "Competitiveness Index" for capturing competitiveness in state legislative elections • Creating an absolute measure for the "Competitiveness Index" in state legislative elections • Year-by-year comparison of results • Factors Affecting Competitiveness in State Legislative Elections

2024	Competitiveness Analysis Main Page • Impact of term limits • Open seats • Contested primaries • Incumbents in contested primaries • Major party competition • Incumbents defeated • Unconsted incumbents • Primary statistics

2023	Competitiveness Analysis Main Page • Impact of term limits • Open seats • Contested primaries • Incumbents in contested primaries • Major party competition • Incumbents defeated • Primary statistics

2022	Competitiveness Analysis Main Page • Impact of term limits • Open seats • Contested primaries • Incumbents in contested primaries • Major party competition • Incumbents defeated • Primary statistics

2021	Competitiveness Analysis Main Page • Major party competition • Open seats • Impact of term limits • Incumbents in contested primaries • Primary competitiveness • Incumbents defeated

2020	Competitiveness Analysis Main Page • Major party candidates with major party opposition • Open seats • Impact of term limits • Incumbents in contested primaries • Primary competitiveness • Incumbents defeated

2019	Competitiveness Analysis Main Page • Major party candidates with major party opposition • Open seats • Impact of term limits • Primary competitiveness • Incumbents defeated

2018	Competitiveness Analysis Main Page • Major party candidates with major party opposition • Open seats • Aftermath of the 2016 presidential election

2017	Primary competitiveness • Open seats • Incumbents with no primary challenger • Major party candidates with major party opposition • Incumbents defeated

2016	Competitiveness Analysis Main Page • Open Seats • Incumbents with no primary challenger • Major party candidates with major party opposition • Incumbents defeated

2015	Competitiveness Analysis Main Page • Open Seats • Incumbents with no primary challenger • Major party candidates with major party opposition • States Compared by Competitiveness • Incumbents defeated • Victorious challengers • List of candidates with no primary or general election opposition

2014	Competitiveness Analysis Main Page • Open Seats • Incumbents with no primary challenger • Major party candidates with major party opposition • States Compared by Competitiveness • Incumbents defeated • Victorious challengers • List of candidates with no primary or general election opposition

2013	Competitiveness Analysis Main Page • Open Seats • Incumbents with no primary challenger • Major party candidates with major party opposition • States Compared by Competitiveness • Incumbents with no primary or general election opposition • Incumbents defeated • Victorious challengers • List of candidates with no major party opposition

2012	Competitiveness Analysis Main Page • Open Seats • Incumbents with no primary challenger • Major party candidates with major party opposition • States Compared by Competitiveness • Incumbents with no primary or general election opposition • Incumbents defeated • Victorious challengers • List of candidates with no major party opposition • Impact of term limits

2011	Competitiveness Analysis Main Page • Open Seats • Incumbents with no primary challenger • Major party candidates with major party opposition • States Compared by Competitiveness • Incumbents with no primary or general election opposition • Incumbents defeated • Victorious challengers • List of candidates with no major party opposition • Impact of term limits

2010	Competitiveness Analysis Main Page • Open Seats •Incumbents with no primary challenger • Major party candidates with major party opposition • States Compared by Competitiveness • Incumbents with no primary or general election opposition • Incumbents defeated • Victorious challengers • List of candidates with no major party opposition • Impact of term limits

2009	Competitiveness Analysis Main Page • Open Seats • Incumbents with no primary challenger • Major party candidates with major party opposition

2007	Competitiveness Analysis Main Page • Open Seats • Incumbents with no primary challenger • Major party candidates with major party opposition

v • e State legislatures

Legislatures	Alabama (H, S) · Alaska (H, S) · Arizona (H, S) · Arkansas (H, S) · California (A, S) · Colorado (H, S) · Connecticut (H, S) · Delaware (H, S) · Florida (H, S) · Georgia (H, S) · Hawaii (H, S) · Idaho (H, S) · Illinois (H, S) · Indiana (H, S) · Iowa (H, S) · Kansas (H, S) · Kentucky (H, S) · Louisiana (H, S) · Maine (H, S) · Maryland (H, S) · Massachusetts (H, S) · Michigan (H, S) · Minnesota (H, S) · Mississippi (H, S) · Missouri (H, S) · Montana (H, S) · Nebraska · Nevada (A, S) · New Hampshire (H, S) · New Jersey (GA, S) · New Mexico (H, S) · New York (A, S) · North Carolina (H, S) · North Dakota (H, S) · Ohio (H, S) · Oklahoma (H, S) · Oregon (H, S) · Pennsylvania (H, S) · Rhode Island (H, S) · South Carolina (H, S) · South Dakota (H, S) · Tennessee (H, S) · Texas (H, S) · Utah (H, S) · Vermont (H, S) · Virginia (H, S) · Washington (H, S) · West Virginia (H, S) · Wisconsin (A, S) · Wyoming (H, S)

2025	State legislative elections (2025) • State legislative special elections (2025) • Primary dates and filing requirements • 2025 Session Dates

2024	State legislative elections (2024) • State legislative special elections (2024) • Primary dates and filing requirements • 2024 Session Dates

2023	State legislative elections (2023) • State legislative special elections (2023) • Primary dates and filing requirements • 2023 Session Dates

Historical elections	2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010 • 2009 • 2008 • 2007 • 2006 • 2005 • 2004 • 2003 • 2002 • 2001 • 2000

Features of state legislatures	How vacancies are filled in state legislatures • States with a full-time legislature • State legislatures with term limits • Comparison of state legislative salaries • When state legislators assume office after a general election • Population represented by state legislators • State constitutional articles governing state legislatures • State legislative sessions • Resign-to-run law • State legislature candidate requirements by state • Official names of state legislatures • State legislative chambers that use multi-member districts • Factors Affecting Competitiveness in State Legislative Elections

State senates	Length of terms of state senators • State senators • Partisan composition of state senates • State senators sorted by year first elected

State houses	Length of terms of state representatives • State representatives • Partisan composition of state houses • State representatives sorted by year first elected

Leadership positions	President of the Senate • President Pro Tempore • Senate Majority Leader • Senate Minority Leader • House Majority Leader • House Minority Leader • State Speaker of the House

2009 state legislative elections analyzed using a Competitiveness Index

Open seats

Contents

Primary challenges

No opposition

Information about voting

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