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2018 election analysis: Incumbent win rates by state
Updated 4:00pm EST, December 21, 2018
This content is part of Ballotpedia's analysis of the 2018 midterm elections. For comprehensive election results, click here.
Ballotpedia covered all federal and state races on November 6, 2018, as well as local elections in America's 100 largest cities by population. In the 2018 general election, an average of 92 percent of incumbents nationwide won their re-election bids. This percentage includes races in which incumbents ran unopposed.
Incumbents had the lowest win rates in Texas, holding their seats in 81 percent of races. In just one state, Mississippi, 100 percent of incumbents held their seats.
The table below shows the win rate for each state:
| 2018 incumbent win rate by state | |
|---|---|
| State | Incumbent win rate |
| Alabama | 96% |
| Alaska | 88% |
| Arizona | 91% |
| Arkansas | 95% |
| California | 85% |
| Colorado | 90% |
| Connecticut | 91% |
| Delaware | 92% |
| Florida | 94% |
| Georgia | 95% |
| Hawaii | 98% |
| Idaho | 93% |
| Illinois | 93% |
| Indiana | 95% |
| Iowa | 91% |
| Kansas | 92% |
| Kentucky | 88% |
| Louisiana | 91% |
| Maine | 91% |
| Maryland | 93% |
| Massachusetts | 98% |
| Michigan | 92% |
| Minnesota | 87% |
| Mississippi | 100% |
| Missouri | 97% |
| Montana | 97% |
| Nebraska | 92% |
| Nevada | 87% |
| New Hampshire | 83% |
| New Jersey | 89% |
| New Mexico | 83% |
| New York | 90% |
| North Carolina | 87% |
| North Dakota | 93% |
| Ohio | 92% |
| Oklahoma | 93% |
| Oregon | 97% |
| Pennsylvania | 94% |
| Rhode Island | 96% |
| South Carolina | 98% |
| South Dakota | 95% |
| Tennessee | 97% |
| Texas | 81% |
| Utah | 95% |
| Vermont | 94% |
| Virginia | 86% |
| Washington | 94% |
| West Virginia | 86% |
| Wisconsin | 96% |
| Wyoming | 94% |
| District of Columbia | 93% |
Map
See also
- 2018 election analysis: State government trifectas
- 2018 election analysis: Partisan balance of state legislative chambers
- 2018 election analysis: State legislative supermajorities
- 2018 election analysis: Incumbents defeated in state legislative elections
- 2018 election analysis: Partisan balance of governors
- 2018 election analysis: State government triplexes
- 2018 election analysis: Control of the U.S. House
- 2018 election analysis: Control of the U.S. Senate
- 2018 election analysis: Was 2018 a wave election?
Footnotes
