Senate

	2010 Legislative Election Results
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Other 2010 Election information
	State legislative election results • Statewide elections, 2010 • State Senate elections • State House elections

	2010 Legislative Election Results
State-by-State Analysis
	Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan• Minnesota • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming
Other 2010 Election information
	State legislative election results • Statewide elections, 2010 • State Senate elections • State House elections

	2010 Legislative Election Results
State-by-State Analysis
	Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan• Minnesota • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming
Other 2010 Election information
	State legislative election results • Statewide elections, 2010 • State Senate elections • State House elections

Alabama State Senate Election Results

This page contains macro-level election results and analysis for the Alabama State Senate. For results in individual contests see our Alabama State Senate elections, 2010 page. The following is a breakdown of the state senate before and after the election:

Alabama State Senate
Party		As of November 1, 2010	After the 2010 Election
	Democratic Party	20	12
	Republican Party	15	22
	Independent	0	1
Total		35	35

What You'll See on This Page

This page displays the following lists of candidates

Incumbents who ran on November 2
Incumbents who were defeated
Challengers who defeated an incumbent
Newly elected senators
List of all winners
Unopposed candidates
Third party candidates

State Senate Overview:

There were 26 incumbents who ran in the November 2 general election. Only 7 incumbents lost, and thus 19 incumbents were re-elected to the Alabama State Senate.

No Republican incumbents lost in the general election, while 7 Democratic incumbents lost.

There will be 16 new senators sworn-in. Of those 16, 3 are Democrats and 13 are Republicans

Of the 35 seats up for election, 12 were won by Democrats, 22 by Republicans and 1 by an Independent.

13 candidates were unopposed, 6 Democrats and 7 Republicans.

Only 1 candidates ran as an independent or third party candidate in the general election.

Incumbency Analysis

Of the 1,167 state senate seats up for election in 2010, incumbents ran for 894 (76.6%) of them. Of these 894, 94 lost their re-election bids, 89 Democrats and 5 Republicans. In Alabama, nine incumbent senators did not run for re-election on the November 2 ballot, while 26 incumbents (74.3%) ran for re-election. Of these 26 incumbents, 7 were defeated. All 7 were Democrats.

Incumbents who ran on November 2

Arthur Orr, first elected to the Alabama State Senate in 2006

The following is a list of all of the incumbents who ran on the November 2 general election ballot:

Incumbents defeated

Larry Means, first elected to the state senate in 1998, was defeated in 2010.

The following is a list of incumbents defeated on November 2:

Candidate	Party	District
Larry Means
Lowell Barron
Phil Poole
T.D. Little
Wendell Mitchell
Zebulon Little

Challengers who beat an incumbent

The following is a list of challengers who defeated an incumbent on November 2:

Gerald Allen defeated incumbent Phil Poole in the general election.

Candidate	Party	District
Bill Holtzclaw
Bryan Taylor
Gerald Allen
Phillip Williams
Shadrack McGill
Tom Whatley
Paul Bussman

New State Senators and General Election Winners

388 new senators were elected across the country. This includes challengers who defeated incumbents as well as candidates who won open seats. Of these 388, 278 were Republicans and 110 were Democrats. In Alabama, 16 new senators will be sworn-in. Of those 16, 3 are Democrats and 13 are Republicans. In the 9 open seat contests, Republicans won 6 and Democrats 3. In total, Alabama elected 35 senators, 22 Republicans, 12 Democrats, and 1 Independent.

Newly elected senators

Billy Beasley was elected to the Alabama State Senate in 2010

The following are the newly-elected members of the Alabama State Senate:

Democratic

Republican

Open Seat Winners

The following is a list of candidates who won election in seats where no incumbent was running:

Democratic

Republican

Candidates who won election

The following is a list of all candidates elected to the Alabama State Senate:

Democratic

Harri Anne Smith was first elected to the senate in 1998 as a Republican. She was re-elected in 2010 as an Independent.

Republican

Independent

Harri Anne Smith

Competitiveness

Henry Sanders, one of the six unopposed Democratic senate candidates in 2010

Across the nation, 1,167 state senate seats were up for election in 2010. 1,143 of those seats were partisan seats (24 seats were up for election in Nebraska's nonpartisan unicameral legislature). In 320 (28.0%) of these state senate contests, there was a major party candidate with no major party opposition. In Alabama, 12 candidates (24.0% of seats) faced no major party opposition. Of these 12, 1 was a Democrat and 11 were Republicans.

Unopposed candidates in general election

The following candidates did not face major party competition:

Democratic

Republican

Ballot Access

Across the nation, 140 independent or third party candidates ran for state senate. In Alabama, 1 (1.7%) of the 58 senate candidates ran as an independent or third party candidate. She won election in the November 2 general election.

Third party candidates

The following is a list of third party and independent candidates who ran in 2010:

House

Alabama State House Election Results

This page contains macro-level election results and analysis for the Alabama House of Representatives. For results in individual contests, see our Alabama House of Representatives elections, 2010. The following is a breakdown of the state house before and after the election:

Alabama House of Representatives
Party		As of November 1, 2010	After the 2010 Election
	Democratic Party	60	39
	Republican Party	43	66
	Vacancy	2	-
Total		105	105

What You'll See on This Page

This page displays the following lists of candidates

Incumbents who ran on November 2
Incumbents who were defeated
Challengers who defeated an incumbent
Newly elected senators
List of all winners
Unopposed candidates
Third party candidates

State House Overview:

There were 87 incumbents who ran in the November 2 general election. Only 15 incumbents lost, and thus 72 incumbents were re-elected to the Alabama House of Representatives.

One Republican incumbent lost in the general election, while 14 incumbent Democratic incumbents lost.

There will be 33 new representatives sworn-in. Of those 33, 8 are Democrats and 25 are Republicans

Of the 105 seats up for election, 42 were won by Democrats and 63 by Republicans.

63 candidates were unopposed, 30 Democrats and 33 Republicans.

Only 8 candidates ran as an independent or third party candidate in the general election.

Incumbency Analysis

Of the 4,958 state house seats up for election, incumbents ran in the general election for 4,091 (79.5%) of them. Of these 4,091 incumbents, 413 lost their re-election bids, 403 Democrats and 10 Republicans. In Alabama, 87 (82.9%) incumbents ran in the general election. Of these 87, 15 incumbent representatives were defeated. One was a Republican and 14 incumbents were Democrats.

Incumbents who ran on November 2

The following is a list of all of the incumbents who ran on the November 2 general election ballot:

Incumbents defeated

The following is a list of incumbents defeated on November 2:

Candidate	Party	District
Mike Curtis
James C. Fields
Ken Guin
Tommy Sherer
Henry White
Jody Letson
William Thigpen
Randy Hinshaw
Jack Page
Butch Taylor
James Martin (Alabama)
Jeffrey McLaughlin
Terry Spicer
Betty Carol Graham
David Grimes

Challengers who beat an incumbent

The following is a list of challengers who defeated an incumbent on November 2:

Candidate	Party	District
Lynn Greer (Alabama)
Dan Williams (Alabama)
Ken Johnson
Richard Baughn
Jim Patterson (Alabama)
Kurt Wallace
Mac Buttram
Mark M. Tuggle
Wayne Johnson (Alabama)
Becky Nordgren
Joseph Lister Hubbard
Wes Long (Alabama)
Bill Roberts (Alabama)
Barry Moore (Alabama)

New Representatives and General Election Winners

1,345 new representatives were elected across the country. This includes challengers who defeated incumbents as well as candidates who won open seats. Of these 1,345, 988 were Republicans and 357 were Democrats. In Alabama, 33 new representatives will be sworn-in. Of those 33, 8 are Democrats and 25 are Republicans. In the 18 open seat contests, Republicans won 11 and Democrats 7. In total, Alabama elected 105 representatives, 63 Republicans and 42 Democrats.

Newly elected representatives

The following are the newly-elected members of the Alabama House of Representatives:

Democratic

Republican

Open Seat Winners

The following is a list of candidates who won election in seats where no incumbent was running:

Democratic

Republican

Candidates who won election

The following is a list of all candidates elected to the Alabama House of Representatives:

Democratic

Republican

Competitiveness

Across the nation, 4,958 state house seats were up for election in 2010. In 1,680 (33.9%) of these state house contests, there was a major party candidate with no major party opposition. In Alabama, 63 candidates (60% of all seats) faced no major party opposition. Of these 63, 30 were Democrats and 33 were Republicans.

Unopposed candidates in general election

The following candidates did not face major party competition:

Democratic

Republican

Ballot Access

In Alabama, 8 (5.2%) of the 155 house candidates ran as independent or third party candidates. None won election in the November 2 general election.

Third party candidates

The following is a list of third party and independent candidates who ran in 2010:

National Partisan Trends

The following tables detail the partisan breakdown of national election results. These results provide context for Republican gains in Alabama.

Incumbents who were defeated in the general election

Across the nation, only 15 Republican incumbents were defeated while 492 Democratic incumbents were defeated. In total, 507 (10.4%) of the 4,872 incumbents running in the general election were defeated. The following is a breakdown of incumbent defeats in the 2010 general election:

The following is the breakdown of incumbents who lost.

Incumbents defeated in 2010 legislative elections
Party	Senate	House	Total
Democratic	89	403	492
Republican	5	10	15
TOTALS	94	413	507

Total new legislators elected

In total, 1,733 (28.3%) new legislators were elected in 2010. Of these 1,733, 1,266 (73.1%) are Republicans and 467 (26.9%) are Democrats.

The following is the breakdown of new legislators.

New Legislators after the 2010 legislative elections
Party	Senate	House	Total
Democratic	110	357	467
Republican	278	988	1,266
TOTALS	388	1,345	1,733

Winners of Open Seats

Open seats contests made up 1,178 (19.2%) of the 6,125 seats on November 2. Of these 1,178 open seats, Republicans won 729 (61.9%) while Democrats won 449 (38.1%). Going into the election, the number of open seats formerly held by each party was quite similar. Estimates prior to the election suggest that approximately 52% of the open seats were previously held by Republicans and 48% were held by Democrats.

The following is the breakdown of open seat winners.

Open Seat Winners in 2010 legislative elections
Party	Senate	House	Total
Democratic	108	341	449
Republican	191	538	729
TOTALS	299	879	1,178

Impact on legislative majorities

See also: Partisan balance of state legislatures

Heading into the November 2 elections, the Democratic Party held a commanding lead in state houses in the 88 legislative chambers that held elections in 2010. 52 of the 88 chambers, or nearly 60% of them, had a Democratic majority, while only 33 of them had a Republican majority. (Two chambers had an exactly equal number of Democrats and Republicans and one is officially nonpartisan.) The following is a partisan breakdown of state legislatures prior to the November 2 election:

Partisan breakdown before the November 2010 Election
Legislative chamber
State senates	23	18	1	1
State houses	29	15	1	-
Totals:	52	33	2	1

As a result of the election, Republicans picked up 20 legislative chambers while Democrats lost 20. Republicans won 53 total chambers on November 2, while Democrats won only 32. The following is a partisan breakdown of state legislatures after the November 2 election:

Partisan breakdown after the November 2010 Election
Legislative chamber
State senates	16	25	1	1
State houses	16	28	1	0
Totals:	32	53	2	1

Another way to examine the data is to gauge how many chambers had gains for the Democratic Party versus the Republican Party. Using this variable, the wide-sweeping Republican victory is further amplified. Democrats bolstered their majorities in only 7 of 88 (7.96%) state chambers. These legislatures are as follows:

State legislative chambers where Democrats gained seats on November 2
State	Chamber	Number of seats gained by Democrats
California	Assembly	+ 2
Delaware	House	+ 2
Hawaii	Senate	+ 1
Maryland	Senate	+ 2
Massachusetts	Senate	+ 1
Missouri	Senate	+ 1
West Virginia	Senate	+ 1

In 7 chambers, the GOP kept their current number of seats. In one chamber, the California State Assembly, both major parties gained seats by filling 2 vacancies and defeating an incumbent independent. Overall, the Republican Party picked up legislative seats in 75 (85.2%) of the 88 legislative chambers that held elections on November 2.

Impact on State Politics

Along with the GOP capture of the U.S. House of Representatives, state Republicans gained trifectas (control of the governorship, house, and senate) in 12 states. The following is a breakdown of trifectas across the nation, before and after the 2010 election:

Trifectas before and after the 2010 Election
Party	Before election	U.S. House seats	After election	U.S. House seats	Gain/loss states	Gain/loss congressional seats
Democratic	16	131	11	115	-5	-16
Republican	8	66	20	198	+12	+132

Before the election, 131 U.S House seats were in states with Democratic trifectas, while 66 districts were in states with Republican trifectas. After the election, Republicans trifectas control redistricting for 198 U.S. House seats while Democrats control only 115. Additionally, California, the strongest Democratic trifecta with 53 U.S. House representatives, passed propositions that take redistricting power away from state government.

Alabama 2010 legislative election results

Senate

Alabama State Senate Election Results

What You'll See on This Page

State Senate Overview:

Incumbency Analysis

Incumbents who ran on November 2

Incumbents defeated

Challengers who beat an incumbent

New State Senators and General Election Winners

Newly elected senators

Democratic

Republican

Open Seat Winners

Democratic

Republican

Candidates who won election

Democratic

Republican

Independent

Competitiveness

Unopposed candidates in general election

Democratic

Republican

Ballot Access

Third party candidates

House

Alabama State House Election Results

What You'll See on This Page

State House Overview:

Incumbency Analysis

Incumbents who ran on November 2

Incumbents defeated

Challengers who beat an incumbent

New Representatives and General Election Winners

Newly elected representatives

Democratic

Republican

Open Seat Winners

Democratic

Republican

Candidates who won election

Democratic

Republican

Competitiveness

Unopposed candidates in general election

Democratic

Republican

Ballot Access

Third party candidates

National Partisan Trends

National Partisan Trends

Incumbents who were defeated in the general election

Total new legislators elected

Winners of Open Seats

Impact on legislative majorities

Impact on State Politics

Information about voting

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