Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection report

2025 → ← 2023

Candidate Connection: 2024 statistics

Analysis

Survey statistics Survey respondents About the survey

See also

More 2024 analysis Running for office? Take the survey!

Since 2018, Ballotpedia has invited candidates to take part in our Candidate Connection initiative. We survey candidates at the federal, state, and local levels to help voters choose representatives who reflect their values and uphold their ideals.

A total of 6,541 candidates responded to the survey in 2024. This report compares 2024 respondents to 2018-2023 respondents and examines where those respondents lived, what offices they ran for, and how they did in their races. It also highlights several notable candidates who completed the survey, features the respondents who won their elections, and lists all of the 6,541 candidates who sent in answers.

The greatest number of respondents came from California, with 904 candidates answering Ballotpedia's survey. Incumbents accounted for 7.4% of respondents, with challengers making up the remaining 92.6%. Candidates running for state legislative offices were the largest group at 40.8% of respondents.

Survey statistics

By year

Respondents compared to total candidates

In 2024, Ballotpedia had 6,541 survey respondents out of 97,167 total candidates. Of those, 1,127 respondents and 68,921 candidates were part of Ballotpedia's expansion to collect surveys from local candidates beyond Ballotpedia's core coverage scope. Excluding the expansion project, 5,414 candidates took the survey out of 28,246, equaling a 19.2% completion rate.

Even-year elections compared to odd-year elections

In the past two even-year cycles, a majority of respondents ran for state offices: 58.9% in 2020 and 57.3% in 2022. The same held in 2024, when 45.7% of respondents were candidates for state office.

By state

Candidates from all 50 states and the District of Columbia responded to Ballotpedia's candidate survey in 2024. California had the most respondents with 904, followed by Texas at 435 respondents and Michigan at 299.

A table of respondents by state may be viewed by clicking [show] at the right.

By office

Candidates for state legislative offices made up the greatest percentage of respondents at 40.8%, followed by congressional candidates at 18.1%.

A table of respondents by office may be viewed by clicking [show] at the right.

Respondents within offices

A table of respondents within offices may be viewed by clicking [show] at the right.

By election outcome

Out of the 6,541 candidates who completed Ballotpedia's candidate survey, 1,068 won and 4,004 lost their elections. A total of 341 respondents withdrew or were disqualified from their races. One candidate's election remained undecided. The election outcomes of an additional 1,127 candidates were not tracked.

Survey respondents

Notable respondents

The following eight candidates completed the Candidate Connection survey in 2024. We have highlighted their stories, as well as their responses to one of the survey questions, as a small sampling of the 6,541 respondents. They are listed in alphabetical order by last name.

Selina Bliss

Arizona State Representative Selina Bliss

Selina Bliss (R) completed Ballotpedia's candidate survey during her run to represent District 1 in the Arizona House of Representatives. She and Quang Nguyen (R) defeated Democratic candidates Marcia Smith and Jay Ruby in the general election, earning 33.9% and 33.5% of the vote respectively.

When asked to list three key messages of her campaign, Bliss answered:

“	The first key message is to protect our southern border, as we need secure borders to promote legal entry into our country and to discourage human and drug trafficking. The second key message is to reduce the tax burden and government overregulation of our citizens by maintaining fiscal responsibility and promoting economic opportunity. The third key message is to restore confidence in our elections because if there is doubt in our elections it shakes the confidence of the voters.	”
—Selina Bliss

---

Kyra Harris Bolden

Justice Kyra Harris Bolden

Kyra Harris Bolden (D) completed Ballotpedia's candidate survey during her run for the Michigan Supreme Court. She defeated Patrick W. O'Grady in the general election, earning 61.5% of the vote.

When asked to list three key messages of her campaign, Bolden answered:

“	Our campaign's message is Justice for Generations. As the youngest and first black woman in the court’s history, I'm committed to protecting equal justice, access to justice, and the rule of law on the highest court in Michigan. The most pressing issue facing the judiciary is access to justice and trust in our institutions. Justice should not be dependent upon who you are or how much money you have. As a Michigan Supreme Court Justice, I’ve worked on this issue through various task forces and court rule changes. I have also made myself available to the community by speaking to various faith based organizations, bar associations, and afterschool programs to promote accessibility and transparency in our judiciary. I believe in upholding the rule of law and ensuring equal access to justice for all. My philosophy is based on the belief that all legal decisions should be guided by principles of thoughtfulness, fairness, impartiality, and adherence to legislative intent and the Michigan Constitution. Additionally, I believe in the importance of judicial independence and the separation of powers to safeguard the integrity of the legal system.	”
—Kyra Harris Bolden

---

Claudia De La Cruz

Presidential candidate Claudia De La Cruz

Claudia De La Cruz (Party for Socialism and Liberation) completed Ballotpedia's candidate survey during her run for President of the United States. She received 0.1% of the national vote.

When asked to list three key messages of her campaign, De La Cruz answered:

“	The only solution to our collective problems as a society is to fight for a socialist future. The people both within the United States and around the world deserve a future free from the domination of Washington, Wall Street, and the principle of profit over human life. There is a need to build mass political organizations and a movement independent from the two party system of the ruling class. Both the Republican and Democratic parties are capitalist parties that only represent the interests of their donors and corporate friends. There is no party in government that is truly working in the best interest the working class. To deal with the disastrous effects of the climate crisis, society must urgently transform the way we produce energy, grow food and move around the world. The main obstacle standing in our way is private profit, and the system that values quarterly revenue over the survival of human civilization. We can only take action at the scale and speed necessary to save the planet if the unplanned, capitalist economic system is replaced by socialist economic planning.	”
—Claudia De La Cruz

---

Nicholas J. LaLota

U.S. Representative Nicholas J. LaLota

Nicholas J. LaLota (R) completed Ballotpedia's candidate survey during his run to represent New York's 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He defeated Democratic candidate John Avlon in the general election, earning 55.2% of the vote.

When asked to list three key messages of his campaign, LaLota answered:

“	Keeping our nation and Long Island safe: Endorsed by local Law Enforcement. Member of Homeland Security and Armed Services Committees, supporting our troops, Israel and Ukraine against common adversaries. Fighting to secure our borders, hold the Biden Administration accountable, and oppose New York’s Sanctuary City policies with the No Bailouts for Sanctuary Cities Act. Fighting to make Long Island more affordable: Brought $150 million back to Suffolk for clean water, jobs, and infrastructure. Leading the fight to restore the SALT deduction and reduce prices by unleashing American energy. Secured $676 million for 9/11 First Responders. Successfully fighting for more high-paying Long Island defense jobs. Championed cutting $2.1 trillion in federal spending while protecting Social Security, Medicare, and Veterans Health Care. Common-sense problem solver: Fighting problems, not people. Member of the Bipartisan Problem Solvers and For Country Caucuses, prioritizing solutions over partisanship. Demanding accountability from federal officials on both sides of the aisle. Blocked a Republican House Speaker candidate who opposed Long Island’s priorities: Restoring the SALT Deduction, funding 9/11 First Responders and supporting the National Flood Insurance Program.	”
—Nicholas J. LaLota

---

Daniel Lurie

Mayor Daniel Lurie

Daniel Lurie (Nonpartisan) completed Ballotpedia's candidate survey during his run for Mayor of San Francisco. He defeated 13 other candidates in the general election including incumbent London Breed, earning 55.0% of the vote after 14 rounds of ranked-choice voting.

When asked to list three key messages of his campaign, Lurie answered:

“	Public Safety: Public safety will be my top priority every day, not just in an election year. Both the police and Sheriff’s Departments face significant staffing shortages that create dangerous conditions on our streets. While many city leaders claim to prioritize public safety, their rhetoric doesn’t match their results. I have robust plans that have been praised by both law enforcement and behavioral health experts to address the multi-faceted crisis on our streets. We cannot fix our downtown and struggling economy until our streets are safe and clean. Drug and Mental Health Crisis: When I’m mayor, no one will be allowed to—nor will they need to—sleep on our streets. To address the mental health and drug crisis on our streets I will shift to a co-responder model and embed mental health professionals with police units. Not every call requires a response from someone with a badge and a gun. This will benefit law enforcement morale and improve recruitment, as well as shift existing police resources back to foot patrol and neighborhood beats. Coupled with creating 24/7 Crisis Centers where people experiencing crisis can be brought and navigated to services and creating more treatment and shelter beds through my “Home Run” plan, we’ll reverse the tragic situation on our streets. Government Reform: Anti-corruption and accountability measures need to be a priority of the next mayor. Through my City Hall Accountability Plan, I will restructure the bureaucracy by centralizing contract management, end corrupt pay-to-play permitting, and streamline construction management.	”
—Daniel Lurie

---

Chase Oliver

Presidential candidate Chase Oliver

Chase Oliver (L) completed Ballotpedia's candidate survey during his run for President of the United States. He received 0.4% of the national vote.

When asked to list three key messages of his campaign, Oliver answered:

“	Voters deserve a President who will respect their inherent individual rights. Our democracy is functionally broke under a two-party system. The United States should take the lead in engendering peace both at home and abroad.	”
—Chase Oliver

---

Josh Stein

Governor Josh Stein

Josh Stein (D) completed Ballotpedia's candidate survey during his run for Governor of North Carolina. He defeated four other candidates in the general election, including Republican candidate Mark K. Robinson, earning 54.9% of the vote.

When asked to list three key messages of his campaign, Stein answered:

“	I believe in the promise of this state: that if you work hard, where you come from should not limit how far you can go. I am running for Governor to deliver on that promise. Throughout my career, I have taken on tough fights for the people of North Carolina and delivered, whether it’s families suffering from the opioid crisis or it’s survivors of sexual assault or it’s children being exploited or it’s people whose drinking water has been polluted. As Governor, I’ll keep fighting to build a safer and stronger North Carolina - a state with a thriving economy, strong schools, and safe communities.	”
—Josh Stein

---

Cornel West

Presidential candidate Cornel West

Cornel West (I) completed Ballotpedia's candidate survey during his run for President of the United States. He received 0.1% of the national vote.

When asked to list three key messages of his campaign, West answered:

“	Free Palestine against Israeli genocide - end the occupation. Cease funding of weapon sales to Israel. Abolish poverty and homelessness through Universal Basic Income (UBI) for all workers and reparations for descendants of slavery. Guarantee Medicare for All as a human right. Dismantle the US empire and its military bases across the globe. End full spectrum dominance.	”
—Cornel West

---

About the survey

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Ballotpedia surveyed candidates at the federal, state, and local levels in 2024 to find out what motivated them on political and personal levels. These surveys did not contain simple issue questions. They were designed to elicit insightful and thoughtful responses from candidates on what they cared about, what they stood for, and what they hoped to achieve. With these surveys, we aimed to both enlighten voters on the core components of candidates' political philosophy and provide candidates with the chance to show who they really were as people.

See also

• Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection report
• Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection report
• Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection report
• Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection report
• Ballotpedia's 2019 Candidate Connection report
• Ballotpedia's 2018 Candidate Connection report
• Candidate survey
• Newsletters
• Contact us

Footnotes

Ballotpedia

About

Overview • What people are saying • Support Ballotpedia • Contact • Contribute • Job opportunities

---

Executive: Leslie Graves, Founder and CEO • Gwen Beattie, Chief Operating Officer

Communications: Alison Graves, Director of Communications • Carley Allensworth • Abigail Campbell • Frank Festa • Sarah Groat • Nathaniel Harwood • Dillon Redmond • Erica Shumaker
External Relations: Geoff Pallay, Director of External Relations • Ken Carbullido, Vice President of Election Product and Technology Strategy • Ashley Fleming • Thomas Mardik • Hannah Nelson
Operations: Meghann Olshefski, Director of Operations • Amanda Herbert • Mandy Morris • Caroline Presnell • Kelly Rindfleisch
Tech: Matt Latourelle, Director of Technology Operations • Ryan Burch • Kirsten Corrao • Beth Dellea • Travis Eden • Tate Kamish • Margaret Kearney • Eric Lotto • Joseph Sanchez • Mary Susmitha

Contributors: Scott Rasmussen

---

Editorial Content

Josh Altic, Director of Content • Daniel Anderson, Associate Director of Elections & Data • Cory Eucalitto, Associate Director of Features • Ryan Byrne, Managing Editor of Ballot Measures • Mandy McConnell, Managing Editor of News • Doug Kronaizl, Managing Editor of Local Expansion • Abbey Smith, Managing Editor of Elections • Janie Valentine, Managing Editor of Law • Joel Williams. Managing Editor of Events • Andrew Bahl • Jaclyn Beran • Marielle Bricker • Joseph Brusgard • Emma Burlingame • Kelly Coyle • Jon Dunn • Thomas Ellis • Nicole Fisher • Joseph Greaney • Thomas Grobben • Brianna Hosea • Molly Kehoe • Tyler King • Glorie Martinez • Norm Leahy, Senior Editor • Nathan Maxwell • Jimmy McAllister • Brandon McCauley • Ellie Mikus • Ellen Morrissey • Mackenzie Murphy • Kaley Platek • Samantha Post • Adam Powell • Annelise Reinwald • Ethan Rice • Spencer Richardson • Victoria Rose • Briana Ryan • Myj Saintyl • Maddy Salucka • Emma Soukup • Alexis Thacker • Mina Vogel • Samuel Wonacott • Trenton Woodcox