Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection report
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2025 statistics |
Survey respondents About the survey |
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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 1,990 candidates responded to the survey in 2025.[1] This report compares 2025 respondents to 2018-2024 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 1,990 candidates who sent in answers.
The greatest number of respondents came from Washington, with 417 candidates answering Ballotpedia's survey. Incumbents accounted for 4.3% of respondents, with challengers making up the remaining 95.7%. Candidates running for city offices were the largest group at 60.2% of respondents.
Survey statistics
By year
Respondents compared to total candidates
In 2025, Ballotpedia had 1,990 survey respondents out of 75,332 total candidates. Of those, 1,190 respondents and 70,806 candidates were part of Ballotpedia's expansion to collect surveys from local candidates beyond Ballotpedia's core coverage scope. Excluding the expansion project, 800 candidates took the survey out of 4,526, equaling a 17.7% completion rate.[2]
Even-year elections compared to odd-year elections
Since Ballotpedia began our Candidate Connection initiative in 2018, the majority of respondents in even-year cycles ran for state offices. In odd-year election cycles, the majority of respondents ran for local offices. The same held in 2025, when 92.6% of respondents were candidates for local office.
By state
Candidates from 40 states and the District of Columbia responded to Ballotpedia's candidate survey in 2025. Washington had the most respondents with 417, followed by North Carolina at 233 respondents and Ohio at 204.
A table of respondents by state may be viewed by clicking [show] at the right. | |
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The table below lists the state, the number of respondents, and the percentage of candidates who responded from that state.
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By office
Candidates for city offices made up the greatest percentage of respondents at 60.2%, followed by school board candidates at 22.4%.
A table of respondents by office may be viewed by clicking [show] at the right. | |
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Respondents within offices
A table of respondents within offices may be viewed by clicking [show] at the right. | |
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By election outcome
Ballotpedia tracked the election outcomes of 800 of the 1,990 candidates who completed the candidate survey. Out of the 800 candidates whose election outcomes were tracked, 221 won their elections and 526 lost. A total of 52 respondents withdrew or were disqualified from their races. One candidate's election remained undecided.
By contested races
Of the 75,332 total candidates who ran in races Ballotpedia covered in 2025, 37,651, or 50.0% of them, ran in contested races. Of the 1,990 candidates who took Ballotpedia's candidate survey in 2025, 1,879 of them, or 94.4%, ran in a contested race.
Survey respondents
Notable respondents
The following six candidates completed the Candidate Connection survey in 2025. We have highlighted their stories, as well as their responses to one of the survey questions, as a small sampling of the 1,990 respondents. They are listed in alphabetical order by last name.
Ghazala Hashmi
Ghazala Hashmi (D) completed Ballotpedia's candidate survey during her run to become Virginia's lieutenant governor. Hashmi defeated Republican candidate John Reid, earning 55.7% of the vote.
When asked what areas of public policy she was personally passionate about, Hashmi said:
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Fully funding public education and lowering the costs of college degrees: All children in Virginia should be guaranteed quality public education that prepares them for well-paying jobs or higher education. I will continue to work to invest in schools, students, educators, and support staff. Ensuring access to affordable and quality health care: Given federal threats, protecting Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act is a top priority. That's why I wrote the bill to protect Medicaid expansion from Trump and Musk's attacks. I am also a very strong supporter of reproductive freedom including the right to safe and legal abortion. For two years now, I have carried and successfully passed The Right to Contraception Act.[3] |
” |
| —Ghazala Hashmi[4] | ||
Kaohly Her
Kaohly Her (Nonpartisan) completed Ballotpedia's candidate survey during her run to become the mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota. Her defeated four other candidates in the general election including incumbent Melvin Carter III, earning 51.5% of the vote after two rounds of ranked-choice voting.
When asked what areas of public policy she was personally passionate about, Her said:
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I have shown leadership in a number of areas in my career in Saint Paul City Hall and at the Minnesota Legislature, including: - Gun Violence Prevention - Tenants Rights and Housing Availability - Public Pensions and Retirement Policy - Reproductive Health Care - Equal Rights Amendment - Investments in Renewable Energy Technology - Public Education Funding for English Language Learners - Minimum Wage Increases - Affordability of Health Care - Protecting Workers' Rights[3] |
” |
| —Kaohly Her[5] | ||
Alicia Johnson
Alicia Johnson (D) completed Ballotpedia's candidate survey during her run to represent District 2 of the Georgia Public Service Commission. Johnson defeated Republican incumbent Tim Echols, earning 59.4% of the vote.
When asked what areas of public policy she was personally passionate about, Johnson answered:
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Alicia is also a lifelong community advocate, serving on numerous boards and task forces focused on racial equity, public accountability, and economic opportunity. A wife, mother, and grandmother, she brings a deep commitment to family, faith, and service—values that guide her campaign for the Georgia Public Service Commission.[3] |
” |
| —Alicia Johnson[6] | ||
John Lastinger
John Lastinger (R) completed Ballotpedia's candidate survey during his run to represent District 88 of the South Carolina House of Representatives. He defeated Democrat J. Chuck Hightower in a special election, earning 62.3% of the vote.
When asked what areas of public policy he was personally passionate about, Lastinger directed readers to the three key messages of his campaign:
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” |
| —John Lastinger[7] | ||
Frank Morano
Frank Morano (R) completed Ballotpedia's candidate survey during his run to represent District 51 of the New York City Council. Morano was elected in a special election on April 29, 2025, and was re-elected in the November 4, 2025, general election, defeating Democrat Clifford Hagen and earning 77.6% of the vote.
When asked what areas of public policy he was personally passionate about, Morano said:
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I'm passionate about making government more accountable, elections more democratic, and life more affordable for everyday New Yorkers. I support non-partisan local elections, civic education, and community board empowerment to give people a real voice in government. I want to ease the financial burden on seniors and homeowners while ensuring fair utility rates. I’m committed to improving transit options, reducing red tape for small businesses, and celebrating Staten Island’s unique spirit. Whether it's cutting taxes, expanding ferry service, or fighting against congestion pricing, I believe in policies that put Staten Islanders first.[3] |
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| —Frank Morano[8] | ||
Anthony Tordillos
Anthony Tordillos (Nonpartisan) completed Ballotpedia's candidate survey during his run to represent District 3 of the San Jose City Council. Tordillos defeated Gabby Chavez-Lopez in a runoff election, earning 64.4% of the vote.
When asked what areas of public policy he was personally passionate about, Tordillos said:
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Given my background, I’m personally very passionate about leveraging public policy to address our housing affordability crisis. The high cost of housing is a direct consequence of our housing shortage, and San José needs to substantially increase housing production to keep up with demand. Addressing this crisis has been my top priority on the Planning Commission, and on Council I will use the levers of power available to local government to make housing more affordable and easier to build. For more information, you can read my affordable housing plan at AnthonyForSanJose.com/plans.[3] |
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| —Anthony Tordillos[9] | ||
List of winners
List of all respondents
About the survey
- See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Ballotpedia surveyed candidates at the federal, state, and local levels in 2025 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 2024 Candidate Connection report
- 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
- ↑ Out of the 1,990 candidates who submitted a survey, 1,190 were part of a pilot program to collect surveys from local candidates outside of Ballotpedia's core coverage scope. As indicated below, these candidates have been excluded from some of the analysis that follows.
- ↑ Excluding candidates from Ballotpedia's 2025 ultra-local expansion project made the survey completion rate more comparable year over year.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "Ghazala Hashmi's responses," May 5, 2025
- ↑ Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "Kaohly Her's responses," September 16, 2025
- ↑ Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "Alicia Johnson's responses," May 19, 2025
- ↑ Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "John Lastinger's responses," November 27, 2025
- ↑ Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "Frank Morano's responses," March 21, 2025
- ↑ Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "Anthony Tordillos's responses," March 10, 2025
