This week's question was, What percentage of state legislative districts up for election this year lack major party competition?

You answered: 13%.
The correct answer was 58%.

Our 13th Annual State Legislative Competitiveness Report analyzes all 578 state legislative seats that are up for election in November 2023 in Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Virginia.

This year, there are 336 (58%) state legislative seats — out of 578 up for election — that are uncontested and have no major party competition. In these races, voters will only see one major-party candidate (Democratic or Republican) on the ballot. This is the largest number of seats with no major party competition in an odd year since we began gathering data in 2011. Percentage wise, this is the second-largest since 2011, as the 2015 elections had 62% of seats (332 out of 538) without major party competition.

Out of the 336 uncontested seats, Democrats are virtually guaranteed to win 137 (24%), while Republicans don’t face any Democrats in 199 (34%). This is the highest number of guaranteed Republican seats in an odd year since at least 2011.

The total number of uncontested seats — 336 — is 12% more than the 301 seats that were uncontested in 2019, the last time Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Virginia held elections. Virginia and New Jersey have more Democratic uncontested seats than Republican uncontested seats with 39-15 and 13-2, respectively. Mississippi and Louisiana have more Republican uncontested seats than Democratic uncontested seats with 100-48 and 82-37, respectively.

In 2023, the overall State Legislative Competitiveness Index declined from a decade high 30.8 in 2019 to 30.7. This analysis only includes odd years when all four states held elections (2011, 2015, 2019, and 2023).

Click here to read this year's Annual State Legislative Competitiveness Report.

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