California state legislative special elections, 2025

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge-smaller use.png
Special state legislative • State ballot measures • Local ballot measures • School boards • Municipal • Recalls • All local elections by county • How to run for office
Flag of California.png


2026 →
← 2024
SLP badge.png
2025 State Legislative
Special Elections
Special Elections Information
Breakdown • Historical data • Elections by date
Special elections by state

Alabama • California • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Iowa • Louisiana • Maine • Massachusetts • Minnesota • Mississippi • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New York • Oklahoma • Pennsylvania • Puerto Rico • Rhode Island • South Carolina• Texas • Virginia • Washington

Other 2025 Election coverage
Filing deadlines • Statewide elections
State legislative elections
Gubernatorial elections • Ballot measures

As of October, three special elections have been called to fill vacant seats in the California State Legislature.

Click here to read more about the special elections.

Senate special elections called:

Assembly special elections called:

How vacancies are filled in California


If there is a vacancy in the California State Legislature, the governor must call for a special election. The governor must call the election within 14 calendar days of the vacancy. No special election shall be held if the vacancy occurs after the nominating deadline has passed in the final year of the term of office.[1]

DocumentIcon.jpg See sources: California Code, 1773 and California Cons. Art. IV, § 2


About the legislature

The California State Legislature is a bicameral body composed of the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the California State Senate, with 40 members.

The boxes below show the partisan composition of both chambers directly before and after the most recent general elections prior to 2025. For the most up-to-date numbers on partisan composition in this legislature, see here (Senate) and here (House).


California State Senate
Party As of November 5, 2024 After November 6, 2024
     Democratic Party 31 30
     Republican Party 9 9
     Vacancy 0 1
Total 40 40


California State Assembly
Party As of November 5, 2024 After November 6, 2024
     Democratic Party 62 60
     Republican Party 17 19
     Vacancy 1 1
Total 80 80

Special elections

Click [show] to the right of the district name for more information:

February 25, 2025

August 26, 2025

Historical data

There were 1,007 state legislative special elections that took place from 2010 to 2024. California held 41 special elections during the same time period. The largest number of special elections in California took place in 2013 when nine special elections were held.

The table below details how many state legislative special elections were held in a state in a given year.

Special elections throughout the country

See also: State legislative special elections, 2025

As of October 2025, 91 state legislative special elections have been scheduled for 2025 in 22 states. One special election has also been called to fill a vacancy in the Puerto Rico House of Representatives. Between 2011 and 2024, an average of 70 special elections took place each year.

Breakdown of 2025 special elections

In 2025, special elections for state legislative positions are being held for the following reasons:

  • 38 due to appointment, election, or the seeking of election to another position
  • 25 due to resignation
  • 14 due to redistricting
  • 13 due to the death of the incumbent
  • 1 due to the officeholder leaving at term end


Impact of special elections on partisan composition

The partisan breakdown for the special elections is as follows:


As of October 4th, 2025, Republicans controlled 55.47% of all state legislative seats nationally, while Democrats held 43.68%. Republicans held a majority in 57 chambers, and Democrats held the majority in 39 chambers. Two chambers (Alaska House and Alaska Senate) were organized under multipartisan, power-sharing coalitions. One chamber (Minnesota House of Representatives) was split evenly between both parties.

Partisan balance of all 7,386 state legislative seats
Legislative chamber Democratic Party Republican Party Grey.png Other Vacant
State senates 833 1,122 5 13
State houses 2,393 2,975 20 25
Total: 3,226

4,097

25

38


The table below details how many seats changed parties as the result of a special election in 2025. The number on the left reflects how many vacant seats were originally held by each party, while the number on the right shows how many vacant seats each party won in the special elections.

Note: This table reflects information for elections that have been held and not the total number of vacant seats.

Partisan Change from Special Elections (2025)
Party As of Special Election After Special Election
     Democratic Party 49 26
     Republican Party 42 21
     Independent 0 1
Total 91 48

Flipped seats

In 2025, as of August 26, four seats have changed party hands as a result of state legislative special elections.


Seats that changed from D to I

Seats that changed from R to D



See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ California Legislative Information, "California Code," accessed February 9, 2021 (Statute, 1773-California Government Code)
  2. ↑ California Secretary of State, "Qualifications for Running for Senate District 36," accessed December 16, 2024
  3. ↑ California Secretary of State, "Qualifications for Running for Assembly District 32," accessed December 16, 2024
  4. ↑ California Secretary of State, "Information Sheet Qualifications and Requirements State Assembly, 63rd District Special Election," accessed April 17, 2025
  5. ↑ The Sacramento Bee, "Trump picks outspoken CA lawmaker to be a new U.S. attorney in Los Angeles," April 2, 2025
v • e
State legislatures
Legislatures
Alabama (H, S) · Alaska (H, S) · Arizona (H, S) · Arkansas (H, S) · California (A, S) · Colorado (H, S) · Connecticut (H, S) · Delaware (H, S) · Florida (H, S) · Georgia (H, S) · Hawaii (H, S) · Idaho (H, S) · Illinois (H, S) · Indiana (H, S) · Iowa (H, S) · Kansas (H, S) · Kentucky (H, S) · Louisiana (H, S) · Maine (H, S) · Maryland (H, S) · Massachusetts (H, S) · Michigan (H, S) · Minnesota (H, S) · Mississippi (H, S) · Missouri (H, S) · Montana (H, S) · Nebraska · Nevada (A, S) · New Hampshire (H, S) · New Jersey (GA, S) · New Mexico (H, S) · New York (A, S) · North Carolina (H, S) · North Dakota (H, S) · Ohio (H, S) · Oklahoma (H, S) · Oregon (H, S) · Pennsylvania (H, S) · Rhode Island (H, S) · South Carolina (H, S) · South Dakota (H, S) · Tennessee (H, S) · Texas (H, S) · Utah (H, S) · Vermont (H, S) · Virginia (H, S) · Washington (H, S) · West Virginia (H, S) · Wisconsin (A, S) · Wyoming (H, S)
SLP badge.png
2025
2024
2023
Historical elections
2022 •  2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010 • 2009 • 2008 • 2007 • 2006 • 2005 • 2004 • 2003 • 2002 • 2001 • 2000
Features of
state legislatures
State senates
State houses
Leadership positions
Flag of California
v • e
State of California
Sacramento (capital)
Elections

What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures

Government

Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy

Retrieved from "https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=California_state_legislative_special_elections,_2025&oldid=10347790"