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Changes in state legislative seats during the Biden presidency, 2021-2025
During President Joe Biden's (D) term, Democrats lost a net of 94 state legislative seats, reducing the party's overall share of state legislative seats by one percentage point.
Of the 99 state legislative chambers:
- Republicans held more seats at the end of Biden's presidency in 56 chambers.
- Democrats held more seats at the end of Biden's presidency in 30 chambers.
- 13 chambers saw no change in partisan balance.
Three legislative chambers switched from Republican to Democratic control over the course of Biden's presidency.
One legislative chamber switched from Democratic control to a tie compared to the start of Biden's presidency.
Two chambers switched party control during the presidency but switched back by the end of Biden's presidency:
Democrats gained Democratic trifectas in Minnesota and Michigan during Biden's presidency but lost both at the end. Republicans did not gain or lose any trifectas throughout the presidency.
Of the four presidents whose terms started in the 21st century,
- Biden lost 94 Democratic seats from 2021 to 2025
- Donald Trump (R) lost 187 Republican seats from 2017 to 2021
- Barack Obama (D) lost 598 Democratic seats from 2009 to 2013.
- George W. Bush (R) gained 119 Republican seats from 2001 to 2005.
Since 1921, Biden experienced the smallest state legislative seat loss for a Democratic president in their first term. The Democratic president with the second-fewest losses during their first four years was Bill Clinton (D), who lost 456 seats during his first term (1993-1997). The last Democratic president to gain seats during the first four years was the John F. Kennedy (D)/Lyndon B. Johnson (D) administration.
Biden started out with the fewest Democratic state legislative seats of any Democratic president, with 3,309. This was 769 fewer seats than Barack Obama had at the start of his presidency. The Democratic president who entered office with the most legislative seats was Jimmy Carter (D), who took office in 1977 with 5,116 seats. Lyndon B. Johnson (D) had the most seats upon beginning his first full term with 5,165 seats but had also finished the last year of John F. Kennedy's (D) term.
When comparing entire presidencies, Biden's loss of 94 seats was the lowest of any president since 1921. The next lowest was during Harry Truman's (D) presidency, which saw a net loss of 138 Democratic state legislative seats. Two presidents—George H.W. Bush (R) and Ronald Reagan (R)—gained state legislative seats over the course of their presidencies. The largest Republican losses occurred under the Herbert Hoover (R) administration, which saw a net loss of 1,662 Republican seats from 1929 to 1933. The largest Democratic losses occurred under the Obama administration, which saw a net loss of 948 Democratic seats from 2009 to 2017.
From 1921 to 2025, Democrats held more state legislative seats than Republicans for 74 years, and Republicans held more seats for 30 years. The closest margin occurred in 2003, when Democrats held just 11 more seats than Republicans. The widest gap was in 1977, when Democrats led by 2,734 seats.
On this page, you will find:
- A comparison of net changes in state legislative seats by presidency from 1921 to 2025.
- Lists of the largest gains and losses by chamber for Democrats during Biden's presidency.
- An analysis of state legislative chambers that changed party control during Biden's presidency.
- An overview of party margin changes by state.
- Historical partisan control of state legislative seats since 1921.
Methodology
This analysis uses historical information to compare changes in state legislative seats between all presidencies since 1921. Ballotpedia combined the presidencies of Warren G. Harding (R) and Calvin Coolidge (R), John F. Kennedy (D) and Lyndon B. Johnson (D), and Richard Nixon (R) and Gerald Ford (R). In each of these instances, one president was elected and held office until the following midterm election year before leaving office early either due to death or resignation. The presidencies of Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) and Harry Truman (D) are not combined since Roosevelt died and Truman took office in 1945, more than a year before the following midterm election.
Partisan totals in this analysis represent those as a result of regularly-scheduled elections. They do not take into account any special elections or other changes that may occur between such elections. If a chamber does not hold even-year elections for all members every two years, the results of the most recent regularly-scheduled election are pulled forward and used as an estimate for any off-years. In the graphics below, "Other" encompasses independent, minor party, or vacant seats. It also includes legislators, for whom Ballotpedia could not determine a party affiliation either due to lack of information or because of a chamber's nonpartisan status.
As a result, totals displayed in this analysis may not directly match those shown elsewhere on Ballotpedia. Click here to view a previous analysis that includes mid-cycle seat changes from 2001 to 2025.
Net changes compared by presidency
Use the table below to view comparisons of state legislative seat changes by presidency from 1921 to 2025.
Largest gains and losses of the president's party
Democratic gains
During Biden's presidency, Democrats had a net gain of state legislative seats in 30 of the country's 99 state legislative chambers. The largest gains, in terms of a total number of seats, came in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and the Montana House of Representatives. In Pennsylvania, Democrats gained 10 state House seats; in Montana, Democrats gained nine state House seats.
The largest gain in percentage points came in the Michigan Senate and Montana House of Representatives. In the Michigan Senate, Democrats increased their control of the chamber by 10.5 percentage points, and in Montana, they increased their control of the chamber by 9 percentage points.
The following table lists the top five state legislative chambers in terms of the largest Democratic gains during Biden's presidency. The left columns show the largest gains in terms of total number of seats gained. These are shown as raw numbers. The right columns show the largest gains in terms of the percentage of seats gained relative to the size of the given chamber. These are shown as percentage point increases.
| Largest Democratic gains from 2021 to 2025 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total seats | Percentage of seats | |||||
| Chamber | Gains | Chamber | Gains | |||
| Pennsylvania House of Representatives | +10 | Michigan State Senate | +10.5 | |||
| Montana House of Representatives | +9 | Montana House of Representatives | +9.0 | |||
| Wisconsin State Assembly | +7 | Wisconsin State Assembly | +7.1 | |||
| Connecticut House of Representatives Illinois House of Representatives Massachusetts House of Representatives |
+5 | Pennsylvania House of Representatives | +4.9 | |||
| Georgia House of Representatives Michigan State Senate |
+4 | Illinois House of Representatives | +4.2 | |||
Democratic losses
During Biden's presidency, Democrats lost state legislative seats in 56 of the country's 99 state legislative chambers. The largest losses, both in terms of total number of seats, came in the Vermont House of Representatives, where Democrats lost 24 seats, a loss of 17.7 percentage points. The largest loss in percentage was in the West Virginia House of Delegates, where Democrats lost 15 seats, representing a 15 percentage point decrease of control in the chamber.
The following table lists the top five state legislative chambers in terms of largest Democratic losses during Biden's presidency. The left columns show the largest losses in terms of total number of seats lost. These are shown as raw numbers. The right columns show the largest losses in terms of percentage of seats lost relative to the size of the given chamber. These are shown as percentage point decreases.
| Largest Democratic losses from 2021 to 2025 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total seats | Percentage of seats | |||||
| Chamber | Losses | Chamber | Losses | |||
| West Virginia House of Delegates | -24 | West Virginia House of Delegates | -15.0 | |||
| Vermont House of Representatives | -22 | Vermont House of Representatives | -14.6 | |||
| New Hampshire House of Representatives | -10 | Hawaii House of Representatives | -9.8 | |||
| West Virginia State Senate | -9 | Iowa House of Representatives | -8.0 | |||
| Iowa House of Representatives South Carolina House of Representatives |
-8 | South Carolina House of Representatives | -6.4 | |||
Chambers that switched control
Democratic gains
By the end of Biden's presidency, Democrats controlled three more state legislative chambers than they did at its start.
Two Democratic trifectas were created due to these gains, though both would be lost at the end of the presidency.
- Michigan: Democrats won control of the state House and the state Senate in 2022. Democrats held the governorship and state Senate throughout Biden's presidency but lost the House in 2024.
- Minnesota: Democrats won control of the state Senate in 2022 and held the state House and governorship. Democrats held the governorship and state Senate throughout Biden's presidency but lost the state House in 2024.
- Pennsylvania: Democrats won control of the state House in 2022. Democrats held control of the governorship throughout Biden's presidency.
The table below lists the three chambers flipped by Democrats by comparing partisan control in 2021 to partisan control in 2025.
| Democratic state legislative chamber flips during the Biden presidency | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chamber | Partisan control (2021) |
Partisan control (2025) |
Net change | |||
| Michigan State Senate | 16 - 22 | 20 - 18 | D+4 | |||
| Minnesota State Senate | 31 - 34 - 2 | 34 - 33 | D+3 | |||
| Pennsylvania House of Representatives | 92 - 111 - 1 | 102 - 101 | D+10 | |||
Republican gains
By the end of Biden's presidency, Republicans had gained control of one chamber that they did not already control at the start.
No Republican trifectas were created due to these gains.
- Minnesota: Republicans won control of the state House in 2024.[1] Republicans lost control of the state Senate in 2022.
The table below lists the one chambers flipped by Republicans by comparing partisan control in 2021 to partisan control in 2025.
| Republican state legislative chamber flips during the Biden presidency | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chamber | Partisan control (2021) |
Partisan control (2025) |
Net change | |||
| Minnesota House of Representatives | 70 - 64 | 66 - 67 | R+3 | |||
Alaska House of Representatives
At the start of Biden's presidency, the Alaska House of Representatives was controlled by a bipartisan majority. Republicans maintained a numerical majority in the chamber throughout Biden's presidency, but varying coalitions of Democrats, Republicans, and independent or unaffiliated legislators kept the chamber under a bipartisan majority throughout Biden's presidency. Party control of the House Speakership did change throughout Biden's presidency.
The table below shows the makeup of the Alaska House at the moment each bipartisan coalition was announced in 2021, 2023, and 2025. Information on the left shows the makeup of the governing majority and the minority. Information on the right shows the partisan totals for the entire chamber. Numbers colored blue indicate Democrats, those colored red indicate Republicans, and those colored black indicate independent or unaffiliated legislators.
| Alaska House of Representatives party control, 2021-25 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Chamber control | Partisan totals | ||||
| Bipartisan majority | Democrats | Speaker | Democrats | Republicans | Independent | |
| 2021 | 15/2/4 | 15 |  Louise Stutes |
15 | 21 | 4 |
| 2023 | 2/19/2 | 13 | Cathy Tilton |
13 | 21 | 6 |
| 2025 | 14/2/5 | 14 |  Bryce E. Edgmon |
14 | 22 | 5 |
Overall state legislative margin changes
During Biden's presidency, Democrats saw positive margin changes, either by increasing an already-existing majority or narrowing/defeating a Republican majority in 17 states. Republicans saw positive margin changes in 33 states. There was no change in Indiana, New Jersey, or Oklahoma.[2]
The largest margin changes in Democrats' favor came in Pennsylvania. Democrats held 111 legislative seats in the state legislature at the start of Biden's presidency, a D-30 margin. By 2025, Democrats increased their numbers to 124-129, a D-5 margin. Overall, the margin between Democrats and Republicans in Pennsylvania increased by 25 seats in Democrats' favor during Biden's presidency.
The largest margin changes in Republicans' favor came in West Virginia. In West Virginia, Republicans held a 99-35 majority in the state legislature at the start of Biden's presidency, an R+64 margin. By 2025, Republicans increased their majority to 123-113, an R+112 margin. Overall, the margin between Republicans and Democrats in West Virginia increased by 48 seats in Republicans' favor during Biden's presidency.
Historical partisan control
The table below shows the partisan control of all state legislative seats between 1921 and 2025, broken down by two-year increments to correspond with the aftermath of even-year general elections.
The three largest shifts in partisan control followed elections in 1932, 1922, and 1958, resulting in Democratic gains.
- The largest shift followed the 1932 presidential election when Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) defeated incumbent Herbert Hoover (R) during the Great Depression. Democrats held 1,149 more state legislative seats in 1933, a 14 percentage point increase. This gave Democrats control of a true majority of state legislative seats, which would continue until the 1946 midterm elections, the first following Roosevelt's death in 1945.
- The second-largest shift followed the 1922 midterm elections during Warren G. Harding's (R) term in office. Democrats held 962 more state legislative seats at the start of 1923 than they did in 1921. Before the midterm elections, Democrats controlled 34% of state legislative seats, the party's lowest level of control at any point between 1921 and 2021.
- The third-largest shift followed the 1958 midterm elections during Dwight Eisenhower's (R) second term in office. Democrats held 758 more state legislative seats at the start of 1959 than they did in 1957, a shift of ten percentage points in the party's favor.
Ballotpedia defines peak control as the point where one party held its largest percentage share of state legislative seats. Both parties peak levels of control corresponded with the election of a president of their party. Democrats' peak control followed Jimmy Carter's (D) election in 1976, the first presidential election following Watergate. Democrats controlled 67.6% (5,116) of state legislative seats. Republicans' peak control followed Harding's election in 1920 following the end of World War I. Republicans controlled 62.2% (4,637) of state legislative seats.
Previous analysis
Ballotpedia's previous analysis of changes in state legislative seats during Trump's presidency included mid-cycle changes such as special elections. The results of this analysis can be view by clicking [Show more] below.
Introduction
In 62 of the 99 state legislative chambers, the Democratic Party held more seats in January 2021 than it did in January 2017.
During President Donald Trump's (R) term, Republicans lost a net 180 state legislative seats. Five state legislative chambers in four states flipped from Republican to Democratic control compared to the start of Trump's presidency. In three states—Colorado, Maine, and Virginia—this resulted in the creation of Democratic trifectas, where Democrats controlled both chambers as well as the governorship. Republicans did not gain control of any chambers by the end of Trump's presidency that they did not already control at its start.
Trump's presidency was the third in the 21st century, following George W. Bush (R) and Barack Obama (D). Both Bush and Obama served for eight years. A comparison of all three presidents' first four years in office shows that Trump's loss of 180 seats was lower than Obama's, who lost 602 Democratic seats between 2009 and 2013. During Bush's first four years, from 2001 to 2005, Republicans gained a net 120 seats.
When comparing entire presidencies, regardless of the length, Trump's loss of 180 Republican seats during his single term was the lowest in the 21st century. During Bush's two terms, Republicans lost a net 314 seats, and during Obama's two terms, Democrats lost a net 968 seats, the largest loss of the president's party's state legislative seats since World War II.
Republicans gained 145 seats during the second two years of Trump's presidency, between 2018 and 2020. This gain was larger than Democrat's 124 during the second two years of Obama's presidency. During Bush's presidency, Republicans lost 23 seats during his second two years in office.
Net changes compared by presidency
Use the table below to view comparisons of the Bush, Obama, and Trump presidencies broken down by different timeframes.
Largest gains and losses of the president's party
Republican gains
During Trump's presidency, Republicans had a net gain of state legislative seats in 28 of the country's 99 state legislative chambers. The largest gains, both in terms of total number of seats as well as percentage of seats, came in the West Virginia House of Delegates and the Kentucky House of Representatives. In West Virginia, Republicans gained 13 state House seats, representing a 13.0 percentage point increase of the party's control in the chamber. In Kentucky, Republicans gained 11 state House seats, representing an 11.0 percentage point increase of the party's control in the chamber.
The following table lists the top five state legislative chambers in terms of largest Republican gains during Trump's presidency. The left columns show the largest gains in terms of total number of seats gained. These are shown as raw numbers. The right columns show the largest gains in terms of percentage of seats gained relative to the size of the given chamber. These are shown as percentage point increases.
| Largest Republican gains from 2017 to 2021 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total seats | Percentage of seats | |||||
| Chamber | Gains | Chamber | Gains | |||
| West Virginia House of Delegates | +13 | West Virginia House of Delegates | +13.0 | |||
| Kentucky House of Representatives | +11 | Kentucky House of Representatives | +11.0 | |||
| Louisiana House of Representatives | +10 | Louisiana House of Representatives | +9.6 | |||
| Montana House of Representatives | +8 | South Dakota State Senate | +8.5 | |||
| Alabama House of Representatives Mississippi House of Representatives |
+4 | Montana House of Representatives | +8.0 | |||
Republican losses
During Trump's presidency, Republicans had a net loss of state legislative seats in 58 of the country's 99 state legislative chambers. The largest losses, both in terms of total number of seats as well as percentage of seats, came in the Virginia House of Delegates, where Republicans lost 21 seats, representing a 21.0 percentage point decrease of control in the chamber. Other large losses came in the Connecticut House of Representatives, where Republicans lost 18 state legislative seats, and the New York State Senate, where Republicans' control decreased by 17.5 percentage points.
The following table lists the top five state legislative chambers in terms of largest Republican losses during Trump's presidency. The left columns show the largest losses in terms of total number of seats lost. These are shown as raw numbers. The right columns show the largest losses in terms of percentage of seats lost relative to the size of the given chamber. These are shown as percentage point decreases.
| Largest Republican losses from 2017 to 2021 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total seats | Percentage of seats | |||||
| Chamber | Losses | Chamber | Losses | |||
| Virginia House of Delegates | -21 | Virginia House of Delegates | -21.0 | |||
| Connecticut House of Representatives | -18 | New York State Senate | -17.5 | |||
| Georgia House of Representatives | -15 | Delaware State Senate Maine State Senate |
-14.3 | |||
| Minnesota House of Representatives New Hampshire House of Representatives |
-13 | North Carolina State Senate | -14.0 | |||
| Texas House of Representatives | -12 | Connecticut State Senate | -13.9 | |||
Chamber flips
Democratic flips
Democrats controlled five more state legislative chambers by the end of Trump's presidency than they controlled at its start.
Three Democratic trifectas were created as a result of these flips.
- Colorado: Democrats won control of the state Senate in 2018. Democrats held the governorship and state House throughout Trump's presidency.
- Maine: Democrats won control of the state Senate in 2018 and, during the same general election, won control of the governorship. Democrats held the state House throughout Trump's presidency.
- Virginia: Democrats won control of the state House and state Senate in 2019. Democrats held control of the governorship throughout Trump's presidency.
The table below lists the five chambers flipped by Democrats by comparing partisan control in 2017 to partisan control in 2021.
| Democratic state legislative chamber flips during the Trump presidency[3] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chamber | Partisan control (2017) |
Partisan control (2021) |
Net change | |||
| Colorado State Senate | 17 - 18 | 20 - 15 | D+3 | |||
| Maine State Senate | 17 - 18 | 22 - 13 | D+5 | |||
| Minnesota House of Representatives | 57 - 77 | 70 - 64 | D+13 | |||
| Virginia House of Delegates | 34 - 66 | 55 - 45 | D+21 | |||
| Virginia State Senate | 19 - 21 | 21 - 19 | D+2 | |||
Republican flips
Republicans did not gain control of any chambers by the end of Trump's presidency that they did not already control at its start, but the Alaska House of Representatives, which was effectively controlled by Democrats at the start of Trump's presidency, was controlled by the bipartisan coalition at the end of his presidency.
Overall state legislative margin changes
During Trump's presidency, Democrats saw positive margin changes, either by increasing an already-existing majority or narrowing a Republican majority, in 33 states. Republicans saw positive margin changes in 15 states. There was no change in Alaska.[4]
The largest margin changes in Democrats' favor came in Connecticut, Virginia, and Georgia. In Connecticut, Democrats held a 95-89 majority in the state legislature at the start of Trump's presidency, a D+6 margin. By 2021, Democrats increased their majority to 121-66, a D+55 margin. Overall, the margin between Democrats and Republicans in Connecticut increased by 49 seats in Democrats' favor during Trump's presidency.
The largest margin changes in Republicans' favor came in Kentucky, West Virginia, and Louisiana. In Kentucky, Republicans held a 91-47 majority in the state legislature at the start of Trump's presidency, an R+44 margin. By 2021, Republicans increased their majority to 105-33, an R+72 margin. Overall, the margin between Republicans and Democrats in Kentucky increased by 28 seats in Republicans' favor during Trump's presidency.
Historical partisan control
The table below shows the partisan control of all state legislative seats between 2001 and 2021 broken down by two-year increments to correspond with the aftermaths of even-year general elections.
The three largest shifts in partisan control followed midterm elections in 2006, 2010, and 2018.
- The largest shift followed the 2010 midterm elections during Obama's first term in office. Republicans held 726 more state legislative seats in 2011 than they did in 2009 and won control of a majority of state legislative seats for the first time in the 21st century. Republicans continued to hold a majority of state legislative seats throughout the following decade.
- The second largest shift followed the 2018 midterm elections during Trump's first term in office. Democrats held 348 more state legislative seats at the start of 2019 than they did in 2017.
- The third largest shift followed the 2006 midterm elections during Bush's second term in office. Democrats held 336 more state legislative seats at the start of 2007 than they did in 2005.
Both party's peak levels of control corresponded with the election of a new president of their party. Democrats' peak control followed Obama's election in 2008. At the start of his presidency, Democrats controlled 4,082 state legislative seats (55.3%). Republicans' peak control followed Trump's election in 2016. At the start of his presidency, Republicans controlled 4,171 state legislative seats (56.5%).
See also
State legislative elections
- State legislative elections, 2016
- State legislative elections, 2020
- State legislative elections, 2024
Previous analysis
- Changes in state legislative seats during the Obama presidency
- Changes in state legislative seats during the Trump presidency, 2017-2021
Footnotes
- ↑ [The chamber was tied after the 2024 elections, but an agreement between Democrats and Republicans gave Republicans control. For more information, click here.
- ↑ Nebraska's officially nonpartisan legislature was not included in this analysis.
- ↑ The Connecticut State Senate is not included in this list. Following the 2016 elections, there were a tied number of members in the chamber (18-18), but Democrats held an effective majority with Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman's (D) tie-breaking vote.
- ↑ Nebraska's officially nonpartisan legislature was not included in this analysis.
