Everything you need to know about ranked-choice voting in one spot. Click to learn more!

Contested state legislative primaries, 2015

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Competitiveness Report Banner.png
Last updated on November 18, 2024
2015 State Legislative Competitiveness
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
2017 »
« 2013
Analyses
Annual Report
Open seats • Contested primaries • Incumbents in contested primaries • Major party competition • Uncontested incumbents • Incumbents defeated
Primary statistics
2015 elections
State legislative • State executive officials
Reports by year


There were 538 state legislative seats up for election in November 2015, in four states. This page analyzes contested primaries in those races. A primary is contested when there are more candidates running than nominations available, meaning at least one candidate on the primary ballot must lose. Learn more about the terms and methodologies used in this analysis.

Ballotpedia uses the number and percentage of contested primaries to help determine the overall competitiveness of an election cycle. A greater number of contested primaries indicates more candidates running for office and more choices voters must make. A smaller number of contested primaries indicates fewer candidates and choices on the ballot.

There were 498 state legislative districts up for election nationwide, creating 852 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 169 contested primaries, meaning 20% of all primaries were contested. This was down from 2011 (22%), the last time all four states held elections.

In 2015:

  • There were 49 contested Democratic primaries, representing 14% of all possible Democratic primaries and a 2% increase from 2011.
  • There were 50 contested Republican primaries, representing 14% of all possible Republican primaries and a 23% decrease from 2011.
  • There were 70 contested top-two/four primaries, representing 49% of all possible top-two/four primaries and a 14% decrease from 2011.
  • The total number of contested primaries—169—was down from 194 in 2011, the last time all four states held elections, representing a 13% decrease.



    • Contested state legislative primaries, 2015
    Chamber Districts
    Democratic Republican Top-two/four Total
    # % # % # % # %
    House 367 35 13.4% 31 11.8% 52 49.5% 118 18.8%
    Senate 131 14 15.2% 19 20.7% 18 46.2% 51 22.9%
    Total 498 49 13.8% 50 14.1% 70 48.6% 169 19.8%


    Click [show] on the table below to view contested primary statistics by state in 2015. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

    Historical comparison

    The chart below shows a breakdown of contested primaries from 2011 to 2015.


    Click [show] on the table below to view overall contested primary statistics by state from 2011 to 2015. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

    By state

    Overview

    Louisiana

    Note: Louisiana does not have true primaries but instead uses a unique majority-vote system. For the purpose of this analysis, primaries in Louisiana are considered contested if more than one person files to run.

    There were 144 state legislative districts up for election in Louisiana, creating 144 possible primaries because of the state’s unique voting system. Of that total, there were 70 contested elections, meaning 48.6% of all possible primaries were contested.

    In 2015

    Statistics from 2015 are shown below. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

    Contested state legislative primaries in Louisiana, 2015
    Chamber Districts
    Total
    # %
    House 105 52 49.5%
    Senate 39 18 46.2%
    Total 144 70 48.6%

    2011-2015

    Historical statistics are shown below. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

    Contested state legislative primaries in Louisiana, 2011-2015
    Year Districts
    Total
    # %
    2011 144 81 56.3%
    2013 Did not hold elections
    2015 144 70 48.6%


    See also:

    Mississippi

    There were 174 state legislative districts up for election in Mississippi, creating 348 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 76 contested primaries—37 by Democrats and 39 by Republicans—meaning 21.8% of all primaries were contested.

    In 2015

    Historical statistics are shown below. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

    Contested state legislative primaries in Mississippi, 2015
    Chamber Districts
    Democratic Republican Total
    # % # % # %
    House 122 26 21.3% 25 20.5% 51 20.9%
    Senate 52 11 21.2% 14 26.9% 25 24.0%
    Total 174 37 21.3% 39 22.4% 76 21.8%

    2011-2015

    Historical statistics are shown below. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

    Contested state legislative primaries in Mississippi, 2011-2015
    Year Districts
    Democratic Republican Total
    # % # % # %
    2011 174 33 19.0% 39 22.4% 72 20.7%
    2013 Did not hold elections
    2015 174 37 21.3% 39 22.4% 76 21.8%


    See also:

    New Jersey

    There were 40 state legislative districts up for election in New Jersey, creating 80 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 5 contested primaries—three by Democrats and two by Republicans—meaning 6.3% of all primaries were contested.

    In 2015

    Historical statistics are shown below. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

    Contested state legislative primaries in New Jersey, 2015
    Chamber Districts
    Democratic Republican Total
    # % # % # %
    House 40 3 7.5% 2 5.0% 5 6.3%
    Senate Did not hold elections
    Total 40 3 7.5% 2 5.0% 5 6.3%

    2011-2015

    Historical statistics are shown below. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

    Contested state legislative primaries in New Jersey, 2011-2015
    Year Districts
    Democratic Republican Total
    # % # % # %
    2011 80 11 13.8% 14 17.5% 25 15.6%
    2013 80 9 11.3% 11 13.8% 20 12.5%
    2015 40 3 7.5% 2 5.0% 5 6.3%


    See also:

    Virginia

    There were 140 state legislative districts up for election in Virginia, creating 280 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 18 contested primaries—nine by Democrats and nine by Republicans—meaning 6.4% of all primaries were contested.

    In 2015

    Historical statistics are shown below. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

    Contested state legislative primaries in Virginia, 2015
    Chamber Districts
    Democratic Republican Total
    # % # % # %
    House 100 6 6.0% 4 4.0% 10 5.0%
    Senate 40 3 7.5% 5 12.5% 8 10.0%
    Total 140 9 6.4% 9 6.4% 18 6.4%

    2011-2015

    Historical statistics are shown below. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

    Contested state legislative primaries in Virginia, 2011-2015
    Year Districts
    Democratic Republican Total
    # % # % # %
    2011 140[1] 4 4.0% 12 9.8% 16 7.2%
    2013 100 3 3.0% 9 9.0% 12 6.0%
    2015 140 9 6.4% 9 6.4% 18 6.4%


    See also:


    Terms and methodologies

    Primary

    See also: Primary election

    A primary is an election used either to narrow the field of candidates or to determine political parties' nominees in advance of a general election. Broadly, a state might use one of two types of primary systems for its state legislative elections: partisan or top-two/four.

    Partisan primaries

    See also: Open, closed, and semi-closed primary

    Partisan primaries are those where candidates from the same party compete against one another. The winning candidates receive their parties' nominations in order to appear on the general election ballot.

    Top-two/four primaries

    See also: Top-two primary and Top-four primary

    Top-two/four primaries are those where all candidates, regardless of their party affiliations, appear on the same primary ballot. Depending on the system in place, either the top-two or top-four vote-getters advance to the general election.

    Contested primary

    A contested primary is one where there are more candidates running than nominations available, meaning at least one candidate on the primary ballot must lose.

    The number of candidates needed to create a contested primary depends on the primary system in place and the number of seats up for election in a state legislative district.

    In states with partisan primaries, a primary is typically contested when two or more candidates from the same political party file to run since only one candidate can receive their party's nomination. In states with multi-member state legislative districts, the number of candidates a party can nominate to the general election ballot depends on the number of seats in the district. In these cases, a primary is contested when at least one more candidate files to run than there are seats in the district. In states with top-two/four primaries, a primary is contested when more than two (in states with a top-two system) or more than four (in states with a top-four system) candidates file to run.

    Possible primaries

    The number of possible primaries is determined by the number of districts holding elections and the primary system in place.

    In states with partisan primaries, there are two possible primaries per district, one for each of the two major parties. In states with top-two/four primaries, there is one possible primary per district, since every candidate appears on the same primary ballot.

    Methodology

    This page analyzes the total number of contested state legislative primaries by comparing the number of such primaries to the number of possible primaries.

    Ballotpedia considers a primary as contested when there are more candidates on the ballot than nominations available. If a candidate unofficially withdraws before the primary but remains on the ballot, that candidate is included in the total towards determining whether a primary is contested.

    In states with partisan primaries, only major party candidates and primaries are counted. In states with top-two/four primaries, all candidates—major party and otherwise—are counted.

    If a district uses a convention—a nominating contested reserved to a smaller number of participants usually referred to as delegates—as the sole means of nominating a candidate, that district is not included in the calculation of possible primaries. In 2015, no state legislative districts used conventions as the sole means of nomination.

    See also

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ There were 58 races that used conventions as the sole means of nomination, decreasing the total number of possible primaries.
    v • e
    Competitiveness in State Legislative Elections
    Background
    Competitive Analysis Main Logo.JPG
    2024
    2023
    2022
    2021
    2020
    2019
    2018
    2017
    2016
    2015
    2014
    2013
    2012
    2011
    2010
    2009
    2007
    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
    Retrieved from "https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Contested_state_legislative_primaries,_2015&oldid=10141940"