Contested state legislative primaries, 2016

Last updated on November 18, 2024

There were 5,916 state legislative seats up for election on November 8, 2016, in 44 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 5,538 state legislative districts up for election nationwide, creating 10,827 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 1,800 contested primaries, meaning 17% of all primaries were contested. This was up from 2014 (16%) but down from 2010 (18%) and 2012 (18%).

In 2016:

There were 752 contested Democratic primaries, representing 14% of all possible Democratic primaries and a 16% increase from 2014.

There were 940 contested Republican primaries, representing 18% of all possible Republican primaries and a 2% decrease from 2014.

There were 108 contested top-two/four primaries, representing 43% of all possible top-two/four primaries and a 15% increase from 2014.

The total number of contested primaries—1,800—was up from 1,698 in 2014, representing a 6% increase.

Contested state legislative primaries, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Top-two/four		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%
House	4,349	586	14.0%	728	17.5%	73	41.0%	1,387	16.3%
Senate	1,189	166	14.8%	212	19.0%	35	49.3%	413	17.9%
Total	5,538	752	14.2%	940	17.8%	108	43.4%	1,800	16.6%

Click [show] on the table below to view contested primary statistics by state in 2016. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

Contested state legislative primaries, 2016
State	Possible primaries
		Democratic		Republican		Top-two/four		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%
Nationwide	10,827	752	14.2%	940	17.8%	108	43.4%	1,800	16.6%
Alaska	100	4	8.0%	18	36.0%	-	-	22	22.0%
Arizona	120	11	18.3%	12	20.0%	-	-	23	19.2%
Arkansas	234	4	3.4%	18	15.4%	-	-	22	9.4%
California	100	-	-	-	-	49	49.0%	49	49.0%
Colorado	166	12	14.5%	12	14.5%	-	-	24	14.5%
Connecticut	374	10	5.3%	2	1.1%	-	-	12	3.2%
Delaware	104	7	13.5%	2	3.8%	-	-	9	8.7%
Florida	320	42	26.3%	32	20.0%	-	-	74	23.1%
Georgia	472	30	12.7%	46	19.5%	-	-	76	16.1%
Hawaii	128	29	45.3%	5	7.8%	-	-	34	26.6%
Idaho	210	3	2.9%	35	33.3%	-	-	38	18.1%
Illinois	316	15	9.5%	15	9.5%	-	-	30	9.5%
Indiana	250	12	9.6%	26	20.8%	-	-	38	15.2%
Iowa	250	14	11.2%	15	12.0%	-	-	29	11.6%
Kansas	330	13	7.9%	55	33.3%	-	-	68	20.6%
Kentucky	238	15	12.6%	27	22.7%	-	-	42	17.6%
Maine	372	17	9.1%	13	7.0%	-	-	30	8.1%
Massachusetts	400	36	18.0%	3	1.5%	-	-	39	9.8%
Michigan	220	45	40.9%	50	45.5%	-	-	95	43.2%
Minnesota	402	17	8.5%	11	5.5%	-	-	28	7.0%
Missouri	360	24	13.3%	33	18.3%	-	-	57	15.8%
Montana	250	14	11.2%	36	28.8%	-	-	50	20.0%
Nebraska	25	-	-	-	-	13	52.0%	13	52.0%
Nevada	104	15	28.8%	24	46.2%	-	-	39	37.5%
New Hampshire	456	25	11.0%	51	22.4%	-	-	76	16.7%
New Mexico	224	19	17.0%	4	3.6%	-	-	23	10.3%
New York	426	39	18.3%	15	7.0%	-	-	54	12.7%
North Carolina	340	27	15.9%	34	20.0%	-	-	61	17.9%
North Dakota	92	0	0.0%	4	8.7%	-	-	4	4.3%
Ohio	230	16	13.9%	27	23.5%	-	-	43	18.7%
Oklahoma	250	28	22.4%	55	44.0%	-	-	83	33.2%
Oregon	150	12	16.0%	5	6.7%	-	-	17	11.3%
Pennsylvania	456	28	12.3%	21	9.2%	-	-	49	10.7%
Rhode Island	226	24	21.2%	3	2.7%	-	-	27	11.9%
South Carolina	340	20	11.8%	39	22.9%	-	-	59	17.4%
South Dakota	144	4	5.6%	22	30.6%	-	-	26	18.1%
Tennessee	230	19	16.5%	38	33.0%	-	-	57	24.8%
Texas	332	25	15.1%	45	27.1%	-	-	70	21.1%
Utah	180	0	0.0%	10	11.1%	-	-	10	5.6%
Vermont	234	19	16.2%	2	1.7%	-	-	21	9.0%
Washington	124	-	-	-	-	46	37.1%	46	37.1%
West Virginia	168	31	36.9%	33	39.3%	-	-	64	38.1%
Wisconsin	230	25	21.7%	8	7.0%	-	-	33	14.3%
Wyoming	150	2	2.7%	34	45.3%	-	-	36	24.0%

Historical comparison

The chart below shows a breakdown of contested primaries from 2010 to 2016.

Click [show] on the table below to view overall contested primary statistics by state from 2010 to 2016. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

Contested state legislative primaries, 2010-2016
State
	2010		2012		2014		2016
	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%
Nationwide	2,017	18.3%	2,037	18.5%	1,698	15.5%	1,800	16.6%
Alaska	10	10.0%	27	22.9%	13	12.0%	22	22.0%
Arizona	37	30.8%	27	22.5%	31	25.8%	23	19.2%
Arkansas	44	18.8%	33	12.2%	26	11.0%	22	9.4%
California	52	26.0%	60	60.0%	54	54.0%	49	49.0%
Colorado	15	8.9%	17	10.0%	12	7.3%	24	14.5%
Connecticut	22	5.9%	15	4.0%	18	4.8%	12	3.2%
Delaware	13	12.5%	20	16.1%	11	10.8%	9	8.7%
Florida	64	20.0%	74	23.1%	42	15.0%	74	23.1%
Georgia	76	16.1%	76	16.1%	62	13.1%	76	16.1%
Hawaii	42	31.8%	38	25.0%	29	23.0%	34	26.6%
Idaho	34	16.2%	71	33.8%	40	19.0%	38	18.1%
Illinois	39	14.0%	67	18.9%	29	10.6%	30	9.5%
Indiana	46	18.4%	51	20.4%	25	10.0%	38	15.2%
Iowa	26	10.4%	45	17.9%	29	11.6%	29	11.6%
Kansas	36	14.4%	102	30.9%	35	14.0%	68	20.6%
Kentucky	37	15.5%	38	16.0%	29	12.2%	42	17.6%
Maine	36	9.7%	39	10.5%	26	7.0%	30	8.1%
Massachusetts	61	15.3%	38	9.5%	47	11.8%	39	9.8%
Michigan	138	46.6%	85	38.6%	104	35.1%	95	43.2%
Minnesota	23	5.7%	44	10.9%	15	5.6%	28	7.0%
Missouri	86	23.9%	86	23.9%	49	13.6%	57	15.8%
Montana	59	23.4%	45	17.9%	59	23.6%	50	20.0%
Nebraska	9	37.5%	9	36.0%	11	45.8%	13	52.0%
Nevada	48	45.3%	35	33.7%	32	30.2%	39	37.5%
New Hampshire	54	21.3%	85	18.6%	78	17.1%	76	16.7%
New Mexico	23	16.4%	46	20.5%	18	12.9%	23	10.3%
New York	66	15.6%	56	13.1%	46	10.8%	54	12.7%
North Carolina	81	23.8%	91	26.8%	53	15.6%	61	17.9%
North Dakota	1	1.0%	7	7.0%	4	4.2%	4	4.3%
Ohio	54	23.3%	34	14.5%	51	22.0%	43	18.7%
Oklahoma	39	15.6%	45	18.0%	45	18.0%	83	33.2%
Oregon	20	13.2%	15	9.9%	20	13.3%	17	11.3%
Pennsylvania	63	13.8%	63	13.8%	68	14.9%	49	10.7%
Rhode Island	51	22.6%	40	17.7%	26	11.5%	27	11.9%
South Carolina	39	15.7%	35	10.3%	29	11.7%	59	17.4%
South Dakota	18	12.5%	30	20.8%	22	15.3%	26	18.1%
Tennessee	37	15.9%	62	27.0%	44	19.0%	57	24.8%
Texas	56	16.9%	90	24.9%	57	17.3%	70	21.1%
Utah	14	7.8%	20	11.0%	7	3.9%	10	5.6%
Vermont	16	6.6%	12	5.1%	11	4.7%	21	9.0%
Washington	41	33.3%	29	23.4%	29	23.6%	46	37.1%
West Virginia	46	30.7%	51	30.4%	44	26.2%	64	38.1%
Wisconsin	50	21.6%	51	22.2%	32	13.8%	33	14.3%
Wyoming	32	21.3%	33	22.0%	37	24.7%	36	24.0%

Alaska

There were 50 state legislative districts up for election in Alaska, creating 100 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 22 contested primaries—four by Democrats and 18 by Republicans—meaning 22.0% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Alaska, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	40	2	5.0%	15	37.5%	17	21.3%
Senate	10	2	20.0%	3	30.0%	5	25.0%
Total	50	4	8.0%	18	36.0%	22	22.0%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Alaska, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	50	1	2.0%	9	18.0%	10	10.0%
2012	59	6	10.2%	21	35.6%	27	22.9%
2014	54	2	3.7%	11	20.4%	13	12.0%
2016	50	4	8.0%	18	36.0%	22	22.0%

See also:

• Alaska House of Representatives elections, 2016
• Alaska State Senate elections, 2016

Arizona

There were 60 state legislative districts up for election in Arizona, creating 120 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 23 contested primaries—11 by Democrats and 12 by Republicans—meaning 19.2% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Arizona, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	30	7	23.3%	8	26.7%	15	25.0%
Senate	30	4	13.3%	4	13.3%	8	13.3%
Total	60	11	18.3%	12	20.0%	23	19.2%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Arizona, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	60	11	18.3%	26	43.3%	37	30.8%
2012	60	14	23.3%	13	21.7%	27	22.5%
2014	60	10	16.7%	21	35.0%	31	25.8%
2016	60	11	18.3%	12	20.0%	23	19.2%

See also:

• Arizona House of Representatives elections, 2016
• Arizona State Senate elections, 2016

Arkansas

There were 117 state legislative districts up for election in Arkansas, creating 234 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 22 contested primaries—four by Democrats and 18 by Republicans—meaning 9.4% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Arkansas, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	100	4	4.0%	15	15.0%	19	9.5%
Senate	17	0	0.0%	3	17.6%	3	8.8%
Total	117	4	3.4%	18	15.4%	22	9.4%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Arkansas, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	117	34	29.1%	10	8.5%	44	18.8%
2012	135	19	14.1%	14	10.4%	33	12.2%
2014	118	4	3.4%	22	18.6%	26	11.0%
2016	117	4	3.4%	18	15.4%	22	9.4%

See also:

• Arkansas House of Representatives elections, 2016
• Arkansas State Senate elections, 2016

California

There were 100 state legislative districts up for election in California, creating 100 possible primaries because of the state's top-two primary system. Of that total, there were 49 contested top-two primaries, meaning 49.0% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

Statistics from 2016 are shown below. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

Contested state legislative primaries in California, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Total
		#	%
House	80	34	42.5%
Senate	20	15	75.0%
Total	100	49	49.0%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in California, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Top-two/four		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	100	25	25.0%	27	27.0%	N/A		52	26.0%
2012	100	N/A				60	60.0%	60	60.0%
2014	100	N/A				54	54.0%	54	54.0%
2016	100	N/A				49	49.0%	49	49.0%

See also:

• California State Assembly elections, 2016
• California State Senate elections, 2016

Colorado

There were 83 state legislative districts up for election in Colorado, creating 166 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 24 contested primaries—12 by Democrats and 12 by Republicans—meaning 14.5% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Colorado, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	65	8	12.3%	9	13.8%	17	13.1%
Senate	18	4	22.2%	3	16.7%	7	19.4%
Total	83	12	14.5%	12	14.5%	24	14.5%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Colorado, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	84	9	10.7%	6	7.1%	15	8.9%
2012	85	4	4.7%	13	15.3%	17	10.0%
2014	82	3	3.7%	9	11.0%	12	7.3%
2016	83	12	14.5%	12	14.5%	24	14.5%

See also:

• Colorado House of Representatives elections, 2016
• Colorado State Senate elections, 2016

Connecticut

There were 187 state legislative districts up for election in Connecticut, creating 374 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 12 contested primaries—10 by Democrats and two by Republicans—meaning 3.2% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Connecticut, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	151	7	4.6%	2	1.3%	9	3.0%
Senate	36	3	8.3%	0	0.0%	3	4.2%
Total	187	10	5.3%	2	1.1%	12	3.2%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Connecticut, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	187	15	8.0%	7	3.7%	22	5.9%
2012	187	14	7.5%	1	0.5%	15	4.0%
2014	187	13	7.0%	5	2.7%	18	4.8%
2016	187	10	5.3%	2	1.1%	12	3.2%

See also:

• Connecticut House of Representatives elections, 2016
• Connecticut State Senate elections, 2016

Delaware

There were 52 state legislative districts up for election in Delaware, creating 104 possible primaries. Of that total, there were nine contested primaries—seven by Democrats and two by Republicans—meaning 8.7% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Delaware, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	41	5	12.2%	2	4.9%	7	8.5%
Senate	11	2	18.2%	0	0.0%	2	9.1%
Total	52	7	13.5%	2	3.8%	9	8.7%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Delaware, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	52	8	15.4%	5	9.6%	13	12.5%
2012	62	14	22.6%	6	9.7%	20	16.1%
2014	51	8	15.7%	3	5.9%	11	10.8%
2016	52	7	13.5%	2	3.8%	9	8.7%

See also:

• Delaware House of Representatives elections, 2016
• Delaware State Senate elections, 2016

Florida

There were 160 state legislative districts up for election in Florida, creating 320 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 74 contested primaries—42 by Democrats and 32 by Republicans—meaning 23.1% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Florida, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	120	31	25.8%	26	21.7%	57	23.8%
Senate	40	11	27.5%	6	15.0%	17	21.3%
Total	160	42	26.3%	32	20.0%	74	23.1%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Florida, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	160	20	12.5%	44	27.5%	64	20.0%
2012	160	29	18.1%	45	28.1%	74	23.1%
2014	140	14	10.0%	28	20.0%	42	15.0%
2016	160	42	26.3%	32	20.0%	74	23.1%

See also:

• Florida House of Representatives elections, 2016
• Florida State Senate elections, 2016

Georgia

There were 236 state legislative districts up for election in Georgia, creating 472 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 76 contested primaries—30 by Democrats and 46 by Republicans—meaning 16.1% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Georgia, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	180	27	15.0%	34	18.9%	61	16.9%
Senate	56	3	5.4%	12	21.4%	15	13.4%
Total	236	30	12.7%	46	19.5%	76	16.1%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Georgia, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	236	29	12.3%	47	19.9%	76	16.1%
2012	236	32	13.6%	44	18.6%	76	16.1%
2014	236	23	9.7%	39	16.5%	62	13.1%
2016	236	30	12.7%	46	19.5%	76	16.1%

See also:

• Georgia House of Representatives elections, 2016
• Georgia State Senate elections, 2016

Hawaii

There were 64 state legislative districts up for election in Hawaii, creating 128 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 34 contested primaries—29 by Democrats and five by Republicans—meaning 26.6% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Hawaii, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	51	23	45.1%	3	5.9%	26	25.5%
Senate	13	6	46.2%	2	15.4%	8	30.8%
Total	64	29	45.3%	5	7.8%	34	26.6%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Hawaii, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	66	32	48.5%	10	15.2%	42	31.8%
2012	76	31	40.8%	7	9.2%	38	25.0%
2014	63	23	36.5%	6	9.5%	29	23.0%
2016	64	29	45.3%	5	7.8%	34	26.6%

See also:

• Hawaii House of Representatives elections, 2016
• Hawaii State Senate elections, 2016

Idaho

There were 105 state legislative districts up for election in Idaho, creating 210 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 38 contested primaries—three by Democrats and 35 by Republicans—meaning 18.1% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Idaho, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	70	3	4.3%	30	42.9%	33	23.6%
Senate	35	0	0.0%	5	14.3%	5	7.1%
Total	105	3	2.9%	35	33.3%	38	18.1%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Idaho, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	105	2	1.9%	32	30.5%	34	16.2%
2012	105	10	9.5%	61	58.1%	71	33.8%
2014	105	6	5.7%	34	32.4%	40	19.0%
2016	105	3	2.9%	35	33.3%	38	18.1%

See also:

• Idaho House of Representatives elections, 2016
• Idaho State Senate elections, 2016

Illinois

There were 158 state legislative districts up for election in Illinois, creating 316 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 30 contested primaries—15 by Democrats and 15 by Republicans—meaning 9.5% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Illinois, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	118	11	9.3%	11	9.3%	22	9.3%
Senate	40	4	10.0%	4	10.0%	8	10.0%
Total	158	15	9.5%	15	9.5%	30	9.5%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Illinois, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	139	24	17.3%	15	10.8%	39	14.0%
2012	177	38	21.5%	29	16.4%	67	18.9%
2014	137	13	9.5%	16	11.7%	29	10.6%
2016	158	15	9.5%	15	9.5%	30	9.5%

See also:

• Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2016
• Illinois State Senate elections, 2016

Indiana

There were 125 state legislative districts up for election in Indiana, creating 250 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 38 contested primaries—12 by Democrats and 26 by Republicans—meaning 15.2% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Indiana, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	100	8	8.0%	16	16.0%	24	12.0%
Senate	25	4	16.0%	10	40.0%	14	28.0%
Total	125	12	9.6%	26	20.8%	38	15.2%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Indiana, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	125	13	10.4%	33	26.4%	46	18.4%
2012	125	16	12.8%	35	28.0%	51	20.4%
2014	125	2	1.6%	23	18.4%	25	10.0%
2016	125	12	9.6%	26	20.8%	38	15.2%

See also:

• Indiana House of Representatives elections, 2016
• Indiana State Senate elections, 2016

Iowa

There were 125 state legislative districts up for election in Iowa, creating 250 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 29 contested primaries—14 by Democrats and 15 by Republicans—meaning 11.6% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Iowa, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	100	13	13.0%	13	13.0%	26	13.0%
Senate	25	1	4.0%	2	8.0%	3	6.0%
Total	125	14	11.2%	15	12.0%	29	11.6%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Iowa, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	125	7	5.6%	19	15.2%	26	10.4%
2012	126	10	7.9%	35	27.8%	45	17.9%
2014	125	14	11.2%	15	12.0%	29	11.6%
2016	125	14	11.2%	15	12.0%	29	11.6%

See also:

• Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2016
• Iowa State Senate elections, 2016

Kansas

There were 165 state legislative districts up for election in Kansas, creating 330 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 68 contested primaries—13 by Democrats and 55 by Republicans—meaning 20.6% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Kansas, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	125	8	6.4%	39	31.2%	47	18.8%
Senate	40	5	12.5%	16	40.0%	21	26.3%
Total	165	13	7.9%	55	33.3%	68	20.6%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Kansas, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	125	4	3.2%	32	25.6%	36	14.4%
2012	165	18	10.9%	84	50.9%	102	30.9%
2014	125	5	4.0%	30	24.0%	35	14.0%
2016	165	13	7.9%	55	33.3%	68	20.6%

See also:

• Kansas House of Representatives elections, 2016
• Kansas State Senate elections, 2016

Kentucky

There were 119 state legislative districts up for election in Kentucky, creating 238 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 42 contested primaries—15 by Democrats and 27 by Republicans—meaning 17.6% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Kentucky, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	100	12	12.0%	23	23.0%	35	17.5%
Senate	19	3	15.8%	4	21.1%	7	18.4%
Total	119	15	12.6%	27	22.7%	42	17.6%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Kentucky, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	119	17	14.3%	20	16.8%	37	15.5%
2012	119	15	12.6%	23	19.3%	38	16.0%
2014	119	11	9.2%	18	15.1%	29	12.2%
2016	119	15	12.6%	27	22.7%	42	17.6%

See also:

• Kentucky House of Representatives elections, 2016
• Kentucky State Senate elections, 2016

Maine

There were 186 state legislative districts up for election in Maine, creating 372 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 30 contested primaries—17 by Democrats and 13 by Republicans—meaning 8.1% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Maine, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	151	11	7.3%	9	6.0%	20	6.6%
Senate	35	6	17.1%	4	11.4%	10	14.3%
Total	186	17	9.1%	13	7.0%	30	8.1%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Maine, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	186	14	7.5%	22	11.8%	36	9.7%
2012	186	23	12.4%	16	8.6%	39	10.5%
2014	186	13	7.0%	13	7.0%	26	7.0%
2016	186	17	9.1%	13	7.0%	30	8.1%

See also:

• Maine House of Representatives elections, 2016
• Maine State Senate elections, 2016

Massachusetts

There were 200 state legislative districts up for election in Massachusetts, creating 400 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 39 contested primaries—36 by Democrats and three by Republicans—meaning 9.8% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Massachusetts, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	160	29	18.1%	1	0.6%	30	9.4%
Senate	40	7	17.5%	2	5.0%	9	11.3%
Total	200	36	18.0%	3	1.5%	39	9.8%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Massachusetts, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	200	40	20.0%	21	10.5%	61	15.3%
2012	200	30	15.0%	8	4.0%	38	9.5%
2014	200	35	17.5%	12	6.0%	47	11.8%
2016	200	36	18.0%	3	1.5%	39	9.8%

See also:

• Massachusetts House of Representatives elections, 2016
• Massachusetts State Senate elections, 2016

Michigan

There were 110 state legislative districts up for election in Michigan, creating 220 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 95 contested primaries—45 by Democrats and 50 by Republicans—meaning 43.2% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Michigan, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	110	45	40.9%	50	45.5%	95	43.2%
Senate	Did not hold elections
Total	110	45	40.9%	50	45.5%	95	43.2%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Michigan, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	148	60	40.5%	78	52.7%	138	46.6%
2012	110	51	46.4%	34	30.9%	85	38.6%
2014	148	48	32.4%	56	37.8%	104	35.1%
2016	110	45	40.9%	50	45.5%	95	43.2%

See also:

• Michigan House of Representatives elections, 2016

Minnesota

There were 201 state legislative districts up for election in Minnesota, creating 402 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 28 contested primaries—17 by Democrats and 11 by Republicans—meaning 7.0% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Minnesota, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	134	10	7.5%	4	3.0%	14	5.2%
Senate	67	7	10.4%	7	10.4%	14	10.4%
Total	201	17	8.5%	11	5.5%	28	7.0%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Minnesota, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	201	13	6.5%	10	5.0%	23	5.7%
2012	201	24	11.9%	20	10.0%	44	10.9%
2014	134	6	4.5%	9	6.7%	15	5.6%
2016	201	17	8.5%	11	5.5%	28	7.0%

See also:

• Minnesota House of Representatives elections, 2016
• Minnesota State Senate elections, 2016

Missouri

There were 180 state legislative districts up for election in Missouri, creating 360 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 57 contested primaries—24 by Democrats and 33 by Republicans—meaning 15.8% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Missouri, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	163	20	12.3%	29	17.8%	49	15.0%
Senate	17	4	23.5%	4	23.5%	8	23.5%
Total	180	24	13.3%	33	18.3%	57	15.8%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Missouri, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	180	29	16.1%	57	31.7%	86	23.9%
2012	180	38	21.1%	48	26.7%	86	23.9%
2014	180	16	8.9%	33	18.3%	49	13.6%
2016	180	24	13.3%	33	18.3%	57	15.8%

See also:

• Missouri House of Representatives elections, 2016
• Missouri State Senate elections, 2016

Montana

There were 125 state legislative districts up for election in Montana, creating 250 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 50 contested primaries—14 by Democrats and 36 by Republicans—meaning 20.0% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Montana, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	100	8	8.0%	26	26.0%	34	17.0%
Senate	25	6	24.0%	10	40.0%	16	32.0%
Total	125	14	11.2%	36	28.8%	50	20.0%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Montana, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	126	21	16.7%	38	30.2%	59	23.4%
2012	126	16	12.7%	29	23.0%	45	17.9%
2014	125	21	16.8%	38	30.4%	59	23.6%
2016	125	14	11.2%	36	28.8%	50	20.0%

See also:

• Montana House of Representatives elections, 2016
• Montana State Senate elections, 2016

Nebraska

There were 25 state legislative districts up for election in Nebraska, creating 25 possible primaries because of the state's top-two primary system. Of that total, there were 13 contested top-two primaries, meaning 52.0% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

Statistics from 2016 are shown below. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

Contested state legislative primaries in Nebraska, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Total
		#	%
House	N/A
Senate	25	13	52.0%
Total	25	13	52.0%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Nebraska, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Total
		#	%
2010	24	9	37.5%
2012	25	9	36.0%
2014	24	11	45.8%
2016	25	13	52.0%

See also:

• Nebraska State Senate elections, 2016

Nevada

There were 52 state legislative districts up for election in Nevada, creating 104 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 39 contested primaries—15 by Democrats and 24 by Republicans—meaning 37.5% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Nevada, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	42	12	28.6%	22	52.4%	34	40.5%
Senate	10	3	30.0%	2	20.0%	5	25.0%
Total	52	15	28.8%	24	46.2%	39	37.5%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Nevada, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	53	20	37.7%	28	52.8%	48	45.3%
2012	52	20	38.5%	15	28.8%	35	33.7%
2014	53	12	22.6%	20	37.7%	32	30.2%
2016	52	15	28.8%	24	46.2%	39	37.5%

See also:

• Nevada State Assembly elections, 2016
• Nevada State Senate elections, 2016

New Hampshire

There were 228 state legislative districts up for election in New Hampshire, creating 456 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 76 contested primaries—25 by Democrats and 51 by Republicans—meaning 16.7% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in New Hampshire, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	204	22	10.8%	43	21.1%	65	15.9%
Senate	24	3	12.5%	8	33.3%	11	22.9%
Total	228	25	11.0%	51	22.4%	76	16.7%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in New Hampshire, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	127	14	11.0%	40	31.5%	54	21.3%
2012	228	17	7.5%	68	29.8%	85	18.6%
2014	228	20	8.8%	58	25.4%	78	17.1%
2016	228	25	11.0%	51	22.4%	76	16.7%

See also:

• New Hampshire House of Representatives elections, 2016
• New Hampshire State Senate elections, 2016

New Mexico

There were 112 state legislative districts up for election in New Mexico, creating 224 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 23 contested primaries—19 by Democrats and four by Republicans—meaning 10.3% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in New Mexico, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	70	11	15.7%	3	4.3%	14	10.0%
Senate	42	8	19.0%	1	2.4%	9	10.7%
Total	112	19	17.0%	4	3.6%	23	10.3%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in New Mexico, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	70	14	20.0%	9	12.9%	23	16.4%
2012	112	32	28.6%	14	12.5%	46	20.5%
2014	70	12	17.1%	6	8.6%	18	12.9%
2016	112	19	17.0%	4	3.6%	23	10.3%

See also:

• New Mexico House of Representatives elections, 2016
• New Mexico State Senate elections, 2016

New York

There were 213 state legislative districts up for election in New York, creating 426 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 54 contested primaries—39 by Democrats and 15 by Republicans—meaning 12.7% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in New York, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	150	27	18.0%	12	8.0%	39	13.0%
Senate	63	12	19.0%	3	4.8%	15	11.9%
Total	213	39	18.3%	15	7.0%	54	12.7%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in New York, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	212	52	24.5%	14	6.6%	66	15.6%
2012	213	40	18.8%	16	7.5%	56	13.1%
2014	213	37	17.4%	9	4.2%	46	10.8%
2016	213	39	18.3%	15	7.0%	54	12.7%

See also:

• New York State Assembly elections, 2016
• New York State Senate elections, 2016

North Carolina

There were 170 state legislative districts up for election in North Carolina, creating 340 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 61 contested primaries—27 by Democrats and 34 by Republicans—meaning 17.9% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in North Carolina, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	120	18	15.0%	26	21.7%	44	18.3%
Senate	50	9	18.0%	8	16.0%	17	17.0%
Total	170	27	15.9%	34	20.0%	61	17.9%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in North Carolina, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	170	34	20.0%	47	27.6%	81	23.8%
2012	170	35	20.6%	56	32.9%	91	26.8%
2014	170	22	12.9%	31	18.2%	53	15.6%
2016	170	27	15.9%	34	20.0%	61	17.9%

See also:

• North Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2016
• North Carolina State Senate elections, 2016

North Dakota

There were 46 state legislative districts up for election in North Dakota, creating 92 possible primaries. Of that total, there were four contested primaries—zero by Democrats and four by Republicans—meaning 4.3% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in North Dakota, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	23	0	0.0%	3	13.0%	3	6.5%
Senate	23	0	0.0%	1	4.3%	1	2.2%
Total	46	0	0.0%	4	8.7%	4	4.3%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in North Dakota, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	48	1	2.1%	0	0.0%	1	1.0%
2012	50	0	0.0%	7	14.0%	7	7.0%
2014	48	1	2.1%	3	6.3%	4	4.2%
2016	46	0	0.0%	4	8.7%	4	4.3%

See also:

• North Dakota House of Representatives elections, 2016
• North Dakota State Senate elections, 2016

Ohio

There were 115 state legislative districts up for election in Ohio, creating 230 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 43 contested primaries—16 by Democrats and 27 by Republicans—meaning 18.7% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Ohio, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	99	14	14.1%	20	20.2%	34	17.2%
Senate	16	2	12.5%	7	43.8%	9	28.1%
Total	115	16	13.9%	27	23.5%	43	18.7%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Ohio, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	116	26	22.4%	28	24.1%	54	23.3%
2012	117	14	12.0%	20	17.1%	34	14.5%
2014	116	17	14.7%	34	29.3%	51	22.0%
2016	115	16	13.9%	27	23.5%	43	18.7%

See also:

• Ohio House of Representatives elections, 2016
• Ohio State Senate elections, 2016

Oklahoma

There were 125 state legislative districts up for election in Oklahoma, creating 250 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 83 contested primaries—28 by Democrats and 55 by Republicans—meaning 33.2% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Oklahoma, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	101	21	20.8%	36	35.6%	57	28.2%
Senate	24	7	29.2%	19	79.2%	26	54.2%
Total	125	28	22.4%	55	44.0%	83	33.2%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Oklahoma, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	125	14	11.2%	25	20.0%	39	15.6%
2012	125	11	8.8%	34	27.2%	45	18.0%
2014	125	12	9.6%	33	26.4%	45	18.0%
2016	125	28	22.4%	55	44.0%	83	33.2%

See also:

• Oklahoma House of Representatives elections, 2016
• Oklahoma State Senate elections, 2016

Oregon

There were 75 state legislative districts up for election in Oregon, creating 150 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 17 contested primaries—12 by Democrats and five by Republicans—meaning 11.3% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Oregon, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	60	10	16.7%	4	6.7%	14	11.7%
Senate	15	2	13.3%	1	6.7%	3	10.0%
Total	75	12	16.0%	5	6.7%	17	11.3%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Oregon, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	76	6	7.9%	14	18.4%	20	13.2%
2012	76	6	7.9%	9	11.8%	15	9.9%
2014	75	7	9.3%	13	17.3%	20	13.3%
2016	75	12	16.0%	5	6.7%	17	11.3%

See also:

• Oregon House of Representatives elections, 2016
• Oregon State Senate elections, 2016

Pennsylvania

There were 228 state legislative districts up for election in Pennsylvania, creating 456 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 49 contested primaries—28 by Democrats and 21 by Republicans—meaning 10.7% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Pennsylvania, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	203	24	11.8%	17	8.4%	41	10.1%
Senate	25	4	16.0%	4	16.0%	8	16.0%
Total	228	28	12.3%	21	9.2%	49	10.7%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Pennsylvania, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	228	34	14.9%	29	12.7%	63	13.8%
2012	228	35	15.4%	28	12.3%	63	13.8%
2014	228	39	17.1%	29	12.7%	68	14.9%
2016	228	28	12.3%	21	9.2%	49	10.7%

See also:

• Pennsylvania House of Representatives elections, 2016
• Pennsylvania State Senate elections, 2016

Rhode Island

There were 113 state legislative districts up for election in Rhode Island, creating 226 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 27 contested primaries—24 by Democrats and three by Republicans—meaning 11.9% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Rhode Island, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	75	17	22.7%	2	2.7%	19	12.7%
Senate	38	7	18.4%	1	2.6%	8	10.5%
Total	113	24	21.2%	3	2.7%	27	11.9%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Rhode Island, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	113	45	39.8%	6	5.3%	51	22.6%
2012	113	35	31.0%	5	4.4%	40	17.7%
2014	113	23	20.4%	3	2.7%	26	11.5%
2016	113	24	21.2%	3	2.7%	27	11.9%

See also:

• Rhode Island House of Representatives elections, 2016
• Rhode Island State Senate elections, 2016

South Carolina

There were 170 state legislative districts up for election in South Carolina, creating 340 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 59 contested primaries—20 by Democrats and 39 by Republicans—meaning 17.4% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in South Carolina, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	124	14	11.3%	23	18.5%	37	14.9%
Senate	46	6	13.0%	16	34.8%	22	23.9%
Total	170	20	11.8%	39	22.9%	59	17.4%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in South Carolina, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	124	14	11.3%	25	20.2%	39	15.7%
2012	170	9	5.3%	26	15.3%	35	10.3%
2014	124	8	6.5%	21	16.9%	29	11.7%
2016	170	20	11.8%	39	22.9%	59	17.4%

See also:

• South Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2016
• South Carolina State Senate elections, 2016

South Dakota

There were 72 state legislative districts up for election in South Dakota, creating 144 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 26 contested primaries—four by Democrats and 22 by Republicans—meaning 18.1% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in South Dakota, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	37	3	8.1%	12	32.4%	15	20.3%
Senate	35	1	2.9%	10	28.6%	11	15.7%
Total	72	4	5.6%	22	30.6%	26	18.1%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in South Dakota, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	72	8	11.1%	10	13.9%	18	12.5%
2012	72	3	4.2%	27	37.5%	30	20.8%
2014	72	5	6.9%	17	23.6%	22	15.3%
2016	72	4	5.6%	22	30.6%	26	18.1%

See also:

• South Dakota House of Representatives elections, 2016
• South Dakota State Senate elections, 2016

Tennessee

There were 115 state legislative districts up for election in Tennessee, creating 230 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 57 contested primaries—19 by Democrats and 38 by Republicans—meaning 24.8% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Tennessee, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	99	16	16.2%	31	31.3%	47	23.7%
Senate	16	3	18.8%	7	43.8%	10	31.3%
Total	115	19	16.5%	38	33.0%	57	24.8%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Tennessee, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	116	13	11.2%	24	20.7%	37	15.9%
2012	115	16	13.9%	46	40.0%	62	27.0%
2014	116	10	8.6%	34	29.3%	44	19.0%
2016	115	19	16.5%	38	33.0%	57	24.8%

See also:

• Tennessee House of Representatives elections, 2016
• Tennessee State Senate elections, 2016

Texas

There were 166 state legislative districts up for election in Texas, creating 332 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 70 contested primaries—25 by Democrats and 45 by Republicans—meaning 21.1% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Texas, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	150	22	14.7%	43	28.7%	65	21.7%
Senate	16	3	18.8%	2	12.5%	5	15.6%
Total	166	25	15.1%	45	27.1%	70	21.1%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Texas, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	166	11	6.6%	45	27.1%	56	16.9%
2012	181	20	11.0%	70	38.7%	90	24.9%
2014	165	13	7.9%	44	26.7%	57	17.3%
2016	166	25	15.1%	45	27.1%	70	21.1%

See also:

• Texas House of Representatives elections, 2016
• Texas State Senate elections, 2016

Utah

There were 90 state legislative districts up for election in Utah, creating 180 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 10 contested primaries—zero by Democrats and 10 by Republicans—meaning 5.6% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Utah, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	75	0	0.0%	7	9.3%	7	4.7%
Senate	15	0	0.0%	3	20.0%	3	10.0%
Total	90	0	0.0%	10	11.1%	10	5.6%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Utah, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	90	2	2.2%	12	13.3%	14	7.8%
2012	91	4	4.4%	16	17.6%	20	11.0%
2014	89	1	1.1%	6	6.7%	7	3.9%
2016	90	0	0.0%	10	11.1%	10	5.6%

See also:

• Utah House of Representatives elections, 2016
• Utah State Senate elections, 2016

Vermont

There were 117 state legislative districts up for election in Vermont, creating 234 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 21 contested primaries—19 by Democrats and two by Republicans—meaning 9.0% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Vermont, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	104	14	13.5%	1	1.0%	15	7.2%
Senate	13	5	38.5%	1	7.7%	6	23.1%
Total	117	19	16.2%	2	1.7%	21	9.0%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Vermont, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	121	9	7.4%	7	5.8%	16	6.6%
2012	117	8	6.8%	4	3.4%	12	5.1%
2014	117	6	5.1%	5	4.3%	11	4.7%
2016	117	19	16.2%	2	1.7%	21	9.0%

See also:

• Vermont House of Representatives elections, 2016
• Vermont State Senate elections, 2016

Washington

There were 124 state legislative districts up for election in Washington, creating 124 possible primaries because of the state's top-two primary system. Of that total, there were 46 contested top-two primaries, meaning 37.1% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

Statistics from 2016 are shown below. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

Contested state legislative primaries in Washington, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Total
		#	%
House	98	39	39.8%
Senate	26	7	26.9%
Total	124	46	37.1%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Washington, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Total
		#	%
2010	123	41	33.3%
2012	124	29	23.4%
2014	123	29	23.6%
2016	124	46	37.1%

See also:

• Washington House of Representatives elections, 2016
• Washington State Senate elections, 2016

West Virginia

There were 84 state legislative districts up for election in West Virginia, creating 168 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 64 contested primaries—31 by Democrats and 33 by Republicans—meaning 38.1% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in West Virginia, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	67	26	38.8%	24	35.8%	50	37.3%
Senate	17	5	29.4%	9	52.9%	14	41.2%
Total	84	31	36.9%	33	39.3%	64	38.1%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in West Virginia, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	75	32	42.7%	14	18.7%	46	30.7%
2012	84	35	41.7%	16	19.0%	51	30.4%
2014	84	20	23.8%	24	28.6%	44	26.2%
2016	84	31	36.9%	33	39.3%	64	38.1%

See also:

• West Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2016
• West Virginia State Senate elections, 2016

Wisconsin

There were 115 state legislative districts up for election in Wisconsin, creating 230 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 33 contested primaries—25 by Democrats and eight by Republicans—meaning 14.3% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Wisconsin, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	99	21	21.2%	6	6.1%	27	13.6%
Senate	16	4	25.0%	2	12.5%	6	18.8%
Total	115	25	21.7%	8	7.0%	33	14.3%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Wisconsin, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	116	13	11.2%	37	31.9%	50	21.6%
2012	115	29	25.2%	22	19.1%	51	22.2%
2014	116	12	10.3%	20	17.2%	32	13.8%
2016	115	25	21.7%	8	7.0%	33	14.3%

See also:

• Wisconsin State Assembly elections, 2016
• Wisconsin State Senate elections, 2016

Wyoming

There were 75 state legislative districts up for election in Wyoming, creating 150 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 36 contested primaries—two by Democrats and 34 by Republicans—meaning 24.0% of all primaries were contested.

In 2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Wyoming, 2016
Chamber	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
House	60	2	3.3%	28	46.7%	30	25.0%
Senate	15	0	0.0%	6	40.0%	6	20.0%
Total	75	2	2.7%	34	45.3%	36	24.0%

2010-2016

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

Contested state legislative primaries in Wyoming, 2010-2016
Year	Districts
		Democratic		Republican		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%
2010	75	2	2.7%	30	40.0%	32	21.3%
2012	75	2	2.7%	31	41.3%	33	22.0%
2014	75	3	4.0%	34	45.3%	37	24.7%
2016	75	2	2.7%	34	45.3%	36	24.0%

See also:

• Wyoming House of Representatives elections, 2016
• Wyoming State Senate elections, 2016

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 2016, zero state legislative districts used conventions as the sole means of nomination. Two states—Connecticut and Utah—used a convention-primary system, where candidates could be nominated via a convention but, in both states, those contests still could have advanced to a primary.

See also

• State legislative elections, 2016
  • Impact of term limits on state legislative elections in 2016
  • Open seats in state legislative elections, 2016
  • State legislative incumbents in contested primaries, 2016
  • Major party competition in state legislative elections, 2016
  • State legislative incumbents without general election challengers, 2016
  • Incumbents defeated in state legislative elections, 2016

Footnotes

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