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Contested state legislative primaries, 2021

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There were 220 state legislative seats up for election on November 2, 2021, in two 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 180 state legislative districts up for election nationwide, creating 332 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 44 contested primaries, meaning 13% of all primaries were contested. This was down from 2017 (14%), which was the last time only New Jersey and Virginia held elections.

In 2021:

  • There were 27 contested Democratic primaries, representing 16% of all possible Democratic primaries and an 18% decrease from 2017.
  • There were 17 contested Republican primaries, representing 11% of all possible Republican primaries and a 6% decrease from 2017.
  • The total number of contested primaries—44—was down from 51 in 2017, the last time only New Jersey and Virginia held elections, representing a 14% decrease.



    • Contested state legislative primaries, 2021
    Chamber Districts
    Democratic Republican Top-two/four Total
    # % # % # % # %
    House 140 23 17.6% 14 11.6% 0 - 37 14.7%
    Senate 40 4 10.0% 3 7.5% 0 - 7 8.8%
    Total 180 27 15.8% 17 10.6% 0 N/A 44 13.3%


    Click [show] on the table below to view contested primary statistics by state in 2021. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

    Historical comparison

    The chart below shows a breakdown of contested primaries from 2011 to 2021.


    Click [show] on the table below to view overall contested primary statistics by state from 2011 to 2021. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

    By state

    Overview

    New Jersey

    There were 80 state legislative districts up for election in New Jersey, creating 160 possible primaries. Of that total, there were 19 contested primaries—nine by Democrats and 10 by Republicans—meaning 11.9% of all primaries were contested.

    In 2021

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

    Contested state legislative primaries in New Jersey, 2021
    Chamber Districts
    Democratic Republican Total
    # % # % # %
    House 40 5 12.5% 7 17.5% 12 15.0%
    Senate 40 4 10.0% 3 7.5% 7 8.8%
    Total 80 9 11.3% 10 12.5% 19 11.9%

    2011-2021

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

    Contested state legislative primaries in New Jersey, 2011-2021
    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%
    2017 80 14 17.5% 11 13.8% 25 15.6%
    2019 40 13 32.5% 3 7.5% 16 20.0%
    2021 80 9 11.3% 10 12.5% 19 11.9%


    See also:

    Virginia

    There were 100 state legislative districts up for election in Virginia, creating 172 possible primaries. The number of potential primaries decreased because 28 races held conventions as the sole means of nomination: nine for Democrats and 19 for Republicans. There were 25 contested primaries—18 by Democrats and seven by Republicans—meaning 14.5% of all primaries were contested.

    In 2021

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

    Contested state legislative primaries in Virginia, 2021
    Chamber Districts
    Democratic Republican Total
    # % # % # %
    House 100 18 19.8% 7 8.6% 25 14.5%
    Senate Did not hold elections
    Total 100 18 19.8% 7 8.6% 25 14.5%

    2011-2021

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

    Contested state legislative primaries in Virginia, 2011-2021
    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%
    2017 100[2] 19 20.0% 7 7.2% 26 13.5%
    2019 140[3] 23 16.4% 12 8.7% 35 12.6%
    2021 100[4] 18 19.8% 7 8.6% 25 14.5%


    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 2021, 28 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.
    2. ↑ There were eight races that used conventions as the sole means of nomination, decreasing the total number of possible primaries.
    3. ↑ There were two races that used conventions as the sole means of nomination, decreasing the total number of possible primaries.
    4. ↑ There were 28 races that used conventions as the sole means of nomination, decreasing the total number of possible primaries.
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