Election results, 2021: State government triplexes
Republicans gained a triplex in Virginia as a result of the 2021 elections, while Democrats held their triplex in New Jersey.
Glenn Youngkin (R) defeated Terry McAuliffe (D) in the election for governor of Virginia and Jason Miyares (R) defeated incumbent Mark Herring (D) in the attorney general election, breaking the state's Democratic triplex. In Virginia, the governor appoints the secretary of state, meaning Republicans will gain a triplex.
In New Jersey, incumbent Phil Murphy (D) was re-elected governor, preserving the state's Democratic triplex. In New Jersey, the governor appoints the attorney general and secretary of state, meaning the state's triplex status was entirely determined by the gubernatorial election.
Heading into the 2021 elections, there were 37 state government triplexes. A state government triplex is a term to describe when one political party holds the following three positions in a state's government: governor, attorney general, and secretary of state.[1] Republicans had 20 triplexes and Democrats had 17. The other 13 states had divided government, meaning neither party has a triplex.
In the November 2, 2021, elections, two states held elections for one or more triplex offices.
As a result of the 2021 elections, the country had 21 Republican-held triplexes, 16 Democratic-held triplexes, and 13 divided governments, as illustrated by the table below.
Note: Steve Hobbs (D) was sworn in as Washington Secretary of State on November 22, 2021, succeeding Kim Wyman (R), who resigned to take a job in the Biden Administration. Hobbs' swearing-in made Washington a Democratic triplex. Because this change did not occur as a result of the 2021 elections, it is not included within the scope of this analysis.
Changes in triplex status
Virginia
As a result of the 2021 elections, Virginia transitioned from a Democratic triplex to a Republican triplex. Republicans flipped the governor's and attorney general offices. The secretary of state is appointed by the governor.
| Change in state government triplexes , 2021 elections | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Triplex status | Before | After | Net | |
Democratic triplexes  |
17 | 16 | -1 | |
Republican triplexes  |
20 | 21 | +1 | |
| Divided government | 13 | 13 | -- | |
The map below shows triplex statuses following the 2021 election.
The map below shows triplex control in states going into the 2021 election.
Triplex office election results
| Gubernatorial races, 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Pre-election incumbent | Post-election incumbent |
| New Jersey | Phil Murphy |
Phil Murphy
|
| Virginia | Ralph Northam |
Glenn Youngkin
|
| Attorney general race, 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Pre-election incumbent | Post-election incumbent |
| Virginia | Mark Herring |
Jason Miyares
|
Triplex offices on the ballot
New Jersey and Virginia were the only states holding elections in 2021 where state government triplex status could be affected as a result of the elections. At the time of the 2021 elections, Democrats had triplexes in both states holding elections that year.
New Jersey
In New Jersey, the office of governor is up for election. The box below will be updated as election results are available.
General election
General election for Governor of New Jersey
Incumbent Phil Murphy defeated Jack Ciattarelli, Madelyn Hoffman, Gregg Mele, and Joanne Kuniansky in the general election for Governor of New Jersey on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Phil Murphy (D) | 51.2 | 1,339,471 |
 | Jack Ciattarelli (R) | 48.0 | 1,255,185 | |
 | Madelyn Hoffman (G)  | 0.3 | 8,450 | |
 | Gregg Mele (L) | 0.3 | 7,768 | |
| Joanne Kuniansky (Socialist Workers Party) | 0.2 | 4,012 | ||
| Total votes: 2,614,886 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Robert Edward Forchion Jr. (Legalize Marihuana Party)
- Justin Maldonado (Independent)
- David Winkler (Independent)
Virginia
In Virginia, the offices of governor and attorney general are up for election. The boxes below will be updated as election results are available.
General election
General election for Governor of Virginia
Glenn Youngkin defeated Terry McAuliffe, Princess Blanding, and Paul Davis in the general election for Governor of Virginia on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Glenn Youngkin (R) | 50.6 | 1,663,596 |
 | Terry McAuliffe (D) | 48.6 | 1,600,116 | |
 | Princess Blanding (Liberation Party) | 0.7 | 23,125 | |
 | Paul Davis (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 0 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 2,593 | ||
| Total votes: 3,289,430 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Brad Froman (Independent)
General election
General election for Attorney General of Virginia
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Jason Miyares (R) | 50.4 | 1,647,534 |
 | Mark Herring (D) | 49.6 | 1,621,227 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 2,996 | ||
| Total votes: 3,271,757 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Election analysis
Hundreds of elections took place in 2021 across the United States, including primary and general elections at the state and local levels and special elections at the federal, state, and local levels. You will find Ballotpedia's research and curation on 2021 elections in the United States below.
- Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection report
- Incumbent win rates by state
- Incumbents defeated in state legislative elections
- Third-party candidates who won more than the margin of victory
- Number of state legislators by party
- Partisan balance of governors
- Results of elected officials seeking other offices
- State government trifectas
- State government triplexes
- State legislative races decided by fewer than 100 votes
- State legislative seats that changed party control
- State legislative veto-proof majorities
- Partisan balance of mayors of the 100 largest cities by population
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Ballotpedia chose to highlight these offices because they are typically the most visible positions in states and serve important administrative functions.
