Incumbents defeated in 2016 Rhode Island primaries
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| 2016 Rhode Island Legislative Elections | |
|---|---|
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| Primary | September 13, 2016 |
| General | November 8, 2016 |
| 2016 Senate Election Results | |
| 2014・2012・2010・2008 2006・2004・2002・2000 | |
| 2016 House Election Results | |
| 2014・2012・2010・2008 2006・2004・2002・2000 | |
September 15, 2016
By The Ballotpedia State Desk
More incumbents were defeated in the Rhode Island General Assembly in 2016 by primary challengers than in recent election cycles.
Since Democrats in the state Senate and state House run unopposed in so many districts, the primary election functions as the general election for many incumbents. Out of the 113 seats up for election in 2016, 79 candidates—74 Democrats, four Republicans, and one independent—are guaranteed election in November barring unforeseen circumstances. Only 34 districts have general election competition.
Of the 18 incumbents with primary challengers in 2016, six (33.%) were defeated in 2016. Nationally, 11.6 percent of incumbents were defeated this year. None of the six seats were competitive in 2014.[1] Two of those seats have general election competition in 2016, but it is unlikely that Republicans will pick up the seats. The following incumbents were defeated in the primary:
- Sen. Juan Pichardo (D)
- Sen. William Walaska (D)
- Rep. Eileen Naughton (D)
- Rep. Jan Malik (D)
- Rep. John DeSimone (D)
- Rep. Thomas Palangio (D)
Since 2010, there have been 96 primaries involving incumbents—92 Democratic and 4 Republican. In total, 24 Democratic incumbents and one Republican incumbent have been defeated in primary competition. Before 2016, 16.7 percent of incumbents were defeated in the 2014 primary, 23 percent in 2012, and 27.7 percent in 2010. On average, 25 percent of incumbents with primary challengers will be defeated in the Rhode Island General Assembly.
| Rhode Island incumbents defeated by primary challengers (2010-2016) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | # primaries involving an incumbent | Democratic primaries | Republican primaries | Incumbents defeated | % of Incumbents defeated |
| 2010 | 34 | 32 (8 Senate, 24 House) | 2 (1 Senate, 1 House) | 10 (1 Rep. Sen., 9 Dem. House) | 27.7% |
| 2012 | 26 | 24 (7 Senate, 17 House) | 2 (1 Senate, 1 House) | 6 Democrats (1 Senate, 5 House) | 23% |
| 2014 | 18 | 18 (7 Senate, 11 House) | 0 | 3 Democrats (0 Senate, 3 House) | 16.7% |
| 2016 | 18 | 18 (6 Senate, 12 House) | 0 | 6 Democrats (2 Senate, 4 House) | 33.3% |
| Average | 24 | 23 | 1 | 6 | 25.1% |
See also
- Rhode Island State Senate
- Rhode Island State Senate elections, 2016
- Rhode Island House of Representatives
- Rhode Island House of Representatives elections, 2016
- Rhode Island General Assembly
Footnotes
- ↑ Under Ballotpedia's competitiveness criteria, districts that have a margin of victory of less than 5 percent are considered highly competitive. Districts that have a margin of victory from 5 to 10 percent are considered mildly competitive.
