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Major party competition in state legislative elections, 2013

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Last updated on November 18, 2024
2013 State Legislative Competitiveness
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There were 220 state legislative seats up for election on November 5, 2013, in two states. Of that total, 61 (28%) were uncontested and had no major party competition. The remaining 159 (72%) were contested by both major parties.

A seat has major party competition when candidates from both major parties are on the general election ballot. When only one major party is running for a seat, it has no major party competition and is effectively guaranteed to the major party candidate on the ballot. Learn more about the terms and methodologies used in this analysis.

Ballotpedia uses the level of major party competition to help determine the overall competitiveness of an election cycle. A larger number of seats without major party competition indicates fewer options on the ballot. A smaller number indicates more options.

In 2013:

  • Democrats were guaranteed to win 25 seats (11%) that lacked Republican competition, down from 22% in 2011.
  • Republicans were guaranteed to win 36 seats (16%) that lacked Democratic competition, down from 32% in 2011.
  • Overall, Democrats ran for 184 seats (84%) and Republicans ran for 195 (89%).
  • The total percentage of seats without major party competition—28%—was down from 54% in 2011.


    • Major party competition in state legislative elections, 2013
    Chamber Seats
    Uncontested Contested
    Only Democrats Only Republicans Total
    # % # % # % # %
    House 180 24 13.3% 35 19.4% 59 32.8% 121 67.2%
    Senate 40 01 2.5% 01 2.5% 02 5.0% 38 95.0%
    Total 220 25 11.4% 36 16.4% 61 27.7% 159 72.3%


    The chart below compares states by the percentage of seats contested by each of the major parties. In states located in the upper-right corner, almost all seats were contested by both major parties.


    Click [show] on the table below to view incumbents in contested primaries statistics by state in 2013. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

    Historical comparison

    The chart below shows a breakdown of major party competition in state legislative elections between 2011 and 2013.


    Click [show] on the table below to view overall major party competition statistics by state between 2011 and 2013. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

    By state

    Overview

    New Jersey

    There were 120 seats up for election in New Jersey, 116 (97%) of which were contested by both major parties. The remaining four seats (3%) had no major party competition.

    • Democrats ran for 117 seats (98%), one of which had no Republican competition, representing 1% of all seats up for election.
    • Republicans ran for 119 seats (99%), three of which had no Democratic competition, representing 3% of all seats up for election.

    In 2013

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

    Major party competition in state legislative elections in New Jersey, 2011-2013
    Year Seats
    Uncontested Contested
    Only Democrats Only Republicans Total
    # % # % # % # %
    House 80 0 0.0% 2 2.5% 2 2.5% 78 97.5%
    Senate 40 1 2.5% 1 2.5% 2 5.0% 38 95.0%
    Total 120 1 0.8% 3 2.5% 4 3.3% 116 96.7%

    2011-2013

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

    Major party competition in state legislative elections in New Jersey, 2011-2013
    Year Seats
    Uncontested Contested
    Only Democrats Only Republicans Total
    # % # % # % # %
    2011 120 2 1.7% 1 0.8% 3 2.5% 117 97.5%
    2013 120 1 0.8% 3 2.5% 4 3.3% 116 96.7%


    See also:

    Virginia

    There were 100 seats up for election in Virginia, 43 (43%) of which were contested by both major parties. The remaining 57 seats (57%) had no major party competition.

    • Democrats ran for 67 seats (67%), 24 of which had no Republican competition, representing 24% of all seats up for election.
    • Republicans ran for 76 seats (76%), 33 of which had no Democratic competition, representing 33% of all seats up for election.

    In 2013

    Statistics from 2013 are shown below. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

    Major party competition in state legislative elections in Virginia, 2013
    Chamber Seats
    Uncontested Contested
    Only Democrats Only Republicans Total
    # % # % # % # %
    House 100 24 24.0% 33 33.0% 57 57.0% 43 43.0%
    Senate Did not hold elections
    Total 100 24 24.0% 33 33.0% 57 57.0% 43 43.0%

    2011-2013

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

    Major party competition in state legislative elections in Virginia, 2011-2013
    Year Seats
    Uncontested Contested
    Only Democrats Only Republicans Total
    # % # % # % # %
    2011 140 30 21.4% 58 41.4% 88 62.9% 52 37.1%
    2013 100 24 24.0% 33 33.0% 57 57.0% 43 43.0%


    See also:

    Terms and definitions

    Major party competition

    Major party competition exists when candidates from both major parties—Democratic and Republican—appear on the general election ballot for a given seat.

    A seat lacks major party competition when at least one major party does not have a candidate on the ballot, effectively guaranteeing the seat to the other major party. This includes cases where no candidates from either major party appear on the ballot, guaranteeing that seat to a minor party or independent candidate.

    Seat

    State legislative seats represent the total number of candidates who can be elected. These totals may differ from state legislative districts.

    In most states, every state legislative district includes a single seat. These are referred to as single-member state legislative districts.

    Certain states have multi-member state legislative districts, where a single district contains multiple seats.

    Methodology

    Counting major party competition

    Major party competition is counted by seat.

    In a single-member district, major party competition exists when one Democrat and one Republican appear on the general election ballot.

    In multi-member districts, major party competition might exist for some seats while not existing for others.

    For example, in a district with three seats, if three Democrats and two Republicans appear on the general election ballot, two seats have major party competition, while one does not. This is because the number of Republicans on the ballot is less than the number of seats up for election, meaning, at most, Republicans could win two of the three seats with the remaining seat effectively guaranteed to be won by a Democrat.

    Major party competition is counted at the time of the general election. In states with top-two/four primaries, where every candidate appears on the same primary ballot regardless of political affiliation, this means only those candidates who advanced to the general election are counted. For example, if two Republicans and one Democrat ran in a top-two primary, and the two Republicans advanced to the general election, that seat is considered to have no major party competition since only one major party appears on the general election ballot.

    Candidacy withdrawals

    See also: Signature requirements and deadlines for 2013 state government elections

    Candidates may choose to withdraw before the general election takes place. Withdrawals include decisions to leave the race, disqualifications, and deaths. These withdrawals are either official or unofficial.

    An official withdrawal means the candidate withdrew before a specific date set in state law and their name was removed from the general election ballot. If a major party candidate officially withdraws before the general election, the number of seats without major party competition increases unless another candidate replaces them.

    An unofficial withdrawal means the candidate withdrew after a specific date set in state law, typically after ballots have been printed, meaning their name remains on the ballot even though they are not actively campaigning. If a major party candidate unofficially withdraws before the general election, major party competition figures are unchanged.

    Minor party and independent candidates

    This analysis does not account for the presence of minor party and independent candidates on the general election ballot when determining major party competition.

    For example, if a Republican candidate is on the general election ballot running against an independent candidate, that seat is not considered to have major party competition, since no Democratic candidates are present.

    This is why seats contested by only one major party are referred to as guaranteed to the major party with a candidate on the ballot. While minor party and independent candidates can win state legislative elections, it is rare.

    Major party write-in candidates

    Most states allow voters to write in the name of some other candidate when casting a ballot. Write-in candidates affiliated with a major party are not accounted for when determining major party competition unless that write-in candidate wins the general election. In these instances, major party competition figures are updated retroactively.

    Calculating the total number of seats contested by a party

    While this analysis does not focus on the total number of seats each major party contested, those totals can be calculated using the information above.

    • The total number of seats contested by Democrats is equal to the total number of seats with only Democrats on the ballot plus the number of seats contested by both major parties.
    • The total number of seats contested by Republicans is equal to the total number of seats with only Republicans on the ballot plus the number of seats contested by both major parties.

    See also

    Footnotes

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