Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.

Major party competition in state legislative elections, 2019

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Competitiveness Report Banner.png
Last updated on November 18, 2024
2019 State Legislative Competitiveness
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
2021 »
« 2017
Analyses
Annual Report
Open seats • Contested primaries • Incumbents in contested primaries • Major party competition • Uncontested incumbents • Incumbents defeated
Primary statistics
2019 elections
2019 Election Analysis Hub • State legislative • State executive officials
Reports by year


There were 538 state legislative seats up for election in November 2019 in four states. Of that total, 301 (56%) were uncontested and had no major party competition. The remaining 237 (44%) were contested by both major parties. This was the second-largest percentage of seats with no major party competition since Ballotpedia began gathering data in 2011.

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 2019:

  • Democrats were guaranteed to win 142 seats (26%) that lacked Republican competition, a 1% increase from 2015.
  • Republicans were guaranteed to win 158 seats (29%) that lacked Democratic competition, a 17% decrease from 2015.
  • Overall, Democrats ran for 379 seats (70%) and Republicans ran for 395 (73%).
  • There was one seat guaranteed to minor party or independent candidates because no major party candidates ran.
  • The total number of seats without major party competition—301—was less than in 2015 (332), the last time all four states held elections, representing a 9% decrease.


    • Major party competition in state legislative elections, 2019
    Chamber Seats
    Uncontested Contested
    Only Democrats Only Republicans Total
    # % # % # % # %
    House 407 105 25.8% 113 27.8% 219 53.8% 188 46.2%
    Senate 131 37 28.2% 45 34.4% 82 62.6% 49 37.4%
    Total 538 142 26.4% 158 29.4% 301 55.9% 237 44.1%


    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 2019. 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 from 2011 to 2019.


    Click [show] on the table below to view overall major party competition statistics by state from 2011 to 2019. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

    By state

    Overview

    Louisiana

    There were 144 seats up for election in Louisiana, 36 (25%) of which were contested by both major parties. The remaining 108 seats (75%) had no major party competition.

    • Democrats ran for 76 seats (53%), 40 of which had no Republican competition, representing 28% of all seats up for election.
    • Republicans ran for 103 seats (72%), 67 of which had no Democratic competition, representing 47% of all seats up for election.
    • There was one seat uncontested by both major parties, guaranteeing those seats to minor party or independent candidates.

    In 2019

    Statistics from 2019 are shown below. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

    Major party competition in state legislative elections in Louisiana, 2019
    Chamber Seats
    Uncontested Contested
    Only Democrats Only Republicans Total
    # % # % # % # %
    House 105 31 29.5% 49 46.7% 81 77.1% 24 22.9%
    Senate 39 9 23.1% 18 46.2% 27 69.2% 12 30.8%
    Total 144 40 27.8% 67 46.5% 108 75.0% 36 25.0%

    2011-2019

    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 Louisiana, 2011-2019
    Year Seats
    Uncontested Contested
    Only Democrats Only Republicans Total
    # % # % # % # %
    2011 144 40 27.8% 71 49.3% 112 77.8% 32 22.2%
    2013 Did not hold elections.
    2015 144 49 34.0% 70 48.6% 121 84.0% 23 16.0%
    2017 Did not hold elections.
    2019 144 40 27.8% 67 46.5% 108 75.0% 36 25.0%


    See also:

    Mississippi

    There were 174 seats up for election in Mississippi, 40 (23%) of which were contested by both major parties. The remaining 134 seats (77%) had no major party competition.

    • Democrats ran for 95 seats (55%), 55 of which had no Republican competition, representing 32% of all seats up for election.
    • Republicans ran for 119 seats (68%), 79 of which had no Democratic competition, representing 45% of all seats up for election.

    In 2019

    Statistics from 2019 are shown below. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

    Major party competition in state legislative elections in Mississippi, 2019
    Chamber Seats
    Uncontested Contested
    Only Democrats Only Republicans Total
    # % # % # % # %
    House 122 42 34.4% 56 45.9% 98 80.3% 24 19.7%
    Senate 52 13 25.0% 23 44.2% 36 69.2% 16 30.8%
    Total 174 55 31.6% 79 45.4% 134 77.0% 40 23.0%

    2011-2019

    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 Mississippi, 2011-2019
    Year Seats
    Uncontested Contested
    Only Democrats Only Republicans Total
    # % # % # % # %
    2011 174 54 31.0% 55 31.6% 109 62.6% 65 37.4%
    2013 Did not hold elections.
    2015 174 53 30.5% 64 36.8% 117 67.2% 57 32.8%
    2017 Did not hold elections.
    2019 174 55 31.6% 79 45.4% 134 77.0% 40 23.0%


    See also:

    New Jersey

    There were 80 seats up for election in New Jersey, 76 (95%) of which were contested by both major parties. The remaining four seats (5%) had no major party competition.

    • Democrats ran for 80 seats (100%), four of which had no Republican competition, representing 5% of all seats up for election.
    • Republicans ran for 76 seats (95%), zero of which had no Democratic competition, representing 0% of all seats up for election.

    In 2019

    Statistics from 2019 are shown below. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

    Major party competition in state legislative elections in New Jersey, 2019
    Chamber Seats
    Uncontested Contested
    Only Democrats Only Republicans Total
    # % # % # % # %
    House 80 4 5.0% 0 0.0% 4 5.0% 76 95.0%
    Senate Did not hold elections.
    Total 80 4 5.0% 0 0.0% 4 5.0% 76 95.0%

    2011-2019

    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, 2011-2019
    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%
    2015 80 1 1.3% 2 2.5% 3 3.8% 77 96.3%
    2017 120 5 4.2% 0 0.0% 5 4.2% 115 95.8%
    2019 80 4 5.0% 0 0.0% 4 5.0% 76 95.0%


    See also:

    Virginia

    There were 140 seats up for election in Virginia, 85 (61%) of which were contested by both major parties. The remaining 55 seats (39%) had no major party competition.

    • Democrats ran for 128 seats (91%), 43 of which had no Republican competition, representing 31% of all seats up for election.
    • Republicans ran for 97 seats (69%), 12 of which had no Democratic competition, representing 9% of all seats up for election.

    In 2019

    Statistics from 2019 are shown below. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

    Major party competition in state legislative elections in Virginia, 2019
    Chamber Seats
    Uncontested Contested
    Only Democrats Only Republicans Total
    # % # % # % # %
    House 100 28 28.0% 8 8.0% 36 36.0% 64 64.0%
    Senate 40 15 37.5% 4 10.0% 19 47.5% 21 52.5%
    Total 140 43 30.7% 12 8.6% 55 39.3% 85 60.7%

    2011-2019

    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, 2011-2019
    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%
    2015 140 37 26.4% 54 38.6% 91 65.0% 49 35.0%
    2017 100 28 28.0% 12 12.0% 40 40.0% 60 60.0%
    2019 140 43 30.7% 12 8.6% 55 39.3% 85 60.7%


    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 2019 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. Heading into the 2019 elections, minor party or independent legislators held 0.4% of the nation's 7,383 state legislative seats.

    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

    v • e
    Competitiveness in State Legislative Elections
    Background
    Competitive Analysis Main Logo.JPG
    2024
    2023
    2022
    2021
    2020
    2019
    2018
    2017
    2016
    2015
    2014
    2013
    2012
    2011
    2010
    2009
    2007
    v • e
    State legislatures
    Legislatures
    Alabama (H, S) · Alaska (H, S) · Arizona (H, S) · Arkansas (H, S) · California (A, S) · Colorado (H, S) · Connecticut (H, S) · Delaware (H, S) · Florida (H, S) · Georgia (H, S) · Hawaii (H, S) · Idaho (H, S) · Illinois (H, S) · Indiana (H, S) · Iowa (H, S) · Kansas (H, S) · Kentucky (H, S) · Louisiana (H, S) · Maine (H, S) · Maryland (H, S) · Massachusetts (H, S) · Michigan (H, S) · Minnesota (H, S) · Mississippi (H, S) · Missouri (H, S) · Montana (H, S) · Nebraska · Nevada (A, S) · New Hampshire (H, S) · New Jersey (GA, S) · New Mexico (H, S) · New York (A, S) · North Carolina (H, S) · North Dakota (H, S) · Ohio (H, S) · Oklahoma (H, S) · Oregon (H, S) · Pennsylvania (H, S) · Rhode Island (H, S) · South Carolina (H, S) · South Dakota (H, S) · Tennessee (H, S) · Texas (H, S) · Utah (H, S) · Vermont (H, S) · Virginia (H, S) · Washington (H, S) · West Virginia (H, S) · Wisconsin (A, S) · Wyoming (H, S)
    SLP badge.png
    2025
    2024
    2023
    Historical elections
    2022 •  2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010 • 2009 • 2008 • 2007 • 2006 • 2005 • 2004 • 2003 • 2002 • 2001 • 2000
    Features of
    state legislatures
    State senates
    State houses
    Leadership positions
    Retrieved from "https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Major_party_competition_in_state_legislative_elections,_2019&oldid=10141985"