Major party competition in state legislative elections, 2023

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Last updated on November 15, 2024

There were 578 state legislative seats up for election in November 2023 in four states. Of that total, 319 (55%) were uncontested and had no major party competition. The remaining 259 (45%) were contested by both major parties. This was the second-largest number of seats with no major party competition in an odd year 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 2023:

Democrats were guaranteed to win 117 seats (20%) that lacked Republican competition, an 18% decrease from 2019.

Republicans were guaranteed to win 201 seats (35%) that lacked Democratic competition, a 27% increase from 2019.

Overall, Democrats ran for 376 seats (65%) and Republicans ran for 460 (80%).

The total number of seats without major party competition—319—was more than in 2019 (301), the last time all four states held elections, representing a 6% increase.

In odd years from 2011 to 2023, an average of 60% of seats had major party competition, compared to the average of 61% in even years between 2010 and 2022.

One of the two major parties was guaranteed a simple majority in four chambers across two states due to the lack of major party competition.

Major party competition in state legislative elections, 2023
Chamber	Seats
		Uncontested						Contested
		Only Democrats		Only Republicans		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%
House	407	92	22.6%	143	35.1%	236	58.0%	171	42.0%
Senate	171	25	14.6%	58	33.9%	83	48.5%	88	51.5%
Total	578	117	20.2%	201	34.8%	319	55.2%	259	44.8%

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. In states to the left, most seats up for election were guaranteed to Republicans. In states toward the bottom, most seats were guaranteed to Democrats.

Click [show] on the table below to view incumbents in contested primaries statistics by state in 2023. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

Major party competition in state legislative elections, 2023
State	Seats
		Uncontested						Contested
		Only Democrats		Only Republicans		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%
Nationwide	578	117	20.2%	201	34.8%	319	55.2%	259	44.8%
Louisiana	144	37	25.7%	82	56.9%	119	82.6%	25	17.4%
Mississippi	174	48	27.6%	100	57.5%	149	85.6%	25	14.4%
New Jersey	120	9	7.5%	1	0.8%	10	8.3%	110	91.7%
Virginia	140	23	16.4%	18	12.9%	41	29.3%	99	70.7%

Historical comparison

The chart below shows a breakdown of major party competition in state legislative elections from 2011 to 2023.

Click [show] on the table below to view overall major party competition statistics by state from 2011 to 2023. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

Major party competition in state legislative elections, 2011-2023
State
	2011			2013			2015			2017			2019			2021			2023
	D	R	C	D	R	C	D	R	C	D	R	C	D	R	C	D	R	C	D	R	C
Nationwide	22%	32%	46%	11%	16%	72%	26%	35%	38%	15%	5%	80%	26%	29%	44%	4%	3%	93%	20%	35%	45%
Louisiana	28%	49%	22%	-	-	-	34%	49%	16%	-	-	-	28%	47%	25%	-	-	-	26%	57%	17%
Mississippi	31%	32%	37%	-	-	-	30%	37%	33%	-	-	-	32%	45%	23%	-	-	-	28%	57%	14%
New Jersey	2%	1%	98%	1%	3%	97%	1%	3%	96%	4%	0%	96%	5%	0%	95%	6%	0%	94%	8%	1%	92%
Virginia	21%	41%	37%	24%	33%	43%	26%	39%	35%	28%	12%	60%	31%	9%	61%	2%	7%	91%	16%	13%	71%

Louisiana

There were 144 seats up for election in Louisiana, 25 (17%) of which were contested by both major parties. The remaining 119 seats (83%) had no major party competition.

• Democrats ran for 62 seats (43%), 37 of which had no Republican competition, representing 26% of all seats up for election.
• Republicans ran for 107 seats (74%), 82 of which had no Democratic competition, representing 57% of all seats up for election. This guaranteed Republican control of a majority of seats up for election.

In 2023

Statistics from 2023 are shown below. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

Major party competition in state legislative elections in Louisiana, 2023
Chamber	Seats
		Uncontested						Contested
		Only Democrats		Only Republicans		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%
House	105	29	27.6%	59	56.2%	88	83.8%	17	16.2%
Senate	39	8	20.5%	23	59.0%	31	79.5%	8	20.5%
Total	144	37	25.7%	82	56.9%	119	82.6%	25	17.4%

2011-2023

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, 2011-2023
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%
2021	Did not hold elections.
2023	144	37	25.7%	82	56.9%	119	82.6%	25	17.4%

See also:

• Louisiana House of Representatives elections, 2023
• Louisiana State Senate elections, 2023

Mississippi

There were 174 seats up for election in Mississippi, 25 (14%) of which were contested by both major parties. The remaining 149 seats (86%) had no major party competition.

• Democrats ran for 73 seats (42%), 48 of which had no Republican competition, representing 28% of all seats up for election.
• Republicans ran for 125 seats (72%), 100 of which had no Democratic competition, representing 57% of all seats up for election. This guaranteed Republican control of a majority of seats up for election.
• There was one seat uncontested by both major parties, guaranteeing that seat to minor party or independent candidates.

In 2023

Statistics from 2023 are shown below. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

Major party competition in state legislative elections in Mississippi, 2023
Chamber	Seats
		Uncontested						Contested
		Only Democrats		Only Republicans		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%
House	122	36	29.5%	68	55.7%	105	86.1%	17	13.9%
Senate	52	12	23.1%	32	61.5%	44	84.6%	8	15.4%
Total	174	48	27.6%	100	57.5%	149	85.6%	25	14.4%

2011-2023

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, 2011-2023
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%
2021	Did not hold elections.
2023	174	48	27.6%	100	57.5%	149	85.6%	25	14.4%

See also:

• Mississippi House of Representatives elections, 2023
• Mississippi State Senate elections, 2023

New Jersey

There were 120 seats up for election in New Jersey, 110 (92%) of which were contested by both major parties. The remaining 10 seats (8%) had no major party competition.

• Democrats ran for 119 seats (99%), nine of which had no Republican competition, representing 8% of all seats up for election.
• Republicans ran for 111 seats (93%), one of which had no Democratic competition, representing 1% of all seats up for election.

In 2023

Statistics from 2023 are shown below. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

Major party competition in state legislative elections in New Jersey, 2023
Chamber	Seats
		Uncontested						Contested
		Only Democrats		Only Republicans		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%
House	80	7	8.8%	1	1.3%	8	10.0%	72	90.0%
Senate	40	2	5.0%	0	0.0%	2	5.0%	38	95.0%
Total	120	9	7.5%	1	0.8%	10	8.3%	110	91.7%

2011-2023

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, 2011-2023
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%
2021	120	7	5.8%	0	0.0%	7	5.8%	113	94.2%
2023	120	9	7.5%	1	0.8%	10	8.3%	110	91.7%

See also:

• New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2023
• New Jersey State Senate elections, 2023

Virginia

There were 140 seats up for election in Virginia, 99 (71%) of which were contested by both major parties. The remaining 41 seats (29%) had no major party competition.

• Democrats ran for 122 seats (87%), 23 of which had no Republican competition, representing 16% of all seats up for election.
• Republicans ran for 117 seats (84%), 18 of which had no Democratic competition, representing 13% of all seats up for election.

In 2023

Statistics from 2023 are shown below. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

Major party competition in state legislative elections in Virginia, 2023
Chamber	Seats
		Uncontested						Contested
		Only Democrats		Only Republicans		Total
		#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%
House	100	20	20.0%	15	15.0%	35	35.0%	65	65.0%
Senate	40	3	7.5%	3	7.5%	6	15.0%	34	85.0%
Total	140	23	16.4%	18	12.9%	41	29.3%	99	70.7%

2011-2023

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, 2011-2023
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%
2021	100	2	2.0%	7	7.0%	9	9.0%	91	91.0%
2023	140	23	16.4%	18	12.9%	41	29.3%	99	70.7%

See also:

• Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2023
• Virginia State Senate elections, 2023

Guaranteed simple and veto-proof majorities

The absence of major party competition can effectively guarantee that one party wins the number of seats needed for a simple or veto-proof majority.

• A simple majority is over 50% of the seats in the chamber.

• Veto-proof majorities, sometimes called supermajorities, represent the number of seats needed to override a gubernatorial veto and typically require more seats than a simple majority, the exact number of which varies by state. In most states, it requires two-thirds of seats, though some states require three-fifths, and others require just a simple majority.

Guaranteed simple majorities

Republicans were guaranteed a simple majority in four chambers across two states. Democrats were not guaranteed simple majorities in any chambers.

Click [show] on the table below to view a list of chambers with guaranteed majorities. Bolded states are those where these majorities applied to the entire legislature.

Guaranteed simple majorities by legislative chamber, 2023
State	Chamber	Seats
		Needed	Guaranteed to ...
Louisiana	House	53	R	59
	Senate	20	R	23
Mississippi	House	62	R	68
	Senate	27	R	32

Guaranteed veto-proof majorities

Neither major party had guaranteed veto-proof majorities in any state legislative chambers.

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 2023 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 2023 elections, minor party or independent legislators held .37% of the nation's 7,386 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

• Election results, 2023: State legislatures
• State legislative elections, 2023
  • Impact of term limits on state legislative elections in 2023
  • Open seats in state legislative elections, 2023
  • Contested state legislative primaries, 2023
  • State legislative incumbents in contested primaries, 2023
  • Incumbents defeated in state legislative elections, 2023
• Primary election competitiveness in state government, 2023

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