National contested primary average during the 2012 U.S. congressional elections
From Ballotpedia
There were 435 U.S. House seats up for election in 2012. Ballotpedia staff measured the competitiveness of the primary elections based on two factors: number of contested primaries and number of incumbents facing a primary challenge.
This page is used to provide readers with a competitiveness index similar to that used in Ballotpedia's state legislative Competitiveness Study. The results below illustrate how many primaries were contested. The first set of results represents how many of all national House of Representative primary elections were contested. The second set counts only those primaries in which one of the candidates is the incumbent member.
Summary of results
- 51.40% of incumbents who ran for re-election faced a primary challenge (202 of 393).
- 51.70% of party primaries were contested (411 of 795).
- There were six states where every primary was contested. Those six states were Hawaii, Washington,[1] Alaska, Rhode Island, Montana and Idaho.
- In four additional states, every incumbent who filed for re-election faced a primary. Arizona, New Hampshire, Nebraska and Mississippi
- The five states with the fewest percentage of contested primaries were Vermont (0%), Wyoming (0%), Wisconsin (12.50%), Colorado (21.43%) and Pennsylvania (22.22%)
- In 11 states, no incumbents faced a primary. The state with the most representatives where no incumbent faced a primary was Connecticut with five seats.
Full results of primary competitiveness
Contested House of Representatives primaries
- This figure was calculated from the percentage of major party races in each state that were contested (races in which all primary candidates cannot advance to the general election). In 2012, 54.31% of party primaries were contested (466 of 858).
| Contested Primaries during the 2012 Congressional Elections | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Individual State Results | Nationwide Cumulative Results | |||||||||
| State | Primary date | # of seats | Democratic contested primaries | Republican contested primaries | Contested Major Party primaries | % contested primaries | Nationwide Contested primaries | Total possible party primaries so far | Nationwide Contested primaries % | |
| Delaware | 9/11/2012 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 50.00% | 466 | 858 | 54.31% | |
| New Hampshire | 9/11/2012 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 50.00% | 465 | 856 | 54.32% | |
| Rhode Island | 9/11/2012 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 100.00% | 463 | 852 | 54.34% | |
| Massachusetts | 9/6/2012 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 50.00% | 459 | 848 | 54.13% | |
| Alaska | 8/28/2012 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 100.00% | 450 | 830 | 54.22% | |
| Arizona | 8/28/2012 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 83.33% | 448 | 828 | 54.11% | |
| Vermont | 8/28/2012 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% | 433 | 810 | 53.46% | |
| Wyoming | 8/21/2012 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% | 433 | 808 | 53.59% | |
| Connecticut | 8/14/2012 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 30.00% | 433 | 806 | 53.72% | |
| Florida | 8/14/2012 | 27 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 33.33% | 430 | 796 | 54.02% | |
| Minnesota | 8/14/2012 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 50.00% | 412 | 742 | 55.53% | |
| Wisconsin | 8/14/2012 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 12.50% | 404 | 726 | 55.65% | |
| Hawaii | 8/11/2012 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 100.00% | 402 | 710 | 56.62% | |
| Kansas | 8/7/2012 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 25.00% | 398 | 706 | 56.37% | |
| Michigan | 8/7/2012 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 46.43% | 396 | 698 | 56.73% | |
| Missouri | 8/7/2012 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 62.50% | 383 | 670 | 57.16% | |
| Washington | 8/7/2012 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 100.00% | 373 | 654 | 57.03% | |
| Tennessee | 8/2/2012 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 55.56% | 353 | 634 | 55.68% | |
| Georgia | 7/31/2012 | 14 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 42.86% | 343 | 616 | 55.68% | |
| Colorado | 6/26/2012 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 21.43% | 331 | 588 | 56.29% | |
| New York | 6/26/2012 | 27 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 27.78% | 328 | 574 | 57.14% | |
| Oklahoma | 6/26/2012 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 70.00% | 313 | 520 | 60.19% | |
| Utah | 6/26/2012 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 87.50% | 306 | 510 | 60.00% | |
| Maine | 6/12/2012 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 50.00% | 299 | 502 | 59.56% | |
| Nevada | 6/12/2012 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 62.50% | 297 | 498 | 59.64% | |
| North Dakota | 6/12/2012 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50.00% | 292 | 490 | 59.59% | |
| South Carolina | 6/12/2012 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 35.71% | 291 | 488 | 59.63% | |
| Virginia | 6/12/2012 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 27.27% | 286 | 474 | 60.34% | |
| California | 6/5/2012 | 53 | 45 | 45 | 90 | 84.91% | 280 | 452 | 61.95% | |
| Iowa | 6/5/2012 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 37.50% | 190 | 346 | 54.91% | |
| Montana | 6/5/2012 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 100.00% | 187 | 338 | 55.33% | |
| New Jersey | 6/5/2012 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 50.00% | 185 | 336 | 55.06% | |
| New Mexico | 6/5/2012 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 33.33% | 173 | 312 | 55.45% | |
| South Dakota | 6/5/2012 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50.00% | 171 | 306 | 55.88% | |
| Texas | 5/29/2012 | 36 | 16 | 24 | 40 | 55.56% | 170 | 304 | 55.92% | |
| Arkansas | 5/22/2012 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 37.50% | 130 | 232 | 56.03% | |
| Kentucky | 5/22/2012 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 50.00% | 127 | 224 | 56.70% | |
| Idaho | 5/15/2012 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 100.00% | 121 | 212 | 57.08% | |
| Nebraska | 5/15/2012 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 66.67% | 117 | 208 | 56.25% | |
| Oregon | 5/15/2012 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 50.00% | 113 | 202 | 55.94% | |
| Indiana | 5/8/2012 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 77.78% | 108 | 192 | 56.25% | |
| North Carolina | 5/8/2012 | 13 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 69.23% | 94 | 174 | 54.02% | |
| West Virginia | 5/8/2012 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 50.00% | 76 | 148 | 51.35% | |
| Pennsylvania | 4/24/2012 | 18 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 22.22% | 73 | 142 | 51.41% | |
| Maryland | 4/3/2012 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 87.50% | 65 | 106 | 61.32% | |
| Illinois | 3/20/2012 | 18 | 14 | 6 | 20 | 55.56% | 51 | 90 | 56.67% | |
| Alabama | 3/13/2012 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 42.86% | 31 | 54 | 57.41% | |
| Mississippi | 3/13/2012 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 62.50% | 25 | 40 | 62.50% | |
| Ohio | 3/6/2012 | 16 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 62.50% | 20 | 32 | 62.50% | |
Contested House of Representatives primaries involving incumbents
- This figure illustrates the percentage of incumbents who ran for re-election who faced competition in the primary election. In 2012, 51.40% of incumbents who ran for re-election faced a primary challenge (202 of 393).
| Contested Primaries involving incumbents during the 2012 Congressional Elections | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Individual State Results | Nationwide Cumulative Results | |||||||||
| State | Primary date | # of seats | Incs running | Incs facing primary | % incs with primary | Nationwide incs face primary | Nationwide Incs running | Nationwide incs face primary % | ||
| Louisiana | 11/06/2012 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 33.33% | 202 | 393 | 51.40% | ||
| Delaware | 9/11/2012 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 200 | 386 | 51.81% | ||
| New Hampshire | 9/11/2012 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100.00% | 200 | 385 | 51.95% | ||
| Rhode Island | 9/11/2012 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100.00% | 198 | 383 | 51.70% | ||
| Massachusetts | 9/6/2012 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 37.50% | 196 | 381 | 51.44% | ||
| Alaska | 8/28/2012 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100.00% | 193 | 373 | 51.74% | ||
| Arizona | 8/28/2012 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 100.00% | 192 | 372 | 51.61% | ||
| Vermont | 8/28/2012 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 185 | 365 | 50.68% | ||
| Wyoming | 8/21/2012 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 185 | 364 | 50.82% | ||
| Connecticut | 8/14/2012 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0.00% | 185 | 363 | 50.96% | ||
| Florida | 8/14/2012 | 27 | 24 | 8 | 33.33% | 185 | 359 | 51.53% | ||
| Minnesota | 8/14/2012 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 62.50% | 177 | 335 | 52.84% | ||
| Wisconsin | 8/14/2012 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 14.29% | 172 | 327 | 52.60% | ||
| Hawaii | 8/11/2012 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 100.00% | 171 | 320 | 53.44% | ||
| Kansas | 8/7/2012 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0.00% | 170 | 319 | 53.29% | ||
| Michigan | 8/7/2012 | 14 | 13 | 7 | 53.85% | 170 | 315 | 53.97% | ||
| Missouri | 8/7/2012 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 75.00% | 163 | 302 | 53.97% | ||
| Washington | 8/7/2012 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 100.00% | 157 | 294 | 53.40% | ||
| Tennessee | 8/2/2012 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 66.67% | 150 | 287 | 52.26% | ||
| Georgia | 7/31/2012 | 14 | 13 | 6 | 46.15% | 144 | 278 | 51.80% | ||
| Colorado | 6/26/2012 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 14.29% | 138 | 265 | 52.08% | ||
| New York | 6/26/2012 | 27 | 25 | 6 | 24.00% | 137 | 258 | 53.10% | ||
| Oklahoma | 6/26/2012 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 75.00% | 131 | 233 | 56.22% | ||
| Utah | 6/26/2012 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 66.67% | 128 | 229 | 55.90% | ||
| Maine | 6/12/2012 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.00% | 126 | 226 | 55.75% | ||
| Nevada | 6/12/2012 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 50.00% | 126 | 224 | 56.25% | ||
| North Dakota | 6/12/2012 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% | 125 | 222 | 56.31% | ||
| South Carolina | 6/12/2012 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 14.28% | 125 | 222 | 56.31% | ||
| Virginia | 6/12/2012 | 11 | 11 | 4 | 36.36% | 125 | 214 | 58.41% | ||
| California | 6/5/2012 | 53 | 46 | 37 | 80.43% | 120 | 204 | 58.82% | ||
| Iowa | 6/5/2012 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 20.00% | 83 | 159 | 52.20% | ||
| Montana | 6/5/2012 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% | 82 | 154 | 53.25% | ||
| New Jersey | 6/5/2012 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 66.67% | 82 | 153 | 53.59% | ||
| New Mexico | 6/5/2012 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0.00% | 74 | 141 | 52.48% | ||
| South Dakota | 6/5/2012 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 74 | 139 | 53.24% | ||
| Texas | 5/29/2012 | 36 | 30 | 20 | 66.67% | 74 | 138 | 53.62% | ||
| Arkansas | 5/22/2012 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0.00% | 54 | 108 | 50.00% | ||
| Kentucky | 5/22/2012 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 20.00% | 54 | 105 | 51.42% | ||
| Idaho | 5/15/2012 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100.00% | 53 | 100 | 53.00% | ||
| Nebraska | 5/15/2012 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 100.00% | 51 | 98 | 52.04% | ||
| Oregon | 5/15/2012 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 20.00% | 48 | 95 | 50.52% | ||
| Indiana | 5/8/2012 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 33.33% | 47 | 90 | 52.22% | ||
| North Carolina | 5/8/2012 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 70.00% | 45 | 84 | 53.57% | ||
| West Virginia | 5/8/2012 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 33.33% | 38 | 74 | 51.35% | ||
| Pennsylvania | 4/24/2012 | 18 | 18 | 5 | 27.78% | 37 | 71 | 52.11% | ||
| Maryland | 4/3/2012 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 75.00% | 32 | 53 | 60.38% | ||
| Illinois | 3/20/2012 | 18 | 18 | 8 | 44.44% | 26 | 45 | 57.78% | ||
| Alabama | 3/13/2012 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 42.86% | 18 | 27 | 66.67% | ||
| Mississippi | 3/13/2012 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 100.00% | 15 | 20 | 75.00% | ||
| Ohio | 3/6/2012 | 16 | 16 | 11 | 68.75% | 11 | 16 | 68.75% | ||
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Washington is one of three states with blanket primaries. Because of this, a greater percentage of primaries are classified as contested because there is only one primary for all candidates regardless of party. We classify a primary as contested if there are at least three candidates on the ballot. In other words, do voters have a choice at the polls.
