Partisan composition of state senates

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Partisan composition of state legislatures
Legislatures
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See also
Historical partisan composition of state legislatures • Partisan composition of state senates • Historical partisan composition of state senates • Partisan composition of state houses • Historical partisan composition of state houses

The partisan composition of state senates refers to which political party holds the majority of seats in the state senate. Altogether, in the 50 state senates, there are 1,972 state senators.
The breakdown of chamber control after the November 2020 election is as follows:

  • Democratic Party 18 chambers
  • Republican Party 32 chambers[1]

The breakdown of chamber control prior to the November 2020 election was as follows:

  • Democratic Party 19 chambers
  • Republican Party 31 chambers[1]
See also: Partisan composition of state houses

Ties

A total of 61 state legislative chambers around the country have an even number of members, raising the possibility of a tie between the two major parties. In some instances, a bipartisan coalition of legislators is formed to act as leadership.[2] This tactic has not been the universal approach, however; some legislative bodies have used a coin toss, gubernatorial choice, shared time, choosing co-leaders, or dividing chairperson positions between the parties.[3]

Cumulative numbers

As of January 29, 2021, 1,953 state senators were affiliated with either the Democratic or Republican parties. This total is updated monthly.

Partisan balance of all 7,383 state legislative seats
Legislative chamber Democratic Party Republican Party Other[4]
State senates 864 1,089 19
State houses 2,448 2,918 45
Total: 3,312 4,007 64

Vacancies

As of January 29, 2021, there were 14 vacancies in 12 states. This total is updated monthly.

State Vacancies
Alabama 2
California 1
Connecticut 1
Illinois 1
Maine 1
Michigan 2
Nevada 1
Oklahoma 1
Oregon 1
Pennsylvania 1
Virginia 1
Wisconsin 1

Third Party

As of January 29, 2021, there were five state senators in three states identifying as independents or parties other than Democratic and Republican. This total is updated monthly.

State Independents/Third Party
Minnesota 2 (Independent)
Pennsylvania 1 (Independent)
Vermont 2 (Vermont Progressive)

Election breakdowns

See also: Historical partisan composition of state senates

Click here for information on partisan control of state senates over time.

States

See also: Historical partisan composition of state senates

Click here' for a state-by-state breakdown of the partisan composition of state senates.

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Includes Nebraska, which is officially nonpartisan. For more information on how Ballotpedia determined the partisan affiliation of Nebraska senators, please click here.
  2. ↑ Alaska State Senate, "Senate Bipartisan Working Group," accessed June 14, 2012
  3. ↑ Governing, "How Tied Chambers Affect States," June 9, 2011
  4. ↑ This tally includes third party incumbents and vacancies.
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