Become part of the movement for unbiased, accessible election information. Donate today.
Primary competitiveness in 2014 state legislative elections
This article does not receive scheduled updates. If you would like to help our coverage grow, consider donating to Ballotpedia. Contact our team to suggest an update.
Last updated in 2014
The number of contested primaries decreased in 2014 from prior years, from 19.5 percent in 2012 to 16.8% percent in 2014. In 2014 there were 6,057 seats up for grabs in the 46 states holding state legislative elections. There were 250 nonpartisan primaries: California and Washington hold blanket primaries, and Nebraska is a nonpartisan legislature.
In 2012, many states held elections under new district maps from the 2010 redistricting process. Newly redrawn districts can create opportunities for new candidates to make strong challenges for the district. In some cases, districts were redrawn in such a way that automatically left the seat open, without an incumbent to seek re-election.
- There was a possibility of 10,623 primary elections in 2014.
- Of those 10,623 possible primaries, 1,787 (16.8%) were contested.
A total of 684 Democratic primaries were contested: 165 state senate seats and 519 state house seats.
There were 1,017 contested Republican primaries: 204 state senate seats and 813 state house seats.
| Contested primaries in 2014 state legislative elections | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Senate seats at stake | Possible primaries | Total | % contested | House seats at stake | Possible primaries | Total | % contested |
| Alabama | 35 | 70 | 20 | 28.57% | 105 | 210 | 46 | 21.90% |
| Alaska | 14 | 28 | 2 | 7.14% | 40 | 80 | 13 | 16.25% |
| Arizona | 30 | 60 | 13 | 21.67% | 60 | 60 | 18 | 30.00% |
| Arkansas | 18 | 36 | 4 | 11.11% | 100 | 200 | 22 | 11.00% |
| California | 20 | 20 | 10 | 50.00% | 80 | 80 | 65 | 81.25% |
| Colorado | 18 | 36 | 2 | 5.56% | 65 | 130 | 11 | 8.46% |
| Connecticut | 36 | 72 | 4 | 5.56% | 151 | 302 | 7 | 2.32% |
| Delaware | 10 | 20 | 3 | 15.00% | 41 | 82 | 9 | 10.98% |
| Florida | 20 | 40 | 9 | 22.50% | 120 | 240 | 36 | 15.00% |
| Georgia | 56 | 112 | 19 | 16.96% | 180 | 360 | 43 | 11.94% |
| Hawaii | 13 | 26 | 9 | 34.62% | 51 | 102 | 21 | 20.59% |
| Idaho | 35 | 70 | 12 | 17.14% | 70 | 140 | 32 | 22.86% |
| Illinois | 19 | 38 | 2 | 5.26% | 118 | 236 | 27 | 11.44% |
| Indiana | 25 | 50 | 10 | 20.00% | 100 | 200 | 15 | 7.50% |
| Iowa | 25 | 50 | 13 | 26.00% | 100 | 200 | 17 | 8.50% |
| Kansas | 0 | -- | -- | -- | 125 | 250 | 34 | 13.60% |
| Kentucky | 19 | 38 | 6 | 15.79% | 100 | 200 | 23 | 11.50% |
| Maine | 35 | 70 | 5 | 7.14% | 151 | 302 | 19 | 6.29% |
| Maryland | 47 | 94 | 26 | 27.66% | 141 | 134 | 76 | 56.72% |
| Massachusetts | 40 | 80 | 9 | 11.25% | 160 | 320 | 39 | 12.19% |
| Michigan | 38 | 76 | 23 | 30.26% | 110 | 220 | 81 | 36.82% |
| Minnesota | 0 | -- | -- | -- | 134 | 268 | 14 | 5.22% |
| Missouri | 17 | 34 | 4 | 11.76% | 163 | 326 | 41 | 12.58% |
| Montana | 25 | 50 | 16 | 32.00% | 100 | 200 | 41 | 20.50% |
| Nebraska | 25 | 50 | 11 | 22.00% | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Nevada | 11 | 22 | 6 | 27.27% | 42 | 84 | 25 | 29.76% |
| New Hampshire | 24 | 48 | 11 | 22.92% | 400 | 408 | 66 | 16.18% |
| New Mexico | 0 | -- | -- | -- | 70 | 140 | 18 | 12.86% |
| New York | 63 | 126 | 19 | 15.1% | 150 | 300 | 29 | 9.7% |
| North Carolina | 50 | 100 | 20 | 20.00% | 120 | 240 | 32 | 13.33% |
| North Dakota | 24 | 48 | 0 | 0.00% | 48 | 48 | 4 | 8.33% |
| Ohio | 17 | 34 | 10 | 29.41% | 99 | 198 | 42 | 21.21% |
| Oklahoma | 25 | 50 | 13 | 26.00% | 101 | 202 | 33 | 16.34% |
| Oregon | 16 | 32 | 1 | 3.13% | 60 | 120 | 19 | 15.83% |
| Pennsylvania | 25 | 50 | 7 | 14.00% | 203 | 406 | 60 | 14.78% |
| Rhode Island | 38 | 76 | 9 | 11.84% | 75 | 150 | 24 | 16.00% |
| South Carolina | 0 | -- | -- | -- | 124 | 248 | 31 | 12.50% |
| South Dakota | 35 | 70 | 5 | 7.14% | 70 | 140 | 10 | 7.14% |
| Tennessee | 17 | 34 | 12 | 35.29% | 99 | 198 | 33 | 16.67% |
| Texas | 15 | 30 | 10 | 33.33% | 150 | 300 | 48 | 16.00% |
| Utah | 14 | 28 | 8 | 28.57% | 75 | 150 | 38 | 25.33% |
| Vermont | 30 | 26 | 1 | 3.85% | 150 | 208 | 8 | 3.85% |
| Washington | 25 | 25 | 5 | 20.00% | 98 | 98 | 21 | 21.43% |
| West Virginia | 17 | 34 | 5 | 14.71% | 100 | 134 | 41 | 30.60% |
| Wisconsin | 17 | 34 | 8 | 23.53% | 99 | 198 | 35 | 17.68% |
| Wyoming | 15 | 30 | 8 | 26.67% | 60 | 120 | 30 | 25.00% |
| Total | 1,098 | 2,117 | 390 | 18.4% | 4,958 | 8,932 | 1,397 | 15.6% |
Possible primaries
There was a possibility of 10,623 primary elections in 2014. Almost all districts held the possibility of two partisan primaries, one Democratic primary and one Republican primary. There were 250 nonpartisan primaries: California and Washington hold blanket primaries, and Nebraska is a nonpartisan legislature. These states hold just one primary election per district. Additionally, some districts employ multi-member districts. For example, New Hampshire's 400 House of Representatives seats are contained within 204 districts, giving the possibility of 408 partisan primaries.
See also
- State legislative elections, 2014
- Impact of term limits on state legislative elections in 2014
- State legislatures compared by extent of electoral competitiveness in 2014
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
