Split-ticket voting in statewide elections in 2018 and 2020
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In the majority of states that held statewide elections in 2018 and 2020, voters elected candidates for statewide offices from the same party. However, a combined 22 states in both years elected candidates from more than one party in statewide elections.
In 2018, 14 states elected statewide candidates from more than one party. In 2020, that number was eight.
On this page, you will find:
- Split-ticket voting in statewide elections in 2020
- Split-ticket voting in statewide elections in 2018
2020
In Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Washington, voters elected statewide candidates from different parties.
The table below shows the highest vote-getting and lowest vote-getting candidates and the offices they won. Cells are colored according to the candidate’s party affiliation.
On average, in 2020, more than 163,972 votes separated the winning candidate with the most votes and the winning candidate with the fewest votes.
To put it another way, the lowest winning vote-getter received on average only 85% of the votes of the highest winning vote-getter. For example, in North Carolina in 2020, commissioner of agriculture candidate Steve Troxler (R) received 2,901,849 to win the office, while incumbent U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R) received 2,665,598 to win the office—a difference of 236,251 votes.
In Washington, commissioner of insurance candidate Mike Kreidler (D) received 2,506,693 votes, whereas lieutenant governor candidate Denny Heck (D) received 1,658,405 votes—a 40% difference.
The chart below shows the vote difference between the winning candidate with the highest number of votes and the winning candidate with the lowest number of votes. Colors at the end-points of each bar represent the winning candidate’s party affiliation.
The three states with the biggest gap between the winning candidate with the highest votes and the winning candidate with the lowest votes were:
- Washington (848,288)
- Michigan (381,783)
- Arizona (282,231)
The three states with the smallest gap between the winning candidate with the highest votes and the winning candidate with the lowest votes were:
- New Hampshire (65,831)
- Vermont (83,625)
- Pennsylvania (169,595)
2018
In Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Nevada, Ohio, and Vermont, voters elected statewide candidates from different parties.
In 2018, an average of 203,087 votes separated the winning candidate with the most votes and the winning candidate with the fewest votes. The lowest winning vote-getter received on average only 83% of the votes of the highest winning vote-getter.
For example, in Florida, the winner of the attorney general election, Ashley B. Moody (R) received 4,232,532. The winner of the commissioner of agriculture and consumer services election, Nikki Fried (D), received 4,032,954.
In Maryland, the winner of the comptroller election, Peter Franchot (D), received 344,620 more votes than Boyd Rutherford (R), the winner of the lieutenant governor race.
The chart below shows the vote difference between the winning candidate with the highest number of votes and the winning candidate with the lowest number of votes. Colors at the end-points of each bar represent the winning candidate’s party affiliation.
The three states with the biggest gap between the winning candidate with the highest votes and the winning candidate with the lowest votes were:
- Michigan (666,984)
- Ohio (502,505)
- Maryland (344,620)
The three states with the smallest gap between the winning candidate with the highest votes and the winning candidate with the lowest votes were:
- Montana (6,746)
- Maine (23,613)
- Nevada (33,846)
See also
- Election results, 2020: Split-ticket states in the 2020 presidential and gubernatorial elections
- Election results, 2022: Split-ticket voting in statewide elections
- Election results, 2020: State government triplexes
- Election results, 2020: State trifectas and the 2020 presidential vote
Footnotes
