State legislative Republican primaries, 2022
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In 2022, there were 99 state legislative chambers and 7,386 state legislative seats. In November 2022, 88 state legislative chambers in 46 states held general elections.
This page provides an overview of state legislative Republican primaries in 2022. For more information about the state legislative Democratic primaries and general elections, see the following pages:
For more of our 2022 primary coverage, see the following pages:
Republican primaries
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News and conflicts in the 2022 Republican state legislative primaries
The following were reprinted from Ballotpedia's The Heart of the Primaries newsletter, which captured stories related to conflicts within each major party.
September 1, 2022
Ohio's state legislative primary voter turnout decreased amid split election
Due to redistricting-related court challenges, Ohio held two primaries this year. The first, its regularly scheduled primary, took place on May 3 for all except state legislative offices. State legislative primaries occurred on Aug. 2. Turnout in the May 2022 primary was comparable to 2018 and 2020 primary turnout, while state legislative primary turnout specifically was lower this year than in 2018 and 2020.
The chart below compares unofficial voter turnout numbers in the Aug. 2 primary with official turnout numbers in the May primary, along with the official turnout numbers in the state’s previous primary elections through 2012.
Ohio’s Aug. 2 primary had the lowest voter turnout in a statewide primary election in at least a decade, with 661,101 votes cast. A look at votes cast in General Assembly elections in previous years shows that fewer people voted in these primaries in 2022. Votes cast in state Senate elections were 38% of the 2020 figure and 46% of the 2018 figure. In state House elections, 2022 primary votes were 41% of the 2020 figure and 45% of the 2018 figure. The chart below shows the total votes cast in state House and state Senate elections in 2022, 2020, and 2018.
Note: Ohio holds elections for all state House districts and half its state Senate districts in even-numbered years.
The Ohio Redistricting Commission's state legislative maps underwent a lengthy legal challenge process involving several map submissions to the Ohio Supreme Court. A federal court order went into effect on May 28, selecting one of the submitted maps for use in the 2022 elections. The legal challenge to the legislative maps is ongoing before the state supreme court.
Ohio is one of two states that split its primaries this year due to redistricting legal challenges. Statewide turnout data is not yet available in New York, which held primaries on June 28 and Aug. 23.
August 25, 2022
Primary results roundup
Florida and New York held statewide primaries Tuesday, while Oklahoma held a statewide primary runoff. We were watching two battleground Republican primaries in those states. Here’s how those races unfolded:
New York’s 23rd Congressional District: Nicolas Langworthy defeated Carl Paladino 51%-47%.
Langworthy is a former chairman of the New York Republican Party who was also a member of the executive committee for Donald Trump’s (R) presidential transition in 2016. Paladino was the Republican gubernatorial nominee in 2010 and co-chaired Trump’s 2016 campaign in New York.
Both candidates won endorsements from national Republicans. Langworthy’s endorsers included U.S. Rep. Jim Banks (R), and Paladino’s included U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R).
The 23rd District is currently vacant following Tom Reed’s (R) resignation in May amidst an allegation of sexual misconduct.
Election forecasters rate the general election Solid/Safe Republican.
Oklahoma U.S. Senate special runoff: Markwayne Mullin defeated T.W. Shannon 65%-35%.
Mullin is a member of the U.S. House who was first elected in 2012. Shannon is the CEO of Chickasaw Community Bank and a former state representative.
Mullin and Shannon were the top two finishers from a 13-candidate field running for the Republican nomination for the four remaining years in Sen. Jim Inhofe’s (R) term. Inhofe will retire in January.
Mullin’s endorsers include former President Donald Trump (R), and Shannon’s included former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R).
Media coverage
Politico wrote about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R) endorsements:
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ political muscle was on full display Tuesday night, as candidates he endorsed won a handful of key state legislative races and a wave of school board seats, which were a main focus for the governor in the final weeks of the 2022 midterm. DeSantis’ biggest legislative win was Republican Kiyan Michael, who is running for a Jacksonville state House seat. Michael was running against more established and better funded politicians, including a former state representative. DeSantis did not endorse until late in the race, but his support gave Michael immediate momentum to overcome her Republican rivals. She ended up securing 47 percent of the vote in a three-way primary. … For the final weeks of primary season, DeSantis put an outsized effort, including contributions from his personal political committee, into local school boards across the state. It’s part of his broader agenda to reshape Florida’s education system. It worked. Of the 30 school board candidates that got DeSantis’ formal support, 21 won their election bids Tuesday night.[1] |
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The Tampa Bay Times wrote about incumbents’ performance in Florida’s primaries:
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If the Democratic establishment had a good night, the Republican Party institution had a great one. Senate President Wilton Simpson comfortably defeated primary challenger James W. Shaw in the GOP primary for agriculture commissioner. Several incumbent U.S. representatives — Vern Buchanan, for example — crushed primary opponents challenging them from the right. Then there were the candidates who lost. During his two terms in office, state Rep. Anthony Sabatini, R-Howey-in-the-Hills, made enemies around the Florida Legislature. He repeatedly clashed with his own party’s leadership, calling Chris Sprowls, the top Republican in the Florida House, a RINO: Republican In Name Only. As Sabatini geared up for the 7th Congressional District GOP primary, it was apparent that top state Republicans were rooting for him to lose. He did, by more than 10,000 votes, to veteran Cory Mills, whose campaign netted more than a dozen endorsements from GOP U.S. representatives. After the race was called, Sabatini blamed the result on “the Swamp.” In The Villages-area 11th Congressional District primary, a similar story played out in far-right activist Laura Loomer’s challenge to incumbent U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster. Loomer, who has called Islam a “cancer on society,” lost the primary by about 5,000 votes. (She refused to concede Tuesday, citing “big tech election interference.”)[1] |
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July 21, 2022
Followup: Whatley withdraws in Alabama Senate District 27
On July 1, state Sen. Tom Whatley withdrew from the race for Alabama Senate District 27, leaving Auburn City Council member Jon Hovey as the Republican nominee in November.
As we wrote previously, Whatley, the 27th District's incumbent, had challenged the May 24 primary results, which had him trailing Hovey by one vote. The Alabama Republican Party then declared the race a tie after deciding to count a provisional ballot it previously rejected for Whatley. The party announced the race would be decided by a coin toss.
Hovey requested a rehearing after the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) said the voter who cast the provisional ballot in question hadn't completed the paperwork needed to get an Alabama driver's license and complete her voter registration. The party agreed to Hovey's request and scheduled a meeting for July 1. Whatley withdrew before the meeting took place.
Whatley said, "I am the Republican nominee who was voted by Republicans in my district. With that said, I now believe that it is in the best interest of my friends, colleagues, family, and the Republican Party, for me to step away from this tied race so that we can move forward and have success in November."
Hovey said, "This has been a potentially divisive experience. But we have maintained that we would be successful by standing with integrity and running a clean campaign about me and my desire to serve."
Hovey will face Democrat Sherri Reese in the November general election.
June 30, 2022
Alabama GOP declares a tie in SD-27, coin toss to decide primary
On June 25, the Alabama Republican Party declared the District 27 state Senate GOP primary a tie and announced the race will be decided by lot—a game of chance.
Incumbent Tom Whatley's campaign had contested the primary results, which showed him trailing Auburn City Council member Jay Hovey by one vote. The Alabama Republican Party Candidate Committee heard testimony and declared that a provisional ballot that had been rejected should count as a vote for Whatley, creating the tie.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) said that Patsy Kenney, the voter who cast the provisional ballot in question, hadn't completed the paperwork needed to get an Alabama driver's license and complete her voter registration.
Hovey said, "Certainly every vote is important and it’s unfortunate if anyone is mistaken that they are registered to vote. ... But if the proper, legal process isn't followed to register, a person shouldn't be allowed to cast a ballot to be considered." On June 29, Hovey formally requested that the party reconsider their original decision to count Kenney’s vote.
Whatley said that [Kenney’s] ballot “was the most scrutinized ballot in Alabama this year.” He added, "The decision to count [the ballot] was correct. ... Win or lose the coin toss, helping a constituent like Mrs. Kenney have her ballot counted was the correct thing to do and I am glad to have served her as her state senator."
The state party said, "The Alabama Republican Party has the authority to pick its nominee in the event of a tied primary. … In this case, the ALGOP Candidate Committee voted in favor of having Chairman John Wahl resolve this tie by lot, the method used for such situations in a general election, as outlined in Alabama Code 17-12-23."
Brian Lyman wrote in the Montgomery Advertiser that Hovey's "understanding was that scheduling conflicts meant it [the coin toss] could not take place until after the Fourth of July holiday weekend."
The winner will face Sherri Reese (D) in the general election on November 8. We'll update you on the result in a future edition.
June 9, 2022
Primary results roundup
The big stories of the night: Mississippi incumbents may head to runoffs, Nunn wins IA-03
Two U.S. House incumbents in Mississippi could be headed for runoffs as neither cleared 50% of the vote in their primaries as of Wednesday morning.
Mississippi's 3rd: Rep. Michael Guest had 47% of the vote to Michael Cassidy's 48%. Guest first took office in 2019.
Mississippi's 4th: Rep. Steven Palazzo had 32% to Mike Ezell's 25% and Clay Wagner's 22%. Palazzo was first elected in 2010. The Associated Press wrote, "A 2021 report by the office of Congressional Ethics found 'substantial reason to believe' Palazzo had abused his office by misspending campaign funds, doing favors for his brother, and enlisting staff for political and personal errands. Palazzo declined to fully participate in the investigation, but his spokeswoman at the time, Colleen Kennedy, said the it was based on 'false allegations' made by an opponent in a previous primary."
Runoffs in Mississippi are June 28.
Iowa's 3rd: Zach Nunn defeated Nicole Hasso and Gary Leffler. As of Wednesday morning, Nunn had 66% of the vote to Hasso's 19% and Leffler's 15%. Nunn is a state senator and Air Force veteran.
After the primary, The Cook Political Report and Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball changed their general election ratings from Toss-up to Lean Republican.
Democratic incumbent Cindy Axne was first elected in 2018, defeating incumbent David Young (R) 49%-47%. In a 2020 rematch, Axne defeated Young 49% to 48%.
Other marquee primary results
California's 27th: Incumbent Mike Garcia (R) and Christy Smith (D) advanced from a seven-candidate, top-two primary. Garcia had 50% of the vote and Smith had 35% as of Wednesday morning.
In 2020, Garcia defeated Smith in the general election by 333 votes, making it the third-closest U.S. House race that year. Brianna Lee of LAist said the 2022 race should be more competitive because redistricting "jettisoned the district’s most conservative outpost in Simi Valley, giving Democratic voters even more of an edge." Election forecasters consider the race a Toss-up.
California's 40th: We wrote last week that Rep. Young Kim (R) was spending big on ads opposing Greg Raths (R). As of Wednesday morning, Democrat Asif Mahmood had 40%, Kim had 34%, and Raths had 25%. Forecasters call the district Lean or Likely Republican.
California Attorney General: Incumbent Rob Bonta (D) is likely to advance from the top-two primary. Who will join him in the general election is TBD. Bonta had 55% of the vote as of Wednesday morning. Republican Nathan Hochman and Eric Early had 19% and 17%, respectively, and independent Anne Marie Schubert had 8%.
Media analysis
The Washington Post's Aaron Blake discussed two U.S. House primary results in the context of Jan. 6 commission votes and the difficulty of determining how those votes have factored in GOP primaries so far:
| “ | Later this week, the House Jan. 6 committee will begin holding public hearings on the Capitol insurrection. And on Tuesday, lawmakers’ previous votes on a 9/11-style bipartisan Jan. 6 commission suddenly became a flash point.
Rep. Michael Guest (R-Miss.), who was one of 35 House Republicans to vote for the commission, found himself unexpectedly fighting for his political life. He trailed Michael Cassidy with 88 percent of the vote in, in a result few saw coming. Either candidate would need 50 percent plus one to avoid a runoff. Another House Republican who voted for the commission was Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.). He wound up surviving his primary against state Rep. Taffy Howard but was taking only about 59 percent of the vote — less than other statewide South Dakota GOP officials facing primaries. Howard has attacked Johnson for being too bipartisan, including by declining to sign on to then-President Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election. As the Johnson example shows, it’s difficult to say how much of these dynamics stemmed from that particular vote. Unlike votes to impeach Trump, votes for the Jan. 6 commission (which failed in the Senate before the House launched a less bipartisan select committee) have yet to register as a major issue. But that’s in part because there is overlap between that issue and others in which members crossed partisan lines (such as the impeachment votes). Another of the commission’s supporters in the House GOP, Rep. David B. McKinley (R-W.Va.), lost his primary last month. But that was against a fellow incumbent, Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.) who also targeted McKinley for the latter’s vote for the bipartisan infrastructure bill.[1] |
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Iowa Starting Line's Amie Rivers wrote that challengers Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) supported against state House incumbents performed well on Tuesday:
| “ | [A]fter her much-touted school voucher bill failed to gain traction in the Iowa Legislature this year, Gov. Kim Reynolds took her ire out at several fellow Republicans in the Iowa House who called out the bill as not being supportive of public schools and ensured it wouldn’t pass.
With the unofficial election results coming in tonight, it looks like Reynolds got her way in many of the Republican primary contests. Her bill, Senate File 2369, would have diverted $55 million from public school budgets for up to 10,000 scholarships to pay for students to attend private schools. Legislators, particularly in rural areas with no private schools, were hesitant on the bill, including up to 15 Republicans by some reports. … Reynolds publicly began endorsing primary challengers to some of those legislators up for election this year, while out-of-state organizations that support vouchers have been pumping five-figure donations into their campaign coffers. It’s unprecedented, Iowa political watchers say. … Republicans who did not support Reynolds’ bill also received some funding from the Iowa State Educational Association, which is against the bill. But they received far less than their primary opponents …[1] |
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May 5, 2022
May 3 primary results roundup
Ohio and Indiana held primary elections on Tuesday. Indiana's ballot included state legislative elections, while Ohio's did not, as redistricting is still underway. Below, you'll find results from marquee GOP primaries, takeaways, and info on incumbents who lost primaries.
The big story of the night: Vance wins U.S. Senate primary in Ohio
Ohio U.S. Senate: J.D. Vance won Ohio's U.S. Senate primary with 32% of the vote. Josh Mandel was second with 24%, and Matt Dolan finished third with 23%. Four other candidates ran.
Former President Donald Trump (R) endorsed Vance in mid-April. Independent polling available before that, from late February and early March, showed Mandel and Mike Gibbons leading. Four of the five candidates with the most votes—except Dolan—campaigned on connections to and support for Trump.
Incumbent Sen. Rob Portman (R) is retiring.
Other marquee primary results
U.S. House
- Indiana's 9th: In the state's only open House district, Erin Houchin defeated eight other candidates with 37% of the vote. Mike Sodrel was second with 26%. Incumbent Trey Hollingsworth (R) didn't seek re-election. Three forecasters rate the district Safe or Solid Republican.
- Ohio's 9th: J.R. Majewski won with 36% of the vote. Craig Riedel was second with 31%. Incumbent Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D) was first elected in 1982 and is seeking re-election. This is a Toss-up district in race ratings.
- Ohio's 13th: Madison Gesiotto Gilbert defeated six other candidates with 29% of the vote. Gregory Wheeler was second with 23%. Gilbert worked on Trump's 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns. Incumbent Tim Ryan (D) is running for U.S. Senate. This is a Toss-up or Tilt Republican district in ratings.
State executive
- Ohio Governor: Incumbent Mike DeWine won with 48%. Jim Renacci was second with 28%. DeWine's response to the COVID-19 pandemic was an issue in the race. Renacci said DeWine overreacted with restrictions, while DeWine said he acted in the best interest of Ohioans.
- Ohio Secretary of State: Incumbent Frank LaRose defeated John Adams 65% to 35%.
Defeated incumbents
U.S. Rep. Bob Gibbs (OH-07) was the only Republican congressional incumbent to (technically) lose in Tuesday's primaries. Gibbs announced on April 6 that he wasn't running for re-election. But because Gibbs already qualified, he remained on the primary ballot.
In Indiana, six GOP state legislators—five representatives and one senator—lost primaries.
- Three Republican incumbents—one in the Indiana Senate and two in the Indiana House—were defeated in incumbent-on-incumbent primaries resulting from redistricting.
- Three Republican incumbents in the state House lost to non-incumbent challengers.
In 2020, one Indiana GOP legislator—a state representative—lost in a primary. In 2018, two GOP incumbents—a state senator and a representative—lost primaries.
The following shows data from 14 states for which we have post-filing deadline information and from two states—Texas and Indiana—where state legislative elections have taken place.
Media analysis
Media analysis following the May 3 GOP primaries has largely focused on Trump's influence in Ohio. We present a few perspectives on that below, in addition to a takeaway from Indiana's state legislative races.
Politico's David Siders and Adam Wren said Vance's victory was a victory for Trump and that Dolan's performance did not suggest good prospects for non-Trump-aligned candidates in 2024:
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People in Trump’s orbit are preparing for his dominion over the GOP to take a hit in primaries scheduled for later this month. The candidates he’s supporting for governor in Georgia and Idaho are both running far behind more establishment-minded incumbents, and several other Trump-endorsed candidates are in toss-up races. Trump isn’t likely to win them all. But J.D. Vance’s victory in the Ohio Senate primary on Tuesday was an unmistakable victory for Trump. Unlike in the Texas primaries, where the former president backed a raft of successful Republicans — but mostly made safe choices — Trump took a risk on Vance. … With Vance, Mandel, Timken and Gibbons clobbering each other over who was the Trumpiest, Dolan, who distanced himself from Trump, appeared to have space open to him with a non-MAGA hardliner crowd. … But he didn’t win. Or even come close. … Dolan isn’t a pure test of the anti-Trump Republican. He was a supporter of Trump, after all, voting twice for the former president. But it’s the closest thing we’ve seen this election cycle to a different prototype for 2024 — and it ended poorly for the candidate tied least tightly to Trump.[1] |
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CNN said that Ohio's Senate primary result attests to Trump's endorsement power in open primaries:
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Vance's victory underscored the former President's role as the kingmaker in the Republican Party. Though it's not clear whether Trump will succeed in his effort to oust incumbent Republicans he believes have wronged him, Ohio's results demonstrated that in open-seat races, his endorsement might be the most important factor.[1] |
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ABC News' Brittany Shepherd said DeWine's win was slightly unfavorable for Trump:
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Incumbent Gov. Mike DeWine, who rose in popularity after imposing more aggressive coronavirus restrictions in his state, won the Republican bid for reelection and defeated Trump-affiliated candidate Jim Renacci (who was endorsed by Trump in 2018, when Renacci ran and lost a Senate bid.) DeWine's win means a slight loss for the former president, who suggested DeWine needed to be primaried for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Even though Trump steered clear of a formal endorsement, his apparent disdain for the incumbent governor is no secret and his opponents differed little from Trump in campaign talking points, which calls into question the lasting power of Trump's influence.[1] |
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The Associated Press' Tom Davies and Casey Smith said Indiana state legislative candidates frustrated over COVID-19 restrictions and other issues performed poorly on Tuesday:
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Frustrated Indiana conservatives fell short in most primary races Tuesday in their drive to push the Republican-controlled state Legislature further to the right, and two of the movement’s leaders lost their reelection bids. The roughly two dozen so-called liberty candidates saw only a few victories in Republican legislative races across the state, with one defeating a 10-term incumbent in northern Indiana and two others winning nominations for GOP-leaning open seats. A few races remained uncalled late Tuesday, but more than 10 incumbent lawmakers overcame challenges from candidates who argued that the Legislature hasn’t been aggressive enough in attempting to ban abortion, enhancing gun rights and overturning COVID-19 restrictions that were ordered by Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb.[1] |
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See also
- State legislative Democratic primaries, 2022
- State legislative Republican primaries, 2020
- State legislative elections, 2022
- State legislative special elections, 2022
- Ballotpedia's Candidate Filing Analysis Hub, 2022
External links
Footnotes
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