State legislative incumbents without general election challengers, 2011

Last updated on January 27, 2026

2011 State Legislative Competitiveness
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There were 578 state legislative seats up for election on November 8, 2011, in four states. Overall, 475 incumbents ran in the general election. Of that total, 259 incumbents were uncontested, representing 54.5% of all incumbents who ran in the general election. This would be the most until 269 in 2015.

A general election is uncontested when there are no candidates other than the incumbent running. Learn more about the terms and methodologies used in this analysis.

Ballotpedia uses the number and percentage of incumbents in uncontested general elections to help determine the overall competitiveness of an election cycle. A larger number of uncontested general elections indicates less competitiveness because there are fewer opportunities for voters to elect a non-incumbent to office. A smaller number indicates more of those opportunities.

In 2011:

There were 110 Democratic incumbents in uncontested general elections, representing 46.0% of all Democratic incumbents who ran in the general election.

There were 148 Republican incumbents in uncontested general elections, representing 63.2% of all Republican incumbents who ran in the general election.

There were One minor party or independent incumbents in uncontested general elections, representing 50.0% of all minor party or independent incumbents who ran in the general election.

The total number of incumbents in uncontested general elections—259—would be the most until 269 incumbents were uncontested in 2015.

State legislative incumbents without general election challengers, 2011
Chamber	Seats
		Democratic			Republican			Total
		Filed	Cont.	%	Filed	Cont.	%	Filed	Cont.	%
House	407	163	86	52.8%	168	107	63.7%	333	194	58.3%
Senate	171	76	24	31.6%	66	41	62.1%	142	65	45.8%
Total	578	239	110	46.0%	234	148	63.2%	475	259	54.5%

Click [show] on the table below to view incumbents without general election challengers statistics by state in 2011. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

State legislative incumbents without general election challengers, 2011
State	Seats
		Democratic			Republican			Total
		Filed	Cont.	%	Filed	Cont.	%	Filed	Cont.	%
Nationwide	578	239	110	46.0%	234	148	63.2%	475	259	54.5%
Louisiana	144	45	41	91.1%	63	57	90.5%	109	99	90.8%
Mississippi	174	76	46	60.5%	62	38	61.3%	138	84	60.9%
New Jersey	120	64	1	1.6%	41	1	2.4%	105	2	1.9%
Virginia	140	54	22	40.7%	68	52	76.5%	123	74	60.2%

Louisiana

There were 144 seats up for election in Louisiana. A total of 109 incumbents advanced to the general election: 45 Democrats, 63 Republicans, one minor party or independent incumbent. Of that total, 99 incumbents—41 Democrats, 57 Republicans, and one minor party or independent incumbent—had no general election challengers, representing 90.8% of incumbents on the general election ballot.

In 2011

Statistics from 2011 are shown below. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

State legislative incumbents with no general election challengers in Louisiana, 2011
Chamber	Seats
		Democratic			Republican			Total
		Incs.	Uncont.	%	Incs.	Uncont.	%	Incs.	Uncont.	%
House	105	34	32	94.1%	44	39	88.6%	79	72	91.1%
Senate	39	11	9	81.8%	19	18	94.7%	30	27	90.0%
Total	144	45	41	91.1%	63	57	90.5%	109	99	90.8%

See also:

• Louisiana House of Representatives elections, 2011
• Louisiana State Senate elections, 2011

Mississippi

There were 174 seats up for election in Mississippi. A total of 138 incumbents advanced to the general election: 76 Democrats and 62 Republicans. Of that total, 84 incumbents—46 Democrats and 38 Republicans—had no general election challengers, representing 60.9% of incumbents on the general election ballot.

In 2011

Statistics from 2011 are shown below. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

State legislative incumbents with no general election challengers in Mississippi, 2011
Chamber	Seats
		Democratic			Republican			Total
		Incs.	Uncont.	%	Incs.	Uncont.	%	Incs.	Uncont.	%
House	122	54	35	64.8%	45	27	60.0%	99	62	62.6%
Senate	52	22	11	50.0%	17	11	64.7%	39	22	56.4%
Total	174	76	46	60.5%	62	38	61.3%	138	84	60.9%

See also:

• Mississippi House of Representatives elections, 2011
• Mississippi State Senate elections, 2011

New Jersey

There were 120 seats up for election in New Jersey. A total of 105 incumbents advanced to the general election: 64 Democrats and 41 Republicans. Of that total, two incumbents—one Democrat and one Republican—had no general election challengers, representing 1.9% of incumbents on the general election ballot.

In 2011

Statistics from 2011 are shown below. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

State legislative incumbents with no general election challengers in New Jersey, 2011
Chamber	Seats
		Democratic			Republican			Total
		Incs.	Uncont.	%	Incs.	Uncont.	%	Incs.	Uncont.	%
House	80	41	0	0.0%	27	0	0.0%	68	0	0.0%
Senate	40	23	1	4.3%	14	1	7.1%	37	2	5.4%
Total	120	64	1	1.6%	41	1	2.4%	105	2	1.9%

See also:

• New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2011
• New Jersey State Senate elections, 2011

Virginia

There were 140 seats up for election in Virginia. A total of 123 incumbents advanced to the general election: 54 Democrats, 68 Republicans, and one independent or minor party incumbents. Of that total, 74 incumbents—22 Democrats and 52 Republicans—had no general election challengers, representing 60.2% of incumbents on the general election ballot.

In YEAR

Statistics from 2011 are shown below. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

State legislative incumbents with no general election challengers in Virginia, 2011
Chamber	Seats
		Democratic			Republican			Total
		Incs.	Uncont.	%	Incs.	Uncont.	%	Incs.	Uncont.	%
House	100	34	19	55.9%	52	41	78.8%	87	60	69.0%
Senate	40	20	3	15.0%	16	11	68.8%	36	14	38.9%
Total	140	54	22	40.7%	68	52	76.5%	123	74	60.2%

See also:

• Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2011
• Virginia State Senate elections, 2011

Terms and definitions

Incumbent

See also: Incumbent

Ballotpedia defines incumbency by chamber. Under this definition, if an incumbent in House District 1 filed for re-election in House District 2, they would still be counted as an incumbent due to their remaining in the same chamber even though they ran for a different seat. If an incumbent in House District 1 filed to run in Senate District 2, they would not be counted as an incumbent in the Senate race since they are coming from a different chamber.

Ballotpedia uses the term re-elect to refer to any incumbent who is running in an election to retain their office, including incumbents who were originally appointed to their position.

Uncontested general election

See also: General election

An uncontested general election is one where there is one candidate running, meaning the candidate will automatically win the election.

Methodology

Candidacy withdrawals

See also: Signature requirements and deadlines for 2011 state government elections

In order to have their names printed on election ballots, candidates must submit information prior to a filing deadline. Filing deadlines are the dates by which candidates must submit required paperwork to state election administrators.

For major party candidates, filing deadlines always precede primaries. However, candidates may choose to withdraw before the primary or general takes place. Withdrawals include decisions to leave the race, disqualifications, and deaths. These withdrawals are either official or unofficial.

An official withdrawal means the candidate withdrew before a specific date set in state law and their name was removed from the primary or general ballot. If an incumbent officially withdrew before the general election, they are not included in any of the totals of this analysis, unless they later re-entered the race as a minor party or independent candidate.

An unofficial withdrawal means the candidate withdrew after a specific date set in state law, typically after ballots have been printed, meaning their name remains on the ballot even though they are not actively campaigning. If an incumbent unofficially withdrew, they are included in the totals of this analysis.

See also

• State legislative elections, 2011
  • Impact of term limits on state legislative elections in 2011
  • Open seats in state legislative elections, 2011
  • Contested state legislative primaries, 2011
  • Major party competition in state legislative elections, 2011
  • State legislative incumbents in contested primaries, 2011
  • Incumbents defeated in state legislative elections, 2011

Footnotes

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