State legislative incumbents without general election challengers, 2013

Last updated on January 27, 2026

2013 State Legislative Competitiveness
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There were 220 state legislative seats up for election on November 5, 2013, in two states. Overall, 201 incumbents ran in the general election. Of that total, 45 incumbents were uncontested, representing 22.4% of all incumbents who ran in the general election. In 2011, 55% of incumbents were uncontested.

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 2013:

There were 17 Democratic incumbents in uncontested general elections, representing 17.5% of all Democratic incumbents who ran in the general election, an 85% decrease from 2011.

There were 28 Republican incumbents in uncontested general elections, representing 26.9% of all Republican incumbents who ran in the general election, a 81% decrease from 2011.

The total number of incumbents in uncontested general elections—45—down from 259 and an 83% decrease from 2011.

State legislative incumbents without general election challengers, 2013
Chamber	Seats
		Democratic			Republican			Total
		Filed	Cont.	%	Filed	Cont.	%	Filed	Cont.	%
House	180	74	16	21.6%	88	28	31.8%	162	44	27.2%
Senate	40	23	1	4.3%	16	0	0.0%	39	1	2.6%
Total	220	97	17	17.5%	104	28	26.9%	201	45	22.4%

Click [show] on the table below to view incumbents without general election challengers statistics by state in 2013. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

State legislative incumbents without general election challengers, 2013
State	Seats
		Democratic			Republican			Total
		Filed	Cont.	%	Filed	Cont.	%	Filed	Cont.	%
Nationwide	220	97	17	17.5%	104	28	26.9%	201	45	22.4%
New Jersey	120	67	1	1.5%	46	0	0.0%	113	1	0.9%
Virginia	100	30	16	53.3%	58	28	48.3%	88	44	50.0%

Historical comparison

The chart below shows a breakdown of incumbents in contested primaries from 2011 to 2013.

Click [show] on the table below to view overall incumbents in contested primaries statistics by state from 2011 to 2013. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

State legislative incumbents without general election challengers, 2011-2013
State
	2011			2013
	Dem.	Rep.	Total	Dem.	Rep.	Total
Nationwide	46%	63%	55%	18%	27%	22%
New Jersey	2%	2%	2%	1%	0%	1%
Virginia	41%	76%	60%	53%	48%	50%

New Jersey

There were 120 seats up for election in New Jersey. A total of 113 incumbents advanced to the general election: 67 Democrats and 46 Republicans. Of that total, one incumbents—a Democrat—had no general election challengers, representing 0.9% of incumbents on the general election ballot.

In 2013

Statistics from 2013 are shown below. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

State legislative incumbents with no general election challengers in New Jersey, 2013
Chamber	Seats
		Democratic			Republican			Total
		Incs.	Uncont.	%	Incs.	Uncont.	%	Incs.	Uncont.	%
House	80	44	0	0.0%	30	0	0.0%	74	0	0.0%
Senate	40	23	1	4.3%	16	0	0.0%	39	1	2.6%
Total	120	67	1	1.5%	46	0	0.0%	113	1	0.9%

2011-2013

Historical statistics are shown below. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

State legislative incumbents in contested primaries in New Jersey, 2011-2013
Year	Seats
		Democratic			Republican			Total
		Incs.	Uncont.	%	Incs.	Uncont.	%	Incs.	Uncont.	%
2011	120	64	1	1.6%	41	1	2.4%	105	2	1.9%
2013	120	67	1	1.5%	46	0	0.0%	113	1	0.9%

See also:

• New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2013
• New Jersey State Senate elections, 2013

Virginia

There were 100 seats up for election in Virginia. A total of 88 incumbents advanced to the general election: 30 Democrats and 58 Republicans. Of that total, 44 incumbents—16 Democrats and 28 Republicans—had no general election challengers, representing 50.0% of incumbents on the general election ballot.

In 2013

Statistics from 2013 are shown below. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

State legislative incumbents with no general election challengers in Virginia, 2013
Chamber	Seats
		Democratic			Republican			Total
		Incs.	Uncont.	%	Incs.	Uncont.	%	Incs.	Uncont.	%
House	100	30	16	53.3%	58	28	48.3%	88	44	50.0%
Senate	Did not hold elections
Total	100	30	16	53.3%	58	28	48.3%	88	44	50.0%

2011-2013

Historical statistics are shown below. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

State legislative incumbents in contested primaries in Virginia, 2011-2013
Year	Seats
		Democratic			Republican			Total
		Incs.	Uncont.	%	Incs.	Uncont.	%	Incs.	Uncont.	%
2011	140	54	22	40.7%	68	52	76.5%	123	74	60.2%
2013	100	30	16	53.3%	58	28	48.3%	88	44	50.0%

See also:

• Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2013

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 2013 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, 2013
  • Open seats in state legislative elections, 2013
  • Contested state legislative primaries, 2013
  • Major party competition in state legislative elections, 2013
  • State legislative incumbents in contested primaries, 2013
  • Incumbents defeated in state legislative elections, 2013

Footnotes

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