State legislative incumbents without general election challengers, 2015

Last updated on September 16, 2025

2015 State Legislative Competitiveness
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There were 538 state legislative seats up for election on November 3, 2015, in four states. Overall, 443 incumbents ran in the general election. Of that total, 269 incumbents were uncontested, representing 60.7% of all incumbents who ran in the general election. In 2011, 259 incumbents (55%) 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 2015:

There were 106 Democratic incumbents in uncontested general elections, representing 58.2% of all Democratic incumbents who ran in the general election, a 4% decrease from 2011.

There were 161 Republican incumbents in uncontested general elections, representing 62.2% of all Republican incumbents who ran in the general election, a 9% increase from 2011.

There were two minor party or independent incumbents in uncontested general elections, representing 100% of all minor party or independent incumbents who ran in the general election.

The total number of incumbents in uncontested general elections—269—was 10 more and a 4% increase from 2011.

State legislative incumbents without general election challengers, 2015
Chamber	Seats
		Democratic			Republican			Total
		Filed	Cont.	%	Filed	Cont.	%	Filed	Cont.	%
House	407	141	80	56.7%	196	117	59.7%	339	199	58.7%
Senate	131	41	26	63.4%	63	44	69.8%	104	70	67.3%
Total	538	182	106	58.2%	259	161	62.2%	443	269	60.7%

Click [show] on the table below to view incumbents without general election challengers statistics by state in 2015. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

State legislative incumbents without general election challengers, 2015
State	Seats
		Democratic			Republican			Total
		Filed	Cont.	%	Filed	Cont.	%	Filed	Cont.	%
Nationwide	538	182	106	58.2%	259	161	62.2%	443	269	60.7%
Louisiana	144	37	35	94.6%	68	64	94.1%	107	101	94.4%
Mississippi	174	59	46	78.0%	83	48	57.8%	142	94	66.2%
New Jersey	80	42	0	0.0%	30	1	3.3%	72	1	1.4%
Virginia	140	44	25	56.8%	78	48	61.5%	122	73	59.8%

Historical comparison

The chart below shows a breakdown of incumbents in contested primaries from 2011 to 2015.

Click [show] on the table below to view overall incumbents in contested primaries statistics by state from 2011 to 2015. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

State legislative incumbents without general election challengers, 2011-2015
State
	2011			2013			2015
	Dem.	Rep.	Total	Dem.	Rep.	Total	Dem.	Rep.	Total
Nationwide	46%	63%	55%	18%	27%	22%	58%	62%	61%
Louisiana	91%	90%	91%	-	-	-	95%	94%	94%
Mississippi	61%	61%	61%	-	-	-	78%	58%	66%
New Jersey	2%	2%	2%	1%	0%	1%	0%	3%	1%
Virginia	41%	76%	60%	53%	48%	50%	57%	62%	60%

Louisiana

There were 144 seats up for election in Louisiana. A total of 107 incumbents advanced to the general election: 37 Democrats, 68 Republicans, and two minor party or independent incumbents. Of that total, 101 incumbents—35 Democrats, 64 Republicans, and two minor party or independent incumbents—had no general election challengers, representing 94.4% of incumbents on the general election ballot.

In 2015

Statistics from 2015 are shown below. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

State legislative incumbents with no general election challengers in Louisiana, 2015
Chamber	Seats
		Democratic			Republican			Total
		Incs.	Uncont.	%	Incs.	Uncont.	%	Incs.	Uncont.	%
House	105	29	27	93.1%	48	44	91.7%	79	73	92.4%
Senate	39	8	8	100.0%	20	20	100.0%	28	28	100.0%
Total	144	37	35	94.6%	68	64	94.1%	107	101	94.4%

2011-2015

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

State legislative incumbents in contested primaries in Louisiana, 2011-2015
Year	Seats
		Democratic			Republican			Total
		Incs.	Uncont.	%	Incs.	Uncont.	%	Incs.	Uncont.	%
2011	144	45	41	91.1%	63	57	90.5%	109	99	90.8%
2013	Did not hold elections.
2015	144	37	35	94.6%	68	64	94.1%	107	101	94.4%

See also:

• Louisiana House of Representatives elections, 2015
• Louisiana State Senate elections, 2015

Mississippi

There were 174 seats up for election in Mississippi. A total of 142 incumbents advanced to the general election: 59 Democrats and 83 Republicans. Of that total, 94 incumbents—46 Democrats and 48 Republicans—had no general election challengers, representing 66.2% of incumbents on the general election ballot.

In 2015

Statistics from 2015 are shown below. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

State legislative incumbents with no general election challengers in Mississippi, 2015
Chamber	Seats
		Democratic			Republican			Total
		Incs.	Uncont.	%	Incs.	Uncont.	%	Incs.	Uncont.	%
House	122	43	35	81.4%	56	34	60.7%	99	69	69.7%
Senate	52	16	11	68.8%	27	14	51.9%	43	25	58.1%
Total	174	59	46	78.0%	83	48	57.8%	142	94	66.2%

2011-2015

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

State legislative incumbents in contested primaries in Mississippi, 2011-2015
Year	Seats
		Democratic			Republican			Total
		Incs.	Uncont.	%	Incs.	Uncont.	%	Incs.	Uncont.	%
2011	174	76	46	60.5%	62	38	61.3%	138	84	60.9%
2013	Did not hold elections.
2015	174	59	46	78.0%	83	48	57.8%	142	94	66.2%

See also:

• Mississippi House of Representatives elections, 2015
• Mississippi State Senate elections, 2015

New Jersey

There were 80 seats up for election in New Jersey. A total of 72 incumbents advanced to the general election: 42 Democrats and 30 Republicans. Of that total, one incumbent—no Democrats and one Republican—had no general election challengers, representing 1.4% of incumbents on the general election ballot.

In 2015

Statistics from 2015 are shown below. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

State legislative incumbents with no general election challengers in New Jersey, 2015
Chamber	Seats
		Democratic			Republican			Total
		Incs.	Uncont.	%	Incs.	Uncont.	%	Incs.	Uncont.	%
House	80	42	0	0.0%	30	1	3.3%	72	1	1.4%
Senate	Did not hold elections
Total	80	42	0	0.0%	30	1	3.3%	72	1	1.4%

2011-2015

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

State legislative incumbents in contested primaries in New Jersey, 2011-2015
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%
2015	80	42	0	0.0%	30	1	3.3%	72	1	1.4%

See also:

• New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2015
• New Jersey State Senate elections, 2015

Virginia

There were 140 seats up for election in Virginia. A total of 122 incumbents advanced to the general election: 44 Democrats and 78 Republicans. Of that total, 73 incumbents—25 Democrats and 48 Republicans—had no general election challengers, representing 59.8% of incumbents on the general election ballot.

In 2015

Statistics from 2015 are shown below. Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.

State legislative incumbents with no general election challengers in Virginia, 2015
Chamber	Seats
		Democratic			Republican			Total
		Incs.	Uncont.	%	Incs.	Uncont.	%	Incs.	Uncont.	%
House	100	27	18	66.7%	62	38	61.3%	89	56	62.9%
Senate	40	17	7	41.2%	16	10	62.5%	33	17	51.5%
Total	140	44	25	56.8%	78	48	61.5%	122	73	59.8%

2011-2015

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

State legislative incumbents in contested primaries in Virginia, 2011-2015
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%
2015	140	44	25	56.8%	78	48	61.5%	122	73	59.8%

See also:

• Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2015
• Virginia State Senate elections, 2015

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 2015 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

• Election results, 2015: State legislatures
• State legislative elections, 2015
  • Impact of term limits on state legislative elections in 2015
  • Open seats in state legislative elections, 2015
  • Contested state legislative primaries, 2015
  • Major party competition in state legislative elections, 2015
  • State legislative incumbents in contested primaries, 2015
  • Incumbents defeated in state legislative elections, 2015
• Primary election competitiveness in state government, 2015

Footnotes

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