State legislatures compared by extent of electoral competitiveness in 2012

2012 Competitiveness Overview

Primary competition (state comparison)
Incumbents with no challenges at all in 2012 Incumbents defeated • Victorious challengers • Primary competitiveness
Major party challengers (state comparison)
List of candidates with no competition
Open seats (state comparisons)
Impact of term limits on # of open seats Long-serving senators • Long-serving reps
Chart Comparing 2012 Results
Chart Comparing 2012 Results • Comparisons Between Years
Competitiveness Index • Absolute Index
2012 State Legislative Elections 2012 Competitiveness Tracker
Competitiveness Studies from Other Years
2007 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011 • 2013 • 2014

This chart captures the ranking that a state legislature received on all three factors in this Election Competitiveness Index.

The first column, "Primary Contests," ranks states against each other based on the percentage of incumbents who had a primary challenger.
The second column, "Major Party Competition," ranks states against each other based on the percentage of major party candidates on the general election ballot with a major party challenger.
The third column, "Open Seats," contrasts states based on the percentage of incumbents who ran for re-election in 2012.
The fourth column is an arithmetical average of the state's scores on all three factors.

Note: California, Louisiana and Washington employ a top-two primary system. In top-two states, two primary candidates from any party can advance to the general election.^[1]

States compared by electoral competitiveness

Legend: States with state legislative term limits

Note on ranking system: In each case, 1 represents the most electorally competitive environment, and 4 represents the least electorally competitive environment.

State legislature	Primary contests	Open seats	Major party competition	Overall rank
Alaska	16	25	22	16
Arizona	3	19	26	12
Arkansas	34	5	35	29
California	10	1	4	1
Colorado	41	2	6	11
Connecticut	44	34	9	26
Delaware	28	31	37	40
Florida	15	10	30	21
Georgia	23	37	43	43
Hawaii	8	40	25	24
Idaho	1	7	16	4
Illinois	24	28	38	39
Indiana	31	30	28	31
Iowa	33	14	21	23
Kansas	4	11	19	7
Kentucky	25	38	34	38
Maine	43	3	2	9
Massachusetts	38	44	40	44
Michigan	7	21	1	2
Minnesota	40	16	3	13
Missouri	21	9	44	37
Montana	26	4	11	10
Nebraska	20	6	7	5
Nevada	14	8	12	6
New Hampshire	2	12	13	3
New Mexico	17	24	32	27
New York	27	39	23	28
North Carolina	18	13	27	17
North Dakota	37	17	8	15
Ohio	35	33	5	18
Oklahoma	29	26	33	36
Oregon	42	35	14	30
Pennsylvania	30	42	31	41
Rhode Island	13	41	36	34
South Carolina	22	32	41	42
South Dakota	19	15	24	14
Tennessee	9	29	29	25
Texas	12	23	39	33
Utah	6	27	10	8
Vermont	39	36	18	32
Washington	36	18	17	22
West Virginia	5	43	20	20
Wisconsin	32	20	15	19
Wyoming	11	22	42	35

Footnotes

↑ On September 14, 2012, Joseph Perkins from CalWatchdog published an article arguing that the top-two system was not explicitly included in Ballotpedia's study. For more read here.

v • e Competitiveness in State Legislative Elections

Background	A "Competitiveness Index" for capturing competitiveness in state legislative elections • Creating an absolute measure for the "Competitiveness Index" in state legislative elections • Year-by-year comparison of results • Factors Affecting Competitiveness in State Legislative Elections

2022	Impact of term limits • Open seats • Contested primaries • Incumbents in contested primaries • Major party competition • Incumbents defeated • Primary statistics

2021	Competitiveness Analysis Main Page • Major party competition • Open seats • Impact of term limits • Incumbents in contested primaries • Primary competitiveness • Incumbents defeated

2020	Competitiveness Analysis Main Page • Major party candidates with major party opposition • Open seats • Impact of term limits • Incumbents in contested primaries • Primary competitiveness • Incumbents defeated

2019	Competitiveness Analysis Main Page • Major party candidates with major party opposition • Open seats • Impact of term limits • Primary competitiveness • Incumbents defeated

2018	Competitiveness Analysis Main Page • Major party candidates with major party opposition • Open seats • Aftermath of the 2016 presidential election

2017	Primary competitiveness • Open seats • Incumbents with no primary challenger • Major party candidates with major party opposition • Incumbents defeated

2016	Competitiveness Analysis Main Page • Open Seats • Incumbents with no primary challenger • Major party candidates with major party opposition • Incumbents defeated

2015	Competitiveness Analysis Main Page • Open Seats • Incumbents with no primary challenger • Major party candidates with major party opposition • States Compared by Competitiveness • Incumbents defeated • Victorious challengers • List of candidates with no primary or general election opposition

2014	Competitiveness Analysis Main Page • Open Seats • Incumbents with no primary challenger • Major party candidates with major party opposition • States Compared by Competitiveness • Incumbents defeated • Victorious challengers • List of candidates with no primary or general election opposition

2013	Competitiveness Analysis Main Page • Open Seats • Incumbents with no primary challenger • Major party candidates with major party opposition • States Compared by Competitiveness • Incumbents with no primary or general election opposition • Incumbents defeated • Victorious challengers • List of candidates with no major party opposition

2012	Competitiveness Analysis Main Page • Open Seats • Incumbents with no primary challenger • Major party candidates with major party opposition • States Compared by Competitiveness • Incumbents with no primary or general election opposition • Incumbents defeated • Victorious challengers • List of candidates with no major party opposition • Impact of term limits

2011	Competitiveness Analysis Main Page • Open Seats • Incumbents with no primary challenger • Major party candidates with major party opposition • States Compared by Competitiveness • Incumbents with no primary or general election opposition • Incumbents defeated • Victorious challengers • List of candidates with no major party opposition • Impact of term limits

2010	Competitiveness Analysis Main Page • Open Seats •Incumbents with no primary challenger • Major party candidates with major party opposition • States Compared by Competitiveness • Incumbents with no primary or general election opposition • Incumbents defeated • Victorious challengers • List of candidates with no major party opposition • Impact of term limits

2009	Competitiveness Analysis Main Page • Open Seats • Incumbents with no primary challenger • Major party candidates with major party opposition

2007	Competitiveness Analysis Main Page • Open Seats • Incumbents with no primary challenger • Major party candidates with major party opposition

v • e State legislatures

Legislatures	Alabama (H, S) · Alaska (H, S) · Arizona (H, S) · Arkansas (H, S) · California (A, S) · Colorado (H, S) · Connecticut (H, S) · Delaware (H, S) · Florida (H, S) · Georgia (H, S) · Hawaii (H, S) · Idaho (H, S) · Illinois (H, S) · Indiana (H, S) · Iowa (H, S) · Kansas (H, S) · Kentucky (H, S) · Louisiana (H, S) · Maine (H, S) · Maryland (H, S) · Massachusetts (H, S) · Michigan (H, S) · Minnesota (H, S) · Mississippi (H, S) · Missouri (H, S) · Montana (H, S) · Nebraska · Nevada (A, S) · New Hampshire (H, S) · New Jersey (GA, S) · New Mexico (H, S) · New York (A, S) · North Carolina (H, S) · North Dakota (H, S) · Ohio (H, S) · Oklahoma (H, S) · Oregon (H, S) · Pennsylvania (H, S) · Rhode Island (H, S) · South Carolina (H, S) · South Dakota (H, S) · Tennessee (H, S) · Texas (H, S) · Utah (H, S) · Vermont (H, S) · Virginia (H, S) · Washington (H, S) · West Virginia (H, S) · Wisconsin (A, S) · Wyoming (H, S)

2023	State legislative elections (2023) • State legislative special elections (2023) • Primary dates and filing requirements • 2023 Session Dates

2022	State legislative elections (2022) • State legislative special elections (2022) • Primary dates and filing requirements • 2022 Session Dates

Historical elections	2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010 • 2009 • 2008 • 2007 • 2006 • 2005 • 2004 • 2003 • 2002 • 2001 • 2000

Features of state legislatures	How vacancies are filled in state legislatures • States with a full-time legislature • State legislatures with term limits • Comparison of state legislative salaries • When state legislators assume office after a general election • Population represented by state legislators • State constitutional articles governing state legislatures • State legislative sessions • Resign-to-run law • State legislature candidate requirements by state • Official names of state legislatures • State legislative chambers that use multi-member districts • Factors Affecting Competitiveness in State Legislative Elections

State senates	Length of terms of state senators • State senators • Partisan composition of state senates • State senators sorted by year first elected

State houses	Length of terms of state representatives • State representatives • Partisan composition of state houses • State representatives sorted by year first elected

Leadership positions	President of the Senate • President Pro Tempore • Senate Majority Leader • Senate Minority Leader • House Majority Leader • House Minority Leader • State Speaker of the House

v • e Ballotpedia

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State legislatures compared by extent of electoral competitiveness in 2012

States compared by electoral competitiveness

See also

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