Everything you need to know about ranked-choice voting in one spot. Click to learn more!

U.S. Senate battleground primaries, 2022

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
← 2020
2024 →



CongressLogo.png

2022 U.S. Senate Elections
Election Date
November 8, 2022
U.S. Senate Elections by State
Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California (regular) • California (special) • Colorado • Connecticut • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maryland • Missouri • Nevada • New Hampshire • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma (regular) • Oklahoma (special) • Oregon • Pennsylvania • South Carolina • South Dakota • Utah • Vermont • Washington • Wisconsin
U.S. House Elections

Last updated: March 6, 2023
General elections are often the focal point of election-year media coverage as they determine control of elected offices up and down the ballot. Primary elections, however, can provide insight on future elections as they help dictate the direction each party takes.

Although many of the most competitive primaries take place for open seats or offices that are held by a different party, even high-ranking federal officeholders can lose renomination to primary challengers. In the 2014 primary for Virginia's 7th Congressional District, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R), ranked behind only then-Speaker John Boehner (R) in Republican House leadership, was defeated by economics professor Dave Brat (R).

On this page, you will find information on noteworthy and notable Republican and Democratic primaries that took place for the U.S. Senate in 2022.

Ballotpedia identified 15 U.S. Senate battleground primaries in 2022.

Democratic Party Click here for information on Democratic Party battleground primaries for the U.S. Senate in 2022.
Republican Party Click here for information on Republican Party battleground primaries for the U.S. Senate in 2022.

Click on the links below to learn more about general election battlegrounds by race type:


Criteria

It is typically difficult to predict how competitive primaries will be until after filing deadlines take place. However, Ballotpedia used a number of factors to give insight into the most interesting 2022 primary elections. Factors that were used to determine the competitiveness of primaries included:

  • Whether or not the seat was open (retiring or resigning incumbent)
  • Notable endorsements of multiple candidates
  • Significant fundraising from multiple candidates
  • Number of candidates
  • Incumbent's years in office (if seeking re-election)
  • Whether or not the general election was expected to be a battleground
HOTP-GOP-Ad-1-Small.png

U.S. Senate primaries

Democratic Party battleground primaries

There were 4 U.S. Senate Democratic battleground primaries in 2022.

The following map shows each state with a Democratic battleground primary for U.S. Senate in 2022. Hover over or tap a state to view the incumbent's name.


Republican Party battleground primaries

There were 11 U.S. Senate Republican battleground primaries in 2022.

The following map shows each state with a Republican battleground primary for U.S. Senate in 2022. Hover over or tap a state to view the incumbent's name.


2020 U.S. Senate battlegrounds

See also: Republican Party battleground primaries, 2020, Democratic Party battleground primaries, 2020

Ballotpedia identified 16 U.S. Senate battleground primaries in 2020, including seven Republican primaries and nine Democratic primaries. To read more about the 2020 Republican Party battleground primaries, click here. To read more about the 2020 Democratic Party battleground primaries, click here.

Other election analysis

Federal elections

All 435 U.S. House seats and 34 U.S. Senate seats were up for regular elections in the 2022 elections. The seats of five of the six non-voting members of the U.S. House were up for election as well. Additionally, two U.S. Senate seats were up for special election on November 8, 2022.

Heading into the election, Democrats had a majority in the U.S. House. The Senate was split 50-50 and Vice-President Kamala Harris had the tie-breaking vote.

Following the elections, Democrats gained a net of one seat in the United States Senate, maintaining control of the chamber. Republicans held 49 seats following the elections, while Democrats held 48 seats and independents who caucus with Democrats held two. After the elections, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema announced she had changed her party affiliation from Democrat to independent.

In the U.S. House, Republicans gained a 222-213 majority.

United States House of Representatives

D.C. statehood-Tile Image.jpg
See also: United States House of Representatives elections, 2022

Elections to the U.S. House were held on November 8, 2022. The seats of all 435 representatives were up for election. The seats of five of the six non-voting members of the U.S. House were up for election as well.


As a result of the elections, Republicans gained a 222-213 majority.[1]

Heading into the election, Democrats had a 220-212 majority. There were three vacancies. Republicans needed to gain a net of five districts to win a majority in the chamber. The party gained a net of nine districts.

Nine incumbents — six Democrats and three Republicans — were defeated.

The 2022 election was the first to take place following apportionment and redistricting after the 2020 census. As a result of apportionment, six states (Texas, Colorado, Florida, Montana, North Carolina, and Oregon) gained seats, and seven states (California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia) lost seats.

Featured analysis

  • Congressional margin of victory analysis: An electoral margin of victory (MOV) is the difference between the share of votes cast for the winning candidate and the runner-up in a single-seat election. In a multi-seat race, the MOV is the difference between the vote share received by the bottom-placing winning candidate and the top-placing losing candidate. Margins of victory can be used to measure electoral competitiveness, political party or candidate strength, and, indirectly, the popularity of a particular policy or set of policies. Congressional races in 2022, on average, were decided by a similar margin of victory (MOV) as in 2020. Relative to 2020, the average MOV increased in the Senate and in the House.
  • Rematches in 2022 general elections: An election rematch occurs when the same candidates run against each other in consecutive election cycles. In the 2022 general election, 340 elections in Ballotpedia's coverage scope were head-to-head rematches for single-seat offices between the same candidates who ran in 2020. Additionally, 37 elections in 2022 were head-to-head rematches for single-seat offices between the same candidates who ran in 2018.[2]

More related articles

United States Senate

Us-capitol-congress.jpg
See also: United States Senate elections, 2022

Elections to the U.S. Senate were held on November 8, 2022, and 34 of the 100 seats were up for regular election. Those elected to the U.S. Senate in the 34 regular elections in 2022 began their six-year terms on January 3, 2023. Two special elections also took place on November 8, 2022.

Heading into the 2022 general election, Democrats and Republicans split the chamber 50-50 and Harris, the vice president, had the tie-breaking vote. Democrats controlled the Senate via a power-sharing agreement.

As a result of the elections, Democrats retained control of the U.S. Senate, gaining 51 seats to Republicans' 49.[3]

Democrats gained a seat Republicans formerly held, as John Fetterman (D) defeated Mehmet Oz (R) in the U.S. Senate election in Pennsylvania. Incumbent Senator Pat Toomey (R) did not seek re-election.

Fourteen seats held by Democrats and 21[4] seats held by Republicans were up for election in 2022.

Featured analysis

More related articles


See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ These figures include the seat of Rep. Donald McEachin (D), who passed away on November 28, after winning re-election.
  2. ↑ This number only includes races for offices with four-year term lengths.
  3. ↑ On December 9, 2022, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema announced she had changed her party affiliation from Democrat to independent. Politico reported that Sinema would not caucus with Republicans, and said she intended "to vote the same way she [had] for four years in the Senate."Politico, "Sinema switches to independent, shaking up the Senate," December 9, 2022
  4. ↑ This number includes Sen. Jim Inhofe's (R-Okla.) seat, up for a special election on November 8, 2022.
v • e
Election information
Resources
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
Elections
by state
2025 elections
2024 elections
2023 elections
2022 elections
2021 elections
2020 elections
How to vote
in each state
Retrieved from "https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=U.S._Senate_battleground_primaries,_2022&oldid=9086811"