Primary competitiveness in 2013 state legislative elections
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Last updated in 2013
A total of 220 seats of the country's 7,383 state legislative seats were up for election in the November 5, 2013 state legislative elections.
There were 360 possible primaries in the three chambers with election. Of those primaries, only 32 (8.9%) were contested. The remaining 328 primaries (91.1%) allowed opportunity for a candidate to advance to the general election unopposed.
New Jersey
New Jersey has 40 legislative districts, leaving 80 possible primaries in each chamber -- 40 Democratic and 40 Republican. In the Senate, a primary is "contested" when at least two candidates are competing for their respective party’s nomination. In the General Assembly, a contested primary will feature at least 3 candidates since the top-2 vote getters advance to the general election.
There were only 10 contested primaries out of the 80 primaries in the Senate. In the General Assembly, only 10 of the 80 primaries were contested. All told, 20 out of the 160 primaries on June 4 (12.5%) required voters to choose between multiple candidates. In the remaining 140 primaries (87.5%), the candidate (or candidates in the New Jersey General Assembly) automatically advanced to the general election.
9 Democratic primaries were contested in 2013 -- four in the Senate and five in the General Assembly.
11 Republican primaries were contested in 2013 -- six in the Senate and five in the General Assembly.
Virginia
Virginia had 100 House districts up for election in 2013, creating 200 possible primaries in the chamber. In Virginia, a primary is "contested" when at least two candidates are competing for their respective party’s nomination.
There were only 12 contested primaries out of the 200 primaries in the House. In the remaining 188 primaries (94.0%), the candidate automatically advanced to the general election.
- 3 Democratic primaries were contested in 2013.
- 9 Republican primaries were contested in 2013.
Overview
| State | Senate seats at stake | Possible primaries | Total contested senate primaries | % contested | House seats at stake | Possible primaries | Total contested house primaries | % contested |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | 40 | 80 | 10 | 12.5% | 80 | 80 | 10 | 12.5% |
| Virginia | -- | -- | -- | -- | 100 | 200 | 12 | 6.0% |
| Totals: | 40 | 80 | 10 | 12.5% | 180 | 280 | 22 | 7.9% |
