Fewest number of candidates running for U.S. House in New York since 2014

By

Ballotpedia staff

Welcome to the Friday, June 21, Brew. 

By: Mercedes Yanora

Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:

  1. Fewest number of candidates running for U.S. House in New York since 2014
  2. The top (and bottom) incumbent fundraisers in the U.S. House
  3. Did you know there are 52 state courts of last resort?

Fewest number of candidates running for U.S. House in New York since 2014

In Tuesday’s Brew, we looked at the upcoming primaries in Colorado. Today, we are looking at another state holding primaries on June 25: New York. The state is holding primaries for congressional, state legislative, and local offices.

Why it matters at the national level

U.S. Senate

Democrats currently have a majority in the U.S. Senate. There are 47 Democrats, 49 Republicans, and four independents, though three independents caucus with the Democratic Party. Another independent, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.), counts toward the Democratic majority for committee purposes.

Thirty-four of 100 seats are up for election, including one special election. Of the seats up for election in 2024, Democrats hold 19, Republicans hold 11, and independents hold four.

U.S. House 

Primary elections

U.S. Senate 

  • Incumbent Kirsten Gillibrand (D) is running for re-election.
  • Both the Democratic and Republican primaries were canceled because only one candidate per party filed to run. 

U.S. House

Fifty-nine candidates are running for New York’s 26 U.S. House districts, including 32 Democrats and 27 Republicans.

Here are some other highlights from this year’s filings:

  • The 59 candidates running in New York this year are the fewest number of candidates since 2014, when 55 candidates ran.
  • No districts are open this year, meaning all incumbents are running for re-election. This is the fewest number of open districts in the last 10 years.
  • Four candidates—three Democrats and one Republican—are running for the 10th Congressional District, the most candidates running for a district in New York this year.
  • Six primaries—five Democratic and one Republican—are contested this year. Between 2014 and 2022, an average of 16.8 primaries were contested each election year.
  • Four incumbents—three Democrats and one Republican—are in contested primaries this year. Between 2014 and 2022, an average of eight incumbents ran in contested primaries each election year.

New York Legislature

Seventeen of New York’s 213 state legislative seats up for election in 2024 are open, meaning no incumbent filed. 

This is the fewest for the state since Ballotpedia began tracking these figures in 2010, and newcomers are guaranteed at least 8% of the legislature next year.

New York has 35 contested state legislative primaries this year, down 44% from 2022.

Of these, there are 31 for Democrats and four for Republicans. For Democrats, this is down from 53 in 2022, a 42% decrease. Contested Republican primaries are down 60% from 10 in 2022.

Eighteen incumbents—17 Democrats and one Republican—face primary challenges, representing 9% of all incumbents running for re-election. Twenty-four percent of incumbents running for re-election faced primary challenges last cycle.

In total, 398 major party candidates filed to run. Two hundred and thirty-five are Democrats and 163 are Republicans. All 150 State Assembly seats and all 63 Senate seats are up for election. 

Local primaries

Municipal: We are covering primaries in the city of Albany and Kings, New York, and Queens counties. Jurisdictions where all primaries were canceled and candidates automatically advanced to the general are not listed below. 

New York and two other states — Colorado and Utah — are holding primary elections on June 25. South Carolina is holding primary runoffs. 

Keep reading

The top (and bottom) incumbent fundraisers in the U.S. House 

Campaign finance is one of the many factors that play a role in electoral outcomes. Successful fundraising can give a candidate an advantage during the campaign or indicate party momentum. Additionally, campaign finance figures can help voters understand how much candidates raise, spend, and have at their disposal.

Today, we’re taking a closer look at the top five and bottom five incumbent fundraisers running for re-election in the U.S. House. These figures are for the 2024 election cycle and are based on Federal Election Commission (FEC) data as of June 5.  

Let’s start at the top. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Steve Scalise (R-La.), Mike Johnson (R-La.), and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) are the top five incumbent fundraisers in the U.S. House. Collectively, these five incumbents have raised a little over $53 million in the 2023-2024 election cycle. The total amount raised by this group makes up 7.42% of all money raised by members of the U.S. House running for re-election.

Jordan is the only one in the top five who is not a part of House leadership. However, he is the chair of the Committee on Judiciary, which considers legislation to judicial matters and has oversight responsibility for the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security.

Now, let’s take a look at the other end of the spectrum. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), Josh Brecheen (R-Okla.), Al Green (D-Texas), Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.), and Scott DesJarlais (R-Tenn.) are all ranked at the bottom of incumbent fundraisers in the U.S. House. Collectively, these five incumbents have raised $953,303.03 in the 2023-2024 election cycle. 

Of the five incumbents, three—Brecheen, Green, and Wilson—ran unopposed in their respective primaries. In 2022, Brecheen won the general election with 72.4% of the vote. Also in 2022, Wilson won the general election with 71.8% of the vote. Green is running unopposed in this year’s general election. 

Ogles’ Aug. 1 primary is a contested battleground. In 2022, he won the general election with 55.8% of the vote. Ogles was last in a contested primary in 2022, where he won with 35.4% of the vote. DesJarlais is also running in a contested primary on Aug. 1. In 2022, he won the general election with 70.6% of the vote. DesJarlais was last in a contested primary in 2020, where he won with 71.1% of the vote.

Keep reading 

Did you know there are 52 state courts of last resort? While each state has one court of last resort, Oklahoma and Texas have two—one for civil appeals and one for criminal appeals. 

In most states, the court of last resort is also known as the state supreme court. However, in New York, the New York Court of Appeals is the state’s highest court. The Supreme Court of the State of New York, which includes 62 courts for each county, is a lower court. 

Click here to learn more about state courts of last resort. We’ll be back next week with another edition of Ballotpedia’s Did You Know? 

Keep reading