Connecticut, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania held the first state legislative special general elections of the year on January 14. On the ballot were Connecticut House Districts 48 and 132, Kentucky Senate District 38, and Pennsylvania Senate District 48. All four seats became vacant in September or November 2019. No seats changed party control as a result of the special elections.

Connecticut House District 48 was the only seat up for general election that was previously held by a Democratic officeholder. Rep. Linda Orange (D) passed away on November 20, 2019. Democratic candidate Brian Smith was elected as her replacement, receiving 52.3% of the vote. Republican Brian Farnen won election to Connecticut House District 132 with 50.8% of the vote. He replaces Brenda Kupchick (R), who resigned on November 25, 2019, following her election as Fairfield First Selectman.

In Kentucky, Mike Nemes (R) was elected to Senate District 38 with 63.6% of the vote. His predecessor, Dan Seum (R), resigned his seat on November 16, 2019.

Republican David Arnold won election to Pennsylvania State Senate District 48 with 64.7% of the vote. The seat became vacant after Mike Folmer (R) resigned on September 18, 2019.

Two special primaries were also held on January 14. A Democratic primary was on the ballot for Arkansas House of Representatives District 34, a seat previously held by John Walker (D). The race advanced to a primary runoff on February 11. Minnesota House of Representatives District 30A, previously held by Nick Zerwas (R), held Democratic and Republican primaries. The general election is scheduled for February 4.

As of January 2020, 27 state legislative special elections have been scheduled for 2020 in 13 states. Between 2011 and 2019, an average of 77 special elections took place each year.

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Additional reading:
Connecticut state legislative special elections, 2020
Kentucky state legislative special elections, 2020
Pennsylvania state legislative special elections, 2020