The 2022 election cycle is the first midterm election during Joe Biden’s (D) presidency. Since 1922, Democratic presidents have seen their party lose an average of 388 state legislative seats in their first midterm elections. Republican presidents have seen their party lose an average of 345 seats.
Two presidents in that time—Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) and George W. Bush (R)—have seen their parties gain state legislative seats in the first midterm election of their presidency. Under Roosevelt, Democrats gained 94 state legislative seats in the 1934 midterm elections during the Great Depression. During Bush’s presidency, Republicans gained 129 seats in the 2002 midterms, the first after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The chart below shows the overall net changes in state legislative seats during the first midterm election of each presidency. Partisan totals represent those as a result of regularly-scheduled elections. They do not take into account any special elections or other changes that may occur between elections. Some presidencies were combined in the event of a resignation or death in office.
Since 2010, Democrats have had a net gain of state legislative seats in two election cycles—2012 and 2018—while Republicans have had a net gain in three—2014, 2016, and 2020. Barack Obama (D) saw a net loss of 702 Democratic state legislative seats during his first midterm in 2010, the largest loss for any Democratic president since at least 1921. Donald Trump (R) saw a net loss of 349 Republican state legislative seats in 2018.
Heading into the 2022 elections, Democrats control 3,271 (44%) of all state legislative seats. Republicans hold 4,016 (54%).
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