Thirty-two of the 114 Florida state legislators who filed for re-election—13 Democrats and 19 Republicans—will face contested primaries on Aug. 23. This represents 28% of incumbents who filed for re-election, the highest figure compared to the four preceding election cycles.
A primary is contested when more candidates file than there are nominations available, meaning at least one candidate must lose.
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Historically, however, incumbents tend to win contested primaries in Florida.
Between 2014 and 2020, 71 incumbents faced contested primaries in the state, six of whom—five Democrats and one Republican—lost. This gives incumbents a primary win rate of 92%.
The rate of contested primaries—including those without incumbents—is similar to previous election cycles.
There are 81 contested primaries: 32 for Democrats and 49 for Republicans. This represents 25% of all possible primaries.
For Democrats, this is down from 38 in 2020, a 16% decrease. For Republicans, the number increased by 44% from 34 in 2020 to 49 this year.
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Overall, 376 candidates—161 Democrats and 215 Republicans—filed to run for the state’s 120 House and 40 Senate districts.
Florida has had a Republican trifecta since 2010 when the party won control of the governorship. Republicans currently hold a 76-42 majority in the House, with two vacancies, and a 23-16 majority in the Senate, with one vacancy.
Florida’s state legislative primaries are scheduled for Aug. 23, the 15th primary date of the 2022 state legislative election cycle.
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