Welcome to the Monday, December 2, Brew.
By: Briana Ryan
Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- A look at the 753 members of Congress and state legislators who ran for a different office in 2024
- A look at how U.S. House target districts fared in the 2024 general elections
- Shift from shopping to giving—support Ballotpedia this Giving Tuesday!
A look at the 753 elected officials who ran for a different office in 2024
This year, 753 members of Congress and state legislators, including 27 members of Congress and 726 state legislators, ran for a different office than the one to which they were elected.
That’s more members of Congress and state legislators who ran for a different office than in the previous three even-year elections: 551 members ran in 2022, 344 members ran in 2020, and 493 members ran in 2018.
The combined success rate of members of Congress and state legislators who ran for other offices this year, 49%, was higher than in 2018, when it was 46%. However, it was lower than in 2022, when the success rate was 51%, and in 2020, when it was 52%.
At the congressional level, 15 (56%) of the 27 members of Congress won election to other positions. At the state legislative level, 357 (49%) of the 726 state legislators won election to other positions.
Now, let’s take a closer look at these figures from the government levels.
U.S. Senate
Three members of the U.S. Senate sought election to other offices. Sen. Mike Braun (R) won the Indiana gubernatorial election, Sen. J.D. Vance (R) was elected vice president, and Sen. Tim Scott (R) withdrew in the Republican primary for president.
U.S. House of Representatives
Twenty-four members of the U.S. House ran for a different office this year than the one to which they were elected. That’s more than the 17 members who ran for other offices in 2022, the 14 who did so in 2020, and the 21 who did so in 2018.
The success rate of the U.S. House members who ran for other offices this year, 63%, was higher than in the previous three even-year elections. Twenty-nine percent of all House members who ran for other offices won election to the offices they sought in 2022, 36% did so in 2020, and 43% did in 2018.
Regarding the U.S. House members who voters did not elect, five (21%) were defeated in their party’s primary for statewide office. Three (13%) advanced from their primaries and lost in the general election. One member, Rep. Dean Phillips (D), ran in the Democratic presidential primary and withdrew from the race in March 2024.
State legislatures
Seven hundred fifty-three state legislators ran for a different office this year than the one they were elected to. That’s more than the 534 members who ran for other offices in 2022, the 322 who did so in 2020, and the 472 who did so in 2018.
The success rate of the state legislators who ran for other offices this year, 49%, was lower than the 51.3% success rate in 2022, the previous even year-election cycle, and slightly higher than the yearly average success rate of 46% from 2018-2023.
For the state legislators who voters did not elect, 76 of these state legislators (11%) lost in the general election, while 191 (26%) were defeated in their party’s primary.
A look at how U.S. House target districts fared in the 2024 general elections
Every election cycle, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) identify a list of target districts they hope to win in the upcoming election. These target districts typically have an incumbent of the other party or are open.
Since 2012, we’ve followed the number of districts the DCCC and NRCC have identified and the general election outcomes in those districts. Today, we’ll examine the outcomes of this year’s target districts and how those results compare to previous election years.
Number of DCCC and NRCC target districts from 2012 to 2024
This year, the DCCC identified 33 target districts, and the NRCC identified 40. From 2012 to 2024, the DCCC identified 394 target districts, and the NRCC identified 307.
A historical look at the DCCC and NRCC win rates
This year, Democratic candidates in seven (21.21%) of the 33 DCCC target districts won their elections. This figure could rise as the results for California’s 13th and 45th Congressional Districts are still pending. This year’s win rate is lower than in 2022, when Democratic candidates won 28.95% of DCCC target districts. However, this year’s win rate is higher than in 2020, when Democratic candidates won 6.38% of DCCC target districts.
From 2012 to 2024, 133 Democratic candidates running in DCCC target districts won their elections, representing 33.76% of the 394 DCCC target districts identified during that period.
This year, Republican candidates in nine (22.50%) of the 40 NRCC target districts won their elections. This year’s win rate is lower than in the previous two election cycles when Republican candidates won 29.33% of NRCC target districts in 2022 and 29.09% in 2020.
From 2012 to 2024, 88 Republican candidates running in NRCC target districts won their elections, representing 28.66% of the 307 NRCC target districts identified during that period.
A look at the results of overlapping target districts in 2024
This year, the DCCC and the NRCC targeted the same two districts—California’s 47th Congressional District and Michigan’s 7th Congressional District. Both districts had Democratic incumbents—Katie Porter and Elissa Slotkin—who retired to run for the U.S. Senate in their respective states.
In California’s 47th Congressional District, Democrats retained control of the district after Dave Min (D) defeated Scott Baugh (R) 51.3% to 48.7%. In Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, Republicans gained control of the district after Tom Barrett (R) defeated Curtis Hertel (D) 50.3% to 46.6%.
Shift from shopping to giving—support Ballotpedia this Giving Tuesday!
We hope you found some great deals on Black Friday! Now, let’s focus on something even more rewarding—giving back. Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday, a global day dedicated to making a positive impact on the causes you care about.
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Editor’s note: the original headline of this story erroneously reported that there were 762 members of Congress and state legislatures who ran for a different office.