A look at the congressional and state legislative special elections happening on Nov. 4

By

Briana Ryan

Ballotpedia is covering contested special elections for one congressional district and 23 state legislative districts on Nov. 4.

Congressional special election

Amanda Edwards (D), Jolanda Jones (D), Christian Menefee (D), Carmen Montiel (R), and 12 other candidates are running in a special election to succeed former Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-Texas) in Texas’ 18th Congressional District. Candidates from all parties are running in the election, and if no one wins an outright majority, the top two candidates will advance to a runoff. The winner of this election will also be the fourth person to represent the district since 2024.

The Leader’s Betsy Denson wrote that aside from completing the remainder of Turner’s term, the election “could also set the tone for the district’s future as it navigates shifting boundaries, evolving demographics, and pressing local and national issues.” On Aug. 29, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) approved a new congressional map that shifts the boundaries of the 18th Congressional District.

As of Oct. 27, four congressional special elections have already taken place across the country. Two of those special elections were in Democratic-controlled districts, while two were to fill Republican controlled-districts. None of those elections resulted in a change in partisan control.

State legislative special elections

Meanwhile, at the state level, 23 contested legislative special elections are taking place nationwide. Three other state legislative special elections are also taking place that day, in which candidates are running unopposed. Additionally, seven other state legislative special elections scheduled for that day were canceled because the candidates were running unopposed.

Looking at the partisan breakdown of the last winners in the 23 state legislative districts where those special elections are happening, 14 were Democrats and nine were Republicans. Of the 23 districts, eight are in a state’s lower chamber and 15 are in a state’s upper chamber.

Ten of the 23 state legislative special elections are happening in Mississippi. While three of those special elections are to fill vacancies in the Mississippi Legislature, a federal three-judge panel ordered the other seven to happen. That’s because in July 2024, the panel ruled that Mississippi’s legislative map violated section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. As a result, the state needed to enact new maps and set special election dates.

As of Oct. 28, 49 state legislative special elections have already taken place across the country. Twenty-five of those special elections were in Democratic-controlled districts, while 24 were in Republican-controlled districts. Four of those elections resulted in change in partisan control:

Click here to read more about the special election for Texas’ 18th Congressional District, and here for more about legislative elections.