Since 2018, Ballotpedia has invited candidates to participate in our Candidate Connection initiative. We survey candidates across all levels of government to help voters better understand how candidates intend to govern and what motivates them on both a personal and political level.
A total of 1,990 candidates from 40 states and the District of Columbia responded to the survey in 2025. Of these candidates, 1,190 participated in Ballotpedia’s expansion to collect surveys from local candidates beyond our core coverage scope. The remaining 800 candidates represented 17.7% of the 4,526 core scope candidates Ballotpedia covered in 2025.
Washington had the highest number of survey respondents, with 417 candidates completing Ballotpedia’s survey. North Carolina followed with 233 respondents. Candidates for city offices comprised the largest share of respondents at 60.2%, followed by school board candidates at 22.4%.
Ballotpedia tracked election outcomes only for candidates within our core coverage scope. Of the 800 core scope respondents, 221 (27.6%) won their elections.
In 2025, Ballotpedia examined the response rate of candidates running in contested races for the first time. While half of all candidates covered in 2025 ran in contested races, 1,879 (94.4%) of all survey respondents faced opposition. These 1,879 candidates accounted for 5.0% of all contested candidates.
Learn more about these candidates in our new report, which highlights several notable respondents, features the respondents who won their elections, and lists all 1,990 candidates who completed the survey.
Additional reading: