Democrats have gained a net 13 state legislative seats in special elections since January 2025 — all flipped from Republican to Democratic control — while Republicans have not flipped any seats in the other direction during President Donald Trump's (R) second term.

The pace is comparable to Trump's first term: Democrats gained a net 11 seats in 2017 special elections and another eight in 2018 special elections.

There were 89 districts where a Democrat appeared on both the special election ballot and the previous general election ballot, and 84 districts where a Republican did the same. Democratic candidates retained an average of 38% of their party's previous general election vote total; Republican candidates retained an average of 29% — a gap of roughly 10 percentage points. Because special elections typically draw far lower turnout than general elections, this comparison measures how much of each party's prior support showed up.

Among the 62 districts where candidates from both major parties ran in both the special and most recent general elections, the average margin shifted 5.1 percentage points toward Democrats. Forty-seven of those 62 districts (76%) shifted toward Democrats; 15 (24%) shifted toward Republicans.

The 13 flipped seats came from a mix of states: Mississippi (3), Florida (2), Iowa (2), Pennsylvania (2), and one each in Arkansas, Georgia, New Hampshire, and Texas.

Despite the Democratic gains in special elections, Republicans continue to hold an overall partisan advantage in state legislatures. As of September 25, 2026, Republicans held 55.02% of the 7,386 state legislative seats nationwide, compared to 43.84% for Democrats. Republicans held majorities in 57 legislative chambers; Democrats held majorities in 39.

The figures above reflect results through September 25, 2026. Additional state legislative special elections are scheduled in November 2026.