Author: Douglas Kronaizl
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4.8% of state legislative incumbents who filed for re-election have lost in primaries
So far this year, 202 state legislative incumbents—57 Democrats and 145 Republicans—have lost to primary challengers. Across the 42 states that have held primaries, 4.8% of incumbents running for re-election have lost, an elevated level of incumbent losses compared to previous cycles. These totals include data from both legislative chambers in Florida, state Senate races in…
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Open state legislative seats reach highest point in five election cycles
The number of open state legislative seats, those where no incumbents are running, is at its highest point in five election cycles. Open seats contribute to incumbent turnover. Since no incumbents are present every open seat is guaranteed to be won by a newcomer. There are 1,495 open seats this year, meaning at least 24%…
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28% of Florida state legislative incumbents face contested primaries
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…
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4.8% of state legislative incumbents who filed for re-election have lost in primaries
So far this year, 198 state legislative incumbents—54 Democrats and 144 Republicans—have lost to primary challengers. Across the 41 states that have held primaries, 4.8% of incumbents running for re-election have lost, an elevated level of incumbent losses compared to previous cycles. These totals include data from Hawaii, which held primaries on Aug. 13, as…
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How incumbent turnover will affect state legislatures next year
At least 1,607 incumbents will not be returning to their seats next year, representing an increase compared to recent election cycles, one that will alter the makeup of legislatures across the country. Ballotpedia uses a metric called “incumbent turnover” to determine how many incumbents are leaving office. This important figure tells us how many incumbents…
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Contested state legislative primaries reach highest point in five election cycles
Voters have been making more decisions in state legislative primaries this year than at any point in the past five election cycles. The number of contested state legislative primaries reached a high mark this year with 2,349 contested primaries representing 21% of all possible primaries, both the largest number and percentage of contested primaries compared…