Author: Douglas Kronaizl
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4.6% of state legislative incumbents who filed for re-election have lost in primaries
So far this year, 121 state legislative incumbents—20 Democrats and 101 Republicans—have lost to primary challengers. Across the 26 states that have held primaries, 4.6% of incumbents running for re-election have lost, more than in previous cycles. In addition to earlier primaries, these totals include initial results from primaries in Colorado, Illinois, New York, Oklahoma,…
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How COVID, race, and gender affected the April 5 school board races in Missouri
Ballotpedia identified 37 school districts in Missouri that held elections on April 5, where candidates took a stance on three conflict issues: race in education, COVID responses, or sex and gender in schools. That’s 7.1% of the 518 school districts in the state, not all of which held elections on April 5. There were 77…
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Contested state legislative primaries in Wisconsin increase compared to 2020
There are 38 contested state legislative primaries in Wisconsin this year, 16% of the total number of possible primaries, and a 15% increase compared to the 2020 election cycle. A primary is contested when more candidates file to run than there are nominations available, meaning at least one candidate must lose. Republican candidates drove the…
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Primary watch: number of contested state legislative primaries is up 30% compared to 2020
There are 30% more contested state legislative primaries this year than in 2020, including 62% more Republican primaries and 18% more top-two/four primaries. Democratic primaries are down 9%. These figures include elections in 29 states that account for 3,661 of 6,166 state legislative seats up for election this year (59%). A primary is contested when…
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New York sees increase in state legislative incumbents facing contested primaries this year
Fifty-one of the 191 New York state legislators running for re-election this year—46 Democrats and five Republicans—face contested primaries. That equals 27% of incumbents seeking re-election, an increase from previous election cycles. The remaining 73% of incumbents are not facing primary challengers. A contested primary is one where more candidates run than nominations available, meaning…
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Decade-high 23% of state legislative seats are open so far this year
A decade-high 23% of state legislative seats up for election this year are open, meaning no incumbents filed to run. This is based on an analysis of 30 states where Ballotpedia has collected post-filing deadline data in 2022. Open seats typically occur when an incumbent leaves office. In post-redistricting years, it is also common to…
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5.4% of state legislative incumbents who filed for re-election have lost in primaries
So far this year, 111 state legislative incumbents—18 Democrats and 93 Republicans—have lost to primary challengers. Across the 21 states that have held primaries, 5.4% of incumbents running for re-election have lost, an elevated level of incumbent losses compared to previous cycles. In addition to earlier primaries, these totals include initial results from primary runoffs…
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Contested state legislative primary numbers remain similar to recent election cycles in Maryland
With all 118 state legislative districts in Maryland up for election this year, there are 236 possible primaries. Of that total, 36.4%, or 86, are contested, similar to recent cycles in 2014 and 2018, which had 84 and 89 contested primaries, respectively. A primary is contested when more candidates file to run than there are…