Author: Mercedes Yanora
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Michigan has most contested elections for 8th election cycle in a row
For the eighth election cycle in a row, Michigan has the highest percentage of contested state legislative elections at 99%. The lowest rate in the state, since Ballotpedia began gathering data in 2010, was 98% in 2010 and 2012. The highest rate was 100% in 2014, 2016, and 2018. Michigan’s high contested election rate is…
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Lowest percentage of contested state legislative primaries this year – tied with 2014
This year there are 1,742 contested primaries, meaning 16% of all primaries are contested. This percentage is tied with 2014 (16%) as the lowest percentage of contested primaries since Ballotpedia began gathering data in 2010. Do these historic lows apply to all states, though? More on that below. Looking at the data for partisan trends,…
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Incumbent Tom Suozzi (D) and Michael LiPetri Jr. (R) campaign on local issues in race for New York’s 3rd Congressional District
Incumbent Tom Suozzi (D), Michael LiPetri Jr. (R), Matthew Nappo (independent), and Jacob Soto (independent) are running in the general election for New York’s 3rd Congressional District on Nov. 5. According to AP’s Anthony Izaguirre, Long Island voters, including those in the 3rd District, “have an outsized role in choosing which party controls Congress. Democrats…
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First time since 2010 that a state has over 65% of its incumbents contested in primaries
This year, the states with the highest percentages of incumbents contested in primaries are Wyoming (65.6%), South Dakota (60.9%), Nebraska (50.0%), Idaho (49.5%), Arizona (45.7%), and California (45.5%). Four of these states have Republican trifectas, one has a Democratic trifecta, and the other has a divided government. A primary is contested when there are more…
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Open state legislative seats reach second-lowest point in eight election cycles
This year there are 953 open state legislative seats, guaranteeing at least 16% of all seats will be won by newcomers. This is the second-smallest number and percentage of open seats since Ballotpedia began gathering data in 2010. Ballotpedia uses the number and percentage of open seats to help determine the overall competitiveness of an…
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136 state legislative incumbents have been defeated in primaries this year – four of which were legislative leaders
In the 37 states that have held primaries so far this year, 136 state legislative incumbents—3.4% of all incumbents seeking re-election—have lost. That’s less than at this point in 2022, when 174, or 4.6%, of incumbents had lost in primaries. Four of the 136 defeated incumbents were legislative leaders: three Republican state senators and one…