Author: Nathan Maxwell
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West Virginia sees highest share of contested state legislative incumbents since 2010 — all Republicans for second year
In 2026, 48.5% of the state legislative incumbents running for election in West Virginia will face primary contests, the highest share since 50.5% of incumbents faced challenges in 2010. In total, 48 incumbents face contested primaries across the West Virginia House and Senate. The average number of incumbents contested each election cycle since 2010 was…
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Four incumbents lost in the Republican primaries for North Carolina House of Representatives
Four incumbents lost in the Republican primaries for the North Carolina House of Representatives on March 3, 2026. The general election is on November 3, 2026. The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of 88 state legislative chambers with elections in 2026. There are 99 chambers throughout the country. Ahead of the election, the…
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Three Democratic incumbents lost in the North Carolina House primaries
Eight state legislative incumbents lost in the primaries in North Carolina on March 3, including three Democratic representatives. That was the most Democratic House primary losses in the state since four lost in the 2010 primaries. The average number of Democratic representatives who lost in the primaries since 2010 was 1.4. According to the Raleigh…
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How Often Do Both State Legislative Chambers Flip at Once? Rarely. Only 20 times since 1992.
Since 1992, 160 changes in state legislative chamber partisan control occurred across the country. That includes 20 times both of a state’s legislative chambers changed partisan control in the same year (14%) and 120 times a single chamber changed partisan control (86%). While chambers may have periodic split control, especially chambers with an even number…
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State legislative special elections show shift toward Democrats compared to previous regular elections
In the state legislative special elections that have happened since January 2025, there was an average shift of 5.6 percentage points towards Democrats. Additionally, Democrats retained 10 percentage points more of their voter turnout from the previous regular election than Republicans. We found these figures by comparing candidates' special election performance to their performance in…
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Recent midterm election years featured more open state legislative seats than presidential years
According to Ballotpedia’s annual competitiveness analyses, midterm election years like 2026 tend to feature more open state legislative seats than presidential election years. Voters across 46 states will choose who will represent them in 6,155 state legislative districts this November. On March 3, 2026, three states—Arkansas, North Carolina, and Texas—will hold the first primary elections…
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The average margin of victory across 2025’s state legislative elections was 24.7%, down from 28.7% in 2023
The average margin of victory across 2025’s 180 state legislative elections was 24.7%. This is the second-lowest average margin of victory in odd-year elections since 2019, and down from 28.7% in 2023. The Nov. 4, 2025, state legislative elections included all 100 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates and all 80 seats in the…
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Seven candidates are running in the Democratic primary for Georgia governor
Seven candidates are running in the Democratic Party primary for governor on May 19, 2026. Four candidates—Keisha Bottoms, Geoff Duncan, Jason Esteves, and Michael Thurmond—lead in polling, fundraising, and media coverage ahead of the primary. Roy Barnes (D) (1998) was the last Democrat elected governor in the state. The Current's Craig Nelson wrote that at…
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New York redistricting commission ordered to redraw state’s congressional map
On Jan. 21, 2026, New York state judge Jeffrey Pearlman ruled that New York’s 11th Congressional District unconstitutionally diluted Black and Latino voting power. Pearlman ordered the New York State Independent Redistricting Commission to redraw the congressional map by Feb. 6. On Jan. 26, Republicans appealed the decision. The lawsuit, filed in October 2025, argued…
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Ballotpedia identifies 21 battleground Republican primaries for North Carolina House
On March 3, 2026, North Carolina voters will vote in 39 contested Republican primaries for North Carolina House of Representatives. The News & Observer's Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi said this year’s elections "could be complicated by a group of candidates running in the upcoming primary election who switched political parties last year." According to Guinassi,…