Tag: state legislative primaries
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422 candidates, the second most since 2010, running in Missouri’s Aug. 4 state legislative primaries
Four hundred twenty-two candidates, the second most in any year since 2010, are running in Missouri’s Aug. 4 primaries. All 163 seats in the Missouri House of Representatives and 17 seats in the Missouri Senate are up for election this year. There are 62 open seats with no incumbent running for re-election. This is the…
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At least one incumbent defeated in New Jersey's state legislative primaries
New Jersey held state legislative primaries on Tuesday, June 10, the first of two states doing so this year. Virginia will hold state legislative primaries on June 17. At least one Democratic incumbent—Garnet Hall—lost, representing 1.3% of the 76 incumbents running for re-election and 2.9% of the 35 contested incumbents. With 35 incumbents (46%) in…
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New Jersey to see most contested primaries, fewest open seats since 2011
New Jersey has 29 contested state legislative primaries in 2025, more than in any year since 2011 and an increase of 38% from the preceding cycle. Twenty-two of the 29 contested primaries are for Democrats, 83% more than the 12 Democratic primaries in 2023. Seven primaries are for Republicans, 22% down from nine in 2023.…
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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…
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New Hampshire has fewer state legislative primaries as national committees target state
New Hampshire has 52 contested state legislative primaries on September 10, the fewest since Ballotpedia started tracking in 2010. The 52 contested primaries are 11.5% of all possible state legislative primaries. Ballotpedia defines a contested primary as one with more candidates than nominations available. There are 18 contested Democratic primaries and 34 contested Republican primaries.…
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Alaska has two contested top-four state legislative primaries in 2024. Here is a closer look
Alaska has two contested top-four state legislative primaries on August 20, 2024. This is the second state legislative primary since Alaska voters approved a ballot measure to establish a top-four primary system in 2020. Under the system, the top four vote-getters in the primary, regardless of partisan affiliation, advance to the general election. The state’s…
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New Mexico has 42 contested state legislative primaries this year. Here’s a breakdown
New Mexico has 42 contested state legislative primaries this year, the highest number since Ballotpedia started tracking that figure in 2014. There are 213 total candidates running in New Mexico's state legislative primaries this year, 26 fewer than in 2020. New Mexico's 42 Senate seats are up for election every four years, while the 70…
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2.6% of state legislative incumbents who filed for re-election have lost in primaries
So far this year, 12 state legislative incumbents — one Democrat and 11 Republicans — have lost to primary challengers. Across the four states that have held primaries, 2.6% of incumbents running for re-election have lost, which is less than at this point in 2022 (3.6%). These totals include data from elections in both legislative…
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Second-highest number of incumbents in contested state legislative primaries in Kentucky since 2014
Twenty-six Kentucky state legislative incumbents face primary challenges this year, representing 26% of all incumbents running for re-election. This is the second-highest number and percentage of contested incumbents since 2014. Of the 26 incumbents in contested primaries, six are Democrats and 20 are Republicans. Kentucky has 44 contested state legislative primaries this year, a 23%…
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State legislative primaries were most competitive in 2022 out of past four election cycles
Primaries for state legislative incumbents in states with trifectas have become more competitive since 2016. A trifecta happens when one political party holds the governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. In 2016, the percentage of state legislative incumbents facing a primary challenger was 20.6%. In 2018, it was 21.9%, and in…