State legislative special elections, 2021

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In 2021, 66 state legislative special elections were held in 21 states. Between 2011 and 2020, an average of 75 special elections took place each year.

See the sections below for additional information on state legislative special elections in 2021.

  1. Causes and partisan control data: This section provides information on why special elections are held and the impact of special elections on the partisan composition of state legislatures.
  2. Special elections by date: This section lists all special elections held in 2021 in the order they were held.
  3. Vacancies: This section provides information about vacancies across state legislatures in 2021.
  4. Seats that changed party control: This section lists the seats where a candidate of a party other than the previous incumbent's party won the special election.
  5. Historical data: This section contains data on special elections going back to 2010.


See also: State legislative elections, 2021

Causes and partisan control data

In 2021, special elections for state legislative positions were held for the following reasons:

  • 27 due to appointment, election, or the seeking of election to another position
  • 23 due to resignation
  • 4 due to a resignation related to criminal charges
  • 12 due to the death of the incumbent

Impact of special elections on partisan composition

The partisan breakdown for the special elections was as follows:

As of July 8th, 2024, Republicans controlled 54.96% of all state legislative seats nationally, while Democrats held 44.34%. Republicans held a majority in 56 chambers, and Democrats held the majority in 41 chambers. Two chambers (Alaska House and Alaska Senate) were organized under multipartisan, power-sharing coalitions.

Partisan balance of all 7,386 state legislative seats
Legislative chamber Democratic Party Republican Party Grey.png Other Vacant
State senates 845 1,115 4 9
State houses 2,430 2,944 19 20
Total: 3,275

4,059

23

29


Special elections by date

2021 state legislative special elections
Office Former incumbent Filing deadline Primary election date General election date
Virginia House of Delegates District 2 Jennifer Foy (D) December 14, 2020 N/A January 5, 2021
Virginia House of Delegates District 90 Joseph Lindsey (D) December 7, 2020 N/A January 5, 2021
Alabama House of Representatives District 33 Ronald Johnson (R) August 4, 2020 (major party)
August 6, 2020 (minor party and independent) 		October 6, 2020 January 19, 2021
Texas House of Representatives District 68 Drew Springer (R) January 4, 2021 N/A January 23, 2021
Iowa State Senate District 41 Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R) January 12, 2021 N/A January 26, 2021
Alabama State Senate District 26 David Burkette (D) September 15, 2020 (major party)
November 17, 2020 (minor party) 		November 17, 2020 March 2, 2021
Connecticut State Senate District 27 Carlo Leone (D) N/A[1] N/A March 2, 2021
Georgia House of Representatives District 90 Pam Stephenson (D) December 18, 2020 February 9, 2021 March 9, 2021
Maine State Senate District 14 Shenna Bellows (D) January 8, 2021 N/A March 9, 2021
Louisiana House of Representatives District 35 Stephen Dwight (R) January 8, 2021 February 6, 2021 March 20, 2021
Virginia State Senate District 38 A. Benton Chafin (R) January 22, 2021 N/A March 23, 2021
Massachusetts House of Representatives Nineteenth Suffolk District Robert DeLeo (D) January 26, 2021 March 2, 2021 March 30, 2021
Oklahoma State Senate District 22 Stephanie Bice (R) December 9, 2020 February 9, 2021 April 6, 2021
Wisconsin State Senate District 13 Scott Fitzgerald (R) January 8, 2021 February 16, 2021 April 6, 2021
Wisconsin State Assembly District 89 John Nygren (R) January 8, 2021 February 16, 2021 April 6, 2021
Missouri House of Representatives District 45 Kip Kendrick (D) January 27, 2021 N/A April 6, 2021
New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 21 Dick Hinch (R) January 15, 2021 (major party)
February 3, 2021 (independent) 		February 23, 2021 April 13, 2021
Connecticut House of Representatives District 112 J.P. Sredzinski (R) N/A[1] N/A April 13, 2021
Louisiana House of Representatives District 82 Charles Henry (R) January 27, 2021 March 20, 2021 April 24, 2021
Connecticut House of Representatives District 145 Patricia Miller (D) March 22, 2021 N/A April 27, 2021
California State Senate District 30 Holly Mitchell (D) January 7, 2021 March 2, 2021 May 4, 2021
Pennsylvania State Senate District 22 John Blake (D) March 29, 2021 (independent) N/A May 18, 2021
Pennsylvania State Senate District 48 David Arnold (R) March 29, 2021 (independent) N/A May 18, 2021
Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 59 Mike Reese (R) March 29, 2021 (independent) N/A May 18, 2021
Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 60 Jeffrey Pyle (R) March 29, 2021 (independent) N/A May 18, 2021
California State Assembly District 79 Shirley Weber (D) February 11, 2021 April 6, 2021 June 8, 2021
New Hampshire House of Representatives Merrimack 23 Samantha Fox (D) February 26, 2021 (major party) April 20, 2021 June 8, 2021
Georgia House of Representatives District 34 Bert Reeves (R) May 7, 2021 N/A June 15, 2021
Georgia House of Representatives District 156 Greg Morris (R) May 7, 2021 N/A June 15, 2021
Louisiana State Senate District 7 Troy Carter (D) May 7, 2021 June 12, 2021 July 10, 2021
Alabama State Senate District 14 Cam Ward (R) January 26, 2021 (major party)
March 30, 2021 (minor party and independent) 		March 30, 2021 July 13, 2021
Alabama House of Representatives District 73 Matt Fridy (R) January 26, 2021 (major party)
March 30, 2021 (minor party and independent) 		March 30, 2021 July 13, 2021
Wisconsin State Assembly District 37 John Jagler (R) May 18, 2021 June 15, 2021 July 13, 2021
California State Assembly District 54 Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D) March 24, 2021 May 18, 2021 July 20, 2021
Connecticut State Senate District 36 Alex Kasser (D) N/A[1] N/A August 17, 2021
California State Assembly District 18 Rob Bonta (D) May 6, 2021 June 29, 2021 August 31, 2021
Texas House of Representatives District 10 Jake Ellzey (R) August 12, 2021 N/A August 31, 2021
Alabama House of Representatives District 78 Kirk Hatcher (D) March 23, 2021 (major party)
May 25, 2021 (minor party and independent) 		May 25, 2021 September 7, 2021
Tennessee House of Representatives District 29 Mike Carter (R) June 17, 2021 July 27, 2021 September 14, 2021
Iowa House of Representatives District 37 John Landon (R) August 20, 2021 N/A September 14, 2021
Texas House of Representatives District 118 Leo Pacheco (D) September 13, 2021 N/A September 28, 2021
Iowa House of Representatives District 29 Wesley Breckenridge (D) September 28, 2021 N/A October 12, 2021
New Hampshire House of Representatives District Hillsborough 7 David Danielson (R) July 9, 2021 September 7, 2021 October 26, 2021
New Hampshire House of Representatives District Cheshire 9 Douglas Ley (D) July 9, 2021 September 7, 2021 October 26, 2021
Michigan State Senate District 8 Peter Lucido (R) April 20, 2021 (major party)
August 4, 2021 (minor party and independent) 		August 3, 2021 November 2, 2021
Michigan State Senate District 28 Peter MacGregor (R) April 20, 2021 (major party)
August 4, 2021 (minor party and independent) 		August 3, 2021 November 2, 2021
Rhode Island State Senate District 3 Gayle Goldin (D) August 27, 2021 (declarations)
September 7, 2021 (signatures) 		October 5, 2021 November 2, 2021
Georgia House of Representatives District 165 Edward Stephens (D) September 10, 2021 N/A November 2, 2021
Kentucky State Senate District 22 Tom Buford (R) N/A N/A November 2, 2021
Kentucky House of Representatives District 51 John Carney (R) N/A N/A November 2, 2021
Kentucky House of Representatives District 89 Robert Goforth (R) N/A N/A November 2, 2021
Maine House of Representatives District 86 Justin Fecteau (R) September 1, 2021 N/A November 2, 2021
Mississippi State Senate District 32 Sampson Jackson (D) September 13, 2021 N/A November 2, 2021
Mississippi State Senate District 38 Tammy Witherspoon (D) September 13, 2021 N/A November 2, 2021
Mississippi House of Representatives District 29 Abe Marshall Hudson Jr. (D) September 13, 2021 N/A November 2, 2021
New York State Senate District 30 Brian Benjamin (D) September 27, 2021 (major party)
September 29, 2021 (independent) 		N/A November 2, 2021
New York State Assembly District 86 Victor Pichardo (D) September 27, 2021 (major party)
September 29, 2021 (independent) 		N/A November 2, 2021
Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 113 Martin Flynn (D) September 13, 2021 N/A November 2, 2021
Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 164 Margo Davidson (D) September 13, 2021 N/A November 2, 2021
Massachusetts House of Representatives Fourth Essex District Bradford Hill (R) September 28, 2021 November 2, 2021 November 30, 2021
New Hampshire House of Representatives District Rockingham 6 Anne Copp (R) August 27, 2021 October 19, 2021 December 7, 2021
Louisiana State Senate District 27 Ronnie Johns (R) July 30, 2021 November 13, 2021 December 11, 2021
Louisiana House of Representatives District 16 Frederick D. Jones (D) July 30, 2021 November 13, 2021 December 11, 2021
Louisiana House of Representatives District 102 Gary Carter Jr. (D) July 16, 2021 November 13, 2021 December 11, 2021
Connecticut House of Representatives District 116 Michael DiMassa (D) N/A[1] N/A December 14, 2021
Iowa State Senate District 1 Zach Whiting (R) November 19, 2021 N/A December 14, 2021


Seats that changed party control

The table below details how many seats changed parties as the result of a special election in 2021. The number on the left reflects how many vacant seats were originally held by each party, while the number on the right shows how many vacant seats each party won in the special elections. In elections between 2011 and 2020, either the Democratic Party or Republican Party saw an average net gain of four seats across the country.

Note: This table reflects information for elections that were held and not the total number of vacant seats.

Partisan Change from Special Elections (2021)
Party As of Special Election After Special Election
     Democratic Party 33 33
     Republican Party 33 33
     Independent 0 0
Total 66 66

Flipped seats

In 2021, six seats flipped as a result of state legislative special elections.

Seats flipped from D to R

Seats flipped from R to D


Vacancies

Partisan breakdown of vacancies

See also: State legislative vacancies, 2021

In 2021, there were 184 state legislative vacancies in 44 states.

The process for filling vacancies varies among the state legislatures. Twenty-five states fill vacancies in the state legislature through special elections. Twenty-one states fill vacancies through appointments, and four states fill vacancies through a hybrid system that uses both appointments and special elections. The most common reasons for a state legislative vacancy include officeholders resigning, dying, leaving for a new job, being elected or appointed to a different office, or receiving a legal conviction.

The table below details the partisan breakdown for state legislative vacancies in 2021. The number on the left reflects how many vacant seats were originally held by each party, while the number on the right shows how many vacant seats each party held after the special elections and appointments took place.

Partisan breakdown of the vacancies (2021)
Party As of vacancy After vacancy
     Democratic Party
98
96
     Republican Party
86
76
     Independent
0
0
     N/A
0
6[2]
Total 184 178

Historical data

State breakdown by year

The table below details how many state legislative special elections were held in a state in a given year. From 2010 to 2023, Georgia held the most state legislative special elections with 79. Pennsylvania held the second-most special elections with 65.

Partisan breakdown by year

The average number of special elections per even year between 2011 and 2023 (2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022) was 61, while the average per odd year was 80. The most special elections in a single year during that same time frame was 99, which happened in 2018.

The table below details how many state legislative seats changed parties as the result of a special election between 2011 and 2023. The numbers on the left side of the table reflect how many vacant seats were originally held by each party, while the numbers on the right side of the table show how many vacant seats each party won in special elections.

State legislative special election vacancies and results, 2011-2023
Year Total elections held Vacancies before elections Seats held after elections Net change
Democratic Party Democrats Republican Party Republicans Minor party Democratic Party Democrats Republican Party Republicans Minor party
2023 53 33 20 0 33 20 0 -
2022 54 36 18 0 36 18 0 -
2021 66 33 33 0 33 33 0 -
2020 59 21 38 0 27 32 0 +6 D, -6 R
2019 77 39 38 0 36 40 1 -3 D, +2 R, +1 I
2018 99 42 57 0 50 49 0 +8 D, -8 R
2017 98 45 53 0 56 42 0 +11 D, -11 R
2016* 65 37 28 0 39 24 2 +2 D, -4 R
2015* 89 42 46 1 38 50 1 -4 D, +4 R
2014 40 22 18 0 19 21 0 -3 D, +3 R
2013 84 51 33 0 48 36 0 -3 D, +3 R
2012 46 23 23 0 25 21 0 +2 D, -2 R
2011* 95 49 45 1 46 48 1 -3 D, +3 R
Averages 71 36 35 N/A 37 35 N/A N/A
*Please see the year-specific pages for information regarding minor-party candidates.

Seats that changed partisan control by year

See also: State legislative special election changes in party control since 2010

Current as of January 10, 2024 (updated annually)
Since 2010, 116 state legislative seats have switched partisan control, or flipped, in special elections. The chart below shows the number of special elections that resulted in partisan changes in each year:

Flipped seats in state legislative special elections
Year Total special elections Total flips Democratic flips Republican flips Other flips
2023 53 4 2 2 0
2022 54 2 1 1 0
2021 66 6 3 3 0
2020 59 8 7 1 0
2019 77 8 2 5 1
2018 99 16 12 4 0
2017 98 17 14 3 0
2016 65 9 5 2 2
2015 89 16 5 9 2
2014 40 5 1 4 0
2013 84 7 1 6 0
2012 46 7 5 2 0
2011 95 11 4 6 1
2010 30 0 0 0 0
Total 955 116 62 48 6


Days between vacancies and elections by year

The following table tracks the gap between when state legislative vacancies occurred and special elections were held from 2012 through June 14, 2024:

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Candidates running for special elections in Connecticut are nominated through party conventions.
  2. ↑ Note: Because the vacancy was for a multi-member seat, the exact successor could not be determined after the election.
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