How Many State Legislatures Are Controlled By Republicans

Ballotpedia: Majority Of State Legislatures Are Republican Controlled

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The results of the last election solidified a trend that state legislatures were becoming more Republican.

In the 2020 general election, 5,875 state legislative seats in 86 legislative chambers were up for regularly scheduled elections. Roughly five percent of them, 315, flipped from one party to another.

The majority of the 315 68 percent, or 215 in total flipped from Democrat to Republican. Whereas 78 Republican seats, 24.8 percent, flipped to Democrat, according to an analysis published by;Ballotpedia.

On Nov. 3, the net change was Republicans gained 141 seats, Democrats lost 133 seats, and independent and third party candidates lost eight seats.

At least one seat flipped parties in every state holding regularly scheduled state legislative elections except for Hawaii, Ballotpedia reports.

The percentage of state legislative seat flips in 2020 represents a 38 percent decrease from 2018, when 508 seats flipped party affiliations.

New Hampshire saw the most flipped seats of 50, resulting in both chambers of its General Court changing from Democratic to Republican control.

As of November 2020, three-fourths of states have governors and legislatures of the same party, a sign that ticket-splitting may be waning nationwide, the National Conference of State Legislatures reports.

Gop Holds Line In State Legislatures Dealing Blow To Democrats

Democratic hopes of claiming control of state legislative chambers across the nation crashed into an immovable Republican wall in key states on Tuesday, a substantial blow to the partys chances of wielding more influence in the decennial redistricting process ahead.

Instead of big Democratic gains, early election results appear to show Republicans picked up enough seats to win control of at least two legislative chambers, the New Hampshire state Senate and the Alaska state House, where Republicans appear to be in a position to break a bipartisan coalition that ran the House for the last two years.

Early election results showed Republicans leading in the battle for the New Hampshire House of Representatives.

Thousands of ballots are left to be counted, and Democrats still have a chance in Arizona, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Democrats held out hope of recapturing the Minnesota state Senate, where each party appeared to be on track to lose two incumbents to rival challengers.

We’ve had several key red to blue flips and are incredibly proud of all the history-making candidates we elected tonight. We always knew this would be tough we’re running on extremely gerrymandered maps, said Christina Polizzi, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee . But this election is far from over and we don’t yet have the full picture of our results. There are millions of votes yet to be counted and we are going to make sure we count every one.

Republicans Hold Majority State Legislatures Potentially Giving Them An Advantage In Redistricting Process

After several important victories in the 2020 elections, Republicans could potentially control even more state legislatures than they did a decade ago and gain an even bigger advantage in the upcoming redistricting process.

The GOP flipped both legislative chambers in New Hampshire and the state House in Alaska while Democrats failed to regain control of a single state legislative body anywhere in the country. That means Republicans could potentially exit the 2020 cycle with majorities in 62 of the countrys 99 state legislative bodies.

Republicans previously flipped 19 state legislative chambers in 2010 and left the midterm controlling 58 of the countrys 99 state legislative bodies.

Democrats spent hundreds of millions of dollars in efforts to flip legislative chambers across the country.

We were able to overcome more than half a billion dollars of liberal spending. It was quite a success for us, and quite an epic embarrassment for Democrats, Republican State Leadership Committee Deputy Executive Director Dave Abrams told the Daily Caller.;

Jessica Post, President of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, told The Atlantic that It turned out we hit a different electorate than everyone was expecting. Its not just Democrats who were turning out.

The recent victories could give Republicans an advantage in the redistricting process.

A 2019 analysis found that a majority of states congressional maps fall under the purview of the state legislators there.

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Table : Cnalysis State Legislative Chamber Ratings

As our ratings indicate, Republican-controlled chambers are more competitive than those held by Democrats. While Republicans hold an advantage in the number of chambers they control, the certainty of Republicans maintaining such a lopsided control of chambers is not assured. Of the competitive chambers that Republicans control, most are closer to the Toss-Up category than the competitive chambers Democrats control. Excluding the Likely chambers where the chances of a chamber flipping are possible but slim there are 11 competitive chambers remaining: nine held by Republicans, and just two held by Democrats.

This is largely due to the so-called blue wave of 2018, where Democrats had a net gain of 65 state Senate seats and 240 state House seats in the midterm elections. Given what might be a more even-handed electoral environment well see in a presidential election year compared to a midterm election, which almost always delivers rebukes to incumbent presidents, we will likely see far smaller net gains for either party.

Of the 17 competitive state legislative chambers, nine are in states where there is not a state government trifecta: The Minnesota House and Senate, the New Hampshire House and Senate, the Alaska House, the North Carolina House and Senate, the Michigan House, and the Pennsylvania House.

So overall, the Republican goals in state legislatures are to:

Create more Republican trifectas and create divided governments in Democratic trifectas.

Gop Now Controls Majority Of State Legislatures In Battleground States

As politicos sift through the results of the 2020 election, one issue has received little attention. And given its importance, I find that surprising.

Im referring to the GOPs majority control of state legislatures.

Prior to the election, Republicans held majorities in;59 chambers;and Democrats, in 39.;

Although the map looks very much the same following last weeks election, voters in New Hampshire managed to turn both their House and Senate red.

A closer glance at the post-election partisan legislative control map above shows that the GOP;controls the state legislatures in many of the battleground states.

This includes Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Texas is apparently part of this group as well .

Moreover, in 2021, Republicans will hold 27 governorships compared to the Democrats, with 23.

A trifecta refers to single-party control of a states governorship and both chambers of its legislature. As a result of the 2020 elections, Republicans won trifectas in New Hampshire and Montana. According to;Ballotpedia, If control of Alaska does not change, Republicans will have 23 trifectas , Democrats will have 15 trifectas, and 12 states will have divided governments .

Why does it matter if Republicans control the legislatures in the majority of states, particularly in the battlegrounds?

Last Wednesday, Harris spoke with Mother Jones Ari Berman to discuss the issue.

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In Practically Every State One Party Now Holds All The Legislative Power And Once They Get It Theyre Keeping It

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In the 1990s and 2000s, party control of the Indiana House vacillated between Democrats and Republicans several times. Today, the idea of a Democratic majority in Indiana seems like a dim memory.

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Indiana Legislative Insight.

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There was a time in the recent past when compromise was not a curse word, says Lena Taylor, a Democratic state senator in Wisconsin. Now, she says, people are locked into their voting patterns.

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The Big Sort

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Political Party Strength In Us States

Political party strength in U.S. states is the level of representation of the various political parties in the United States in each statewide elective office providing legislators to the state and to the U.S. Congress and electing the executives at the state ” rel=”nofollow”>U.S. state governor) and national level.

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Map : Control Of State Legislative Chambers

The term trifecta is used by analysts to denote states where both chambers of the state legislature and the governorship are controlled by the same party. Map 2 shows the states that have either Democratic or Republican trifectas versus those where there is some split in power. Republicans have 20 trifectas, Democrats have 15, and 14 states are split. Again, Nebraska is excluded, but functionally the state could be counted as one where Republicans control both the governorship and legislature.

Want More Election Coverage

For even more election coverage, visit;MultiState’s 2020 State Elections Landing Page,;your source for up-to-date and accurate election results and analysis. Bookmark our page for updated maps on partisan breakdown of state governors and legislatures post-election, plus analysis on the races and key ballot measures from our MultiState Insider blog.;

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So Much Changed In Statehouses This Week Heres What It All Means

Democratic gains in state-level races could lead to policy change and more fights with the Trump administration.

Since 1990, Arizonas Republican-controlled government has cut taxes every year but two, said David Lujan, a former Democratic member of the state legislature who now leads the Arizona Center for Economic Progress, a Phoenix-based think tank.;

Lujan said Democrats may be able to block new tax cuts for corporations and wealthy people and push more money to schools or other services. One of the biggest things youll see with Democrats is blocking some of those special interest tax breaks that weve seen year after year, he said.

In Montana, where Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte won the governors race, the GOP is poised to maintain control of the state House and Senate. That would make it easier for Gianforte to act on his campaign promises, such as protecting gun rights and cutting taxes.

Montana Republicans may also be able to advance policies blocked by Democratic governors in the past. For instance, Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock last year vetoed a bill that would have required medical intervention for infants born after a failed late-term abortion. Gianforte said in a debate this fall he would have signed that bill.;

Democrats gains in Arizona wont mean much, as Arizona is among the states that rely on independent commissions, rather than the legislature, to draw district lines.;

Key Points From This Article

Republicans have more vulnerable state legislative chambers than Democrats.

Nationwide, Democrats are currently projected to have a small net gain in state Senate seats, whereas Republicans are projected to have a small net gain in state House seats.

Very few new state government trifectas are going to be created this year.

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As Washington Stews State Legislatures Increasingly Shape American Politics

From voting rights to the culture wars, state legislatures controlled by Republicans are playing a role well beyond their own state borders.

By Michael Wines

With the release of the 2020 census last month, the drawing of legislative districts that could in large part determine control of Congress for the next decade heads to the nations state legislatures, the heart of Republican political power.

Increasingly, state legislatures, especially in 30 Republican-controlled states, have seized an outsize role for themselves, pressing conservative agendas on voting, Covid-19 and the culture wars that are amplifying partisan splits and shaping policy well beyond their own borders.

Indeed, for a party out of power in Washington, state legislatures have become enormous sources of leverage and influence. That is especially true for rural conservatives who largely control the legislatures in key states like Wisconsin, Texas and Georgia and could now lock in a strong Republican tilt in Congress and cement their own power for the next decade. The Texas Legislatures pending approval of new restrictions on voting is but the latest example.

He added that the aggressive role played by Republican legislatures had much further to run.

The next battle, already underway in many states, is over the drawing of congressional and state legislative districts. Republicans control 26 of the legislatures that will draw political maps, compared with 13 for Democrats.

A Decade Of Power: Statehouse Wins Position Gop To Dominate Redistricting

Democrats spent big to take control of state legislatures but lost their key targets. Now theyll be on the sidelines as new maps are drawn.

Protestors march in front of the Capitol in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday to demand all votes in the general election be counted. Texas Republicans will have total authority over the drawing of as many as 39 congressional districts in the state. | Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP

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Heres something else Republicans can be happy about after Tuesday.

An abysmal showing by Democrats in state legislative races on Tuesday not only denied them victories in Sun Belt and Rust Belt states that would have positioned them to advance their policy agenda it also put the party at a disadvantage ahead of the redistricting that will determine the balance of power for the next decade.

The results could domino through politics in America, helping the GOP draw favorable congressional and state legislative maps by ensuring Democrats remain the minority party in key state legislatures. Ultimately, it could mean more Republicans in Washington and in state capitals.

After months of record-breaking fundraising by their candidates and a constellation of outside groups, Democrats fell far short of their goals and failed to build upon their 2018 successes to capture state chambers they had been targeting for years. And they may have President Donald Trump to blame.

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The Battle For The State Legislatures

Theres a lot at stake on the federal level this year: the presidency, the Senate, and the House are all up for grabs. While there has ;been considerable attention and speculation dedicated to these larger races, the upcoming state legislature elections have not received the same level of consideration.

With more than 5,000 districts at stake this year, there are many opportunities at the state level for either party to maintain or improve their advantage. We at CNalysis acknowledge the importance of these elections; we are currently casting ratings for most of these districts 5,233 to be exact as well as their respective state legislative chambers.

Overall, Republicans control 58 chambers, and Democrats control 40. Again, this tally excludes Nebraska.

Women In State Legislatures 2021

The party breakdown for women serving in state legislatures in 2021;is:

*In Nebraska, where the legislature is unicameral, legislators are elected on a nonpartisan basis.Top 10 States

15;women serve as presidents of senates or presidents pro tempore:Karen Fann

7 women serve as speakers of state houses:Louise Stutes Laurie Jinkins

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Democrats Map To Take Back State Legislatures

The Democratic Party and DLCC flipped eight state chambers in 2018 and broke Republican supermajorities in three other states. Post says theyre planning to expand on that in 2020, with a targeted list of 12 states:

There are two big things that could make a difference for Democrats in 2020: increased fundraising and galvanized progressive groups. 2018 showed the blue wave was real, and Democrats need to build on that to do well in 2020.

The DLCC is already planning to match its Republican counterpart the RSLC in fundraising: theyre planning to match the RSLCs $50 million fundraising goal. Thats a significant increase from the $35 million the DLCC spent in 2018. Theyve also increased staff and resources exponentially from past years but in 2020, theyll be joined by a lot of other progressive groups spending money focused on flipping state legislatures.

Gubernatorial And Legislative Party Control Of State Government

Gubernatorial and legislative party control of state government refers to the role of political parties in the power dynamic between state legislatures and executives. Below, we examine the partisan affiliation of the 1,972 state senators, 5,411 state representatives, and 50 state governors across the United States.

Partisan breakdown of state governments

Below, Ballotpedia presents our information on the partisan breakdown of state senators, state representatives, and governors as well as the state legislature and state executive branch as a whole. We also examine state government trifectas, which occur when the state house, the state senate, and the office of the governor are each controlled by one political party. Trifectas are important to highlight since unified partisan affiliation between the branches of state government can impact a state’s legislative process.

The following maps display current state government trifectas as well as historical trifectas leading up to the 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020 elections. Use the buttons below to select a map.

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Voter Registration And State Political Control

The state Democratic or Republican Party controls the governorship, the state legislative houses, and U.S. Senate representation. Nebraska’s legislature is unicameral, i.e., it has only one legislative house and is officially non-partisan, though party affiliation still has an unofficial influence on the legislative process.

The simplest measure of party strength in a state voting population is the affiliation totals from voter registration for the 30 states and the District of Columbia as of 2019 that allow registered voters to indicate a party preference when registering to vote. 20 states do not include party preference with voter registration: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. The party affiliations in the party control table are obtained from state party registration figures where indicated. Only Wyoming has a majority of registered voters identifying themselves as Republicans; two states have a majority of registered voters identifying themselves as Democrats: and Kentucky .