State legislative special elections, 2024
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As of September 2024, 52 state legislative special elections have been scheduled for 2024 in 22 states. Between 2011 and 2023, an average of 68 special elections took place each year. See the sections below for additional information on state legislative special elections in 2024.
- Causes: This section provides information on why special elections are held.
- Partisan control: This section provides information on the impact of special elections on the partisan composition of state legislatures.
- Special elections by date: This section lists all special elections held in 2024 in the order they were held.
- Historical data: This section contains data on special elections going back to 2010.
- See also: State legislative elections, 2024
Causes
In 2024, special elections for state legislative positions are being held for the following reasons:
- 31 due to resignation
- 11 due to appointment, election, or the seeking of election to another position
- 4 due to the death of the incumbent
- 6 due to redistricting
Partisan control
The partisan breakdown for the special elections is as follows:
- 25 Democratic seats
- 27 Republican seats
As of September 2nd, 2024, Republicans controlled 54.86% of all state legislative seats nationally, while Democrats held 44.25%. 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 | 
|
|
 Other
|
Vacant | ||||
| State senates | 844 | 1,114 | 4 | 11 | ||||
| State houses | 2,424 | 2,938 | 19 | 32 | ||||
| Total: | 3,268
|
4,052
|
23
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43 | ||||
Noteworthy special elections
- Michigan House of Representatives special elections
Democrats regained a majority in the Michigan House of Representatives in two special elections on April 16, 2024. Mai Xiong (D) won 58.9% of the vote to Ronald Singer's (R) 41.1% in District 13 and Peter Herzberg (D) won 59.6% of the vote to Josh Powell's (R) 38.3% in District 25.Democrats won a 56-54 majority in the Michigan House—and a state government trifecta—in the 2022 elections. Control of the chamber split 54-54 when Lori M. Stone (D) and Kevin Coleman (D) resigned after winning mayoral elections in 2023. Because Democrats regained the majority, Michigan remained a Democratic trifecta. If Republicans had gained a majority in the special elections, Democrats would have lost their trifecta.
Mai Xiong (D) and Ronald Singer (R) ran in District 13. Xiong was, at the time of the election, a member of the Macomb County Board of Commissioners who ran on her experience in elected office. Xiong said her focus would be on "bringing people together to get things done for working families."[1] Singer was an engineer who was the Republican nominee in the district in 2022. Singer said he was running because "right now it seems like we need some adult supervision in Lansing," mentioning energy policy as an area of focus.[2][3]
Peter Herzberg (D) and Josh Powell (R) ran in District 25. Herzberg was, at the time of the election, a member of the Westland City Council who ran on his experience in office. Herzberg said he had "spent my entire adult life focusing on public service, volunteering and helping my community."[4] Powell was, at the time of the election, an IT worker and veteran of the U.S. Army. Powell said his "platform can be summed up in six simple words. Less Government; Less Regulation; Lower Taxes."[5]
In 2022, Democrats won the District 13 election 67%-33% and the District 25 election 63%-37%. More Democrats voted in both districts' special primaries than Republicans. In District 13, 4,983 Democrats voted in the primary compared to 1,713 Republicans, while in District 25, 5,702 Democrats and 2,117 Republicans voted in the primary.
The April 16 Michigan elections were not the only state legislative special elections taking place this year where control of a chamber is at stake. Control of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives was determined by a February 13 special election to break the chamber's 101-101 split. Like in Michigan, the Pennsylvania special election took place after a Democratic legislator resigned. Unlike in Michigan, Pennsylvania Republicans controlled the state senate, meaning trifecta control of the state was not at stake.
The winners of the special elections will serve until January 1, 2025, when the winners of the November general elections will take office. Candidates who ran in the special elections were also permitted to run in the general elections.
District 13
General election
Special general election for Michigan House of Representatives District 13
Mai Xiong defeated Ronald A. Singer in the special general election for Michigan House of Representatives District 13 on April 16, 2024.
Candidate%Votes✔ 
Mai Xiong (D) 
65.65,741 
Ronald A. Singer (R) 34.43,007 
Total votes: 8,748 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.
Democratic primary election
Special Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 13
Mai Xiong defeated LaMar Lemmons and Suzanne Ostosh in the special Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 13 on January 30, 2024.
Candidate%Votes✔ Mai Xiong 78.93,935 
LaMar Lemmons 14.9744 
Suzanne Ostosh 6.2308 Total votes: 4,987 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.
Republican primary election
Special Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 13
Ronald A. Singer defeated Brandon Cumbee and Curtiss Ostosh in the special Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 13 on January 30, 2024.
Candidate%Votes✔ Ronald A. Singer 62.91,078 Brandon Cumbee 20.5352 Curtiss Ostosh 16.5283 Total votes: 1,713 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.
District 25
General election
Special general election for Michigan House of Representatives District 25
Peter Herzberg defeated Josh Powell and Robert Stano in the special general election for Michigan House of Representatives District 25 on April 16, 2024.
Candidate%Votes✔ 
Peter Herzberg (D) 59.66,373 
Josh Powell (R) 38.34,096 
Robert Stano (U.S. Taxpayers Party of Michigan) 2.1220 Total votes: 10,689 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.
Democratic primary election
Special Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 25
Peter Herzberg defeated Andrea Rutkowski, Layla Taha, Melandie Hines, and Shannon Rochon in the special Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 25 on January 30, 2024.
Candidate%Votes✔ Peter Herzberg 35.72,034 Andrea Rutkowski 29.91,704 
Layla Taha 21.81,245 
Melandie Hines 8.3471 
Shannon Rochon 4.4249 Total votes: 5,703 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.
Republican primary election
Special Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 25
Josh Powell advanced from the special Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 25 on January 30, 2024.
Candidate%Votes✔ Josh Powell 100.02,117 Total votes: 2,117 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.
Special elections by date
Vacancies
Partisan breakdown of vacancies
- See also: State legislative vacancies, 2024
As of September 2024, there have been 94 state legislative vacancies in 33 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 2024. 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 (2024) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of vacancy | After vacancy | |
| Democratic Party | |||
| Republican Party | |||
| Independent | |||
| Total | 94 | 55 | |
Seats that changed party control
The table below details how many seats changed parties as the result of a special election in 2024. 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.
Note: This table reflects information for elections that have been held and not the total number of vacant seats.
| Partisan Change from Special Elections (2024) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of Special Election | After Special Election | |
| Democratic Party | 25 | 16 | |
| Republican Party | 26 | 16 | |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 51 | 32 | |
Flipped seats
In 2024, as of January 16, one seat has flipped as a result of state legislative special elections.
Seats flipped from D to R
Seats flipped from R to D
- Florida House of Representatives District 35 (January 16)
- Alabama House of Representatives District 10 (March 26)
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 | ||||
| Democrats
|
Republicans
|
Minor party | Democrats
|
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 | K.A. | 37 | 35 | K.A. | K.A. |
| *Please see the year-specific pages for information regarding minor-party candidates. | ||||||||
Seats that changed partisan control by year
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 |
| Click here to see a list of all state legislative seats that have changed partisan control in special elections since 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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 August 16, 2024:
See also
- Regular state legislative elections: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018
- Special state legislative elections: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018
Footnotes
- ↑ Mai Xiong campaign website, "Home page," accessed February 1, 2024
- ↑ Macomb Daily, "Xiong, Singer win 13th House district primaries," January 31, 2024
- ↑ Michigan Advance, "Here’s your look at the candidates for Michigan’s two empty state House seats," November 28, 2023
- ↑ Peter Herzberg, "About Me," accessed February 1, 2024
- ↑ Information submitted via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on January 10, 2024.
- ↑ Candidates running for special elections in Connecticut are nominated through party conventions.
- ↑ If an elected senator leaves office after the primary filing period and a special election is called to fill the seat, only a candidate of the same party can be slated for the November ballot.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 The seat is up for special election after U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota Judge Peter Welte ruled that North Dakota had to redraw the District 9 and 15 boundaries. The seats were not scheduled to be up for election until 2026.
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