The 2018 United States state legislative elections were held on November 6, 2018, for 87 state legislative chambers in 46 states. Across the fifty states, approximately 56 percent of all upper house seats and 92 percent of all lower house seats were up for election. Additionally, six territorial chambers in four territories and the District of Columbia were up as well.
Regularly-scheduled elections were held in 87 of the 99 state legislative chambers in the United States; nationwide, regularly-scheduled elections were held for 6,064 of the 7,383 legislative seats. Most legislative chambers held elections for all seats, but some legislative chambers that use staggered elections held elections for only a portion of the total seats in the chamber.[8] The chambers that were not up for election either hold regularly-scheduled elections in odd-numbered years, or have four-year terms and hold all regularly-scheduled elections in presidential election years.
Note that this table only covers regularly-scheduled elections; additional special elections took place concurrently with these regularly-scheduled elections.
News sources predicted Democrats would make significant gains in state legislative control, flipping multiple chambers and narrowing Republican majorities in many others.[9]
Most election predictors use:
"Tossup": No advantage
"Lean": Slight advantage
"Likely": Significant, but surmountable, advantage
Upper house seats by party holding majority in each state
Republican
50–60%
60–70%
70–80%
80–90%
90–100%
Democratic
50–60%
60–70%
70–80%
80–90%
90–100%
Lower house seats by party holding majority in each state
Republican
50–60%
60–70%
70–80%
80–90%
Democratic
50–60%
60–70%
70–80%
80–90%
90–100%
Net changes to upper house seats after the 2018 elections +1 Dem seat +2 Dem seats +3–5 Dem seats +6–8 Dem seats +1 Rep seat +2 Rep seats +3 Rep seats
Net changes to lower house seats after the 2018 elections +1 Dem seat +2 Dem seats +3–5 Dem seats +6–61 Dem seats +1 Rep seat +2 Rep seats +5 Rep seats +1 Ind seat
Half of the seats of the Alaska Senate and all of the seats of the Alaska House of Representatives were up for election in 2018. Republicans retained control of the Senate, while a cross-partisan coalition of Democrats, Republicans, and independents retained control of the House of Representatives.[10]
All of the seats of the Arizona Senate and the Arizona House of Representatives were up for election in 2018. Republicans retained control of both chambers, but lost four seats in the House and lost the popular vote in the Senate by 1.4 points.
Half of the seats of the Colorado Senate and all of the seats of the Colorado House of Representatives were up for election in 2018. Democrats won control of the Senate and retained control of the House of Representatives.
All of the seats of the Connecticut State Senate and the Connecticut House of Representatives were up for election in 2018. Democrats won control of the Senate, which was previously tied and retained control of the House of Representatives.
Half of the seats of the Iowa Senate and all of the seats of the Iowa House of Representatives were up for election in 2018. Republicans retained control of both chambers.
All of the seats of the Kansas House of Representatives were up for election in 2018; the Republican-controlled Kansas Senate did not hold regularly scheduled elections in 2018. Republicans retained control of the House of Representatives.
All of the seats of the Maine Senate and the Maine House of Representatives were up for election in 2018. Democrats gained control of the state senate and retained control of the House of Representatives.
All of the seats of the Massachusetts Senate and the Massachusetts House of Representatives were up for election in 2018. Democrats control both chambers, and the governor is a member of the Republican Party. Democrats hold a veto-proof supermajority in the state legislature.[11]
All of the seats of the Michigan Senate and the Michigan House of Representatives were up for election in 2018. Republicans retained control of both chambers, but Democrats picked up enough seats to break the Republican legislative supermajority.[3]
All of the seats of the Minnesota House of Representatives were up for election in 2018; the Republican-controlled Minnesota Senate did not hold regularly scheduled elections in 2018. Democrats won control of the House of Representatives, making Minnesota the only state in the country where each major party controlled one state legislative chamber.[2]
Nebraska is the only U.S. state with a unicameral legislature; half of the seats of the Nebraska Legislature were up for election in 2018. Nebraska is also unique in that its legislature is officially non-partisan and holds non-partisan elections, although the Democratic and Republican parties each endorse legislative candidates. Republicans maintained control.
Half of the seats of the Nevada Senate and all of the seats of the Nevada Assembly were up for election in 2018. Democrats retained control of both chambers.
All of the seats of the New Mexico House of Representatives were up for election in 2018; the Democratic-controlled New Mexico Senate did not hold regularly scheduled elections in 2018. Democrats retained control of the House of Representatives.
All of the seats of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly were up for election in 2018. Democrats won control of the state senate and retained control of the state assembly.
All of the seats of the North Carolina Senate and the North Carolina House of Representatives were up for election in 2018. Republicans retained control of both chambers, but Democrats won enough seats to break the Republican legislative super-majority.[5]
Half of the seats of the Ohio Senate and all of the seats of the Ohio House of Representatives were up for election in 2018. Republicans retained control of both chambers.
Half of the seats of the Pennsylvania State Senate and all of the seats of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives were up for election in 2018. Republicans retained control of both chambers, but Democrats picked up enough seats to break the Republican legislative supermajority.[3]
All of the seats of the South Carolina House of Representatives were up for election in 2018; the Republican-controlled South Carolina Senate did not hold regularly scheduled elections in 2018. Republicans retained control of the House of Representatives.
Half of the seats of the Texas Senate and all of the seats of the Texas House of Representatives were up for election in 2018. Republicans retained control of both chambers.
All of the seats of the American Samoa House of Representatives were up for election. Members of the House of Representatives serve two-year terms. Gubernatorial and legislative elections are conducted on a nonpartisan basis in American Samoa.
Guam
All of the seats of the unicameral Legislature of Guam were up for election. All members of the legislature serve a two-year term. Democrats retained control of the legislature.
All of the seats of the unicameral Legislature of the Virgin Islands were up for election. All members of the legislature serve a two-year term. Democrats retained control of the legislature.
Incumbent resigned April 13, 2018, to become Deputy Director of the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission.[27] New member elected November 6, 2018. Democratic hold.
^The Connecticut Senate was tied in the 2017-2019 session, but Democrats gained control in the 2018 elections. This chamber was not included in the previous total.
^ abThe Alaska House of Representatives is controlled by a coalition of Democrats, Republicans, and independents. The minority caucus consists of Republicans who are not part of the majority coalition.
^On April 16, 2018, the Independent Democratic Conference, which had been in coalition with Republicans since 2012, dissolved, returning the chamber to Republican control.[1]
^ abcdefghThe upper houses of Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Texas use a 2-4-4 term length system.
^ abcThese figures represent the seats of Nebraska's unicameral legislature.
^Coalition consisted of 17 Democrats, 3 Republicans, and 2 Independents.
^Coalition consisted of 15 Democrats, 8 Republicans, and 2 Independents.
^Democrat Simcha Felder caucused with the Republicans until after the elections.
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