Wikipedia

2019 United States state legislative elections

For related races, see 2019 United States elections.

The 2019 United States state legislative elections were held on November 5, 2019. Seven legislative chambers in four states held regularly-scheduled elections. These off-year elections coincided with other state and local elections, including gubernatorial elections in three states.[1]

2019 United States state legislative elections
← 2018 November 5, 2019 2020 →
7 legislative chambers
4 states
  Majority party Minority party Third party
 
Party Republican Democratic Coalition
Chambers before 61 37 1[a]
Chambers after 59 39 1[a]
Overall change Decrease 2 Increase 2 Steady
Map of upper house elections:
     Democrats gained control
     Republicans retained control
     Special elections held
Map of lower house elections:
     Democrats gained control      Democrats retained control
     Republicans retained control
     Special elections held

Democrats gained majorities of both houses of the Virginia General Assembly, giving them complete control of the legislature for the first time since 2000, and the first trifecta since 1994.[2]

Summary table

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Regularly scheduled elections were held in 7 of the 99 state legislative chambers in the United States. Nationwide, regularly scheduled elections were held for 538 of the 7,383 legislative seats. This table only covers regularly scheduled elections; additional special elections took place concurrently with these regularly scheduled elections.

State Upper House Lower House
Seats up Total % up Term Seats up Total % up Term
Louisiana 39 39 100 4 105 105 100 4
Mississippi 52 52 100 4 122 122 100 4
New Jersey 0 40 0 2/4[b] 80 80 100 2
Virginia 40 40 100 4 100 100 100 2

Election predictions

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Several sites and individuals publish predictions of competitive chambers. These predictions look at factors such as the strength of the party, the strength of the candidates, and the partisan leanings of the state (reflected in part by the state's Cook Partisan Voting Index rating). The predictions assign ratings to each chambers, with the rating indicating the predicted advantage that a party has in winning that election.

Most election predictors use:

  • "Tossup": No advantage
  • "Tilt": Advantage that is not quite as strong as "lean"
  • "Lean": Slight advantage
  • "Likely": Significant, but surmountable, advantage
  • "Safe" or "Solid": Near-certain chance of victory
State PVI[3] Chamber Last
election 		Sabato
October 31,
2019[4] 		Result
Louisiana R+11 Senate R 25-14 Safe R R 27-12
House of Representatives R 61-39-5 Safe R R 68-35-2
Mississippi R+9 Senate R 33-19 Safe R R 36–16
House of Representatives R 74-44-2 Safe R R 75-46-1
New Jersey D+7
General Assembly D 54-26 Safe D D 52-28
Virginia D+1 Senate R 21-19 Lean D (flip) D 21-19
House of Delegates R 51-49 Lean D (flip) D 55-45

State summaries

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Louisiana

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Main articles: 2019 Louisiana State Senate election and 2019 Louisiana House of Representatives election

All seats of the Louisiana State Senate and the Louisiana House of Representatives were up for election to four-year terms in single-member districts. Republicans retained majority control in both chambers.

 
House of Representatives results
Louisiana State Senate
Party Leader Before After Change
Republican John Alario 25 27   2
Democratic Troy Carter 14 12   2
Total 39 39
Louisiana House of Representatives
Party Leader Before After Change
Republican Taylor Barras 61 68   7
Democratic Robert Johnson 39 35   4
Independent 5 2   3
Total 105 105

Mississippi

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Main articles: 2019 Mississippi Senate election and 2019 Mississippi House of Representatives election

All seats of the Mississippi State Senate and the Mississippi House of Representatives were up for election to four-year terms in single-member districts. Republicans retained majority control in both chambers.

 
House of Representatives results
Mississippi State Senate
Party Leader Before After Change
Republican Gray Tollison 33 36   3
Democratic Derrick Simmons 19 16   3
Total 52 52
Mississippi House of Representatives
Party Leader Before After Change
Republican Philip Gunn 74 75   1
Democratic David Baria 44 46   2
Independent 2 1   1
Total 122 122

New Jersey

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Main article: 2019 New Jersey General Assembly election

All seats of the New Jersey General Assembly were up for election to two-year terms in coterminous two-member districts. The New Jersey Senate did not hold regularly scheduled elections. Democrats maintained majority control in the lower house.

 
General Assembly results
New Jersey General Assembly
Party Leader Before After Change
Democratic Craig Coughlin 54 52   2
Republican Jon Bramnick 26 28   2
Total 80 80

Virginia

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Main articles: 2019 Virginia Senate election and 2019 Virginia House of Delegates election

All seats of the Senate of Virginia and the Virginia House of Delegates were up for election in single-member districts. Senators were elected to four-year terms, while delegates serve terms of two years. Democrats gained control of both legislative chambers, establishing the first Democratic trifecta in Virginia since 1994.

 
Senate results
 
House of Delegates results
Senate of Virginia
Party Leader Before After Change
Democratic Dick Saslaw 19 21   2
Republican Tommy Norment 21 19   2
Total 40 40
Virginia House of Delegates
Party Leader Before After Change
Democratic Eileen Filler-Corn 49 55   6
Republican Kirk Cox 51 45   6
Total 100 100

Special elections

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Various states held special elections for legislative districts throughout the year.[5] Overall, Republicans flipped five seats, Democrats flipped two, and one independent was elected.

Alabama

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Two special elections were held for the Alabama Legislature in 2019.

  • House District 42: Republican Ivan Smith was elected on November 5, 2019, to succeed Republican Jimmy Martin, who died on May 31, 2019, of cancer.
  • House District 74: Republican Charlotte Meadows was elected on November 12, 2019, to succeed Republican Dimitri Polizos, who died on March 27, 2019, of a heart attack.[6]

Arkansas

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One special election was held for the Arkansas General Assembly in 2019.

California

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See also: List of special elections to the California State Senate and List of special elections to the California State Assembly

Three special elections were held for the California State Legislature in 2019.

Connecticut

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Seven special elections were held for the Connecticut General Assembly in 2019. Republicans flipped two seats previously held by Democrats.

  • Senate District 3: Democrat Saud Anwar was elected on February 26, 2019, to succeed Democrat Tim Larson, who resigned in January 2019 after he was appointed Executive Director of the Connecticut Office of Higher Education by Governor Ned Lamont.
  • Senate District 5: Democrat Derek Slap was elected on February 26, 2019, to succeed Democrat Beth Bye, who resigned on January 9, 2019, after she was appointed Commissioner of the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood by Governor Ned Lamont.
  • Senate District 6: Republican Gennaro Bizzarro was elected on February 26, 2019, to succeed Democrat Terry Gerratana, who resigned in January 2019 after she was appointed to the Connecticut Office of Health Strategy by Governor Ned Lamont.
  • House District 19: Democrat Tammy Exum was elected on April 16, 2019, to succeed Democrat Derek Slap, who resigned on February 28, 2019, after he was elected to the Connecticut State Senate.[9]
  • House District 39: Democrat Anthony Nolan was elected on February 26, 2019, to succeed Democrat Chris Soto, who resigned in January 2019 after he was appointed Director of Legislative Affairs by Governor Ned Lamont.
  • House District 99: Republican Joseph Zullo was elected on February 26, 2019, to succeed Democrat James Albis, who resigned in January 2019.[10]
  • House District 130: Democrat Antonio Felipe was elected on May 7, 2019, to succeed Democrat Ezequiel Santiago, who died on March 15, 2019, of a heart attack.[11]

Florida

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Two special elections were held for the Florida Legislature in 2019.

Georgia

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Five special elections were held for the Georgia General Assembly in 2019.

  • House District 5: Republican Matt Barton was elected in a runoff on February 5, 2019, to succeed Republican John Meadows III, who died on November 13, 2018, of cancer.
  • House District 28: Republican Chris Erwin was elected on April 9, 2019, to succeed a vacant term after the results of the December 2018 special election were deemed inconclusive.[13]
  • House District 71: Republican Philip Singleton was elected in a runoff on October 1, 2019, to succeed Republican David Stover, who resigned on June 25, 2019, citing personal reasons.[14]
  • House District 152: Republican Bill Yearta was elected in a runoff on December 3, 2019, to succeed Republican Ed Rynders, who resigned on September 5, 2019, citing health reasons.
  • House District 176: Republican James Burchett was elected in a runoff on March 12, 2019, to succeed Republican Jason Shaw, who resigned on January 1, 2019, after he was appointed to the Georgia Public Service Commission by Governor Nathan Deal.

Iowa

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See also: List of special elections to the Iowa State Senate

Two special elections were held for the Iowa General Assembly in 2019.

Kentucky

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See also: 2019 Kentucky elections

Three special elections were held for the Kentucky General Assembly in 2019. Republicans flipped one seat previously held by a Democrat.

  • Senate District 31: Republican Phillip Wheeler was elected on March 5, 2019, to succeed Democrat Ray Jones, who resigned on January 7, 2019, after he was elected Judge/Executive of Pike County.[17]
  • House District 18: Republican Samara Heavrin was elected on November 5, 2019, to succeed Republican Tim Moore, who resigned on September 10, 2019, citing a belief in term limits.
  • House District 63: Republican Kimberly Banta was elected on November 5, 2019, to succeed Republican Diane St. Onge, who resigned on August 12, 2019, citing personal reasons.[18]

Louisiana

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Seven special elections were held for the Louisiana State Legislature in 2019. An independent was elected in one seat previously held by a Republican.

Maine

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Three special elections were held for the Maine Legislature in 2019.

  • House District 45: Democrat Stephen Moriarty was elected on June 11, 2019, to succeed Democrat Dale Denno, who resigned on March 27, 2019, following a diagnosis of lung cancer.[22]
  • House District 52: Democrat Sean Paulhus was elected on April 2, 2019, to succeed Democrat Jennifer DeChant, who resigned on February 1, 2019, to take a job in the private sector.[23]
  • House District 124: Democrat Joe Perry was elected on March 12, 2019, to succeed Democrat Aaron Frey, who resigned on December 5, 2018, after he was appointed Maine Attorney General by the Maine Legislature.

Minnesota

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See also: List of special elections to the Minnesota Senate and List of special elections to the Minnesota House of Representatives

Two special elections were held for the Minnesota Legislature in 2019. Republicans flipped one seat previously held by a Democrat.

Mississippi

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Three special elections were held for the Mississippi Legislature in 2019.

Missouri

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Six special elections were held for the Missouri General Assembly in 2019. Democrats flipped one seat previously held by a Republican.

New Hampshire

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One special election was held for the New Hampshire General Court in 2019.

  • House District Rockingham 9: Republican Michael Vose was elected on October 8, 2019, to succeed Republican Sean Morrison, who resigned in May 2019, citing lack of cooperation.

New Jersey

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One special election was held for the New Jersey Legislature in 2019. Republicans flipped one seat previously held by a Democrat.

New York

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One special election was held for the New York State Legislature in 2019.

Pennsylvania

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Main article: 2019 Pennsylvania elections § Special Elections

Seven special elections were held for the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 2019. Democrats flipped one seat previously held by a Republican.

Rhode Island

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One special election was held for the Rhode Island General Assembly in 2019.

  • House District 68: Democrat June Speakman was elected on March 5, 2019, to succeed Democratic representative-elect Laufton Ascencao, who did not take office after admitting to faking his campaign invoice.[32]

South Carolina

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Four special elections were held for the South Carolina General Assembly in 2019.

Tennessee

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Three special elections were held for the Tennessee General Assembly in 2019.

Texas

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Three special elections were held for the Texas Legislature in 2019.

  • House District 79: Democrat Art Fierro was elected on January 29, 2019, to succeed Democrat Joe Pickett, who resigned on January 4, 2019, citing health reasons.[35]
  • House District 125: Democrat Ray Lopez was elected in a runoff on March 12, 2019, to succeed Democrat Justin Rodriguez, who resigned on January 4, 2019, after he was appointed to the Bexar County Commissioners Court.
  • House District 145: Democrat Christina Morales was elected in a runoff on March 5, 2019, to succeed Democrat Carol Alvarado, who resigned on December 21, 2018, after she was elected to the Texas Senate.[36]

Virginia

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Two special elections were held for the Virginia General Assembly in 2019.

Washington

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Two special elections were held for the Washington State Legislature in 2019.

Wisconsin

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Main article: 2019 Wisconsin elections § Legislative

One special election was held for the Wisconsin Legislature in 2019.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b The 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.
  2. ^ The upper houses of Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Texas use a 2-4-4 term length system.

References

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  1. ^ "State legislative elections, 2019". Ballotpedia. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  2. ^ "Virginia Democrats take control of state legislature for first time in over two decades". NBC News. New York City, New York. Associated Press. November 5, 2019. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  3. ^ "2016 State PVI Changes – Decision Desk HQ". decisiondeskhq.com. December 15, 2017. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  4. ^ "Election 2019 Mega-Preview: Political Conformity Seeks Further Confirmation". October 31, 2019. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  5. ^ "State legislative special elections, 2019". Ballotpedia. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  6. ^ WSFA Staff. "AL leaders react to death of state Rep. Dimitri Polizos". www.wsfa.com.
  7. ^ "Governor sets special election for House seat vacated by lawmaker who resigned to work with Little Rock mayor". Associated Press. May 30, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Governor Sets Special Elections for 2 Vacant Senate Seats". Associated Press. Sacramento, California: U.S. News & World Report. January 15, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  9. ^ Altimari, Dave (March 10, 2019). "Exum, Margolis to face off in special election for 19th District seat". Hartford Courant. West Hartford, Connecticut. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  10. ^ "Governor Sets Feb. 26 for Special Elections In 5 Districts". Associated Press. WVIT. January 11, 2019.
  11. ^ Lockhart, Brian (March 16, 2019) [March 15, 2019]. "Bridgeport state Rep. Ezequiel Santiago dies at 45". New Haven Register. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  12. ^ a b "Special elections set for House members who joined Ron DeSantis administration". Florida Politics. January 25, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  13. ^ "JUDGE RULES IN GASAWAY'S FAVOR, ORDERS A THIRD SPECIAL ELECTION FOR HD 28". WNEG. February 1, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  14. ^ Nelms, Ben (June 26, 2019). "Stover resigns House seat". The Citizen. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  15. ^ Nelson, Thomas (March 24, 2019) [February 16, 2019]. "Sen. Jeff Danielson resigns for new, undisclosed job". The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. Cedar Falls, Iowa. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  16. ^ Shane Vander Hart (June 21, 2019). "Special Election to Replace Heddens in Iowa House District 46 Set". Caffeinated Thoughts. Des Moines, Iowa. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  17. ^ Kenny, Tom (January 8, 2019). "Special Election date set to fill vacant state senate seat". WTVQ-DT. Frankfort, Kentucky. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  18. ^ "Special Statehouse Election in NKY Will Take Place Nov. 5". The River City News. August 13, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  19. ^ Hilburn, Greg (September 26, 2018). "Rep. Shadoin to resign House seat". News Star. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  20. ^ Leader, Barbara (November 7, 2018). "Hunter wins 4th Judicial District Judge seat". News Star. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  21. ^ a b Minton, James (December 5, 2018). "Kenny Havard starts his new job as West Feliciana Parish president Monday". The Advocate. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  22. ^ Lear, Alex (26 March 2019). "Cancer forces Cumberland state Rep. Denno to resign". The Forecaster. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  23. ^ Shepherd, Michael (February 1, 2019) [January 31, 2019]. "Democrat from Bath to give up Maine House seat". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  24. ^ a b c Gates, Jimmie E. (January 8, 2019). "March 12 set for special elections to replace 3 House members". Mississippi Clarion Ledger. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  25. ^ "Kansas City lawmaker resigns amid sexual harassment allegations". Associated Press. Jefferson City, Missouri: KSMO-TV. April 30, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  26. ^ a b Erickson, Kurt (August 1, 2019). "Special election date set to fill House seats held by Franks, Walker". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Jefferson City, Missouri. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  27. ^ "House budget chairman Scott Fitzpatrick appointed as next Missouri treasurer". Associated Press. Jefferson City, Missouri: KTVI. December 19, 2018. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  28. ^ a b Murphy, Jan (March 9, 2019) [March 8, 2019]. "Special election dates set to fill two open seats in the Pennsylvania Senate". PennLive. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  29. ^ Cole, John. "SD37: Iovino and Raja Balance Moderate Message with Turning Out the Base". PoliticsPA. Pittsburgh.
  30. ^ Strub, Chelsea (October 21, 2018). "Hundreds Attend Viewing for Rep. Sid Michaels Kavulich". WNEP-TV. Taylor, Pennsylvania. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  31. ^ Scolforo, Mark (October 31, 2018). "State Rep. Vanessa Lowery Brown convicted of bribery". The Philadelphia Tribune. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  32. ^ White, Tim; Nesi, Ted (December 4, 2018). "Rep.-elect apologizes for faking campaign invoice". WPRI-TV. Warren, Rhode Island. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  33. ^ "Special Election Set For Greenville SC Senate Seat". FITSNews. November 12, 2018. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  34. ^ "Upstate lawmaker announces retirement". WSPA-TV. December 10, 2018. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  35. ^ Samuels, Alex (December 15, 2018). "State Rep. Joe Pickett to resign from Texas House after nearly 24 years in office". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  36. ^ Scherer, Jasper (January 29, 2019). "Morales, Noriega head to runoff in House District 145 special election". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  37. ^ "State Sen. Kevin Ranker steps down from leadership in Olympia amid investigation". seattletimes.com. 2019-01-09. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  38. ^ Torres, Ricardo (February 14, 2019). "Gov. Evers calls special election for Barca's seat". Racine Journal Times. Madison, Wisconsin. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
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