Secretary of State elections, 2022
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As a result of the 2022 elections, the partisan control of one secretary of state changed from Republican to Democrat. Democrats also won appointment control over another secretary of state—in Maryland—after winning that state's gubernatorial election.
- In Nevada, Cisco Aguilar (D) was elected secretary of state, succeeding incumbent Barbara Cegavske (R), who was term-limited. Nevada will remain with a divided government after the 2022 elections even though the partisan control of the secretary of state office changed. In Nevada's gubernatorial election, Joe Lombardo (R) defeated incumbent Gov. Steve Sisolak (D).
- Wes Moore (D) was elected governor of Maryland, succeeding Larry Hogan (R), who was term-limited. This gave Democrats appointment control over the secretary of state's office. Maryland had at the time of the election a Republican secretary of state that Hogan appointed. Maryland will become a Democratic triplex after winning the governorship and also gaining appointment control over the secretary of state.
In the nine elections Ballotpedia designated as battlegrounds, five were in states with Democratic incumbents, and four were in states with Republican incumbents. Only the Nevada race changed partisan control from Republican to Democrat. All 15 incumbents that ran for re-election—8 Democrats and 7 Republicans—were re-elected.
In 47 states—all except Alaska, Hawaii, and Utah—the secretary of state is among the top executive offices. Although the duties and powers of individual secretaries of state vary, a common responsibility is management and oversight of elections and voter rolls, which are assigned to the secretary of state in 41 states. Other common responsibilities include registration of businesses, maintenance of state records, and certification of official documents.
Voters decided who would control 35 of the country’s 47 secretary of state offices on November 8, 2022. Twenty-seven offices were up for election, and eight offices’ appointment authorities were on the ballot.
A state government triplex describes when one political party holds the following three positions in a state's government: governor, attorney general, and secretary of state.
Six states impose some form of term limits on the office of the secretary of state.
Partisan balance
The following chart displays the number of secretary of state offices held by each party as of the 2022 elections and immediately after the elections took place.
| U.S. secretaries of state partisan breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 2022 | After the 2022 elections | |
| Democratic Party | 20 | 21 (+1) | |
| Republican Party | 27 | 26 (-1) | |
| Total | 47 | 47 | |
List of secretary of state elections
There were 14 Republican-held secretary of state offices and 13 Democratic-held secretary of state offices on the ballot in 2022. The table below shows which states held secretary of state elections in 2022.
Table last updated December 20, 2022.
| Secretary of State elections, 2022 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Incumbent | Incumbent running? | Battleground election? | Election winner | Last time office flipped | 2020 presidential result | 2018 election result[1] | 2022 election result |
| Alabama |  John Merrill |
No | No | Wes Allen |
2006 | R+25.4 | R+22.1 | R+34.8 |
| Arizona |  Katie Hobbs |
No | Yes | Adrian Fontes |
2018 | D+0.3 | D+0.8 | D+4.8 |
| Arkansas | John Thurston |
Yes | No | John Thurston |
2010 | R+27.6 | R+24.1 | R+34.2 |
| California | Shirley Weber |
Yes | No | Shirley Weber |
2006 | D+29.2 | D+29.0 | D+20.2 |
| Colorado | Jena Griswold |
Yes | No | Jena Griswold |
2018 | D+13.5 | D+8.0 | D+13.0 |
| Connecticut | Denise Merrill |
No | No | Stephanie Thomas |
1994 | D+20.1 | D+13.4 | D+12.5 |
| Georgia | Brad Raffensperger |
Yes | Yes | Brad Raffensperger |
2006 | D+0.2 | R+3.8 | R+9.2 |
| Idaho | Lawerence Denney |
No | No | Phil McGrane |
1966 | R+30.7 | R+25.0 | R+45.0 |
| Illinois | Jesse White |
No | No | Alexi Giannoulias |
1998 | D+17.0 | D+39.1 | D+9.7 |
| Indiana | Holli Sullivan |
Yes | Yes | Diego Morales |
1994 | R+16.0 | R+15.6 | R+13.9 |
| Iowa | Paul Pate |
Yes | No | Paul Pate |
2010 | R+8.2 | R+7.8 | R+20.2 |
| Kansas | Scott Schwab |
Yes | No | Scott Schwab |
2010 | R+14.6 | R+8.7 | R+19.7 |
| Massachusetts | William Galvin |
Yes | No | William Galvin |
1948 | D+33.5 | D+43.8 | D+37.9 |
| Michigan | Jocelyn Benson |
Yes | Yes | Jocelyn Benson |
2018 | D+2.8 | D+8.9 | D+14.0 |
| Minnesota | Steve Simon |
Yes | Yes | Steve Simon |
2006 | D+7.1 | D+8.7 | D+9.2 |
| Nebraska | Bob Evnen |
Yes | No | Bob Evnen |
1952 | R+19.1 | R+21.2 | R+100.0 |
| Nevada | Barbara Cegavske |
No | Yes | Cisco Aguilar |
2014 | D+2.4 | R+0.7 | D+2.2 |
| New Mexico | Maggie Toulouse Oliver |
Yes | Yes | Maggie Toulouse Oliver |
2016 | D+10.8 | D+20.6 | D+11.9 |
| North Dakota | Al Jaeger |
No | No | Michael Howe |
1992 | R+33.3 | R+8.1 | R+35.8 |
| Ohio | Frank LaRose |
Yes | No | Frank LaRose |
2010 | R+8.1 | R+3.7 | R+20.1 |
| Rhode Island | Nellie Gorbea |
No | No | Gregg Amore |
1994 | D+20.8 | D+34.9 | D+19.2 |
| South Carolina | Mark Hammond |
Yes | No | Mark Hammond |
1990 | R+11.7 | R+14.3 | R+26.8 |
| South Dakota | Steve Barnett |
No | No | Monae Johnson |
1978 | R+26.2 | R+30.4 | R+27.8 |
| Vermont | Jim Condos |
No | No | Sarah Copeland Hanzas |
1998 | D+35.1 | D+33.2 | D+30.0 |
| Washington | Steve Hobbs |
Yes | No | Steve Hobbs |
2021 | D+19.2 | R+7.3 | D+4.0 |
| Wisconsin | Douglas La Follette |
Yes | Yes | Douglas La Follette |
1974 | D+0.7 | D+5.5 | D+0.3 |
| Wyoming | Edward Buchanan |
No | No | Chuck Gray |
1994 | R+43.1 | R+42.0 | R+100.0 |
Offices that flipped in 2018
- See also: Secretary of State elections, 2018
In 2018, the previous midterm election year, 27 secretary of state offices were on the ballot, 26 of which were on the 2022 ballot.[2] Democrats gained control of three offices from Republicans.
| Secretary of State offices that changed party control, 2018 elections | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Pre-election control | Post-election control | ||
| Arizona | Michele Reagan |
Katie Hobbs
| ||
| Colorado | Wayne Williams |
Jena Griswold
| ||
| Michigan | Ruth Johnson |
Jocelyn Benson
| ||
State government triplexes
- See also: State government triplexes
A state government triplex is a term to describe when one political party holds the following three positions in a state's government: governor, attorney general, and secretary of state.[3] In states where the attorney general or secretary of state are appointed by the governor, Ballotpedia considers the office to be held by the governor's party for the purposes of defining triplexes.[4]
Battleground primaries
Georgia
Incumbent Brad Raffensperger defeated three other candidates in the Republican primary election for Georgia secretary of state on May 24, 2022. The two candidates who led in polling were Raffensperger and Jody Hice. Raffensperger received 52.1% of the vote, and Hice received 33.7% of the vote.
Former President Donald Trump (R) endorsed Hice on March 22, 2021.[5] Trump said, "Unlike the current Georgia Secretary of State, Jody leads out front with integrity. I have 100% confidence in Jody to fight for Free, Fair, and Secure Elections in Georgia, in line with our beloved U.S. Constitution. Jody will stop the Fraud and get honesty into our Elections!"[6] Joseph Ax of Reuters wrote that Raffensperger "has been one of Trump's most frequent targets ever since he refused, emphatically and publicly, to capitulate to the demands of the former president, his fellow Republican, to 'find' enough votes to overturn the results in Georgia's 2020 presidential vote."[7]
Raffensperger was elected as secretary of state in 2018. Raffensperger disputed Trump's claims about election fraud in 2020 and directly criticized Hice over those claims. During a January 2022 appearance on CBS' Face The Nation, Raffensperger said, "Congressman Hice, he’s been in Congress for several years. He’s never done a single piece of election reform legislation. Then he certified his own race with those same machines, the same ballots, and yet for President Trump, he said you couldn’t trust that."[8] Raffensperger's website highlighted a #1 ranking in election integrity from the Heritage Foundation as proof of his leadership and conservative values.[9]
Hice was elected to the U.S. House in 2014. Hice has supported Trump's election fraud claims. At a May 2022 debate, Hice said, "The 'big lie' in all of this is that there were no problems with this past election. This past election was an absolute disaster under the leadership of Brad Raffensperger."[7] Hice objected to the counting of Georgia's electoral votes during the joint session of Congress on January 6, 2021.[5] Hice said he would "aggressively pursue voter fraud" and would seek to make final election results available on election night.[10]
The secretary of state is responsible for a wide range of services and regulatory duties, in addition to being the keeper of the Great Seal of Georgia and the custodian of the state flag and other state symbols. The secretary of state also chairs the Claims Advisory Board, which receives, investigates, and hears civil claims against the state. Responsibilities of the secretary's office include supervising and monitoring elections and providing campaign finance disclosure, managing and preserving public records, and licensing, monitoring, and registering professionals and businesses.
Also running in the primary were Torri M. Hudson and David Belle Isle.
Massachusetts
Incumbent William Galvin defeated Tanisha Sullivan in the Democratic primary for Massachusetts secretary of state on September 6, 2022. Galvin was first elected secretary of state in 1994 and won re-election in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018. Galvin faced Rayla Campbell—who was unopposed in the Republican primary—in the general election for secretary of state on November 8, 2022.
Prior to being elected secretary of state, Galvin worked at a car dealership, as an aide on the Massachusetts Governor’s Council, and served as a state Representative.[11] He had faced Democratic primary opposition in two previous re-election campaigns—defeating John Bonifaz, 83% to 17%, in 2006 and Josh Zakim, 67% to 33%, in 2018.[12] Matt Stout of the Boston Globe wrote in April 2022 that Galvin was "the only incumbent Democratic secretary of state being targeted within his own party."[13]
Galvin had said his experience was important given the increased focus on elections, saying to the Boston Globe, “This is a critical time for democracy. That’s why I think I can provide a unique service. Probably the biggest shift is the national climate, the importance of elections. I believe I can continue to do it effectively. I don’t believe anyone else can [do it as well] at this point.”[14]
Sullivan's professional experience included serving as the Chief Equity Office for Boston Public Schools, president of the Boston Branch of the NAACP, a corporate counsel for Sanofi Genzyme, and a fellow for CEO Action for Racial Equity. Before the primary, she said she would do more to promote voting among minority communities, saying at the state party convention, "Despite record voter turnout in 2020, hear me on this, voters from some of our most vulnerable communities still saw the lowest voter turnout across Massachusetts, leaving behind far too many voices...Simply put, Massachusetts needs a secretary of state who fights on the ground with us every day, fighting for the democracy we deserve."[15]
In June 2022, Sullivan received the Democratic Party's official endorsement with the support of 62.4% of delegates at the state convention. According to Colin A. Young of the State House News Service, Sullivan "was supported by more than 2,500 delegates while Galvin was backed by about 1,500 delegates."[15] After the convention, Young wrote that "Galvin has lost at the party convention but then prevailed in the party primary three times previously: in 1990 when he ran for treasurer; in 1994 when he first ran for secretary of state; and in 2018 when the upstart campaign of Josh Zakim won the party's endorsement before being crushed by Galvin when the contest extended beyond the most hardcore party insiders."[15]
Prior to the 2022 elections, the last Republican that served as secretary of state in Massachusetts was Frederick Cook, who left office in 1949.[16]
The secretary of state is a state-level position in 47 of the 50 states. The position does not exist in Alaska, Hawaii and Utah. Voters directly elect the secretary of state in 35 states. In the other 12, the secretary is appointed by either the governor or the state legislature. Although the duties and powers of the secretary of state vary from state to state, a common responsibility is management and oversight of elections and voter rolls, which are assigned to the secretary of state in 41 states. Other common responsibilities include registration of businesses, maintenance of state records, and certification of official documents.
There were 27 secretary of state seats on the ballot in 2022. There were 13 Republican-held secretary of state offices, 13 Democratic-held secretary of state offices, and one independent office on the ballot in 2022.
Tanisha Sullivan (D) completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Click on a candidate's name to view that candidate's responses.
Historical control
In 1977, the Democratic Party held a total of 25 elected secretary of state offices to the Republican Party's 10. The Democratic lead in secretary of state offices narrowed somewhat throughout the 1980s, but once again reached a 25-10 majority of elected offices in 1989 and 1990. Following the 1994 midterm elections, the Republican Party gained an 18-17 majority of elected secretary of state offices. The Democrats would regain their lead following the 2008 presidential election but lose it once again in the 2010 midterm elections. The gap between the parties widened following the 2016 elections, which increased the Republican majority of elected secretary of state offices from 21-14 to 24-11. Democrats picked up 3 net seats in the 2018 elections, and North Dakota incumbent Secretary of State Al Jaeger won re-election as an independent, leaving Republicans with a 20-14 majority. One seat switched from Democrat to Republican in the 2019 elections, one switched from Republican to Democrat in 2020, and Jaeger returned to identifying as a Republican, which returned the margin of elected secretaries of state to 21-14 in favor of Republicans.
Important dates and deadlines
The table below lists important dates throughout the 2022 election cycle, including filing deadlines and primary dates.
| Primary dates and filing deadlines, 2022 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Primary date | Primary runoff date | Filing deadline for primary candidates | Source |
| Alabama | 5/24/2022 | 6/21/2022 | 1/28/2022 2/11/2022 (congressional) |
Source |
| Alaska | 8/16/2022 | N/A | 6/1/2022 | Source |
| Arizona | 8/2/2022 | N/A | 4/4/2022 | Source |
| Arkansas | 5/24/2022 | 6/21/2022 | 3/1/2022 | Source |
| California | 6/7/2022 | N/A | 3/11/2022 | Source |
| Colorado | 6/28/2022 | N/A | 3/15/2022 | Source |
| Connecticut | 8/9/2022 | N/A | 6/7/2022 | Source |
| Delaware | 9/13/2022 | N/A | 7/12/2022 | Source |
| Florida | 8/23/2022 | N/A | 6/17/2022 | Source |
| Georgia | 5/24/2022 | 6/21/2022 | 3/11/2022 | Source |
| Hawaii | 8/13/2022 | N/A | 6/7/2022 | Source |
| Idaho | 5/17/2022 | N/A | 3/11/2022 | Source |
| Illinois | 6/28/2022 | N/A | 3/14/2022 | Source |
| Indiana | 5/3/2022 | N/A | 2/4/2022 | Source |
| Iowa | 6/7/2022 | N/A | 3/18/2022 | Source |
| Kansas | 8/2/2022 | N/A | 6/1/2022 | Source |
| Kentucky | 5/17/2022 | N/A | 1/25/2022 | Source |
| Louisiana | 11/8/2022 | N/A | 7/22/2022[17] | Source |
| Maine | 6/14/2022 | N/A | 3/15/2022 | Source |
| Maryland | 7/19/2022 | N/A | 4/15/2022 | Source |
| Massachusetts | 9/6/2022 | N/A | 5/31/2022 6/7/2022 (Congress and statewide office) |
Source |
| Michigan | 8/2/2022 | N/A | 4/19/2022 | Source |
| Minnesota | 8/9/2022 | N/A | 5/31/2022 | Source |
| Mississippi | 6/7/2022 | 6/28/2022 | 3/1/2022 | Source |
| Missouri | 8/2/2022 | N/A | 3/29/2022 | Source |
| Montana | 6/7/2022 | N/A | 3/14/2022 | Source |
| Nebraska | 5/10/2022 | N/A | 2/15/2022 | Source |
| Nevada | 6/14/2022 | N/A | 3/18/2022 | Source |
| New Hampshire | 9/13/2022 | N/A | 6/10/2022 | Source |
| New Jersey | 6/7/2022 | N/A | 4/4/2022 | Source |
| New Mexico | 6/7/2022 | N/A | 3/24/2022 | Source |
| New York | 6/28/2022; 8/23/2022 (congressional and state senate only) | N/A | 4/7/2022; 6/10/2022 (congressional and state senate only) | Source |
| North Carolina | 5/17/2022 | 7/5/2022 (if no federal office is involved); 7/26/2022 (if a federal office is involved) | 3/4/2022 | Source |
| North Dakota | 6/14/2022 | N/A | 4/11/2022 | Source |
| Ohio | 5/3/2022 (Congress and statewide offices) 8/2/2022 (state legislative offices) |
N/A | 2/2/2022 (U.S. House candidates: 3/4/2022) | Source |
| Oklahoma | 6/28/2022 | 8/23/2022 | 4/15/2022 | Source |
| Oregon | 5/17/2022 | N/A | 3/8/2022 | Source |
| Pennsylvania | 5/17/2022 | N/A | 3/15/2022 (Congress and statewide offices only) 3/28/2022 (state legislative candidates) |
Source Source |
| Rhode Island | 9/13/2022 | N/A | 7/15/2022 | Source |
| South Carolina | 6/14/2022 | 6/28/2022 | 3/30/2022 | Source |
| South Dakota | 6/7/2022 | N/A | 3/29/2022 | Source |
| Tennessee | 8/4/2022 | N/A | 4/7/2022 | Source |
| Texas | 3/1/2022 | 5/24/2022 | 12/13/2021 | Source |
| Utah | 6/28/2022 | N/A | 3/4/2022 | Source |
| Vermont | 8/9/2022 | N/A | 5/26/2022 | Source |
| Virginia[18] | 6/21/2022 | N/A | 4/7/2022 | Source |
| Washington | 8/2/2022 | N/A | 5/20/2022 | Source |
| West Virginia | 5/10/2022 | N/A | 1/29/2022 | Source |
| Wisconsin | 8/9/2022 | N/A | 6/1/2022 | Source |
| Wyoming | 8/16/2022 | N/A | 5/27/2022 | |
The table below lists changes made to election dates and deadlines in the 2022 election cycle. Items are listed in reverse chronological order by date of change, with the most recent change appearing first.
| Record of date and deadline changes, 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| State | Date of change | Description of change | Source |
| Louisiana | 6/6/2022 | A federal district court, in striking down the state's congressional redistricting plan, postponed the deadline for candidates qualifying by petition in lieu of paying the filing fee from June 22, 2022, to July 8, 2022. The court's order did not affect the July 22, 2022, deadline for candidates qualifying by paying the filing fee. | Source |
| Ohio | 5/28/2022 | Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) called for the state legislative primary to be held on August 2, 2022 (the primary was originally scheduled for May 3, 2022). | Source |
| New York | 5/10/2022 | A federal district court judge affirmed the decision of a state-level judge to postpone the primaries for congressional and state senate offices to August 23, 2022 (the primary was originally scheduled for June 28, 2022). The state court then issued an order establishing new candidate filing deadlines. | Source; Source |
| Pennsylvania | 3/16/2022 | The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania fixed March 28, 2022, as the filing deadline for General Assembly candidates. | Source |
| Maryland | 3/15/2022 | The Maryland Court of Appeals postponed the primary election from June 28, 2022, to July 19, 2022. The court also extended the filing deadline from March 22, 2022, to April 15, 2022. | Source |
| Massachusetts | 2/14/2022 | Governor Charlie Baker (R) signed a bill into law that rescheduled the state's primary election from September 20, 2022, to September 6, 2022. | Source |
| Ohio | 5/28/2022 | Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R), in response to a federal court order, directed that the primary for state legislative offices be held on August 2, 2022. | Source |
| Utah | 2/14/2022 | Governor Spencer Cox (R) signed SB170 into law, moving the candidate filing deadline to March 4, 2022. The original filing deadline was set for March 11, 2022. | Source |
| Maryland | 2/11/2022 | The Maryland Court of Appeals extended the candidate filing deadline from February 22, 2022, to March 22, 2022. | Source |
| Pennsylvania | 2/9/2022 | The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania suspended the candidate filing period for the primary election, pending resolution of a redistricting dispute. The original filing deadline was set for March 8, 2022. The court later fixed March 15, 2022, as the filing deadline for statewide offices and the U.S. Congress. | Source |
| Alabama | 1/24/2022 | The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama postponed the filing deadline for primary congressional candidates from January 28, 2022, to February 11, 2022. | Source |
| Kentucky | 1/6/2022 | Governor Andy Beshear (D) signed HB172 into law, extending the filing deadline for partisan candidates from January 7, 2022, to January 25, 2022. | Source |
| North Carolina | 12/8/2021 | The Supreme Court of North Carolina ordered the postponement of the statewide primary, originally scheduled for March 8, 2022, to May 17, 2022. The court also suspended candidate filing, which subsequently resumed on February 24, 2022, and concluded on March 4, 2022. | Source |
| North Carolina | 2/9/2022 | The North Carolina State Board of Elections announced that candidate filing, having been suspended by the state supreme court in December 2021, would resume on February 24, 2022, and conclude on March 4, 2022. | Source |
About the office
The secretary of state is a state-level position in 47 of the 50 states. The position does not exist in Alaska, Hawaii and Utah. In Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Virginia, the office is called the secretary of the commonwealth and differs only in name. The voters directly elect the secretary of state in 35 states. In the other 12, the secretary is appointed by either the governor or the state legislature.
The position's duties are generally administrative, and no two states have identical responsibilities delegated to the secretary of state. Many are tasked with keeping state records, from registering businesses to recording the official acts of the governor. The officeholder also often serves as the chief election official in their state, administering state elections and maintaining official election results. The commissioning and regulation of notaries public, keeping of the official state seal, and certification of official documents all typically fall under the purview of the secretary of state.
Method of selection
Although the position of secretary of state is popularly elected in the majority of states, it is an appointed position in 12 states. Of those 12, the governor is given the power of appointment in nine, while the state Legislature appoints the secretary of state in the remaining three.
Partisan affiliation
Compensation
According to compensation figures for 2022 compiled by the Council of State Governments in the Book of the States, the highest salary for a secretary of state is $222,252 in Tennessee, while the lowest is $70,000 in Arizona. To view the compensation of a specific secretary of state, hover your mouse cursor over the state.
In 37 states, the secretary of state is the chief elections officer with ultimate oversight over state elections and voter registration.[19]
Ballot measures
In 23 states, the secretary of state is responsible for receiving and certifying ballot measure petitions.[19]
Political party eligibility
In 36 states, the secretary of state is responsible for determining which parties qualify for major-party ballot access.[19]
Term limits
Sixteen states impose some form of term limits on the office of secretary of state.
Analysis of state elections
In 2022, 44 states held elections for executive, legislative, or judicial seats, including elections for 88 of the nation's 99 state legislative chambers, 36 gubernatorial offices, and 32 state supreme court seats.
State legislative elections
- See also: State legislative elections, 2022
On November 8, 2022, members in 88 of the country's 99 state legislative chambers were up for election across 46 states. These elections were for 6,278 of the country's 7,383 state legislative seats (85%).
Heading into the election, Democrats controlled 36 chambers and Republicans controlled 62. A bipartisan coalition controlled the Alaska House.
As a result of the election:
- Democrats gained control of four chambers—the Michigan House and Senate, Minnesota Senate, and Pennsylvania House—bringing their total to 40.[20] Wins in Minnesota and Michigan created new Democratic trifectas in those states. Both had previously been divided governments.
- In Alaska, a bipartisan coalition gained control of the Senate. The coalition in the House changed from being made primarily of Democrats and independents to one made primarily of Republicans.
- Republicans lost control of five chambers, bringing their total to 57.
Featured analysis
- State legislative seats that changed party control in 2022: As a result of the Nov. 8, 2022, elections, partisan composition of all 7,386 state legislative seats changed by less than half a percentage point. Democrats had a net loss of six seats, representing 0.1% of all state legislative seats. Republicans had a net gain of 28 seats, representing 0.4% of all state legislative seats.[21] Independents and minor party officeholders had a net loss of 20 seats, representing 0.2% of all state legislative seats.
- Annual State Legislative Competitiveness Report: Vol. 12, 2022: Competitiveness refers to the presence of choice throughout the election cycle. A greater level of competitiveness means voters have the ability to make more decisions. A lower level of competitiveness equals fewer choices. State legislative competitiveness in 2022 reached its highest level compared to all even-year election cycles since 2010. In 2022, the nationwide State Legislative Competitiveness Index is 36.2, beating out 2018 (36.1) and the 2012 post-redistricting cycle (35.2).
- State legislative special elections
- Impact of term limits
- Open seats
- Contested primaries
- Incumbents in contested primaries
- Data on incumbents defeated
- Summaries of incumbents defeated in primaries
- Incumbent win rates by state
- Pivot counties in state legislative elections
- Trifecta vulnerability in the 2022 elections
- Rematches in 2022 general elections
- Elections without a Democratic or Republican candidate
- States with two or more statewide offices up for election
- Wave election analysis
- Seats that changed party control
- Veto-proof state legislatures with opposing party governors
- Ballotpedia's Top 15 elections to watch, 2022
- Candidates with the same last names, 2022
- Trends in the margins of victory for incumbents of three or more terms, 2018-2024
State executive elections
- See also: State executive official elections, 2022
State executive offices up for election in 2022 included 36 gubernatorial seats, 30 lieutenant gubernatorial seats, 30 attorney general seats, and 27 secretary of state seats. Including down-ballot races, there were 307 state executive seats up for election across 44 states in 2022.[22]
Of the 36 that held elections for governor, four offices changed party hands. Partisan control changed from Republican to Democratic in Arizona, Maryland, and Massachusetts. Partisan control changed from Democratic to Republican in Nevada, where incumbent Governor Steve Sisolak (D) was the only incumbent governor to lose re-election in 2022.
The partisan control of three lieutenant governors' offices changed. The office switched from Democrat to Republican in Nevada and from Republican to Democrat in Maryland and Massachusetts.
The partisan control of two secretary of State offices changed from Republican to Democrat.
In three states—Arizona, Iowa, and Vermont—the office of attorney general changed party control, resulting in a net gain of one office for Democrats and a net loss of one office for Republicans.
Featured analysis
- Trifecta vulnerability in the 2022 elections: Thirteen state government trifectas were vulnerable in the 2022 elections, according to Ballotpedia's annual trifecta vulnerability ratings. Democrats defended seven vulnerable trifectas and Republicans defended six. A state government trifecta occurs when one party holds the governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. At the time of the 2022 elections, there were 37 state government trifectas: 23 Republican trifectas and 14 Democratic trifectas. The remaining 13 states had a divided government where neither party had a trifecta.
- State government triplexes: Heading into the November 8 elections, there were 23 Republican triplexes, 18 Democratic triplexes, and 9 divided governments where neither party held triplex control. A state government triplex is a term to describe when one political party holds the following three positions in a state's government: governor, attorney general, and secretary of state.[23] In states where the attorney general or secretary of state are appointed by the governor, Ballotpedia considers the office to be held by the governor's party for the purposes of defining triplexes.[24]
- Annual State Executive Competitiveness Report: Ballotpedia's 2022 study of competitiveness in state executive official elections found that 37.1% of incumbents did not seek re-election, leaving those offices open. This was higher than in 2020 (35.6%) and 2014 (32.7%) but lower than in 2018 (38.6%) and 2016 (45.2%). The decade average for open offices was 37.8%.
- State executive official elections overview
- Gubernatorial elections
- Secretary of State elections
- Attorney General elections
- Historical and potential changes in trifectas
- State government trifectas
- Impact of term limits on state executive elections
- Rematches in 2022 general elections
- Elections without a Democratic or Republican candidate
- Wave election analysis
- Veto-proof state legislatures and opposing party governors
- Democratic Party battleground primaries
- Republican Party battleground primaries
- Ballotpedia's Top 15 elections to watch, 2022
State judicial elections
- See also: State judicial elections, 2022
A total of 382 appellate court seats were up for election in 2022. This included 84 supreme court seats and 298 intermediate appellate court seats.
In addition, in the U.S. Territories, the Northern Mariana Islands held retention elections for two judges on the Northern Mariana Islands Superior Court in 2022.
Ballotpedia provided coverage of supreme court and intermediate appellate court elections, as well as local trial court elections for judges within the 100 largest cities in the United States as measured by population.
Featured analysis
- Partisanship of state supreme court judges: In June 2020, Ballotpedia conducted a study into the partisanship of state supreme court justices. The study placed each justice into one of five categories indicating confidence in their affiliations with either the Democratic or Republican Parties. These categories were Strong Democratic, Mild Democratic, Indeterminate, Mild Republican, and Strong Republican.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 2020 election for Vermont and Washington.
- ↑ Louisiana held a secretary of state election in 2018 but not 2022, while Washington held a secretary of state election in 2022 but not 2018.
- ↑ Ballotpedia chose to highlight these offices because they are typically the most visible positions in states and serve important administrative functions.
- ↑ This is because it is very uncommon for an attorney general or secretary of state appointed by a governor to often be in direct conflict with that governor.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 NBC News, "Trump endorses challenger to Ga. Secretary of State Raffensperger," March 22, 2021
- ↑ Jody Hice's 2022 campaign website, "Endorsed by President Trump," accessed May 5, 2022
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Reuters, "In race for Georgia's election chief, it's all about Trump and 2020," May 5, 2022
- ↑ The Hill, "Raffensperger knocks ‘double-minded’ Trump-endorsed challenger," January 9, 2022
- ↑ Brad Raffensperger's 2022 campaign website, "Real Solutions," accessed May 5, 2022
- ↑ Jody Hice's 2022 campaign website, "Platform," accessed May 5, 2022
- ↑ The Boston Phoenix, "Waiting in the wings: If Jane Swift needs even a little time off after giving birth to twins, the secretary of state is ready, willing, and — most bet — eager to become acting governor," March 8, 2001
- ↑ Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Massachusetts Election Statistics, accessed July 26, 2022
- ↑ Boston Globe, "Secretary of state races are suddenly in the spotlight. But no state has what Massachusetts does: a Democratic primary.," April 8, 2022
- ↑ Boston Globe, "Secretary of State William Galvin running for reelection as he seeks record eighth term," January 24, 2022
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 WBUR.org, "Mass. Democrats back Sullivan over Galvin in secretary of state's race," June 05, 2022
- ↑ Wikipedia, "Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth," accessed July 29, 2022
- ↑ A federal district court, in striking down the state's congressional redistricting plan, postponed the deadline for candidates qualifying by petition in lieu of paying the filing fee from June 22, 2022, to July 8, 2022. The court's order did not affect the July 22, 2022, deadline for candidates qualifying by paying the filing fee.
- ↑ In Virginia, the Democratic and Republican parties form committees to decide on the method of nomination used for congressional races. These non-primary methods of nomination may take place on a date other than the statewide primary.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2017 - Secretaries of State: Election and Registration Duties," accessed December 3, 2017
- ↑ In the Pennsylvania House, Democrats won 102 seats but would enter the legislative session with 99 members due to three vacancies: one due to the death of an incumbent and the others due to resignations to assume higher office. Vacancies are filled by special elections. According to CNalysis, all three vacant districts voted for President Joe Biden (D) by margins of more than 15 percentage points in 2020:
- House District 32: Biden +26
- House District 34: Biden +62
- House District 35: Biden +16
- ↑ This total includes three seats created in Wyoming during the 2020 redistricting process, which affects the net changes before and after the Nov. 8 elections.
- ↑ Ballotpedia describes the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state as top-ballot state executive offices. Down-ballot state executive offices that exist in all 50 states include superintendent of schools, insurance commissioner, agriculture commissioner, labor commissioner, and public service commissioner. Examples of other down-ballot state executive offices include treasurer, auditor, and comptroller.
- ↑ Ballotpedia chose to highlight these offices because they are typically the most visible positions in states and serve important administrative functions.
- ↑ This is because it is very uncommon for an attorney general or secretary of state appointed by a governor to often be in direct conflict with that governor.
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