State legislative special elections, 2023

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2023 State Legislative
Special Elections

Special Elections Information
CausesPartisan controlElections by dateHistorical data

Special elections by state

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Special elections by territory
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In 2023, 53 state legislative special elections were scheduled in 21 states. Between 2011 and 2022, an average of 68 special elections took place each year. See the sections below for additional information on state legislative special elections in 2023.

  1. Causes: This section provides information on why special elections are held.
  2. Partisan control: This section provides information on the impact of special elections on the partisan composition of state legislatures.
  3. Special elections by date: This section lists all special elections held in 2023 in the order they were held.
  4. Historical data: This section contains data on special elections going back to 2010.


See also: State legislative elections, 2023 and Election results, 2023: State legislatures

Causes

In 2023, special elections for state legislative positions were held for the following reasons:

  • 10 due to appointment, election, or the seeking of election to another position
  • 32 due to resignation
  • 9 due to the death of the incumbent
  • 2 due to removal from office

Partisan control

The partisan breakdown for the special elections was as follows:

As of December 1st, 2024, Republicans controlled 55% of all state legislative seats nationally, while Democrats held 44.12%. 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 Democratic Party Republican Party Grey.png Other Vacant
State senates 837 1,117 3 16
State houses 2,421 2,944 19 29
Total: 3,258

4,061

22

45

Noteworthy special elections

Special elections by date

2023 state legislative special elections
Office Former incumbent Filing deadline Primary election date General election date
Georgia House District 7 David Ralston (R) December 7, 2022 N/A January 3, 2023
Mississippi House District 23 Charles Jim Beckett (R) November 21, 2022 N/A January 10, 2023
Virginia House District 24 Ronnie Campbell (R) December 22, 2022 N/A[36] January 10, 2023
Virginia House District 35 Mark Keam (D) November 14, 2022 N/A[36] January 10, 2023
Virginia State Senate District 7 Jennifer Kiggans (R) November 21, 2022 N/A[36] January 10, 2023
Georgia State Senate District 11 Dean Burke (R) December 30, 2022 N/A January 31, 2023
Georgia House District 172 Sam Watson (R) December 30, 2022 N/A January 31, 2023
Georgia House District 119 Danny Rampey (R) January 5, 2023 N/A January 31, 2023
Pennsylvania State Senate District 27 John Gordner (R) December 12, 2022 N/A January 31, 2023
Pennsylvania House District 32 Anthony DeLuca (D) December 19, 2022 N/A February 7, 2023
Pennsylvania House District 34 Summer Lee (D) December 19, 2022 N/A February 7, 2023
Pennsylvania House District 35 Austin Davis (D) December 19, 2022 N/A February 7, 2023
Kentucky State Senate District 19 Morgan McGarvey (D) January 3, 2023 N/A February 21, 2023
New Hampshire House Strafford District 8 Donna Ellis (D) N/A[37] N/A February 21, 2023
Connecticut House of Representatives District 6 Edwin Vargas (D) January 23, 2023
February 14, 2023 (write-in)
N/A February 28, 2023
Connecticut House of Representatives District 100 Quentin Williams (D) January 23, 2023
February 14, 2023 (write-in)
N/A February 28, 2023
Connecticut House of Representatives District 148 Dan Fox (D) January 23, 2023
February 14, 2023 (write-in)
N/A February 28, 2023
Tennessee House District 86 Barbara Cooper (D) December 15, 2022 January 24, 2023 March 14, 2023
Georgia House District 75 Mike Glanton (D) February 3, 2023 N/A March 21, 2023
Louisiana House District 93 Royce Duplessis (D) January 13, 2023 February 18, 2023 March 25, 2023
Virginia State Senate District 9 Jennifer McClellan (D) February 27, 2023 N/A March 28, 2023
Wisconsin State Senate District 8 Alberta Darling (R) January 3, 2023 February 21, 2023 April 4, 2023
Florida House District 24 Joe Harding (R) January 10, 2023 March 7, 2023 May 16, 2023
Georgia House District 68 Tish Naghise (D) April 5, 2023 N/A May 16, 2023
Kentucky State Senate District 28 Ralph Alvarado (R) March 28, 2023
April 18, 2023 (write-in)
N/A May 16, 2023
New Hampshire House Hillsborough District 3 Stacie-Marie Laughton (D) January 27, 2023 March 28, 2023 May 16, 2023
Pennsylvania House District 108 Lynda Schlegel Culver (R) March 27, 2023 N/A May 16, 2023
Pennsylvania House District 163 Michael Zabel (D) March 27, 2023 N/A May 16, 2023
Massachusetts House District Suffolk 9 Jon Santiago (D) March 21, 2023 May 2, 2023 May 30, 2023
Massachusetts House District Suffolk 10 Edward Coppinger (D) March 21, 2023 May 2, 2023 May 30, 2023
Maine House District 45 Clinton Collamore, Sr. (D) February 15, 2023 N/A June 13, 2023
Wisconsin Assembly District 24 Daniel Knodl (R) May 23, 2023 June 20, 2023 July 18, 2023
Tennessee House District 52 Justin Jones (D) May 4, 2023 June 15, 2023 August 3, 2023
Tennessee House District 86 Justin Pearson (D) May 4, 2023 June 15, 2023 August 3, 2023
Tennessee House District 3 Scotty Campbell (R) May 11, 2023 June 22, 2023 August 3, 2023
New Hampshire House Grafton District 16 Joshua Adjutant (D) June 23, 2023 N/A August 22, 2023
Virginia House District 6 Jeffrey Campbell (R) August 9, 2023 N/A August 29, 2023
New York Assembly District 27 Daniel Rosenthal (D) N/A N/A September 12, 2023
Tennessee House District 51 Bill Beck (D) June 22, 2023 August 3, 2023 September 14, 2023
New Hampshire House Rockingham District 1 Benjamin T. Bartlett IV (R) September 9, 2023 August 1, 2023 September 19, 2023
Pennsylvania House District 21 Sara Innamorato (D) July 24, 2023 N/A September 19, 2023
Alabama House 55 Fred Plump (D) July 25, 2023 (major party)
September 26, 2023 (minor party and independent)
N/A September 26, 2023[38]
Kentucky House of Representatives District 93 Lamin Swann (D) September 19, 2023
October 10, 2023 (write-in)
N/A November 7, 2023
Maine House of Representatives District 50 Sean Paulhus (D) September 1, 2023
September 6, 2023 (write-in)
N/A November 7, 2023
Massachusetts State Senate Worcester & Hampshire District Anne Gobi (D) August 29, 2023 October 10, 2023 November 7, 2023
South Carolina State Senate District 42 Marlon Kimpson (D) July 15, 2023 September 5, 2023 November 7, 2023
Rhode Island State Senate District 1 Maryellen Goodwin (D) July 28, 2023 September 5, 2023 November 7, 2023
Texas House District 2 Bryan Slaton (R) September 6, 2023 N/A November 7, 2023
New Hampshire House Hillsborough District 3 David Cote (D) July 28, 2023 September 19, 2023 November 7, 2023
Florida House District 118 Juan Fernandez-Barquin (R) August 10, 2023 October 3, 2023 December 5, 2023
Minnesota House District 52B Ruth Richardson (D) September 19, 2023 November 16, 2023 December 5, 2023
Oklahoma Senate District 32 John Montgomery (R) August 2, 2023 October 10, 2023 December 12, 2023
Delaware House District 37 Ruth Briggs King (R) November 27, 2023 N/A December 21, 2023

Vacancies

Partisan breakdown of vacancies

See also: State legislative vacancies, 2023

In 2023, there were 155 state legislative vacancies in 44 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 2023. 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 (2023)
Party As of vacancy After vacancy
     Democratic Party
85
86
     Republican Party
68
68
     Independent
2
0
Total 155 154


Seats that changed party control

The table below details how many seats changed parties as the result of a special election in 2023. 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 were held and not the total number of vacant seats.

Partisan Change from Special Elections (2023)
Party As of Special Election After Special Election
     Democratic Party 33 33
     Republican Party 20 20
     Independent 0 0
Total 53 53

Flipped seats

In 2023, four seats flipped as a result of state legislative special elections.

Seats flipped from D to R

Seats flipped from R to D


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
Democratic Party Democrats Republican Party Republicans Minor party Democratic Party Democrats Republican Party 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 N/A 37 35 N/A N/A
*Please see the year-specific pages for information regarding minor-party candidates.

Seats that changed partisan control by year

See also: State legislative special election changes in party control since 2010

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


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 November 15, 2024:

See also

Footnotes

  1. New Hampshire Bulletin, "Citing poor health, Nottingham Republican House member steps down," April 26, 2023
  2. Daily Kos, "Democrats flip key New Hampshire seat, putting them inches from erasing GOP's majority," September 19, 2023
  3. Facebook, "Rafter for State Representative," August 4, 2023
  4. Elect James Guzofski State Representatives, "Continuing Service To Our Community," accessed August 14, 2023
  5. 5.0 5.1 Daily Kos, "How the New Hampshire House could wind up in an exact tie between Democrats and Republicans," May 31, 2023
  6. pennlive.com, "Schlegel Culver seated in Pa. Senate, leaving House with an open seat," February 28, 2023
  7. Montour County, "Office of the County Commissioners," accessed May 1, 2023
  8. Trevor Finn State Representative, "Home," accessed May 7, 2023
  9. The Daily Item, "Four elected to board at Shikellamy," November 2, 2021
  10. Michael Stender State House, "Home," accessed April 2, 2023
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania, "Libertarians Enter Special Elections For 108th & 163rd," March 30, 2023
  12. Spotlight PA, "Pa. House lawmaker accused of sexual harassment says he will resign," March 8, 2023
  13. 13.0 13.1 Twitter, "PA House Dems," March 27, 2023
  14. 14.0 14.1 Politics PA, "Delco GOP Picks Ford As Candidate For HD-163," March 24, 2023
  15. LinkedIn, "Alfeia DeVaughn- Goodwin, Ph.D., MPHL, MAR.," accessed April 19, 2023
  16. CNalysis, "2020 Presidential by 2020s Legislative Districts," accessed April 2, 2023
  17. pennlive.com, "Schlegel Culver seated in Pa. Senate, leaving House with an open seat," February 28, 2023
  18. Montour County, "Office of the County Commissioners," accessed May 1, 2023
  19. Trevor Finn State Representative, "Home," accessed May 7, 2023
  20. The Daily Item, "Four elected to board at Shikellamy," November 2, 2021
  21. Michael Stender State House, "Home," accessed April 2, 2023
  22. Spotlight PA, "Pa. House lawmaker accused of sexual harassment says he will resign," March 8, 2023
  23. LinkedIn, "Alfeia DeVaughn- Goodwin, Ph.D., MPHL, MAR.," accessed April 19, 2023
  24. CNalysis, "2020 Presidential by 2020s Legislative Districts," accessed April 2, 2023
  25. Wavy.com, "Democrat Rouse defeats GOP’s Adams in 7th District Va. Senate race," January 10, 2023
  26. WRIC, "Special election to fill Kiggans’ Virginia Senate seat set for Jan. 10," November 15, 2022
  27. Daily Kos, "Want to keep on winning? We have the chance for a huge flip in Virginia next month," December 7, 2022
  28. 13 News Now, "Aaron Rouse will run for Virginia Senate seat held by Jen Kiggans," November 14, 2022
  29. 29.0 29.1 Aaron Rouse, "Priorities," accessed December 20, 2022
  30. Wavy, "Rouse, Adams running to fill Va. State Senate seat vacated by Kiggans," November 14, 2022
  31. Kevin Adams 2022 campaign website, "My Platform," accessed December 11, 2022
  32. Wisconsin Examiner, "Knodl to win tight race for Senate seat, securing Republican supermajority," April 5, 2023
  33. Urban Milwaukee, "Sen. Alberta Darling Is Retiring," November 26, 2022
  34. Jodi Habush Sinykin For State Senate, "Get Involved!" accessed February 27, 2023
  35. Knodl For State Senate, "Welcome," accessed February 27, 2023
  36. 36.0 36.1 36.2 Candidates running for special elections in Virginia are selected through firehouse primaries administered by each political party.
  37. This contest was between the candidates who tied in the general election on November 8, 2022.
  38. The special election was called for January 9, 2024, but the election was won outright in the primary runoff on October 24, 2023.