Democrats are on track to control more state legislatures than Republicans after the Nov. 3 midterm elections, in tallies published through Sunday, Nov. 15.[1] The results reversed a Republican dominance in legislatures that began in 2010.[1] Twelve chambers flipped from Republican to Democratic control, in a count by the National Conference of State Legislatures last updated Nov. 9.[2] Results remain unofficial, and several races have not been called.[2]
Related: Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins Wins Alaska Governor’s Race, AP Says.
The new balance of power
Republicans controlled legislatures in 28 states and Democrats in 18 going into the election.[1] The remaining few were divided.[1] The two tallies of the new balance differ slightly. NPR reported that Democrats will likely hold 24 legislatures to Republicans’ 22, with some votes still being counted.[1] NCSL anticipated 24 Democratic legislatures, 21 Republican and four divided, as of Nov. 5.[2]
Counted by chamber, Republicans held 58 and Democrats 39 before the election, with one chamber lacking a majority.[2] NCSL anticipated 51 Democratic chambers and 46 Republican chambers afterward.[2] Voters in 46 states chose 6,139 state legislators, more than 83% of all legislative seats nationwide.[2]
More than 20 chambers flipped in the Republican wave of 2010.[2] Flips became less common afterward, and three chambers changed hands in the 2024 cycle.[2] Race-by-race results are on The Boston Report’s election tracker.
Chambers that changed hands
Pennsylvania voters elected a Democratic majority in the state Senate for the first time since Jimmy Carter was president.[1] Democrats will run the Texas House for the first time in 24 years.[1] The Georgia House will have a Democratic majority for the first time in more than 20 years.[1]
Democrats picked up seats in nearly every state that held legislative elections, in data compiled by NPR.[1] The party gained ground in Texas, Utah and Florida.[1] Democrats also won control of the North Carolina House.[1]
Control of the North Carolina Senate rests on one seat.[1] A Republican leads that race by just over a couple hundred votes, and it is likely headed to a recount.[1] The outcome will decide whether Republicans hold a one-seat majority or the chamber is tied.[1] The Democratic lieutenant governor would break ties.[1]
Six new Democratic trifectas
A trifecta means one party controls the governor’s office and both legislative chambers.[2] Democrats gained six: Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.[2] Arizona Democrats will hold a trifecta for the first time since 1966.[1] Democrats broke Republican trifectas in Georgia, Iowa, New Hampshire, Ohio and Texas.[1]
NCSL anticipated 22 Democratic trifectas and 17 Republican ones, with 10 states divided.[2] Before the election, Republicans had 23 and Democrats 16.[2]
Democrats flipped governor’s offices in Georgia, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio and Texas.[2] NCSL anticipated 30 Democratic governors and 20 Republican governors, up from 24 Democrats before the election.[2] The Associated Press has since called the Alaska governor’s race for a Democrat and the Kansas governor’s race for Democrat Cindy Holscher, as The Boston Report reported.
What the new majorities plan
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has repeatedly tried to limit the state’s billion-dollar school voucher program, and the Republican-run legislature blocked her.[1] Arizona Democrats have said they also hope to provide relief on rent, utilities and child care.[1]
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has promised to work with the new legislature to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, strengthen abortion rights and increase affordable housing.[1] Georgia Democrats could seek Republican votes to pass Medicaid expansion.[1]
Democrats also ended Republican veto-proof supermajorities in six states, a count by the government relations firm Multistate shows.[1] That matters most in states with Democratic governors, such as North Carolina, Ohio and Kansas.[1]
How the parties responded
The Republican State Legislative Committee blamed the losses on a national anti-incumbent mood and heavy spending for Democrats.[1] “Ultimately, the results of this cycle underscore both the challenges Republicans face and the importance of maintaining a strong, sustained presence in the states,” wrote Edith Jorge-Tuñón, the group’s president.[1]
Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, said the wins “proved what is possible when you put statehouses at the center of a national strategy.”[1] More coverage is on the politics and government hub.
Sources
- NPR: Midterm voters ended the long-running GOP dominance in state legislatures
- National Conference of State Legislatures: 2026 State Legislative Elections: The Results and What They Mean
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