Impact Of Term Limits On State Legislative Elections In 2020

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Last updated on July 17, 2023[1]
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Of the 86 state legislative chambers that held elections in 2020, 23 of them—12 senate chambers and 11 house chambers—included incumbents who were unable to run for re-election due to term limits.[2] In those 23 chambers, term limits affected 1,356 seats up for election.[2] There are 99 chambers nationwide.

Term limits affect the members of 29 legislative chambers in 15 states. There are 1,972 state senate seats and 5,411 state house seats in the U.S. Of the 1,972 senate seats, 562 seats (29%) are subject to term limits. Of the 5,411 house seats, 1,368 seats (25%) are subject to term limits.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • 211 state legislators—60 state senators and 151 state representatives—were term-limited in 2020. This represented 3.6 percent of the 5,875 total seats up for election in November 2020.[3]
  • There were fewer term-limited legislators in 2020 than in any Ballotpedia had tracked since 2010.
  • 122 Republicans were term-limited, while 82 Democrats and seven independents were term-limited. In even-numbered election years between 2010 and 2016, Democrats averaged 120 term-limited legislators, while Republicans averaged 146 term-limited legislators.
  • The Missouri Senate and House of Representatives had the highest percentage of term-limited legislators in 2020. In the Missouri Senate, 47% of the incumbents up for election were term-limited, while 21% of the Missouri House were term-limited.
    • See also: State legislative elections, 2020

    Term-limited legislators by state[edit]

    The map below shows the 15 states that use term limits for state legislators. All 15 states held elections in 2020 except Louisiana.[4] Click on a state below to see the total number of term-limited state legislators in 2020 as well as a breakdown of the totals for each legislative chamber.

    States where term limits had the greatest impact[edit]

    • Missouri's Senate had the highest percentage of term-limited state senators in 2020. Eight of the 17 seats up for election in 2020 (47%) had term-limited incumbents.
    • Missouri's House had the highest percentage term-limited state representatives in 2020. 34 of the 163 seats up for election in 2020 (21%) had term-limited incumbents.

    States where term limits had the least impact[edit]

    • No incumbents in the Arkansas Senate were affected by term limits in 2020. In Oklahoma, one out of the 24 senate seats up for election in 2020 (4%) had a term-limited incumbent.
    • No incumbents were affected by term limits in both the Arkansas House and California Assembly in 2020. In Nevada, one out of the 42 assembly seats up for election in 2020 (2%) had a term-limited incumbent.

    Democratic and Republican term-limited incumbents[edit]

    Term limits can often affect the competitiveness of a state legislative election because term limits create open seats. Open seats are believed to be more electorally competitive than seats in which an incumbent is running for re-election because incumbents tend to win re-election. A 2015 study by Ballotpedia found that in state legislative elections between 1972 and 2014, the incumbency win rate never fell below 90 percent, with the exception of 1974 when 88 percent of incumbents won re-election.

    204 state legislators associated with either the Democratic or Republican parties—82 Democratic and 122 Republican—were term-limited in 2020. Seven minor-party or independent incumbents were also term-limited.

    Senate[edit]

    60 state senators—21 Democrats, 33 Republican, and six nonpartisan—were term-limited in 2020. Going into the November elections, Democrats had majorities in four of the 12 term-limited state senates. Republicans had majorities in seven of the 12 state senates.[5] Nebraska's state Senate is term-limited and officially nonpartisan.

    Three state senates—California, Maine, and Nevada—had more term-limited Democrats than Republicans. Six state senates—Colorado, Florida, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma,and South Dakota—had more term-limited Republicans than Democrats. Two states—Arizona and Montana—had an equal number of term-limited Democrats and Republicans.

    2020 term-limited state senate elections
    State Majority party Democratic Party Democratic
    term-limited         		Republican Party Republican
    term-limited         		Independent Nonpartisan
    term-limited         		Seats up in 2020 % of seats
    Arizona Republican 1 1 0 30 6.7%
    Arkansas Republican 0 0 0 17 0.0%
    California Democratic 5 1 0 20 30.0%
    Colorado Democratic 1 3 0 18 22.2%
    Florida Republican 2 5 0 20 35.0%
    Maine Democratic 2 1 0 35 8.6%
    Missouri Republican 3 5 0 17 47.1%
    Montana Republican 5 5 0 25 40.0%
    Nebraska Nonpartisan[6] 0 0 6 25 24.0%
    Nevada Democratic 2 0 0 10 20.0%
    Ohio Republican 0 5 0 16 31.3%
    Oklahoma Republican 0 1 0 24 4.2%
    South Dakota Republican 0 6 0 35 17.1%
    Total --- 21 33 6 292 20.5%


    House[edit]

    151 state representatives—61 Democratic, 89 Republican, and one independent—were term-limited in 2020. Going into the November elections, Democrats had majorities in three of the 11 term-limited state houses. Republicans had majorities in eight of the 11 state house of representatives.[7]

    Two state houses—Maine and Michigan—had more term-limited Democrats than Republicans. Nine state houses—Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, and South Dakota—had more term-limited Republicans than Democrats.

    2020 term-limited state house elections
    State Majority party Democratic Party Democratic
    term-limited         		Republican Party Republican
    term-limited         		Independent Nonpartisan
    term-limited         		Seats up in 2020 % of seats
    Arizona Republican 1 4 0 60 8.3%
    Arkansas Republican 0 0 0 100 0.0%
    California Democratic 0 0 0 80 0.0%
    Colorado Democratic 4 5 0 65 13.8%
    Florida Republican 7 11 0 120 15.0%
    Maine Democratic 18 3 1 151 14.6%
    Michigan Republican 12 10 0 110 20.0%
    Missouri Republican 6 28 0 163 20.9%
    Montana Republican 7 9 0 100 16.0%
    Nevada Democratic 0 1 0 42 2.4%
    Ohio Republican 4 8 0 99 12.1%
    Oklahoma Republican 0 4 0 101 4.0%
    South Dakota Republican 2 6 0 70 11.4%
    Total --- 61 89 1 1261 12.0%

    State senators[edit]

    See also: Impact of term limits on state senate elections in 2020

    There were 43 state senates that held general elections in 2020. In 13 of these states, state senators were term-limited. Louisiana and Michigan were the only states with state senate term limits that did not have a general election in 2020.

    60 state senators were term-limited. This represented 22% of the 275 seats up for election in the 12 term-limited state senates with elections on Nov. 3.[5] This included:

    • 21 incumbent Democratic state senators
    • 33 incumbent Republican state senators
    • 6 nonpartisan state senators[8]

    Some of the 60 state senators listed below may have resigned before their term ended. These officials were still counted in the total number of term-limited state senators in 2020.

    1. Anitere Flores (R), Florida State Senate, District 39.
    2. Bill Coley (R), Ohio State Senate, District 4.
    3. Bill Galvano (R), Florida State Senate, District 21.
    4. Bill Monning (D), California State Senate, District 17.
    5. Bill Montford (D), Florida State Senate, District 3.
    6. Bob Ewing (R), South Dakota State Senate, District 31.
    7. Cathleen Galgiani (D), California State Senate, District 5.
    8. Dave Burke (R), Ohio State Senate, District 26.
    9. David Bradley (D), Arizona State Senate, District 10.
    10. David Farnsworth (R), Arizona State Senate, District 16.
    11. David Parks (D), Nevada State Senate, District 7.
    12. David Sater (R), Missouri State Senate, District 29.
    13. David Simmons (R), Florida State Senate, District 9.
    14. Deb Soholt (R), South Dakota State Senate, District 14.
    15. Dee Brown (R), Montana State Senate, District 2.
    16. Dick Barrett (D), Montana State Senate, District 45.
    17. Doug Libla (R), Missouri State Senate, District 25.
    18. Ed Emery (R), Missouri State Senate, District 31.
    19. Ernie Chambers (I), Nebraska State Senate, District 11.
    20. Ernie Otten Jr. (R), South Dakota State Senate, District 6.
    21. Fred Thomas (R), Montana State Senate, District 44.
    22. Gary Stanislawski (R), Oklahoma State Senate, District 35.
    23. Gene Vuckovich (D), Montana State Senate, District 39.
    24. Geoffrey Gratwick (D), Maine State Senate, District 9.
    25. Gerald Hill (D), California State Senate, District 13.
    26. Gina Walsh (D), Missouri State Senate, District 13.
    27. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D), California State Senate, District 19.
    28. James Beall Jr. (D), California State Senate, District 15.
    29. James Hamper (R), Maine State Senate, District 19.
    30. Jamilah Nasheed (D), Missouri State Senate, District 5.
    31. Jeff Monroe (R), South Dakota State Senate, District 24.
    32. Jennifer Fielder (R), Montana State Senate, District 7.
    33. Jim Scheer (R), Nebraska State Senate, District 19.
    34. Jim White (R), South Dakota State Senate, District 22.
    35. John Eklund (R), Ohio State Senate, District 18.
    36. Jon Sesso (D), Montana State Senate, District 37.
    37. Joyce Woodhouse (D), Nevada State Senate, District 5.
    38. Kate Bolz (D), Nebraska State Senate, District 29.
    39. Larry Crowder (R), Colorado State Senate, District 35.
    40. Larry Obhof (R), Ohio State Senate, District 22.
    41. Lizbeth Benacquisto (R), Florida State Senate, District 27.
    42. Mike Cunningham (R), Missouri State Senate, District 33.
    43. Mike Morrell (R), California State Senate, District 23.
    44. Mike Phillips (D), Montana State Senate, District 31.
    45. Nancy Todd (D), Colorado State Senate, District 28.
    46. Oscar Braynon (D), Florida State Senate, District 35.
    47. Owen Hill (R), Colorado State Senate, District 10.
    48. Peggy Lehner (R), Ohio State Senate, District 6.
    49. Phil Jensen (R), South Dakota State Senate, District 33.
    50. Rebecca Millett (D), Maine State Senate, District 29.
    51. Rick Kolowski (D), Nebraska State Senate, District 31.
    52. Rob Bradley (R), Florida State Senate, District 5.
    53. Roger Webb (R), Montana State Senate, District 23.
    54. Sara Howard (D), Nebraska State Senate, District 9.
    55. Scott Sales (R), Montana State Senate, District 35.
    56. Scott Sifton (D), Missouri State Senate, District 1.
    57. Sue Crawford (D), Nebraska State Senate, District 45.
    58. Sue Malek (D), Montana State Senate, District 46.
    59. Vicki Marble (R), Colorado State Senate, District 23.
    60. Wayne Wallingford (R), Missouri State Senate, District 27.


    State representatives[edit]

    See also: Impact of term limits on state representative elections in 2020

    There were 43 state houses that held general elections in 2020. In 13 of these states, state representatives were term-limited. Louisiana did not hold state house elections in 2020 and Nebraska does not have a state house.

    151 state representatives were term-limited in 2020. This represented 14% of the 1,081 seats up for election in the 11 term-limited state houses with elections on Nov. 3.[7] This included:

    • 61 incumbent Democratic state representatives
    • 89 incumbent Republican state representatives
    • 1 incumbent independent state representative

    Some of the 151 state representatives listed below may have resigned before their term ended. These officials were still counted in the total number of term-limited state representatives in 2020.

    1. Aaron Miller (R), Michigan House of Representatives, District 59.
    2. Alan Doane (R), Montana House of Representatives, District 36.
    3. Alan Redfield (R), Montana House of Representatives, District 59.
    4. Andrew Gattine (D), Maine House of Representatives, District 34.
    5. Andrew McLean (D), Maine House of Representatives, District 27.
    6. Anne-Marie Mastraccio (D), Maine House of Representatives, District 18.
    7. Anthony DeVitis (R), Ohio House of Representatives, District 36.
    8. Barbara Watson (D), Florida House of Representatives, District 107.
    9. Bob Burns (D), Missouri House of Representatives, District 93.
    10. Bob Thorpe (R), Arizona House of Representatives, District 6.
    11. Brandt Iden (R), Michigan House of Representatives, District 61.
    12. Brian Hubbell (D), Maine House of Representatives, District 135.
    13. Bridget Smith (D), Montana House of Representatives, District 31.
    14. Bruce Antone (D), Florida House of Representatives, District 46.
    15. Bryan Spencer (R), Missouri House of Representatives, District 63.
    16. Carl Glimm (R), Montana House of Representatives, District 6.
    17. Cary Pigman (R), Florida House of Representatives, District 55.
    18. Casey Schreiner (D), Montana House of Representatives, District 26.
    19. Catherine Nadeau (D), Maine House of Representatives, District 78.
    20. Charles Ortega (R), Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 52.
    21. Charlie Stone (R), Florida House of Representatives, District 22.
    22. Chrissy Sommer (R), Missouri House of Representatives, District 106.
    23. Christine Greig (D), Michigan House of Representatives, District 37.
    24. Clovis Watson Jr. (D), Florida House of Representatives, District 20.
    25. Craig Hickman (D), Maine House of Representatives, District 81.
    26. Dane Eagle (R), Florida House of Representatives, District 77.
    27. Daniel Zolnikov (R), Montana House of Representatives, District 45.
    28. Dave Muntzel (R), Missouri House of Representatives, District 48.
    29. David Santiago (R), Florida House of Representatives, District 27.
    30. David Wood (R), Missouri House of Representatives, District 58.
    31. Dean Dohrman (R), Missouri House of Representatives, District 51.
    32. Deane Rykerson (D), Maine House of Representatives, District 1.
    33. Donald Marean (I), Maine House of Representatives, District 16.
    34. Donna Pfautsch (R), Missouri House of Representatives, District 33.
    35. Doug Green (R), Ohio House of Representatives, District 66.
    36. Elaine Gannon (R), Missouri House of Representatives, District 115.
    37. Elijah Haahr (R), Missouri House of Representatives, District 134.
    38. Eric Leutheuser (R), Michigan House of Representatives, District 58.
    39. Erik Jorgensen (D), Maine House of Representatives, District 41.
    40. Frank Liberati (D), Michigan House of Representatives, District 13.
    41. Fred Strahorn (D), Ohio House of Representatives, District 39.
    42. Gary Scherer (R), Ohio House of Representatives, District 92.
    43. Gina Mitten (D), Missouri House of Representatives, District 83.
    44. Glen Kolkmeyer (R), Missouri House of Representatives, District 53.
    45. Gordon Pierson (D), Montana House of Representatives, District 78.
    46. Greg Hertz (R), Montana House of Representatives, District 12.
    47. Harold Wright (R), Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 57.
    48. Heather Fitzenhagen (R), Florida House of Representatives, District 78.
    49. Henry Vaupel (R), Michigan House of Representatives, District 47.
    50. Herman Otten (R), South Dakota House of Representatives, District 6.
    51. Holly Merrill Raschein (R), Florida House of Representatives, District 120.
    52. Holly Rehder (R), Missouri House of Representatives, District 148.
    53. Isaac Latterell (R), South Dakota House of Representatives, District 6.
    54. Jack Cera (D), Ohio House of Representatives, District 96.
    55. James Butler (R), Ohio House of Representatives, District 41.
    56. James Wilson (R), Colorado House of Representatives, District 60.
    57. Janice Cooper (D), Maine House of Representatives, District 47.
    58. Jason Sheppard (R), Michigan House of Representatives, District 56.
    59. Jeff Justus (R), Missouri House of Representatives, District 156.
    60. Jeff Messenger (R), Missouri House of Representatives, District 130.
    61. Jeff Pogue (R), Missouri House of Representatives, District 143.
    62. Jim Hansen (R), Missouri House of Representatives, District 40.
    63. Jim Neely (R), Missouri House of Representatives, District 8.
    64. Joe Runions (D), Missouri House of Representatives, District 37.
    65. John Allen (R), Arizona House of Representatives, District 15.
    66. John Becker (R), Ohio House of Representatives, District 65.
    67. John Chirkun (D), Michigan House of Representatives, District 22.
    68. John Hambrick (R), Nevada State Assembly, District 2.
    69. John Patterson (D), Ohio House of Representatives, District 99.
    70. John Rogers (D), Ohio House of Representatives, District 60.
    71. John Schneck (D), Maine House of Representatives, District 126.
    72. Jon Carpenter (D), Missouri House of Representatives, District 15.
    73. Jon Hoadley (D), Michigan House of Representatives, District 60.
    74. Jonathan Singer (D), Colorado House of Representatives, District 11.
    75. Jose Oliva (R), Florida House of Representatives, District 110.
    76. Jovan Melton (D), Colorado House of Representatives, District 41.
    77. Judy Morgan (D), Missouri House of Representatives, District 24.
    78. Kathy Crawford (R), Michigan House of Representatives, District 38.
    79. Kathy Swan (R), Missouri House of Representatives, District 147.
    80. KC Becker (D), Colorado House of Representatives, District 13.
    81. Kelly Townsend (R), Arizona House of Representatives, District 16.
    82. Ken Wilson (R), Missouri House of Representatives, District 12.
    83. Kerry White (R), Montana House of Representatives, District 64.
    84. Kimberly Dudik (D), Montana House of Representatives, District 94.
    85. Kionne McGhee (D), Florida House of Representatives, District 117.
    86. Kristy Pagan (D), Michigan House of Representatives, District 21.
    87. Larry Inman (R), Michigan House of Representatives, District 104.
    88. LaTanya Garrett (D), Michigan House of Representatives, District 7.
    89. Lawrence Lockman (R), Maine House of Representatives, District 137.
    90. Lee Chatfield (R), Michigan House of Representatives, District 107.
    91. Lee Qualm (R), South Dakota House of Representatives, District 21.
    92. Leslie Love (D), Michigan House of Representatives, District 10.
    93. Lewis Moore (R), Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 96.
    94. Lois Landgraf (R), Colorado House of Representatives, District 21.
    95. Lori Saine (R), Colorado House of Representatives, District 63.
    96. Lynn Morris (R), Missouri House of Representatives, District 140.
    97. Maria Chappelle-Nadal (D), Missouri House of Representatives, District 86.
    98. Mark Romanchuk (R), Ohio House of Representatives, District 2.
    99. Mary Duvall (R), South Dakota House of Representatives, District 24.
    100. MaryLynn Magar (R), Florida House of Representatives, District 82.
    101. Matthea Daughtry (D), Maine House of Representatives, District 49.
    102. Matthew Moonen (D), Maine House of Representatives, District 38.
    103. Michael Devin (D), Maine House of Representatives, District 90.
    104. Michael Webber (R), Michigan House of Representatives, District 45.
    105. Mike La Rosa (R), Florida House of Representatives, District 42.
    106. Mike Moon (R), Missouri House of Representatives, District 157.
    107. Mike Sanders (R), Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 59.
    108. Nancy Ballance (R), Montana House of Representatives, District 87.
    109. Nancy Rasmussen (R), South Dakota House of Representatives, District 17.
    110. Noel Shull (R), Missouri House of Representatives, District 16.
    111. Perry Buck (R), Colorado House of Representatives, District 49.
    112. Rae Peppers (D), Montana House of Representatives, District 41.
    113. Ray Ring (D), South Dakota House of Representatives, District 17.
    114. Ray Rodrigues (R), Florida House of Representatives, District 76.
    115. Ray Shaw (R), Montana House of Representatives, District 71.
    116. Rebekah Warren (D), Michigan House of Representatives, District 55.
    117. Richard Campbell (R), Maine House of Representatives, District 130.
    118. Richard Farnsworth (D), Maine House of Representatives, District 37.
    119. Richard Stark (D), Florida House of Representatives, District 104.
    120. Rick Perales (R), Ohio House of Representatives, District 73.
    121. Robert Ross (R), Missouri House of Representatives, District 142.
    122. Robert Wittenberg (D), Michigan House of Representatives, District 27.
    123. Rocky Miller (R), Missouri House of Representatives, District 124.
    124. Roger Reed (R), Maine House of Representatives, District 103.
    125. Ron Hood (R), Ohio House of Representatives, District 78.
    126. Rosanna Gabaldon (D), Arizona House of Representatives, District 2.
    127. Ryan Lynch (D), Montana House of Representatives, District 76.
    128. Ryan Tipping (D), Maine House of Representatives, District 123.
    129. Sara Gideon (D), Maine House of Representatives, District 48.
    130. Sharon Pritchett (D), Florida House of Representatives, District 102.
    131. Sheila Solon (R), Missouri House of Representatives, District 9.
    132. Sherry Gay-Dagnogo (D), Michigan House of Representatives, District 8.
    133. Shevrin Jones (D), Florida House of Representatives, District 101.
    134. Sonya Anderson (R), Missouri House of Representatives, District 131.
    135. Stephen Humphrey (R), Colorado House of Representatives, District 48.
    136. Stephen Stanley (D), Maine House of Representatives, District 143.
    137. Steve Lynch (R), Missouri House of Representatives, District 122.
    138. T.J. Shope (R), Arizona House of Representatives, District 8.
    139. Tim Remole (R), Missouri House of Representatives, District 6.
    140. Tim Rounds (D), South Dakota House of Representatives, District 24.
    141. Timothy Johns (R), South Dakota House of Representatives, District 31.
    142. Tom Burnett (R), Montana House of Representatives, District 67.
    143. Tom Hurst (R), Missouri House of Representatives, District 62.
    144. Tom Woods (D), Montana House of Representatives, District 62.
    145. Tracy Kraft-Tharp (D), Colorado House of Representatives, District 29.
    146. Travis Cummings (R), Florida House of Representatives, District 18.
    147. Triston Cole (R), Michigan House of Representatives, District 105.
    148. Vanessa Guerra (D), Michigan House of Representatives, District 95.
    149. Victoria Kornfield (D), Maine House of Representatives, District 125.
    150. Warren Love (R), Missouri House of Representatives, District 125.
    151. Wendell Byrd (D), Michigan House of Representatives, District 3.


    Year-to-year comparisons[edit]

    Overview[edit]

    The table below shows term-limited state legislators by year from 2010 to 2020. Between those years, 1,672 state legislators were term-limited. Republicans had 181 more term-limited legislators than Democrats.

    • Democratic legislators term-limited: 717
    • Republican legislators term-limited: 898
    • Nonpartisan legislators term-limited: 57
    Term-limited state legislators by year
    Year Democratic Party Dem. senators Republican Party Rep. senators Independent Nonpartisan sentators Democratic Party Dem. representatives Republican Party Rep. representatives Independent Nonpartisan representatives Total term-limited
    2020 21 33 6 61 89 1 211
    2019 4 12 0 13 17 1 47
    2018 28 62 6 58 115 2 271
    2017 - - - - - - -
    2016 29 26 12 84 102 0 253
    2015 3 4 0 7 7 0 21
    2014 22 24 17 73 87 0 223
    2013 - - - - - - -
    2012 35 40 8 87 85 0 255
    2011 5 1 0 5 4 1 16
    2010 54 66 1 128 124 2 375
    Total 201 268 50 516 630 7 1,672



    2020[edit]

    See also: Impact of term limits on state legislative elections in 2020

    In 2020, 211 state legislators were ineligible to run for office because of term limits. A total of 60 state senators were term-limited in 2020. A total of 151 state representatives were termed out in 2020.

    Incumbents[edit]

    The following table detailed the number of state legislators unable to run for re-election in 2020 due to term limits broken down by party and chamber.

    2020 term-limited incumbents
    Party # of termed senators # of termed representatives Total
    Democratic 21 61 82
    Republican 33 89 122
    Independent/Nonpartisan 6 1 7
    Total 60 151 211

    2019[edit]

    See also: Impact of term limits on state legislative elections in 2019

    In 2019, 47 state legislators were ineligible to run for office because of term limits. Louisiana was the only state holding elections for a term-limited legislature in 2019.

    Incumbents[edit]

    The following table detailed the number of state legislators unable to run for re-election in 2019 due to term limits broken down by party and chamber.

    2019 term-limited incumbents
    Party # of termed senators # of termed representatives Total
    Democratic 4 13 17
    Republican 12 17 29
    Independent 0 1 1
    Total 16 31 47

    2018[edit]

    See also: Impact of term limits on state legislative elections in 2018

    In 2018, 271 state legislators were termed out in state senates and state houses combined. A total of 96 state senators were term-limited in 2018. A total of 175 state representatives were termed out in 2018.

    As a result of term limits in the 2018 state legislative elections, more Republican legislators were ineligible to run than Democratic legislators.

    Incumbents[edit]

    The following table detailed the number of state legislators unable to run for re-election in 2018 due to term limits broken down by party and chamber.

    2018 term-limited incumbents
    Party # of termed senators # of termed representatives Total
    Democratic 28 58 86
    Republican 62 115 177
    Minor Party/
    Nonpartisan     		6[9] 2 8
    Total 96 175 271


    Chambers[edit]

    The following table detailed the number of chambers where one party lost more incumbents due to term limits in 2018.

    2018 chambers with the most losses
    Party Senates with most losses Houses with most losses Total
    Democratic 1 4 5
    Republican 8 8 16
    Equal D/R losses (or nonpartisan chamber) 5 1 6
    Total 14 13 27

    Post-election results[edit]

    Thirty-five of the 271 term-limited seats (12.9%) changed partisan control in the 2018 elections. Democrats had a net gain of 15 seats and Republicans had a net loss of 13 seats. Ten seats switched from Democrat to Republican, 23 seats flipped from Republican to Democrat, and two seats changed from independent to Democrat.[10]

    Nebraska senators are officially nonpartisan. Five Nebraska senators term-limited in 2018 were affiliated with the Republican Party, while the other was affiliated with the Democratic Party. The Nebraska senators were counted as major party incumbents in the post-election results.

    2018 post-election results
    Party Pre-election Post-election
    Democratic 87 102
    Republican 182 169
    Minor Party/Nonpartisan 2[11] 0


    Post-election partisan change of term-limited seats
    Name Party Office District 2018 election winner Party
    Joseph Schiavoni Democratic Ohio State Senate District 33 Michael Rulli Republican
    Randy Bass Democratic Oklahoma State Senate District 32 John Montgomery Republican
    Billie Sutton Democratic South Dakota State Senate District 21 Rocky Blare Republican
    Anthony Cannella Republican California State Senate District 12 Anna Caballero Democratic
    Brian Langley Republican Maine State Senate District 7 Louis Luchini Democratic
    Michael Thibodeau Republican Maine State Senate District 11 Erin Herbig Democratic
    Dave Hildenbrand Republican Michigan State Senate District 29 Winnie Brinks Democratic
    James Marleau Republican Michigan State Senate District 12 Rosemary Bayer Democratic
    Patrick Colbeck Republican Michigan State Senate District 7 Dayna Polehanki Democratic
    Edward Buttrey Republican Montana State Senate District 11 Tom Jacobson Democratic
    Bob Krist Republican Nebraska State Senate District 10 Wendy DeBoer Democratic
    Kevin Bacon Republican Ohio State Senate District 3 Tina Maharath Democratic
    J.D. Mesnard Republican Arizona House of Representatives District 17 Jennifer Pawlik Democratic
    Wayne Parry Republican Maine House of Representatives District 10 Henry Ingwersen Democratic
    Ralph Chapman Independent Maine House of Representatives District 133 Sarah Pebworth Democratic
    Heather Sirocki Republican Maine House of Representatives District 28 Christopher Caiazzo Democratic
    Denise Harlow Independent Maine House of Representatives District 36 Michael Brennan Democratic
    Deborah Sanderson Republican Maine House of Representatives District 88 Chloe Maxmin Democratic
    James Gillway Republican Maine House of Representatives District 98 Scott Cuddy Democratic
    Michael McCready Republican Michigan House of Representatives District 40 Mari Manoogian Democratic
    Martin Howrylak Republican Michigan House of Representatives District 41 Padma Kuppa Democratic
    Gary Cross Republican Missouri House of Representatives District 35 Keri Ingle Democratic
    Anne Gonzales Republican Ohio House of Representatives District 19 Mary Lightbody Democratic
    Mike Duffey Republican Ohio House of Representatives District 21 Beth Liston Democratic
    Kristina Daley Roegner Republican Ohio House of Representatives District 37 Casey Weinstein Democratic
    Marlene Anielski Republican Ohio House of Representatives District 6 Phil Robinson Democratic
    Weldon Watson Republican Oklahoma House of Representatives District 79 Melissa Provenzano Democratic
    Randy McDaniel Republican Oklahoma House of Representatives District 83 Chelsey Branham Democratic
    Scott Dianda Democratic Michigan House of Representatives District 110 Gregory Markkanen Republican
    Pat Conway Democratic Missouri House of Representatives District 10 Bill Falkner Republican
    Ben Harris Democratic Missouri House of Representatives District 118 Mike McGirl Republican
    Ed Cannaday Democratic Oklahoma House of Representatives District 15 Randy Randleman Republican
    Brian Renegar Democratic Oklahoma House of Representatives District 17 Jim Grego Republican
    Spencer Hawley Democratic South Dakota House of Representatives District 7 Doug Post Republican
    Chuck Hoskin Democratic Oklahoma House of Representatives District 6 Rusty Cornwell Republican

    2017[edit]

    No states with term limits held elections in 2017.


    2016[edit]

    See also: Impact of term limits on state legislative elections in 2016

    In 2016, 253 state legislators were termed out in state senates and state houses combined. A total of 67 state senators were termed out in 2016. This represented 20.2 percent of the 331 total state senate seats up for election in the 13 term-limited state senates with elections in November 2016. A total of 186 state representatives were termed out. This represented 14.8 percent of the 1,261 total seats up for election in the 13 term-limited state houses with elections in November 2016.

    Incumbents[edit]

    The following table detailed the number of state legislators unable to run for re-election in 2016 due to term limits broken down by party and chamber.

    2016 term-limited incumbents
    Party # of termed senators # of termed representatives Total
    Democratic 29 84 113
    Republican 26 102 128
    Nonpartisan 12 0 12
    Total 67 186 253

    Chambers[edit]

    The following table detailed the number of chambers where one party lost more incumbents due to term limits in 2016.

    2016 chambers with the most losses
    Party Senates with most losses Houses with most losses Total
    Democratic 5 4 9
    Republican 5 8 13
    Equal D/R losses (or nonpartisan chamber) 3 1 4
    Total 13 13 26

    2015[edit]

    See also: Impact of term limits on state legislative elections in 2015

    In 2015, 21 state legislators were ineligible to run for office because of term limits. Louisiana was the only state holding elections for a term-limited legislature in 2015.

    Incumbents[edit]

    The following table detailed the number of state legislators unable to run for re-election in 2015 due to term limits broken down by party and chamber.

    2015 term-limited incumbents
    Party # of termed senators # of termed representatives Total
    Democratic 3 7 10
    Republican 4 7 11
    Total 7 14 21

    2014[edit]

    See also: Impact of term limits on state legislative elections in 2014

    In 2014, a total of 223 state legislators were ineligible to run for office because of term limits. This was 14 percent of the 1,592 state legislative seats up for election in the 14 term-limited states with 2014 elections, and 3.7 percent of the 6,047 state legislative seats that were up for election altogether in 2014, including the non-term-limited states.

    Incumbents[edit]

    The following table detailed the number of state legislators unable to run for re-election in 2014 due to term limits broken down by party and chamber.

    2014 term-limited incumbents
    Party # of termed senators # of termed representatives Total
    Democratic 22 73 95
    Republican 24 87 111
    Nonpartisan 17 0 17
    Total 63 160 223

    Chambers[edit]

    The following table detailed the number of chambers where one party lost more incumbents due to term limits in 2014.

    2014 chambers with the most losses
    Party Senates with most losses Houses with most losses Total
    Democratic 6 4 10
    Republican 5 9 14
    Equal D/R losses (or nonpartisan chamber) 2 0 2
    Total 13 13 26


    2013[edit]

    No states with term limits held elections in 2013.

    2012[edit]

    See also: Impact of term limits on state legislative elections in 2012

    In 2012, 255 state legislators were ineligible to run for office because of term limits. This was 14.3 percent of the 1,786 state legislative seats up for election in the 14 term-limited states with 2012 elections, and about 4 percent of the 6,015 state legislative seats that were up for election altogether in 2012, including the non-term-limited states.

    In 2012, the last election cycle in which the same seats were up for election as 2016, Republicans had a marginal disadvantage in terms of the number incumbents lost to term limits as well as the number of chambers in which each party saw more members lost to term limits. However, Democrats lost one more state representative than Republicans did during this cycle.

    Incumbents[edit]

    The following table detailed the number of state legislators unable to run for re-election in 2012 due to term limits broken down by party and chamber.

    2012 term-limited incumbents
    Party # of termed senators # of termed representatives Total
    Democratic 35 87 122
    Republican 40 85 125
    Nonpartisan 8 0 8
    Total 83 172 255

    Chambers[edit]

    The following table detailed the number of chambers where one party lost more incumbents due to term limits in 2012.

    2012 chambers with the most losses
    Party Senates with most losses Houses with most losses Total
    Democratic 4 6 10
    Republican 5 7 12
    Equal D/R losses (or nonpartisan chamber) 4 0 4
    Total 13 13 26

    2011[edit]

    See also: Impact of term limits on state legislative elections in 2011

    In 2011, 16 state legislators were ineligible to run for office because of term limits. Louisiana was the only state with term limits that held an election in 2011. The 16 state legislators termed-out in 2011 made up 10.4 percent of the total legislative seats up for election in Louisiana.

    There were six state senators termed-out in 2011, making up 15.4 percent of the 39 state senate seats up for election in 2011. There were ten state representatives termed-out in 2011, making up 9.5 percent of the 105 state representative seats up for election in 2011.

    Incumbents[edit]

    The following table detailed the number of state legislators unable to run for re-election in 2011 due to term limits broken down by party and chamber.

    2011 term-limited incumbents
    Party # of termed senators # of termed representatives Total
    Democratic 5 5 10
    Republican 1 4 5
    Minor Party/
    Nonpartisan     		0 1 1
    Total 6 10 16

    2010[edit]

    See also: Impact of term limits on state legislative elections in 2010

    In 2010, 375 state legislators were ineligible to run for office because of term limits. This was 23 percent of the 1,600 state legislative seats up for election in the 14 term-limited states with 2010 elections.

    The Republican Party had more members impacted by term limits in the 2010 state legislative elections than the Democratic Party, both in terms of how many individual incumbent legislators the Republican Party lost (190, versus 182 for the Democratic Party) and in terms of how many state legislative chambers lost more Republicans (13, versus 10 for the Democratic Party).

    Incumbents[edit]

    The following table detailed the number of state legislators unable to run for re-election in 2010 due to term limits broken down by party and chamber.

    2010 term-limited incumbents
    Party # of termed senators # of termed representatives Total
    Democratic 54 128 182
    Republican 66 124 190
    Nonpartisan 1 2 3
    Total 121 254 375

    Chambers[edit]

    The following table detailed the number of chambers where one party lost more incumbents due to term limits in 2010.

    2010 chambers with the most losses
    Party Senates with most losses Houses with most losses Total
    Democratic 4 6 10
    Republican 7 6 13
    Equal D/R losses 2 1 3
    Total 13 13 26

    See also[edit]

    • State legislatures with term limits
    • State legislative elections, 2020
    • Impact of term limits on state senate elections in 2020
    • Impact of term limits on state representative elections in 2020
    • Term limits on the ballot
    • Term limits in the United States

    Footnotes[edit]

    1. ↑ The numbers reflected here are subject to change by the time of the general election. Additionally, Ballotpedia is currently conducting a decade-wide audit of all state legislative elections in order to standardized data from previous years.
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Arkansas House, Arkansas Senate, and California Assembly were up for election in 2020 and have term limits, but no incumbents were term-limited in 2020. In the three chambers, a total of 197 seats were up for election in 2020.
    3. ↑ Some of the 211 term-limited state legislators in 2020 may have resigned before their term ends. These legislators were still counted in the total number of term-limited legislators in 2020.
    4. ↑ Louisiana holds state legislative elections every four years in odd-numbered years.
    5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 The Arkansas Senate was up for election in 2020 and has term limits, but no senators were impacted by term limits in 2020.
    6. ↑ The Nebraska Senate is officially nonpartisan, but is held by the Republican Party. One Republican, four Democrats, and one independent were term-limited in 2020. For more information on how Ballotpedia determined the partisan affiliation for Nebraska senators, please click here.
    7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 The Arkansas House of Representatives and California State Assembly were both up for election in 2020 and have term limits, but no representatives were impacted by term limits in 2020.
    8. ↑ Nebraska senators are officially nonpartisan. Four Nebraska senators term-limited in 2020 were affliated with the Democratic Party, one was affliated with the Republican Party, and one was affiliated with neither party.
    9. ↑ Nebraska senators are officially nonpartisan. Five Nebraska senators term-limited in 2018 were affiliated with the Republican Party, while the other was affiliated with the Democratic Party.
    10. ↑ Google Spreadsheet, "Post-election term limits results, 2018," accessed April 25, 2019
    11. ↑ Nebraska senators are officially nonpartisan. Five Nebraska senators term-limited in 2018 were affiliated with the Republican Party, while the other was affiliated with the Democratic Party. The Nebraska senators were counted as major party incumbents in the post-election results.
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