Vermont 2010 legislative election results

# Senate[edit]

Edits not complete yet, as defeated categories have not been added.

2010 Legislative Election Results

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Other 2010 Election information
State legislative election results • Statewide elections, 2010 • State Senate elections • State House elections

## Vermont State Senate Election Results[edit]

This page contains macro-level election results and analysis for the Vermont State Senate. For results in individual contests see our Vermont State Senate elections, 2010 page. The following is a breakdown of the state senate before and after the election:

Vermont State Senate

Party  | As of November 1, 2010  | After the 2010 Election
| Democratic Party | 23 | 22
| Republican Party | 7  | 8
Total |  30 |  30

### What You'll See on This Page[edit]

This page displays the following lists of candidates

* Incumbents who ran on November 2
* Incumbents who were defeated
* Challengers who defeated an incumbent
* Newly elected senators
* List of all winners
* Unopposed candidates
* Third party candidates

### State Senate Overview:[edit]

* There were 25 incumbents who ran in the November 2 general election. 1 incumbent lost, and thus 24 incumbents were re-elected to the Vermont State Senate.

* There will be 6 new senators sworn-in, 4 Democratic candidates and  2 Republicans.

* Of the 30 seats up for election, 22 were won by Democrats and 8 by Republicans.

* 1 candidate was unopposed, Democratic incumbent Richard Mazza.

* Only 14 candidates ran as an independent or third party candidate in the general election.

## Incumbency Analysis[edit]

Of the  1,167 state senate seats up for election in 2010, incumbents ran for 894 (76.6%) of them. Of these 894, 94 lost their re-election bids, 89 Democrats and 5 Republicans. In Vermont, 5 incumbent senators did not run for re-election on the November 2 ballot, while 25 incumbents (83.3%) ran for re-election. There was 1 incumbent defeated, Matthew Choate (D).

### Incumbents who ran on November 2[edit]

Claire Ayer, first elected to the Vermont State Senate in 2002. Ayer won re-election in 2010.

The following is a list of all of the incumbents who ran on the November 2 general election ballot:

1. Claire Ayer
2. Richard Sears
3. Robert Hartwell (Vermont)
4. Jane Kitchel
5. Virginia Lyons
6. Harold Giard
7. Timothy Ashe
8. Hinda Miller
9. Diane Snelling
10. Vincent Illuzzi
11. Robert Starr
12. Sara Branon Kittell
13. Richard Mazza
14. Mark MacDonald
15. Kevin Mullin (Vermont)
16. Bill Carris
17. Margaret Flory
18. Ann Cummings
19. William Doyle (Vermont)
20. Jeanette White
21. John Campbell (Vermont)
22. Richard McCormack
23. Alice Nitka
24. Matthew Choate
25. Randy Brock (Vermont)

### Incumbents defeated[edit]

Matthew Choate, first elected to the Vermont State Senate in 2006. Kauffman was defeated in her re-election bid in 2010.

The following is a list of incumbents defeated on November 2:

Candidate| Party| District

|
|

Matthew Choate| |

### Challengers who beat an incumbent[edit]

The following is a list of challengers who defeated an incumbent on November 2:

Candidate| Party| District

|
|

Joe Benning| |

## New State Senators and General Election Winners[edit]

388 new senators were elected across the country. This includes challengers who defeated incumbents as well as candidates who won open seats. Of these 388, 278 were Republicans and 110 were Democrats. In Vermont, 6 new senators will be sworn-in, 4 Democrats and 2 Republicans. In total, Vermont elected 30 senators, 8 Republicans and 22 Democrats.

### Newly elected senators[edit]

The following is the newly-elected members of the Vermont State Senate:

#### Democratic[edit]

1. Sally Fox
2. Philip Baruth
3. Richard Westman
4. Anthony Pollina
5. Peter Galbraith

#### Republican[edit]

Robert Starr (D) won re-election to the Vermont State Senate in 2010. He was first elected in 2004.

1. Joe Benning
2. Richard Westman

### Open Seat Winners[edit]

The following is a list of candidates who won election in seats where no incumbent was running:

#### Democratic[edit]

1. Sally Fox
2. Philip Baruth
3. Richard Westman
4. Anthony Pollina
5. Peter Galbraith

#### Republican[edit]

1. Richard Westman

### Candidates who won election[edit]

The following is a list of all candidates elected to the Vermont State Senate:

#### Democratic[edit]

Vincent Illuzzi was first elected to the senate in 1980. He was re-elected in 2010.

1. Claire Ayer
2. Richard Sears
3. Robert Hartwell (Vermont)
4. Jane Kitchel
5. Virginia Lyons
6. Harold Giard
7. Timothy Ashe
8. Hinda Miller
9. Sally Fox
10. Philip Baruth
11. Robert Starr
12. Sara Branon Kittell
13. Richard Mazza
14. Richard Westman
15. Mark MacDonald
16. Bill Carris
17. Ann Cummings
18. Anthony Pollina
19. Jeanette White
20. Peter Galbraith
21. John Campbell (Vermont)
22. Richard McCormack
23. Alice Nitka
24. Randy Brock (Vermont)

#### Republican[edit]

1. Richard Sears
2. Joe Benning
3. Diane Snelling
4. Vincent Illuzzi
5. Richard Mazza
6. Richard Westman
7. Kevin Mullin (Vermont)
8. Margaret Flory
9. William Doyle (Vermont)
10. Alice Nitka
11. Randy Brock (Vermont)

## Competitiveness[edit]

Jim Honeyford was one of 4 unopposed Republican senate candidates in 1998. He was first elected in 2006.

Across the nation, 1,167 state senate seats were up for election in 2010. 1,143 of those seats were partisan seats (24 seats were up for election in Nebraska's nonpartisan unicameral legislature). In 320 (28.0%) of these state senate contests, there was a major party candidate with no major party opposition. In Vermont, 1 candidates (3.3% of seats) faced no major party opposition -- Democratic incumbent Richard Mazza.

### Unopposed candidates in general election[edit]

The following candidates did not face major party competition:

#### Democratic[edit]

1. Richard Mazza

#### Republican[edit]

1. Richard Mazza

## Ballot Access[edit]

Across the nation, 140 independent or third party candidates ran for state senate. In Vermont, 14 (20.9%) of the 67 senate candidates ran as an independent or third party candidate. None won election in 2010. Two Democrats, Timothy Ashe and Anthony Pollina, who won election were also members of the Progressive Party.

### Third party candidates[edit]

The following is a list of third party and independent candidates who ran in 2010:

# House[edit]

2010 Legislative Election Results

* * *

State-by-State Analysis
Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan• Minnesota • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming

* * *

Other 2010 Election information
State legislative election results • Statewide elections, 2010 • State Senate elections • State House elections

## Vermont State House Election Results[edit]

This page contains macro-level election results and analysis for the Vermont House of Representatives. For results in individual contests, see our Vermont House of Representatives elections, 2010. The following is a breakdown of the state house before and after the election:

Vermont House of Representatives

Party  | As of November 1, 2010  | After the 2010 Election
| Democratic Party | 94 | 94
| Republican Party | 48  | 48
| Vermont Progressive Party | 5  | 5
| Independent  | 3  | 3
Total |  150 |  150

### What You'll See on This Page[edit]

This page displays the following lists of candidates

* Incumbents who ran on November 2
* Incumbents who were defeated
* Challengers who defeated an incumbent
* Newly elected senators
* List of all winners
* Unopposed candidates
* Third party candidates

### State House Overview:[edit]

* There were 133 incumbents who ran in the November 2 general election. Only 5 incumbents lost, and thus 128 incumbents were re-elected to the Vermont House of Representatives.

* 2 Republican incumbents lost in the general election, while 3 incumbent Democratic incumbent lost.

Note: While 5 incumbents lost, 6 challengers defeated an incumbent because Vermont has multi-member districts. Thus, in one district, two challengers were elected, and each had to defeat the one incumbent who was running.

* There will be 21 new representatives sworn-in. Of those 21, 12 are Democrats and 9 are Republicans

* Of the 150 seats up for election, 94 were won by Democrats, 48 by Republicans, 5 by Vermont Progressives and 3 by Independents.

* 63 candidates were unopposed, 39 Democrats, 22 Republicans, and 2 Progressives.

* Only 18 candidates ran as an independent or third party candidate in the general election.

## Incumbency Analysis[edit]

Of the 4,958 state house seats up for election, incumbents ran in the general election for 4,091 (79.5%) of them. Of these 4,091 incumbents, 413 lost their re-election bids, 403 Democrats and 10 Republicans. In Vermont, 128 (85.3%) incumbents ran for re-election. Of these 128, 5 incumbent representatives were defeated. Of those 5 incumbents who lost, 3 are Democrats and 2 are Republicans.

### Incumbents who ran on November 2[edit]

The following is a list of all of the incumbents who ran on the November 2 general election ballot:

Norm Johnson (R) was first elected to the house in 2008. He was re-elected in 2010.

1. Heidi Scheuermann
2. Linda Martin
3. Floyd Nease
4. Adam B. Howard
5. Peter Peltz
6. Shap Smith
7. Philip Winters
8. Susan Hatch Davis
9. Sarah Copeland Hanzas
10. Patsy French
11. Larry Townsend
12. Robert Lewis (Vermont)
13. Michael Marcotte (Vermont)
14. Duncan Kilmartin
15. John Rodgers (Vermont)
16. Betty Nuovo
17. Willem Jewett
18. Diane Lanpher
19. Gregory Clark (Vermont)
20. Michael Fisher (Vermont)
21. Will Stevens
22. Bill Botzow
23. Timothy Corcoran II
24. Joseph Krawczyk, Jr.
25. Alice Miller
26. Mary Morrissey
27. David Sharpe (Vermont)
28. Jeff Wilson (Vermont)
29. Cynthia Browning
30. Patti Komline
31. Lucy Leriche
32. Leigh Larocque
33. Robert South
34. Howard Crawford, Jr.
35. Anne Lamy Mook
36. William Lippert Jr.
37. Terence Macaig
38. Jim McCullough
39. William Aswad
40. Mark Larson (Vermont)
41. Kurt Wright
42. Jason Lorber
43. Kesha Ram Hinsdale
44. Johannah Leddy Donovan
45. Suzi Wizowaty
46. Kenneth Atkins
47. Clement Bissonnette
48. Ann Pugh
49. Helen Head
50. Gary Reis
51. Kate Webb
52. Richard Lawrence
53. Tim Jerman
54. Linda Myers
55. Linda Waite-Simpson
56. Martha Heath
57. Jim Condon
58. Kitty Toll
59. Patrick Brennan (Vermont legislator)
60. George Till
61. Donald Turner Jr.
62. William Johnson, Vermont Representative
63. Carolyn Whitney Branagan
64. Richard Howrigan, Sr.
65. Jeff Young (Vermont)
66. Eileen Dickinson
67. Brian Savage (Vermont)
68. Norman McAllister
69. Rachel Weston
70. Anne O'Brien
71. Joan Lenes
72. Debbie Evans
73. Kristy Kurt Spengler
74. William Frank, Vermont Representative
75. Gary Gilbert
76. Ronald Hubert
77. Janice Peaslee
78. Kathleen Keenan
79. Michel Consejo
80. Peter Perley
81. Albert Pearce
82. Mitzi Johnson
83. Bob Krebs
84. Andrew Donaghy
85. Dave Potter
86. Eldred French
87. Robert Helm
88. William Canfield
89. James McNeil
90. Peter Fagan
91. Margaret Andrews
92. Gale Courcelle
93. Charles Shaw (Vermont)
94. Joe Acinapura
95. John Malcolm
96. Megan Smith (Vermont)
97. Adam Greshin
98. Maxine Jo Grad
99. Anne Donahue
100. Paul Poirier
101. Tess Taylor
102. Janet Ancel
103. Tony Klein
104. Warren Kitzmiller
105. Mary Hooper
106. Francis McFaun
107. Thomas Koch (Vermont)
108. Sue Minter
109. Tom Stevens
110. Ann Manwaring
111. Mollie Burke
112. Sarah Edwards
113. Michael Obuchowski
114. Carolyn Partridge
115. David Deen
116. Mike Mrowicki
117. Richard Marek
118. John Moran (Vermont)
119. Oliver Olsen
120. Alice Emmons
121. Cynthia Martin
122. Ernest Shand
123. Donna Sweaney
124. Alison Clarkson
125. Mark Mitchell (Vermont)
126. Charles Bohi
127. David Ainsworth
128. Margaret Cheney
129. James Masland
130. Dennis Devereux
131. Sandy Haas
132. Chip Conquest
133. Mark Higley
134. Frank Davis (Vermont House of Representatives Orleans-1 District)

### Incumbents defeated[edit]

Geoff Simpson (D) was first elected to the house in 2000. He was defeated by Mark Hargrove (R) in the general election.

The following is a list of incumbents defeated on November 2:

Candidate| Party| District

|
|

John Rodgers (Vermont)| |
Joseph Krawczyk, Jr.| |
Jeff Young (Vermont)| |
Megan Smith (Vermont)| |
David Ainsworth| |
Frank Davis (Vermont House of Representatives Orleans-1 District)| |

### Challengers who beat an incumbent[edit]

The following is a list of challengers who defeated an incumbent on November 2:

Candidate| Party| District

|
|

Brian Campion| |
Dustin Degree| |
Sam Young| |
Vicki Strong| |
James Eckhardt| |
Sarah Buxton| |

## New Representatives and General Election Winners[edit]

1,345 new representatives were elected across the country. This includes challengers who defeated incumbents as well as candidates who won open seats. Of these 1,345, 988 were Republicans and 357 were Democrats. In Vermont, 21 new representatives will be sworn-in. Of those 21, 12 are Democrats and 9 are Republicans. In the 15 open seat contests, Republicans won 6 and Democrats 9. In total, Vermont elected 150 representatives, 94 Democrats, 48 Republicans, 5 Progressives, and 2 independents.

### Newly elected representatives[edit]

The following are the newly-elected members of the Vermont House of Representatives:

#### Democratic[edit]

1. Paul Ralston
2. Bert Munger
3. Brian Campion
4. Michael Yantachka
5. Christopher Pearson
6. Michele Ferland Kupersmith
7. Sam Young
8. Herb Russell
9. Valerie Stuart
10. Leigh Dakin
11. John Bartholomew
12. Kevin Christie
13. Sarah Buxton

#### Republican[edit]

1. Lynn Batchelor
2. Harvey Smith
3. Brian Campion
4. Bob Bouchard
5. Dustin Degree
6. Vicki Strong
7. Tom Burditt
8. James Eckhardt
9. Patti Lewis
10. Mike Hebert
11. Kevin Christie

### Open Seat Winners[edit]

The following is a list of candidates who won election in seats where no incumbent was running:

#### Democratic[edit]

1. Paul Ralston
2. Bert Munger
3. Michael Yantachka
4. Christopher Pearson
5. Michele Ferland Kupersmith
6. Herb Russell
7. Valerie Stuart
8. Leigh Dakin
9. John Bartholomew
10. Kevin Christie

#### Republican[edit]

1. Lynn Batchelor
2. Harvey Smith
3. Bob Bouchard
4. Tom Burditt
5. Patti Lewis
6. Mike Hebert
7. Kevin Christie

### Candidates who won election[edit]

The following is a list of all candidates elected to the Vermont House of Representatives:

#### Democratic[edit]

Ross Hunter was first elected to the house in 2002. He won re-election in 2010.

1. Paul Ralston
2. Bert Munger
3. Linda Martin
4. Floyd Nease
5. Peter Peltz
6. Shap Smith
7. Susan Hatch Davis
8. Sarah Copeland Hanzas
9. Patsy French
10. Larry Townsend
11. Michael Marcotte (Vermont)
12. Betty Nuovo
13. Willem Jewett
14. Diane Lanpher
15. Michael Fisher (Vermont)
16. Bill Botzow
17. Timothy Corcoran II
18. Alice Miller
19. David Sharpe (Vermont)
20. Jeff Wilson (Vermont)
21. Cynthia Browning
22. Lucy Leriche
23. Brian Campion
24. Robert South
25. Anne Lamy Mook
26. William Lippert Jr.
27. Terence Macaig
28. Jim McCullough
29. Michael Yantachka
30. William Aswad
31. Mark Larson (Vermont)
32. Jason Lorber
33. Kesha Ram Hinsdale
34. Christopher Pearson
35. Johannah Leddy Donovan
36. Suzi Wizowaty
37. Kenneth Atkins
38. Clement Bissonnette
39. Michele Ferland Kupersmith
40. Ann Pugh
41. Helen Head
42. Kate Webb
43. Tim Jerman
44. Linda Waite-Simpson
45. Martha Heath
46. Jim Condon
47. Kitty Toll
48. George Till
49. Carolyn Whitney Branagan
50. Richard Howrigan, Sr.
51. Eileen Dickinson
52. Brian Savage (Vermont)
53. Rachel Weston
54. Anne O'Brien
55. Joan Lenes
56. Debbie Evans
57. Kristy Kurt Spengler
58. William Frank, Vermont Representative
59. Gary Gilbert
60. Kathleen Keenan
61. Michel Consejo
62. Mitzi Johnson
63. Bob Krebs
64. Sam Young
65. Dave Potter
66. Eldred French
67. William Canfield
68. Margaret Andrews
69. Herb Russell
70. Gale Courcelle
71. Charles Shaw (Vermont)
72. John Malcolm
73. Maxine Jo Grad
74. Anne Donahue
75. Tess Taylor
76. Janet Ancel
77. Tony Klein
78. Warren Kitzmiller
79. Mary Hooper
80. Francis McFaun
81. Sue Minter
82. Tom Stevens
83. Ann Manwaring
84. Mollie Burke
85. Michael Obuchowski
86. Carolyn Partridge
87. Valerie Stuart
88. David Deen
89. Mike Mrowicki
90. Richard Marek
91. John Moran (Vermont)
92. Alice Emmons
93. Cynthia Martin
94. Ernest Shand
95. Donna Sweaney
96. Leigh Dakin
97. John Bartholomew
98. Kevin Christie
99. Alison Clarkson
100. Mark Mitchell (Vermont)
101. Charles Bohi
102. James Masland
103. Sarah Buxton
104. Chip Conquest
105. Mark Higley

#### Republican[edit]

Susan Fagan was first elected to the house in 2009. She won re-election in 2010.

1. Heidi Scheuermann
2. Adam B. Howard
3. Philip Winters
4. Lynn Batchelor
5. Robert Lewis (Vermont)
6. Michael Marcotte (Vermont)
7. Duncan Kilmartin
8. Gregory Clark (Vermont)
9. Timothy Corcoran II
10. Mary Morrissey
11. Patti Komline
12. Harvey Smith
13. Leigh Larocque
14. Brian Campion
15. Howard Crawford, Jr.
16. Kurt Wright
17. Gary Reis
18. Richard Lawrence
19. Linda Myers
20. Patrick Brennan (Vermont legislator)
21. Donald Turner Jr.
22. William Johnson, Vermont Representative
23. Carolyn Whitney Branagan
24. Eileen Dickinson
25. Brian Savage (Vermont)
26. Norman McAllister
27. Bob Bouchard
28. Ronald Hubert
29. Janice Peaslee
30. Dustin Degree
31. Peter Perley
32. Albert Pearce
33. Vicki Strong
34. Andrew Donaghy
35. Tom Burditt
36. Robert Helm
37. William Canfield
38. James McNeil
39. Peter Fagan
40. Charles Shaw (Vermont)
41. Joe Acinapura
42. James Eckhardt
43. Patti Lewis
44. Anne Donahue
45. Francis McFaun
46. Thomas Koch (Vermont)
47. Mike Hebert
48. Kevin Christie
49. Dennis Devereux
50. Mark Higley

#### Other[edit]

## Competitiveness[edit]

Across the nation, 4,958 state house seats were up for election in 2010. In 1,680 (33.9%) of these state house contests, there was a major party candidate with no major party opposition. In Vermont, 63 candidates (42.0% of all seats) faced no major party opposition. Of these 63, 39 were Democrats, 22 were Republicans, and 2 were Progressives.

### Unopposed candidates in general election[edit]

The following candidates did not face major party competition:

#### Democratic[edit]

1. Charles Shaw (Vermont)
2. Francis McFaun
3. Michael Marcotte (Vermont)
4. Anne O'Brien
5. Kenneth Atkins
6. William Canfield
7. Betty Nuovo
8. Alison Clarkson
9. Ann Manwaring
10. Anne Donahue
11. Mike Mrowicki
12. Jeff Wilson (Vermont)
13. Bill Botzow
14. Carolyn Partridge
15. Charles Bohi
16. Clement Bissonnette
17. David Deen
18. Donna Sweaney
19. Rachel Weston
20. Floyd Nease
21. Jason Lorber
22. George Till
23. Helen Head
24. James Masland
25. Johannah Leddy Donovan
26. Kate Webb
27. Leo Valliere
28. Leigh Dakin
29. Mac Rood
30. Mark Mitchell (Vermont)
31. Mary Hooper
32. Maxine Jo Grad
33. Michael Obuchowski
34. Michele Ferland Kupersmith
35. Mollie Burke
36. Peter Peltz
37. Shap Smith
38. Sue Minter
39. Suzi Wizowaty
40. Tom Stevens
41. Tony Klein
42. Warren Kitzmiller
43. Willem Jewett
44. William Frank, Vermont Representative

#### Republican[edit]

1. Albert Pearce
2. Andrew Donaghy
3. Charles Shaw (Vermont)
4. Duncan Kilmartin
5. Francis McFaun
6. Howard Crawford, Jr.
7. Heidi Scheuermann
8. James McNeil
9. Joe Acinapura
10. Michael Marcotte (Vermont)
11. Norman McAllister
12. Patti Komline
13. Patti Lewis
14. Peter Fagan
15. Philip Winters
16. Richard Lawrence
17. Robert Helm
18. Thomas Koch (Vermont)
19. William Canfield
20. William Johnson, Vermont Representative
21. Anne Donahue

#### Other[edit]

## Ballot Access[edit]

In Vermont, 18 (7.5%) of the 241 house candidates ran as independent or third party candidates. 8 won election in 2010.

### Third party candidates[edit]

The following is a list of third party and independent candidates who ran in 2010:

1. Tom Vickery

# National Partisan Trends[edit]

2010 Legislative Election Results

* * *

State-by-State Analysis
Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan• Minnesota • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming

* * *

Other 2010 Election information
State legislative election results • Statewide elections, 2010 • State Senate elections • State House elections

## National Partisan Trends[edit]

The following tables detail the partisan breakdown of national election results. These results provide context for Republican gains in Vermont.

### Incumbents who were defeated in the general election[edit]

Across the nation, only 15 Republican incumbents were defeated while 492 Democratic incumbents were defeated. In total, 507 (10.4%) of the 4,872 incumbents running in the general election were defeated. The following is a breakdown of incumbent defeats in the 2010 general election:

The following is the breakdown of incumbents who lost.

Incumbents defeated in 2010 legislative elections

Party  | Senate  | House  | Total
Democratic  | 89  | 403  | 492
Republican  | 5  | 10  | 15
TOTALS  | 94  | 413  | 507

### Total new legislators elected[edit]

In total, 1,733 (28.3%) new legislators were elected in 2010. Of these 1,733, 1,266 (73.1%) are Republicans and 467 (26.9%) are Democrats.

The following is the breakdown of new legislators.

New Legislators after the 2010 legislative elections

Party  | Senate  | House  | Total
Democratic  | 110  | 357  | 467
Republican  | 278  | 988  | 1,266
TOTALS  | 388  | 1,345  | 1,733

### Winners of Open Seats[edit]

Open seats contests made up 1,178 (19.2%) of the 6,125 seats on November 2. Of these 1,178 open seats, Republicans won 729 (61.9%) while Democrats won 449 (38.1%). Going into the election, the number of open seats formerly held by each party was quite similar. Estimates prior to the election suggest that approximately 52% of the open seats were previously held by Republicans and 48% were held by Democrats.

The following is the breakdown of open seat winners.

Open Seat Winners in 2010 legislative elections

Party  | Senate  | House  | Total
Democratic  | 108  | 341  | 449
Republican  | 191  | 538  | 729
TOTALS  | 299  | 879  | 1,178

### Impact on legislative majorities[edit]

See also: Partisan balance of state legislatures

Heading into the November 2 elections, the Democratic Party held a commanding lead in state houses in the 88 legislative chambers that held elections in 2010. 52 of the 88 chambers, or nearly 60% of them, had a Democratic majority, while only 33 of them had a Republican majority. (Two chambers had an exactly equal number of Democrats and Republicans and one is officially nonpartisan.) The following is a partisan breakdown of state legislatures prior to the November 2 election:

Partisan breakdown before the November 2010 Election

Legislative chamber  |  |  |  |
State senates | 23  | 18  | 1  | 1
State houses | 29  | 15  | 1  | \-
Totals: | 52  | 33  | 2  | 1

As a result of the election, Republicans picked up 20 legislative chambers while Democrats lost 20. Republicans won 53 total chambers on November 2, while Democrats won only 32. The following is a partisan breakdown of state legislatures after the November 2 election:

Partisan breakdown after the November 2010 Election

Legislative chamber  |  |  |  |
State senates | 16  | 25  | 1  | 1
State houses | 16  | 28  | 1  | 0
Totals: | 32  | 53  | 2  | 1

Another way to examine the data is to gauge how many chambers had gains for the Democratic Party versus the Republican Party. Using this variable, the wide-sweeping Republican victory is further amplified. Democrats bolstered their majorities in only 7 of 88 (7.96%) state chambers. These legislatures are as follows:

State legislative chambers where Democrats gained seats on November 2

State  | Chamber  | Number of seats gained by Democrats
California | Assembly | \+ 2
Delaware | House | \+ 2
Hawaii | Senate | \+ 1
Maryland | Senate | \+ 2
Massachusetts | Senate | \+ 1
Missouri | Senate | \+ 1
West Virginia | Senate | \+ 1

In 7 chambers, the GOP kept their current number of seats. In one chamber, the California State Assembly, both major parties gained seats by filling 2 vacancies and defeating an incumbent independent. Overall, the Republican Party picked up legislative seats in 75 (85.2%) of the 88 legislative chambers that held elections on November 2.

### Impact on State Politics[edit]

Along with the GOP capture of the U.S. House of Representatives, state Republicans gained trifectas (control of the governorship, house, and senate) in 12 states. The following is a breakdown of trifectas across the nation, before and after the 2010 election:

Trifectas before and after the 2010 Election

Party  | Before election  | U.S. House seats  | After election  | U.S. House seats  | Gain/loss states  | Gain/loss congressional seats
Democratic | 16  | 131  | 11  | 115  | -5  | -16
Republican | 8  | 66  | 20  | 198  | +12  | +132

Before the election, 131 U.S House seats were in states with Democratic trifectas, while 66 districts were in states with Republican trifectas. After the election, Republicans trifectas control redistricting for 198 U.S. House seats while Democrats control only 115. Additionally, California, the strongest Democratic trifecta with 53 U.S. House representatives, passed propositions that take redistricting power away from state government.

State legislatures

Legislatures

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2026

State legislative elections (2026) • State legislative special elections (2026) • Primary dates and filing requirements • 2026 Session Dates

2025

State legislative elections (2025) • State legislative special elections (2025) • Primary dates and filing requirements • 2025 Session Dates

Historical elections

2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010 • 2009 • 2008 • 2007 • 2006 • 2005 • 2004 • 2003 • 2002 • 2001 • 2000

Features of state legislatures

How vacancies are filled in state legislatures • States with a full-time legislature • State legislatures with term limits • Comparison of state legislative salaries • When state legislators assume office after a general election • Population represented by state legislators • State constitutional articles governing state legislatures • State legislative sessions • Resign-to-run law • State legislature candidate requirements by state • Official names of state legislatures • State legislative chambers that use multi-member districts • Factors Affecting Competitiveness in State Legislative Elections

State senates

Length of terms of state senators • State senators • Partisan composition of state senates • State senators sorted by year first elected

State houses

Length of terms of state representatives • State representatives • Partisan composition of state houses • State representatives sorted by year first elected

Leadership positions

President of the Senate • President Pro Tempore • Senate Majority Leader • Senate Minority Leader • House Majority Leader • House Minority Leader • State Speaker of the House

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Vermont