State legislative special elections, 2026

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2026 State Legislative Special Elections
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As of January 2026, 50 state legislative special elections have been scheduled for 2026 in 20 states. Between 2011 and 2024, an average of 70 special elections took place each year.

Seven special elections resulted in a change in party control of a state legislative seat in 2025:

• December 9: Georgia House District 121 changed from Republican to Democratic control.
• November 4: Mississippi House District 22, Mississippi Senate District 2, and Mississippi Senate District 45 changed from Republican to Democratic control.
• August 26: Iowa Senate District 1 changed from Republican to Democratic control.
• March 25: Pennsylvania Senate District 36 changed from Republican to Democratic control.
• January 28: Iowa Senate District 35 changed from Republican to Democratic control.

See the sections below for additional information on state legislative special elections in 2026.

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 2026 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, 2026

Causes[edit]

In 2026, special elections for state legislative positions are being held for the following reasons:

• 28 due to appointment, election, or the seeking of election to another position
• 18 due to resignation
• 4 due to the death of the incumbent

Partisan control[edit]

The partisan breakdown for the special elections is as follows:

• 29 Democratic seats
• 21 Republican seats

As of January 26th, 2026, Republicans controlled 55.12% of all state legislative seats nationally, while Democrats held 43.83%. Republicans held a majority in 57 chambers, and Democrats held the majority in 39 chambers. Two chambers (Alaska House and Alaska Senate) were organized under multipartisan, power-sharing coalitions. One chamber (Minnesota House of Representatives) was split evenly between both parties.

Partisan balance of all 7,386 state legislative seats
Legislative chamber			Other	Vacant
State senates	836	1,119	6	12
State houses	2,401	2,952	20	40
Total:	3,237	4,071	26	52

Elections[edit]

Click the tabs below to view detailed information regarding 2026 state legislative special elections. In this section, you will find:

• A list of elections by date
• A list of what caused special elections
• A partisan breakdown of 2026 state legislative vacancies
• Information on seats that changed party control as a result of special elections

Historical data[edit]

State breakdown by year[edit]

The table below details how many state legislative special elections were held in a state in a given year. From 2010 to 2025, Georgia held the most state legislative special elections with 87. Pennsylvania held the second-most special elections with 71.

Partisan breakdown by year[edit]

The average number of special elections per even year between 2011 and 2025 (2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2024) was 59, while the average per odd year was 82. 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 2025. 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, 2011-2025
Year	Total elections held	Vacancies before elections			Seats held after elections			Net change
		Democrats	Republicans	Minor party	Democrats	Republicans	Minor party
2025	95	51	44	0	58[3]	36[3]	0	+7 D, -7 R
2024	52	26	26	0	29	23	0	+3 D, -3 R
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	72	36	34	N/A	37	33	N/A	N/A
*Please see the year-specific pages for information regarding minor-party candidates.

Seats that changed partisan control by year[edit]

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

Current as of January 16, 2026 (updated annually)
Since 2010, 128 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:

Days between vacancies and elections by year[edit]

The following table tracks the gap between when state legislative vacancies occurred and special elections were held from 2012 through January 15, 2026:

Election coverage by office[edit]

See also[edit]

• Past state legislative elections: 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016
• Past state legislative special elections: 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016
• Past election analysis: 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018

Footnotes[edit]