2004 United States state legislative elections|
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Map of upper house elections: Democrats gained control Democrats retained control Republicans gained control Republicans retained control Split body formed Non-partisan legislature No regularly-scheduled elections |
Map of lower house elections: Democrats gained control Democrats retained control Republicans gained control Republicans retained control Non-partisan legislature No regularly-scheduled elections |
Elections to state legislatures were held on November 2, 2004, alongside other elections. Elections were held for 85 legislative chambers, with all states but Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, Alabama, Maryland, and Virginia holding elections in at least one house. Michigan and Minnesota held elections for their lower, but not upper houses.[1] Six chambers in three territories and the District of Columbia were up as well.
The 2004 elections created narrow legislative divisions across the country. Both parties flipped seats and chambers across the country, with most Democratic gains coming from the Northeast and West and most Republican gains coming from the South. Over 20 states featured statehouses controlled by fewer than four seats, and nearly 30 states featured divided governments. Both parties took advantage of heavy spending from 527 organizations.[2]
Republicans won control of four chambers from the Democrats. The institution of term limits contributed to the Republican takeover of the Oklahoma House of Representatives for the first time since 1923, and favorable redistricting aided Republicans in winning the Georgia House of Representatives (and a trifecta) for the first time ever.[2] Republicans additionally won the Tennessee Senate, for the time since 1870, and the Indiana House of Representatives.[3][4]
Democrats performed better than Republicans overall at the state-legislative level, despite their defeat in the concurrent presidential election, winning control of eight additional chambers. Favorable redistricting enabled the Democratic takeover of the Montana Legislature and their retaking of control of the North Carolina House of Representatives, which was previously tied.[2] Additionally, they took control of the Washington Senate; the Oregon Senate, which was previously tied; both houses of the Colorado General Assembly for the first time since 1963, and the Vermont House of Representatives. The Iowa Senate became tied after previously being controlled by the Republicans prior to the election.[3][4] Democrats' takeover of the Montana House only came after the Montana Supreme Court declared a Democrat a victor in a contested election that evenly split the chamber. This gave Democrats control of the chamber with the help of incoming governor Brian Schweitzer.[5]
The Democrats also regained the title of holding the most legislative seats across the country, winning one more seat than the Republicans.[4]
Summary table
Regularly-scheduled elections were held in 85 of the 99 state legislative chambers in the United States. Nationwide, regularly-scheduled elections were held for 6,015 of the 7,383 legislative seats. Many legislative chambers held elections for all seats, but some legislative chambers that use staggered elections held elections for only a portion of the total seats in the chamber.[6] The chambers not up for election either hold regularly-scheduled elections in odd-numbered years, or have four-year terms and hold all regularly-scheduled elections in presidential midterm election years.
Note that this table only covers regularly-scheduled elections; additional special elections took place concurrently with these regularly-scheduled elections.
Electoral predictions
Analysts expected a high level of competitiveness among chambers held by both parties, although not to the same extent as the 2002 elections, which took place following most states' legislative redistricting. The application of newly enacted term limits in some states was expected to have little effect, with the exception of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, and the close nature of the concurrent presidential election made the effects of potential presidential coattails difficult to predict.[7]
As the election progressed and George W. Bush's chances at winning re-election appeared to increase, outlooks changed on very few legislative chambers. Republicans made minor inroads in states in the South, especially in Oklahoma in the Georgia House of Representatives while Democrats appeared stronger in states in the Northeast and Northwest, such as Vermont and Washington. Due to the presidential election's heavy focus on foreign policy issues such as the Iraq War, the likelihood of coattails reaching all the way down to state legislative races appeared increasingly thin. The majority of state legislative chambers and individual races also remained out of reach for opposition parties due to the prevalence of partisan gerrymandering.[8]
Ratings are designated as follows:
- "Tossup": Competitive, no advantage
- "Lean": Competitive, slight advantage
- "Likely": Not competitive, but opposition could make significant gains
- "Safe": Not competitive at all
Maps
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Upper house seats by party holding majority in each state
Republican 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%
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Democratic 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%
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Tie 50%
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Lower house seats by party holding majority in each state
Republican 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%
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Democratic 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%
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Tie 50%
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Net changes to upper house seats after the 2004 elections
+1 Dem seat +2 Dem seats +3–4 Dem seats +6 Dem seats
+1 Rep seat +2 Rep seats +3 Rep seats
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Net changes to lower house seats after the 2004 elections
+1 Dem seat +2 Dem seats +3–5 Dem seats +7–29 Dem seats
+1 Rep seat +2 Rep seats +3–5 Rep seats +6–25 Rep seats
State summaries
Alaska
All of the seats of the Alaska House of Representatives and half of the Alaska Senate were up for election. Republicans maintained control of both chambers.
Alaska House of Representatives
Party
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Before
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After
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Change
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Republican
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27
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26
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1
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Democratic
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13
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14
|
1
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Total
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40
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40
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Arizona
All of the seats of the Arizona Legislature were up for election. Republicans maintained control of both state legislative chambers.
Arkansas
All of the seats of the Arkansas House of Representatives and half of the Arkansas Senate were up for election. Democrats maintained control of both state legislative chambers.
Arkansas House of Representatives
Party
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Before
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After
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Change
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Democratic
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70
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72
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2
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Republican
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30
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28
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2
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Total
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100
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100
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California
All of the seats of the California House of Representatives and half of the California Senate were up for election. Democrats maintained control of both state legislative chambers.
Colorado
All of the seats of the Colorado House of Representatives and half of the Colorado Senate were up for election. Democrats won control of both chambers from the Republicans.
Colorado House of Representatives
Party
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Before
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After
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Change
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Democratic
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28
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35
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7
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Republican
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37
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30
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7
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Total
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65
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65
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Connecticut
All of the seats of the Connecticut Legislature were up for election. Democrats maintained control of both state legislative chambers.
Connecticut State Senate
Party
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Before
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After
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Change
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Democratic
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21
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24
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3
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Republican
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15
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12
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3
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Total
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36
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36
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Connecticut House of Representatives
Party
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Before
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After
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Change
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Democratic
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94
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99
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5
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Republican
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57
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52
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5
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Total
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151
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151
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Delaware
All of the seats of the Delaware House of Representatives and half of the Delaware Senate were up for election. Democrats maintained control of the Senate while Republicans maintained control of the House.
Delaware House of Representatives
Party
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Before
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After
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Change
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Republican
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29
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26
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3
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Democratic
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12
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15
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3
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Total
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41
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41
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Florida
All of the seats of the Florida House of Representatives and half of the Florida Senate were up for election. Republicans maintained control of both state legislative chambers.
Florida House of Representatives
Party
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Before
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After
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Change
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Republican
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81
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84
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3
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Democratic
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35
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42
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3
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Total
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120
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120
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Georgia
All of the seats of the Georgia Legislature were up for election. Republicans maintained control of the Senate and won control of the House.
Hawaii
All of the seats of the Hawaii House of Representatives and half of the Hawaii Senate were up for election. Democrats maintained control of both state legislative chambers.
Hawaii House of Representatives
Party
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Before
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After
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Change
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Democratic
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36
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41
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5
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Republican
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15
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10
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5
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Total
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51
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51
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Idaho
All of the seats of the Idaho Legislature were up for election. Republicans maintained control of both state legislative chambers.
Idaho House of Representatives
Party
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Before
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After
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Change
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Republican
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54
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57
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3
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Democratic
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16
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13
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3
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Total
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70
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70
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Illinois
All of the seats of the Illinois House of Representatives and 2/3rds of the Illinois Senate were up for election. Democrats maintained control of both state legislative chambers.
Illinois House of Representatives
Party
|
Before
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After
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Change
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Democratic
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66
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65
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1
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Republican
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52
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53
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1
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Total
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118
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118
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Indiana
All of the seats of the Indiana House of Representatives and half of the Indiana Senate were up for election. Republicans maintained control of the Senate and gained control of the House of Representatives.
Indiana House of Representatives
Party
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Before
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After
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Change
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Republican
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49
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52
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3
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Democratic
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51
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48
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3
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Total
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100
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100
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Iowa
All of the seats of the Iowa House of Representatives and half of the Iowa Senate were up for election. Republicans maintained control of the House while the Senate became tied.
Iowa House of Representatives
Party
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Before
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After
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Change
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Republican
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54
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51
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3
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Democratic
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46
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49
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3
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Total
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100
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100
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Kansas
All of the seats of the Kansas Senate and Kansas House of Representatives were up for election. Republicans maintained control of both chambers.
Kansas House of Representatives
Party
|
Before
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After
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Change
|
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Republican
|
80
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83
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3
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Democratic
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45
|
42
|
3
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Total
|
125
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125
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Kentucky
All of the seats of the Kentucky House of Representatives and half of the Kentucky Senate were up for election. Republicans maintained control of the Senate and Democrats maintained control of the House of Representatives.
Kentucky House of Representatives
Party
|
Before
|
After
|
Change
|
|
Democratic
|
65
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57
|
8
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Republican
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35
|
43
|
8
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Total
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100
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100
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Maine
All of the seats of the Maine Legislature were up for election. Democrats maintained control of both state legislative chambers.
Massachusetts
All of the seats of the Massachusetts Legislature were up for election. Democrats maintained control of both state legislative chambers.
Michigan
All of the seats of the Michigan House of Representatives were up for election. Republicans maintained control of the House.
Michigan House of Representatives
Party
|
Before
|
After
|
Change
|
|
Republican
|
62
|
58
|
4
|
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Democratic
|
48
|
52
|
4
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Total
|
110
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110
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Minnesota
All of the seats of the Minnesota House of Representatives were up. Republicans maintained control of the House.
Missouri
All of the seats of the Missouri House of Representatives and half of the Missouri Senate were up for election. Republicans maintained control of both state legislative chambers.
Missouri House of Representatives
Party
|
Before
|
After
|
Change
|
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Republican
|
90
|
97
|
7
|
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Democratic
|
73
|
66
|
7
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Total
|
163
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163
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Montana
All of the seats of the Montana House of Representatives and half of the Montana Senate were up for election. Democrats flipped control of both chambers.
Nebraska
Nebraska is the only U.S. state with a unicameral legislature; half of the seats of the Nebraska Legislature were up for election. Nebraska is also unique in that its legislature is officially non-partisan and holds non-partisan elections, although the Democratic and Republican parties each endorse legislative candidates. Republicans maintained control.
Nevada
All of the seats of the Nevada House of Representatives and half of the Nevada Senate were up for election. Democrats maintained control of the House while Republicans maintained control of the Senate.
New Hampshire
All of the seats of the New Hampshire House of Representatives and the New Hampshire Senate were up for election. Republicans maintained control of both chambers.
New Hampshire House of Representatives
Party
|
Before
|
After
|
Change
|
|
Republican
|
278
|
249
|
29
|
|
Democratic
|
122
|
151
|
29
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Total
|
400
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400
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New Mexico
All of the seats of the New Mexico Legislature were up for election; Democrats maintained control of both chambers.
New Mexico House of Representatives
Party
|
Before
|
After
|
Change
|
|
Democratic
|
43
|
42
|
1
|
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Republican
|
27
|
28
|
1
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Total
|
70
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70
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New York
All of the seats of the New York Legislature were up for election. Republicans maintained control of the Senate while Democrats maintained control of the Assembly.
New York State Assembly
Party
|
Before
|
After
|
Change
|
|
Democratic
|
102
|
104
|
2
|
|
Republican
|
48
|
46
|
2
|
Total
|
150
|
150
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North Carolina
All of the seats of the North Carolina House of Representatives and half of the North Carolina Senate were up for election. Democrats maintained control of the Senate and gained control of the House.
North Carolina House of Representatives
Party
|
Before
|
After
|
Change
|
|
Democratic
|
59
|
63
|
4
|
|
Republican
|
61
|
57
|
4
|
Total
|
120
|
120
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North Dakota
All of the seats of the North Dakota House of Representatives and half of the North Dakota Senate were up for election. Republicans maintained control of both state legislative chambers.
Ohio
All of the seats of the Ohio House of Representatives and half of the Ohio Senate were up for election. Republicans maintained control of both chambers.
Ohio House of Representatives
Party
|
Before
|
After
|
Change
|
|
Republican
|
62
|
61
|
1
|
|
Democratic
|
37
|
38
|
1
|
Total
|
99
|
99
|
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Oklahoma
All of the seats of the Oklahoma House of Representatives and half of the Oklahoma Senate were up for election. Democrats maintained control of the Senate while Republicans won control of the House.
Oklahoma House of Representatives
Party
|
Before
|
After
|
Change
|
|
Republican
|
48
|
57
|
9
|
|
Democratic
|
53
|
44
|
9
|
Total
|
101
|
101
|
|
Oregon
All of the seats of the Oregon House of Representatives and half of the Oregon Senate were up for election. Democrats won control of the Senate while Republicans maintained control of the House.
Oregon House of Representatives
Party
|
Before
|
After
|
Change
|
|
Republican
|
35
|
33
|
2
|
|
Democratic
|
25
|
27
|
2
|
Total
|
60
|
60
|
|
Pennsylvania
All of the seats of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and half of the Pennsylvania Senate were up for election. Republicans maintained control of both chambers.
Pennsylvania State Senate
Party
|
Before
|
After
|
Change
|
|
Republican
|
29
|
30
|
1
|
|
Democratic
|
21
|
20
|
1
|
Total
|
50
|
50
|
|
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Party
|
Before
|
After
|
Change
|
|
Republican
|
109
|
110
|
1
|
|
Democratic
|
94
|
93
|
1
|
Total
|
203
|
203
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Rhode Island
All of the seats of the Rhode Island Legislature were up for election. Democrats maintained control of both state legislative chambers.
South Carolina
All of the seats of the South Carolina Legislature were up for election. Republicans maintained control of both chambers.
South Carolina House of Representatives
Party
|
Before
|
After
|
Change
|
|
Republican
|
73
|
74
|
1
|
|
Democratic
|
51
|
50
|
1
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Total
|
124
|
124
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South Dakota
All of the seats of the South Dakota Legislature were up for election. Republicans maintained control of both state legislative chambers.
South Dakota House of Representatives
Party
|
Before
|
After
|
Change
|
|
Republican
|
49
|
51
|
2
|
|
Democratic
|
21
|
19
|
2
|
Total
|
70
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70
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Tennessee
All of the seats of the Tennessee House of Representatives and half of the Tennessee Senate were up for election. Republicans gained control of the Senate while Democrats maintained control of the House.
Tennessee House of Representatives
Party
|
Before
|
After
|
Change
|
|
Democratic
|
54
|
53
|
1
|
|
Republican
|
45
|
46
|
1
|
Total
|
99
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99
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Texas
All of the seats of the Texas House of Representatives and half of the Texas Senate were up for election. Republicans maintained control of both state legislative chambers.
Texas House of Representatives
Party
|
Before
|
After
|
Change
|
|
Republican
|
88
|
87
|
1
|
|
Democratic
|
62
|
63
|
1
|
Total
|
150
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150
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Utah
All of the seats of the Utah House of Representatives and half of the Utah Senate were up for election. Republicans maintained control of both state legislative chambers.
Utah House of Representatives
Party
|
Before
|
After
|
Change
|
|
Republican
|
56
|
56
|
|
|
Democratic
|
19
|
19
|
|
Total
|
75
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75
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Vermont
All of the seats of the Vermont Legislature were up for election. Democrats maintained control of the Senate and won control of the House.
Washington
All of the seats of the Washington House of Representatives and half of the Washington Senate were up for election. Democrats won control of the Senate and maintained control of the House.
Washington House of Representatives
Party
|
Before
|
After
|
Change
|
|
Democratic
|
52
|
55
|
3
|
|
Republican
|
46
|
43
|
3
|
Total
|
98
|
98
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West Virginia
All of the seats of the West Virginia House of Delegates and half of the West Virginia Senate were up for election. Democrats maintained control of both state legislative chambers.
West Virginia House of Delegates
Party
|
Before
|
After
|
Change
|
|
Democratic
|
68
|
68
|
|
|
Republican
|
32
|
32
|
|
Total
|
100
|
100
|
|
Wisconsin
All of the seats of the Wisconsin Assembly and half of the Wisconsin Senate were up for election. Republicans maintained control of both chambers.
Wisconsin State Assembly
Party
|
Before
|
After
|
Change
|
|
Republican
|
58
|
60
|
2
|
|
Democratic
|
41
|
39
|
2
|
Total
|
99
|
99
|
|
Wyoming
All of the seats of the Wyoming House of Representatives and half of the Wyoming Senate were up for election. Republicans maintained control of both state legislative chambers.
Wyoming House of Representatives
Party
|
Before
|
After
|
Change
|
|
Republican
|
45
|
46
|
1
|
|
Democratic
|
15
|
14
|
1
|
Total
|
60
|
60
|
|
Territorial and federal district summaries
American Samoa
All of the seats of the American Samoa Senate and the American Samoa House of Representatives were up for election. Members of the Senate serve four-year terms, while members of the House of Representatives serve two-year terms. Gubernatorial and legislative elections are conducted on a nonpartisan basis in American Samoa.
Guam
All of the seats of the unicameral Legislature of Guam were up for election. All members of the legislature serve a two-year term. Democrats lost control of the legislature.
Puerto Rico
All of the seats of the Senate of Puerto Rico and the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico are up for election. Members of the Senate and the House of Representatives both serve four-year terms. The New Progressive Party won control of both chambers.
Washington, D.C.
The Council of the District of Columbia serves as the legislative branch of the federal district of Washington, D.C. Half of the council seats are up for election. Council members serve four-year terms. Democrats retained supermajority control of the council.
Notes
- ^ a b The Oregon Senate and North Carolina House of Representatives were tied prior to the election. Thus, they are not included in this total.
- ^ The Iowa Senate became tied. Thus, it is not included in the final total.
- ^ a b c d e f g h The upper houses of Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Texas use a 2-4-4 term length system.
- ^ a b c These figures represent the seats of Nebraska's unicameral legislature.
- ^ Excludes representative Michael P. Decker's temporary stint as a Democrat which tied the chamber for much of the 2003–2004 legislative session.
- ^ One elected Republican's seat was declared vacant due to residency issues.[9]
- ^ The Democratic Party controlled the chamber by virtue of holding the governor's office.
References
- ^ "State legislative elections, 2004".
- ^ a b c Prah, Pamela M. (November 15, 2007). "2004 elections set up year of legislative stalemate". stateline.org. Archived from the original on November 7, 2008. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
- ^ a b Madigan, Erin; Kelderman, Eric (November 5, 2004). "GOP Loses Ground in Statehouse Control". pew.org. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- ^ a b c Storey, Tim (2005). "2004 legislative elections". Spectrum: The Journal of State Government. 78 (1): 8 – via Gale Academic OneFile.
- ^ Robbins, Jim (December 29, 2004). "Ruling Puts Democrats in Control in Montana". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- ^ a b c "2020 Legislative Races by State and Legislative Chamber". National Conference of State Legislatures.
- ^ Jacobson, Louis (July 9, 2004). "Handicapping the State Legislatures: A 50-State Preview". The Rothenberg Political Report: 7–10 – via Harvard Dataverse.
- ^ a b Jacobson, Louis (October 1, 2004). "Handicapping the State Legislatures: A 50-State Preview". The Rothenberg Political Report: 7–10 – via Harvard Dataverse.
- ^ "Democrats win two special elections in Louisville". The Lexington Herald-Leader. February 15, 2006. p. B6.
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President | |
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U.S. Senate | |
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U.S. House | |
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State governors | |
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State officials | |
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Mayors |
- Baltimore, MD
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- Baton Rouge, LA
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- Milwaukee, WI
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- Santa Ana, CA
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States |
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
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- Florida
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- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
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- Maryland
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- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
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- New Mexico
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- North Carolina
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- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
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Ballot measures | |
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United States Congress | |
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State legislatures |
- Alabama (H, S)
- Alaska (H, S)
- Arizona (H, S)
- Arkansas (H, S)
- California (A, S)
- Colorado (H, S)
- Connecticut (H, S)
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- Florida (H, S)
- Georgia (H, S)
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- Idaho (H, S)
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- Maine (H, S)
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- Minnesota (H, S)
- Mississippi (H, S)
- Missouri (H, S)
- Montana (H, S)
- Nebraska
- Nevada (A, S)
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- New Jersey (GA, S)
- New Mexico (H, S)
- New York (A, S)
- North Carolina (H, S)
- North Dakota (H, S)
- Ohio (H, S)
- Oklahoma (H, S)
- Oregon (H, S)
- Pennsylvania (H, S)
- Rhode Island (H, S)
- South Carolina (H, S)
- South Dakota (H, S)
- Tennessee (H, S)
- Texas (H, S)
- Utah (H, S)
- Vermont (H, S)
- Virginia (H, S)
- Washington (H, S)
- West Virginia (H, S)
- Wisconsin (A, S)
- Wyoming (H, S)
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Legislative elections | |
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