Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection report
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2022 statistics |
Survey respondents About the survey |
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For the fifth year in a row, Ballotpedia invited candidates to take part in our Candidate Connection initiative. We surveyed candidates at the federal, state, and local levels to help voters choose representatives who reflected their values and upheld their ideals.
A total of 6,087 candidates responded to the survey.[1] This 2022 report compares 2022 respondents to 2018-2021 respondents and examines where those respondents lived, what offices they ran for, and how they did in their races. It also highlights several notable candidates who completed the survey, features the respondents who won their elections, and lists all of the 6,087 candidates who sent in answers.
The greatest number of respondents came from Texas, with 547 candidates answering Ballotpedia's survey. Incumbents accounted for 6% of respondents, with challengers making up the remaining 94%. Candidates running for state legislative offices were the largest group at 49% of all respondents.
Survey statistics
By year
Respondents compared to total candidates
In 2018, there were 1,957 survey respondents out of 28,315 total candidates covered by Ballotpedia in that year, equaling a 6.9% completion rate. In 2022, 6,087 candidates responded to the survey out of 68,747 total candidates. Ninety-two of these candidates were part of Ballotpedia’s expansion to collect surveys from local candidates beyond Ballotpedia's core coverage scope. Excluding candidates from this expansion project, 5,995 candidates took the survey out of 31,452 candidates, equaling a 19.1% completion rate.[2]
Even-year elections compared to odd-year elections
In the past two even-year election cycles, a majority of respondents ran for state offices: 63.3% in 2018 and 58.9% in 2020. The same held in 2022, when 57.2% of respondents were candidates for state office.
By state
Candidates from all 50 states and the District of Columbia responded to Ballotpedia's candidate survey in 2022. Texas had the most respondents with 547, followed by California at 524 respondents and North Carolina at 313.
A table of respondents by state may be viewed by clicking [show] at the right.[3] | |
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By office
Candidates for state legislative office made up the greatest percentage of respondents at 49%, followed by congressional candidates at 24%.
A table of respondents by office may be viewed by clicking [show] at the right. | |
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Respondents within offices
A table of respondents within offices may be viewed by clicking [show] at the right. | |
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By election outcome
Out of the 6,087 candidates who completed Ballotpedia's candidate survey, 1,101 won and 4,462 lost their elections. A total of 430 respondents withdrew or were disqualified from their races. One candidate's election remained undecided, and another's race was canceled. The election outcomes of an additional 92 candidates were not tracked.
Survey respondents
Notable respondents
The following five candidates completed the Candidate Connection survey in 2022. We have highlighted their stories, as well as their responses to one of the survey questions, as a small sampling of the 6,087 respondents. They are listed in alphabetical order by last name.
Trey Allen
Trey Allen (R) completed Ballotpedia's candidate survey during his run for a seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court. Allen defeated the incumbent, Justice Sam Ervin IV (D), in the general election by a margin of 52.2% to 47.8%.
When asked what areas of public policy he was personally passionate about, Allen answered:
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My views on matters of public policy are not relevant to my campaign for a seat on the NC Supreme Court. The authority of the judiciary ultimately rests on the public's confidence that the courts base their rulings on the facts and the law. If elected to the NC Supreme Court, I will not allow my policy preference or political opinions to influence my decisions.[4] |
” |
| —Trey Allen[5] | ||
Jasmine Crockett
Jasmine Crockett (D) completed Ballotpedia's candidate survey during her run to represent Texas' 30th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She defeated Republican candidate James Rodgers and three other candidates in the general election, earning 74.7% of the vote.
When asked what areas of public policy she was personally passionate about, Crockett answered:
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As a civil rights & criminal defense attorney, I am absolutely passionate about the inequities that I see, in general, and am deeply concerned about the constitutional rights of people that are seemingly being stripped away. Specifically, I am passionate about the criminal justice system, education, housing, jobs, healthcare, voting rights, reproductive rights, and climate injustices. These are all areas that I have worked to propound policy change, but in the absence of policy, I have specifically attempted to stand in the gap for my community. By that I mean, while the legislature refused to expand upon medicaid in Texas, our office partnered with local organizations to provide a mammogram clinic for those with or without insurance. We also worked to provide eye glasses to children in socio-economically disadvantaged situations. We also vaccinated more people through our office than any other. These are simply a few ways that we are working beyond the roadblocks that policy change sometimes presents.[4] |
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| —Jasmine Crockett[6] | ||
Robert Luna
Robert Luna completed Ballotpedia's candidate survey during his run for Los Angeles County Sheriff in California. He defeated the incumbent, Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who also completed the survey, in the nonpartisan general election by a margin of 61.3% to 38.7%.
When asked what areas of public policy he was personally passionate about, Luna answered:
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Improve Deputy and Employee Wellness As Sheriff and senior manager for more than ten thousand deputies, I will improve the working conditions within LASD by eradicating deputy gangs and providing wellness programs to deputies and employees. With more than three decades of police experience, I have seen first-hand that the personal needs of law enforcement officers and employees go ignored too often, which leads to negative consequences. The Sheriff’s Department has been plagued by gangs and cliques for decades. As Sheriff, I will eradicate gangs and cliques within the Department by repairing the management structure, implementing protocols to stop deputies from participating in gangs, and enforcing consequences when we find staff who are involved in gang activities. As Sheriff, I will reform LASD’s culture and policies to support the wellbeing and safety of the brave women and men who chose to serve their community. This includes being attentive to equipment and uniform needs, providing mental healthcare, and creating peer counseling and mentoring programs. And, just as importantly, I will work to reduce any stigma associated with mental health care to ensure that all deputies take full advantage of these services. Strengthening law enforcement safety and wellness are not only essential for employees, but also for public safety.[4] |
” |
| —Robert Luna[7] | ||
Ellen Weaver
Ellen Weaver (R) completed Ballotpedia's candidate survey during her run for South Carolina Superintendent of Education. She defeated Democratic and Alliance Party candidate Lisa Ellis and Green Party candidate Patricia Mickel in the general election, earning 55.5% of the vote.
When asked what areas of public policy she was personally passionate about, Weaver answered:
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South Carolina’s education crisis is urgent. COVID has exposed fault lines that have been growing for decades. But this could be South Carolina’s greatest moment of education opportunity if we come together to focus on results for students, to empower parents, and to support great teachers. My plan for educational excellence in South Carolina is built on three important principles: Flexibility Equip students to pursue their unique needs and personal goals, empower parents to exercise their God-given rights, cut red tape to allow educators to do their jobs effectively, and keep decision-making authority as close to the student as possible. Responsibility Deliver a high-quality education for every child. Maintain a laser focus on academic outcomes that are measured in a fair and transparent way, as well as total financial transparency so that taxpayers know their money is actually being spent. Fairness Provide equal access to education opportunities for every student, no matter their family’s income level or zip code. This also means a strong focus on students with special needs and special gifts, to help them realize their unique potential.[4] |
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| —Ellen Weaver[8] | ||
Carolyn Weems
Carolyn Weems completed Ballotpedia's candidate survey during her run for a seat on the Virginia Beach Public Schools school board. Weems defeated Erika Guess in the nonpartisan general election on November 8, 2022.
When asked what areas of public policy she was personally passionate about, Weems answered:
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Over the course of my years on the School Board I have consistently fought for students with special needs. While our school system has improved in this area, we need to collaborate more with our parents and community members of the SEAC (Special Education Advisory Committee). Also, better transition services are needed as well as more opportunities for students with special needs to be included in extracurricular activities. I lost my daughter to opioid addiction after she became addicted after a sports injury. I am passionate about educating the public and students about the dangers of prescription drugs. I have been successful in getting this messaging into the Family Life Education curriculum in our schools but we must do more. I am leading an effort to create a 'recovery school' that would provide students with the necessary resources to get treatment for their addiction while also continuing to get an education.[4] |
” |
| —Carolyn Weems[9] | ||
List of winners
The following spreadsheet has a full list of 2022 election winners who completed the Candidate Connection survey. Click on the spreadsheet and use arrow keys to scroll vertically and horizontally through the list.
List of all respondents
The following spreadsheet has a full list of 2022 candidates who completed the Candidate Connection survey. Click on the spreadsheet and use arrow keys to scroll vertically and horizontally through the list.
About the survey
- See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Ballotpedia surveyed candidates at the federal, state, and local levels in 2022 to find out what motivated them on political and personal levels. These surveys did not contain simple issue questions. They were designed to elicit insightful and thoughtful responses from candidates on what they cared about, what they stood for, and what they hoped to achieve. With these surveys, we aimed to both enlighten voters on the core components of candidates' political philosophy and provide candidates with the chance to show who they really were as people.
See also
- Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection report
- Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection report
- Ballotpedia's 2019 Candidate Connection report
- Ballotpedia's 2018 Candidate Connection report
- Candidate survey
- Newsletters
- Contact us
Footnotes
- ↑ Out of the 6,087 candidates who submitted a survey, 92 were part of a pilot program to collect surveys from local candidates outside of Ballotpedia's core coverage scope. As indicated below, these candidates have been excluded from some of the analysis that follows.
- ↑ Excluding candidates from Ballotpedia's 2022 ultra-local expansion project made the survey completion rate more comparable year over year.
- ↑ This table does not include a survey from a candidate running for office in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "Trey Allen’s responses," October 11, 2022
- ↑ Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "Jasmine Crockett’s responses," February 1, 2022
- ↑ Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "Robert Luna’s responses," October 24, 2022
- ↑ Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "Ellen Weaver’s responses," November 1, 2022
- ↑ Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "Carolyn Weems’ responses," August 7, 2022