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Incumbents defeated in state legislative elections, 2015

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Last updated on April 10, 2025
2015 State Legislative Competitiveness
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There were 538 state legislative seats up for election in November 2015 in four states. This page analyzes incumbents defeated in those elections. An incumbent may be defeated at two points in an election cycle: during a primary and during a general election.[1]

In 2015, 28 incumbents lost their re-election bids: 12 in general elections and 16 in primaries. This was more than in 2013 (7) but less than in 2011 (30).

On this page, you will find:

Incumbents defeated in general elections

In state legislative general elections, 12 lost to challengers, 2.7% of incumbents running for re-election. This was more than in 2013 (5) but less than in 2011 (21).

In 2015 general elections:

  • Two Democratic incumbents lost, 1.1% of the 182 Democratic incumbents who ran and 2.6% of the 76 contested Democratic incumbents.
  • 10 Republican incumbents lost, 3.9% of the 259 Republican incumbents who ran and 10.2% of the 98 contested Republican incumbents.
  • The total number of incumbents defeated in general elections—12—was less than in 2011 (21), representing a 43% decrease.
  • In 2015

    See also

    Footnotes

    1. Incumbents may also be defeated in other nominating contests such as conventions. Ballotpedia counts an incumbent defeat in a convention as a defeat in a primary.