The 2021 United States state legislative elections were held on November 2, 2021. Three legislative chambers in two states, New Jersey and Virginia, held regularly scheduled elections. These off-year elections coincided with other state and local elections, including gubernatorial elections in both states.
As a result of the elections, New Jersey retained its Democratic trifecta, while a divided government was established in Virginia, as Republicans won back the lower house of the Virginia legislature, which they lost two years earlier.
Summary table Regularly scheduled elections were held in 3 of the 99 state legislative chambers in the United States. Nationwide, regularly scheduled elections were held for 220 of the 7,383 legislative seats. This table only covers regularly scheduled elections; additional special elections took place concurrently with these regularly scheduled elections.
State Upper House Lower House Seats up Total % up Term Seats up Total % up TermNew Jersey4040100280801002Virginia040041001001002
Electoral predictions Most election predictors use: "Tossup": No advantage "Tilt": Advantage that is not quite as strong as "lean" "Lean": Slight advantage "Likely": Significant, but surmountable, advantage "Safe" or "Solid": Near-certain chance of victory
State PVI Chamber Lastelection Sabato Elections DailyResult New Jersey rowspan=2 Senate D 25–15 | | D 24–16 General Assembly D 52–28 | | D 46–34 Virginia House of Delegates D 55–45 | | R 52–48
State summaries New Jersey
All seats of the New Jersey Senate and the New Jersey General Assembly were up for election. One Senator and two Assembly members were elected to two-year terms in each district. Democrats retained majority control in both chambers, but they lost seats in each as well, despite their candidates generally outrunning governor Phil Murphy in the concurrent gubernatorial election. Most stunningly, Senate president Stephen Sweeney lost re-election to a political newcomer who spent less than $2,500 on his campaign. Senate Party Leader Before After Change Democratic Stephen Sweeney (defeated) 25 24 1 Republican Thomas Kean Jr. (retired) 15 16 1 Total 40 40 General Assembly Party Leader Before After Change Democratic Craig Coughlin 52 46 6 Republican Jon Bramnick (retired) 28 34 6 Total 80 80
Virginia
All seats of the Virginia House of Delegates are up for election; the Virginia Senate did not hold regularly-scheduled elections in 2021. Delegates are elected to two-year terms in single-member districts. Democrats had recently gained control of the House in 2019; however, they lost their majority to the Republicans in this election. House of Delegates Party Leader Before After Change Republican Todd Gilbert 45 52 7 Democratic Eileen Filler-Corn 55 48 7 Total 100 100
Special elections Various states held special elections for legislative districts throughout the year. Neither party made net gains, with Democrats picking up 3 seats in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, New Hampshire House of Representatives, and Maine House of Representatives, while Republicans picked up 3 seats in the Connecticut State Senate, Iowa House of Representatives, and Texas House of Representatives.
Alabama District Incumbent This race Chamber No. Representative Party Firstelected Results Candidates House 33 Ronald Johnson Republican 1978 Incumbent died July 14, 2020, of liver cancer.New member elected January 19, 2021.Republican hold. Senate 26 David Burkette Democratic 2018 Incumbent resigned September 1, 2020, for private reasons.New member elected March 2, 2021.Democratic hold. Senate 14 Cam Ward Republican 2010 Incumbent resigned December 7, 2020, to become the Director of the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles.New member elected July 13, 2021.Republican hold. House 73 Matt Fridy Republican 2014 Incumbent resigned January 18, 2021, to join the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals.New member elected July 13, 2021.Republican hold. House 78 Kirk Hatcher Democratic 2018 Incumbent resigned March 3, 2021, to join the Alabama Senate.New member elected September 7, 2021.Democratic hold.
California District Incumbent This race Chamber No. Representative Party Firstelected Results Candidates Senate 30 Holly Mitchell Democratic 2013 Incumbent resigned December 6, 2020, to join the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.New member elected March 2, 2021.Democratic hold. Assembly 79 Shirley Weber Democratic 2012 Incumbent resigned January 29, 2021, to become Secretary of State of California.New member elected April 6, 2021.Democratic hold. Assembly 54 Sydney Kamlager Democratic 2018 Incumbent resigned March 11, 2021, to join the State Senate.New member elected May 18, 2021.Democratic hold. Assembly 18 Rob Bonta Democratic 2012 Incumbent resigned April 22, 2021, to become Attorney General of California.General election held June 29.New member elected in runoff August 31, 2021.Democratic hold.
Connecticut
District Incumbent This race Chamber No. Representative Party Firstelected Results Candidates Senate 27 Carlo Leone Democratic 2011 Incumbent resigned January 5, 2021, to become Senior ConnDOT advisor.New member elected March 2, 2021.Democratic hold. House 112 J.P. Sredzinski Republican 2014 Incumbent resigned February 17, 2021, for private reasons.New member elected April 13, 2021.Republican hold. House 145 Patricia Miller Democratic 2008 Incumbent resigned March 8, 2021, to join the State Senate.New member elected April 27, 2021.Democratic hold. Senate 36 Alexandra Kasser Democratic 2018 Incumbent resigned June 22, 2021, due to divorce proceedings.New member elected August 17, 2021.Republican gain. House 116 Michael DiMassa Democratic 2016 Incumbent resigned October 25, 2021, after being arrested for wire fraud.New member elected December 14, 2021.Democratic hold.
Georgia District Incumbent This race Chamber No. Representative Party Firstelected Results Candidates House 90 Pam Stephenson Democratic 2004 Incumbent resigned September 10, 2020, due to dementia.New member elected March 9, 2021.Democratic hold. House 34 Bert Reeves Republican 2014 Incumbent resigned April 30, 2021, to become vice-president of university relations at Georgia Institute of Technology.General election held June 15.New member elected in runoff July 13, 2021.Republican hold. House 156 Greg Morris Republican 1998 Incumbent resigned April 13, 2021, to join the Georgia Department of Transportation.General election held June 15.New member elected in runoff July 13, 2021.Republican hold. House 165 Mickey Stephens Democratic 2008 Incumbent died August 14, 2021, of illness.New member elected November 2, 2021.Democratic hold.
Iowa District Incumbent This race Chamber No. Representative Party Firstelected Results Candidates Senate 41 Mariannette Miller-Meeks Republican 2018 Incumbent resigned January 2, 2021, to become a .New member elected January 26, 2021.Republican hold. House 37 John Landon Republican 2012 Incumbent died July 29, 2021, of cancer.New member elected September 14, 2021.Republican hold. House 29 Wes Breckenridge Democratic 2016 Incumbent resigned September 10, 2021, to take a job with the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy.New member elected October 12, 2021.Republican gain. Senate 1 Zach Whiting Republican 2018 Incumbent resigned October 30, 2021, to take a job with the Texas Public Policy Foundation.New member elected December 14, 2021.Republican hold.
Kentucky District Incumbent This race Chamber No. Representative Party Firstelected Results Candidates Senate 22 Tom Buford Republican 1990 Incumbent died July 6, 2021, of cancer.New member elected November 2, 2021.Republican hold. House 51 John "Bam" Carney Republican 2008 Incumbent died July 17, 2021, of pancreatitis.New member elected November 2, 2021.Republican hold. House 89 Robert Goforth Republican 2018 Incumbent resigned August 24, 2021, due to domestic assault proceedings.New member elected November 2, 2021.Republican hold.
Louisiana District Incumbent This race Chamber No. Representative Party Firstelected Results Candidates House 82 Charles Henry Republican 2019 Incumbent resigned January 12, 2021, for private reasons.New member elected April 24, 2021.Republican hold. Senate 7 Troy Carter Democratic 2015 Incumbent resigned May 10, 2021, to become a .New member elected June 12, 2021.Democratic hold. House 102 Gary Carter Jr. Democratic 2015 Incumbent resigned July 2, 2021, to join the State Senate.New member elected November 13, 2021.Democratic hold. House 16 Frederick D. Jones Democratic 2019 Incumbent resigned July 16, 2021, to become a Fourth Judicial District Court judge.New member elected November 13, 2021.Democratic hold. Senate 27 Ronnie Johns Republican 2011 Incumbent resigned July 23, 2021, to become chairman of the Louisiana State Gaming Control Board.New member elected November 13, 2021.Republican hold.
Maine District Incumbent This race Chamber No. Representative Party Firstelected Results Candidates Senate 14 Shenna Bellows Democratic 2016 Incumbent resigned December 2, 2020, to become Secretary of State of Maine.New member elected March 9, 2021.Democratic hold. House 86 Justin Fecteau Republican 2018 Incumbent resigned July 4, 2021, to take a teaching job outside his district.New member elected November 2, 2021.Democratic gain.
Massachusetts District Incumbent This race Chamber No. Representative Party Firstelected Results Candidates House Suffolk 19 Robert DeLeo Democratic 1990 Incumbent resigned December 29, 2020, to work at Northeastern University.New member elected March 30, 2021.Democratic hold. House Essex 4 Bradford Hill Republican 1998 Incumbent resigned September 15, 2021, to become a commissioner with the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.New member elected November 30, 2021.Democratic gain.
Michigan
District Incumbent This race Chamber No. Representative Party Firstelected Results Candidates Senate 8 Peter Lucido Republican 2018 Incumbent resigned December 31, 2020, to become Macomb County Prosecutor.New member elected November 2, 2021.Republican hold. Senate 28 Peter MacGregor Republican 2014 Incumbent resigned December 31, 2020, to become Kent County Treasurer.New member elected November 2, 2021.Republican hold.
Mississippi District Incumbent This race Chamber No. Representative Party Firstelected Results Candidates Senate 32 Sampson Jackson Democratic 1991 Incumbent resigned June 30, 2021, for private reasons.General election held November 2, 2021New member elected in runoff November 23.Democratic hold. Senate 38 Tammy Witherspoon Democratic 2015 Incumbent resigned June 30, 2021, to become mayor of Magnolia.New member elected November 2, 2021.Democratic hold. House 29 Abe Marshall Hudson Jr. Democratic 2016 Incumbent resigned August 30, 2021, for private reasons.New member elected outright after the November 2, 2021, general election was cancelled.Democratic hold.
Missouri District Incumbent This race Chamber No. Representative Party Firstelected Results Candidates House 45 Kip Kendrick Democratic 2014 Incumbent resigned January 6, 2021, to become Senator Greg Razer's chief of staff.New member elected April 6, 2021.Democratic hold.
New Hampshire