2012 United States state legislative elections

The 2012 United States state legislative elections were held on November 6, 2012, for 86 state legislative chambers in 44 states. Across the fifty states, approximately 65 percent of all upper house seats and 85 percent of all lower house seats were up for election. Nine legislative chambers in the five permanently inhabited U.S. territories and the federal district of Washington, D.C. also held elections. The elections took place concurrently with several other federal, state, and local elections, including the presidential election, U.S. Senate elections, U.S. House elections, and gubernatorial elections.

13 chambers shifted party control, as Republicans had gained many chambers in the 2010 mid-term elections, and this was seen as a modest rebalancing.

Democrats won the Colorado House of Representatives, Maine Senate, Maine House of Representatives, Minnesota Senate, Minnesota House of Representatives, New Hampshire House of Representatives, and Oregon House of Representatives that was previously tied. Meanwhile, Republicans won the Wisconsin Senate, which was briefly under Democratic control after multiple recall elections earlier in the year, and both chambers of the Arkansas legislature for the first time since 1874. The Alaska Senate went from a Democratic-led coalition to Republican control. The Washington Senate went from Democratic control to a Republican-led coalition, and the New York State Senate went from Republican control to a Republican-led coalition.

Democrats won a trifecta in Minnesota for the first time since 1991.

Summary table Regularly scheduled elections were held in 86 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. 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.

State Upper House Lower House Seats up Total % up Term Seats up Total % up TermAlaska192095440401002Arizona3030100260601002Arkansas35351002/41001001002California204050480801002 Colorado183551465651002 Connecticut363610021511511002 Delaware21211002/441411002 Florida40401002/41201201002 Georgia565610021801801002 Hawaii25251002/451511002 Idaho3535100270701002 Illinois59591002/41181181002 Indiana25505041001001002 Iowa25505041001001002 Kansas404010041251251002 Kentucky19385041001001002 Louisiana03904010504 Maine353510021511511002 Maryland04704014104 Massachusetts404010021601601002 Michigan038041101101002 Minnesota67671002/41341341002 Mississippi05204012204 Missouri17345041631631002 Montana25505041001001002 Nebraska2549514 N/A (unicameral) Nevada102148442421002 New Hampshire242410024004001002 New Jersey04002/408002 New Mexico4242100470701002 New York636310021501501002 North Carolina505010021201201002 North Dakota23474944794504 Ohio163348499991002 Oklahoma24485041011011002 Oregon153050460601002 Pennsylvania25505042032031002 Rhode Island3838100275751002 South Carolina464610041241241002 South Dakota3535100270701002 Tennessee163348499991002 Texas1631522/41501501002 Utah152952475751002 Vermont303010021501501002 Virginia04004010002 Washington254951498981002 West Virginia17345041001001002 Wisconsin163348499991002 Wyoming153050460601002 Total1281197265N/A4595541185N/A

Redistricting

The 2012 elections were the first held after redistricting following the 2010 census. All states holding elections in 2012 did so under new maps drawn in accordance with the new census results with the exception of Montana and Pennsylvania. Montana implements its new maps four years after the census as opposed to two, whereas Pennsylvania's Supreme Court rejected the legislative maps drawn by the state's politician redistricting commission, leaving the elections to be held under the lines passed in 2001. In a majority of states, legislative redistricting is controlled by the state legislature, often subject to gubernatorial veto. This allows for widespread gerrymandering, in which the party in power draws legislative boundaries to favor itself. Many states delegate redistricting power to an independent or bipartisan redistricting commission, often with the goal of minimizing or eliminating partisan gerrymandering.

Electoral predictions

Analysts considered both the Democratic and Republican parties to be at approximately equal risk of losing state legislative chambers to the other, owing to the expectation that this would be the first election that was not a wave election since 2004. Although Republicans were expected to win states like Arkansas, which had been trending towards them in recent years, Democrats had the potential to roll back some of the gains Republicans had made in 2010 in more competitive states such as Colorado. Despite the potential for Democratic gains, they were still expected to remain far behind the Republicans in overall chamber control due to the major losses the party suffered in 2010 and 2011.

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

StateChamberLast electionBallotpediaGoverningResultAlaskaSenateCoal. 15–5 | | R 13–7House of RepresentativesR 24–16 | | R 26–14ArizonaSenateR 21–9 | | R 17–13House of RepresentativesR 40–20 | | R 36–24ArkansasSenateD 20–15 | | R 21–14House of RepresentativesD 55–45 | | R 51–48–1CaliforniaState SenateD 25–15 | | D 29–11State AssemblyD 52–28 | | D 56–24ColoradoSenateD 20–15 | | D 20–15House of RepresentativesR 33–32 | | D 37–28ConnecticutState SenateD 23–13 | | D 22–14House of RepresentativesD 99–52 | | D 98–53DelawareSenateD 14–7 | | D 13–8House of RepresentativesD 26–15 | | D 27–14FloridaSenateR 28–12 | | R 26–14House of RepresentativesR 81–39 | | R 76–44GeorgiaState SenateR 35–21 | | R 38–18House of RepresentativesR 108–71–1 | | R 119–60–1HawaiiSenateD 24–1 | | D 24–1House of RepresentativesD 43–8 | | D 44–7IdahoSenateR 28–7 | | R 29–6House of RepresentativesR 57–13 | | R 57–13IllinoisSenateD 35–24 | | D 40–19House of RepresentativesD 64–54 | | D 71–47IndianaSenateR 37–13 | | R 37–13House of RepresentativesR 60–40 | | R 69–31IowaSenateD 26–24 | | D 26–24House of RepresentativesR 60–40 | | R 53–47 KansasSenateR 31–9 | | R 32–8House of RepresentativesR 92–33 | | R 92–33KentuckySenateR 22–15–1 | | R 23–14–1House of RepresentativesD 58–42 | | D 55–45MaineSenateR 20–14–1 | | D 19–15–1House of RepresentativesR 77–73–1 | | D 89–58–4MassachusettsSenateD 36–4 | | D 36–4House of RepresentativesD 130–30 | | D 131–29 MichiganHouse of RepresentativesR 63–47 | | R 59–51 MinnesotaSenateR 37–30 | | D 39–28House of RepresentativesR 72–62 | | D 73–61MissouriSenateR 26–8 | | R 24–10House of RepresentativesR 106–57 | | R 110–53MontanaSenateR 28–22 | | R 27–23House of RepresentativesR 68–32 | | R 61–39NevadaSenateD 11–10 | | D 11–10AssemblyD 26–16 | | D 27–15New HampshireSenateR 19–5 | | R 13–11House of RepresentativesR 298–102 | | D 221–179 New MexicoSenateD 27–15 | | D 25–17House of RepresentativesD 36–34 | | D 38–32New YorkState SenateR 32–30 | | Coal. 36–27State AssemblyD 99–50–1 | | D 105–44–1North CarolinaSenateR 31–19 | | R 32–18House of RepresentativesR 67–52–1 | | R 77–43North DakotaSenateR 35–12 | | R 33–14House of RepresentativesR 69–25 | | R 71–23OhioSenateR 23–10 | | R 23–10House of RepresentativesR 59–40 | | R 60–39OklahomaSenateR 32–16 | | R 36–12House of RepresentativesR 70–31 | | R 72–29OregonState SenateD 16–14 | | D 16–14House of Representatives30–30 | | D 34–26PennsylvaniaState SenateR 30–20 | | R 27–23House of RepresentativesR 112–91 | | R 111–92Rhode IslandSenateD 29–8–1 | | D 32–5–1House of RepresentativesD 65–10 | | D 69–6 South CarolinaSenateR 27–19 | | R 28–18House of RepresentativesR 76–48 | | R 78–46South DakotaSenateR 30–5 | | R 28–7House of RepresentativesR 50–19–1 | | R 53–17TennesseeSenateR 20–13 | | R 26–7House of RepresentativesR 64–34–1 | | R 71–27–1TexasSenateR 19–12 | | R 19–12House of RepresentativesR 99–51 | | R 95–55UtahState SenateR 22–7 | | R 24–5House of RepresentativesR 58–17 | | R 61–14VermontSenateD 21–8–1 | | D 21–7–2House of RepresentativesD 94–48–5–3 | | D 96–45–5–4WashingtonState SenateD 27–22 | | Coal. 26–23House of RepresentativesD 56–42 | | D 55–43West VirginiaSenateD 28–6 | | D 25–9House of DelegatesD 65–35 | | D 54–46WisconsinSenateD 17–16 | | R 18–15State AssemblyR 60–38–1 | | R 60–39WyomingSenateR 26–4 | | R 26–4House of RepresentativesR 50–10 | | R 52–8

Maps

State summaries

Alaska

Most of the seats of the Alaska Senate and all of the seats of the Alaska House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Republicans won control of the Senate from a Democratic-led coalition, while maintaining control of the Alaska House of Representatives.

Alaska Senate Party Before After Change Republican 5 13 35 Democratic 10 2 3 5 Total 20 20

Alaska House of Representatives Party Before After Change Republican 24 26 2 Democratic44 2 12 10 Total 40 40

Arizona

All of the seats of the Arizona Senate and the Arizona House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Republicans maintained a government trifecta with control of the governorship and both state legislative chambers.

Arizona Senate Party Before After Change Republican 21 17 4 Democratic 9 13 4 Total 30 30

Arizona House of Representatives Party Before After Change Republican 40 36 4 Democratic 20 24 4 Total 60 60

Arkansas

All of the seats of the Arkansas Senate and all of the seats of the Arkansas House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Republicans won control of both chambers for the first time since Reconstruction, thereby ending a government trifecta. The Green Party won one seat in the House because a judge had ordered all votes for the candidate's opponent not be counted, due to a felony conviction for election fraud.

Arkansas Senate Party Before After Change Republican 15 21 6 Democratic 20 14 6 Total 35 35

Arkansas House of Representatives Party Before After Change Republican 46 51 5 Democratic 54 48 6 Green 0 1 1 Total 100 100

California

Half of the seats of the California State Senate and all of the seats of the California State Assembly were up for election in 2012. Democrats held control of both chambers, maintaining a government trifecta.

California State Senate Party Before After Change Democratic 25 29 4 Republican 15 11 4 Total 40 40

California State Assembly Party Before After Change Democratic 52 55 3 Republican 28 25 3 Total 80 80

Colorado

Half of the seats of the Colorado Senate and all of the seats of the Colorado House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Democrats held control of the state Senate and won control of the state House, establishing a trifecta.

Colorado Senate Party Before After Change Democratic 20 20 Republican 15 15 Total 35 35

Colorado House of Representatives Party Before After Change Democratic 32 37 5 Republican 33 28 5 Total 65 65

Connecticut

All of the seats of the Connecticut State Senate and the Connecticut House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Democrats held control of both houses.

Connecticut State Senate Party Before After Change Democratic 22 22 Republican 14 14 Total 36 36

Connecticut House of Representatives Party Before After Change Democratic 99 98 1 Republican 52 53 1 Total 151 151

Delaware