2008 United States state legislative elections

Last updated
2008 United States state legislative elections
Flag of the United States.svg
  2007 November 4, 2008 2009  

85 legislative chambers in 44 states
 Majority partyMinority partyThird party
 
Party Democratic Republican Coalition
Chambers before5839 [lower-alpha 1] 1 [lower-alpha 2]
Chambers after61371 [lower-alpha 2]
Overall changeIncrease2.svg 3Decrease2.svg 2Steady2.svg

US2008stateupperhouses.svg
Map of upper house elections:
     Democrats gained control     Democrats retained control
     Republicans gained control     Republicans retained control
     Coalition retained control
     Non-partisan legislature
     No regularly-scheduled elections

US2008statelowerhouses.svg
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 4, 2008, alongside other elections, in which Democrats scored significant gains in a blue wave election. 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] Seven territorial chambers in four territories and the District of Columbia were up.

Contents

The New Hampshire Senate saw the election of the first-ever female majority. This is the first time this has occurred in any chamber of any state legislature in United States history. [2] In New York, the Democrats obtained a trifecta for the first time since 1935, and in Delaware for the first time since 1977. [3]

The Democrats took control of six legislative bodies to the Republicans' four. Democrats took control of the Delaware House of Representatives, for the first time since 1985, the Montana House of Representatives, the Nevada Senate, and the New York State Senate, for the first time since 1966, the Ohio House of Representatives, and the Wisconsin State Assembly. Republicans took control of the Montana Senate; both houses of the Tennessee General Assembly, [4] for the first time since 1870; and the Oklahoma Senate, for the first time in state history. With the Montana Senate and the Montana House of Representatives flipping, this election cycle marked the last time in U.S. history as of 2023 where the upper house and lower house held by different political parties in a state legislature both flipped in the same cycle.

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 5,948 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. [5] 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.

StateUpper House [5] Lower House [5]
Seats upTotal % upTermSeats upTotal % upTerm
Alaska 192095440401002
Arizona 3030100260601002
Arkansas 35351002/4 [lower-alpha 3] 1001001002
California 204050480801002
Colorado 183551465651002
Connecticut 363610021511511002
Delaware 21211002/4 [lower-alpha 3] 41411002
Florida 40401002/4 [lower-alpha 3] 1201201002
Georgia 565610021801801002
Hawaii 25251002/4 [lower-alpha 3] 51511002
Idaho 3535100270701002
Illinois 59591002/4 [lower-alpha 3] 1181181002
Indiana 25505041001001002
Iowa 25505041001001002
Kansas 404010041251251002
Kentucky 19385041001001002
Louisiana 03904010504
Maine 353510021511511002
Maryland 04704014104
Massachusetts 404010021601601002
Michigan 038041101101002
Minnesota 001002/4 [lower-alpha 3] 1341341002
Mississippi 05204012204
Missouri 17345041631631002
Montana 25505041001001002
Nebraska 25 [lower-alpha 4] 49 [lower-alpha 4] 51 [lower-alpha 4] 4N/A (unicameral)
Nevada 102148442421002
New Hampshire 242410024004001002
New Jersey 04002/4 [lower-alpha 3] 08002
New Mexico 4242100470701002
New York 636310021501501002
North Carolina 505010021201201002
North Dakota 23474944794504
Ohio 163348499991002
Oklahoma 24485041011011002
Oregon 153050460601002
Pennsylvania 25505042032031002
Rhode Island 3838100275751002
South Carolina 464610041241241002
South Dakota 3535100270701002
Tennessee 163348499991002
Texas 1631522/4 [lower-alpha 3] 1501501002
Utah 152952475751002
Vermont 303010021501501002
Virginia 04004010002
Washington 254951498981002
West Virginia 17345041001001002
Wisconsin 163348499991002
Wyoming 153050460601002
Total1281197265N/A4595541185N/A

State summaries

Upper houses

StatePrevious UHResultParty control
AlaskaCoal. 15-5Coal. 16-4Coalition Hold
ArizonaR 17-13R 18-12Republican hold
ArkansasD 27-8D 27-8Democratic hold
CaliforniaD 25-15D 25-15Democratic hold
ColoradoD 20-15D 21-14Democratic hold
ConnecticutD 23-13D 24-12Democratic hold
DelawareD 13-8D 16-5Democratic hold
FloridaR 26-14R 26-14Republican hold
GeorgiaR 34-22R 34-22Republican hold
HawaiiD 20-5D 23-2Democratic hold
IdahoR 28-7R 28-7Republican hold
IllinoisD 37-22D 37-22Democratic hold
IndianaR 33-17R 33-17Republican hold
IowaD 30-20D 32-18Democratic hold
KansasR 30-10R 31-9Republican hold
KentuckyR 22-15-1R 21-16-1Republican hold
MaineD 28-17D 20–15Democratic Hold
MassachusettsD 35-5D 35-5Democratic hold
MissouriR 21-13R 23-11Republican hold
MontanaD 26-24R 27-23Republican Takeover
Nebraska Unicameral and non–partisan Senate with 49 members
NevadaR 11-10D 12-9Democratic Takeover
New HampshireD 14-10D 14-10Democratic Hold
New MexicoD 24-18D 27-15Democratic hold
New YorkR 32-30D 32-30Democratic takeover
North CarolinaD 31-19D 30-20Democratic Hold
North DakotaR 26-21R 26-21Republican hold
OhioR 21-12R 21-12Republican hold
OklahomaD 24-24 [lower-alpha 5] R 26-22Republican Takeover
OregonD 19-11D 18-12Democratic hold
PennsylvaniaR 29-21R 30-20Republican hold
Rhode IslandD 33–5.D 33-4-1Democratic hold
South CarolinaR 27-19R 27-19Republican hold
South DakotaR 20-15R 21-14Republican hold
Tennessee16-16-1 [lower-alpha 1] R 19-14Republican Takeover
TexasR 20-11R 19-12Republican hold
UtahR 21-8R 21-8Republican hold
VermontD 23-7D 23-7Democratic hold
WashingtonD 31-18D 31-18Democratic hold
West VirginiaD 23-11D 26-8Democratic hold
WisconsinD 18-15D 18-15Democratic Hold
WyomingR 23-7R 23-7Republican hold

Lower houses

StatePrevious LHResultParty control
AlaskaR 23-17R 22-18Republican hold
ArizonaR 33-27R 36-24Republican hold
ArkansasD 72-28D 71-27-1Democratic hold
CaliforniaD 48-32D 50-29-1Democratic hold
ColoradoD 39-26D 38-27Democratic Hold
ConnecticutD 107-44D 114-37Democratic hold
DelawareR 23-18D 24-17Democratic Takeover
FloridaR 77-43R 76-44Republican hold
GeorgiaR 106-74R 105-74-1Republican hold
HawaiiD 43-8D 45-6Democratic hold
IdahoR 51-19R 52-18Republican hold
IllinoisD 67-51D 70-48Democratic hold
IndianaD 51-49D 52-48Democratic Hold
IowaD 54-46D 57-43Democratic Hold
KansasR 78-47R 77-48Republican hold
KentuckyD 63-37D 65-35Democratic hold
MaineD 90-59-2D 95-55-1Democratic Hold
MassachusettsD 144-15-1D 144-15-1Democratic hold
MichiganD 58-52D 67-43Democratic Hold
MinnesotaD 85-48-1D 87-47Democratic Hold
MissouriR 97-66R 92-71Republican hold
MontanaR 50-49-150-50 [lower-alpha 6] Democratic takeover
Nebraska Unicameral and non–partisan Senate with 49 members
NevadaD 27-15D 28-14Democratic hold
New HampshireD 239-160-1D 225-175Democratic Hold
New MexicoD 42-28D 45-25Democratic hold
New YorkD 106-42-1-1D 107-41-1-1Democratic hold
North CarolinaD 68-52D 68-52Democratic Hold
North DakotaR 61-33R 58-36Republican hold
OhioR 53-46D 53-46Democratic takeover
OklahomaR 57-44R 61-40Republican hold
OregonD 31-29D 36-24Democratic Hold
PennsylvaniaD 102-101D 104-99Democratic Hold
Rhode IslandD 60-15D 69-6Democratic hold
South CarolinaR 73-51R 73-51Republican hold
South DakotaR 50-20R 46-24Republican hold
TennesseeD 53-46R 50-49Republican Takeover
TexasR 77-71R 76-74Republican hold
UtahR 55-20R 53-22Republican hold
VermontD 93-49-6-2D 95-48-5-2Democratic hold
WashingtonD 63-35D 62-36Democratic hold
West VirginiaD 72-28D 71-29Democratic hold
WisconsinR 52-47D 52-46-1Democratic takeover
WyomingR 43-17R 41-19Republican hold

Territorial and federal district summaries

Upper houses

TerritoryPrevious UHResultParty control
American SamoaNon–partisan Senate with 18 members
Puerto RicoPNP 15-11-1PNP 22-9New Progressive Hold

Lower houses

TerritoryPrevious LHResultParty control
American SamoaNon–partisan House of Representatives with 21 members
Puerto RicoPNP 32-18-1PNP 37-17New Progressive Hold

Unicameral

TerritoryPreviousResultParty control
GuamD 8-7D 10-5Democratic Hold
US Virgin IslandsD 9-6D 10-5Democratic Hold
Washington D.C.D 11-1-1D 11-2Democratic Hold
Partisan control of state governments after the 2008 elections:

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Democrats maintained trifecta
Democrats gained trifecta
Republicans maintained trifecta
Divided government maintained
Divided government established
Officially non-partisan legislature USStateControl2008postelections.svg
Partisan control of state governments after the 2008 elections:
  Democrats maintained trifecta
  Democrats gained trifecta
  Republicans maintained trifecta
  Divided government maintained
  Divided government established
  Officially non-partisan legislature

Notes

  1. 1 2 Following the defection of Senator Micheal R. Williams from the Republican party, no party controlled the Tennessee Senate. Thus the chamber is not included in the total here.
  2. 1 2 The Alaska Senate was controlled by a coalition of Democrats and Republicans. The minority caucus consists of Republicans who were not part of the majority coalition.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 The upper houses of Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Texas use a 2-4-4 term length system.
  4. 1 2 3 These figures represent the seats of Nebraska's unicameral legislature.
  5. The Oklahoma Senate were evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, but the Democratic Party controlled the chamber by virtue of holding the governor's office.
  6. The Montana House of Representatives were evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, but the Democratic Party controlled the chamber by virtue of holding the governor's office.

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References

  1. "State legislative elections, 2008". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  2. "New Hampshire Senate Makes History". ABC News. December 7, 2008.
  3. "New York - Election Results 2008 - The New York Times". www.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  4. Whitehouse, Ken. "Tennessee Republicans win slim majority in State House". Nashville Post. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
  5. 1 2 3 "2020 Legislative Races by State and Legislative Chamber". National Conference of State Legislatures.