Map of upper house elections: Democrats gained control Democrats retained control Republicans gained control Republicans retained control Split body formed Non-partisan legislature No regularly-scheduled elections
Map of lower house elections: Democrats retained control Republicans gained control Republicans retained control Split body formed Non-partisan legislature No regularly-scheduled elections
The2002 United States state legislative elections were held on November 5, 2002, halfway throughPresidentGeorge W. Bush's first term in office. This was a unique election in which the incumbent Republican party performed surprisingly well for a midterm election. Elections were held for 91 legislative chambers, with all states butLouisiana,Mississippi,New Jersey, andVirginia holding elections in at least one house.[1] Three territorial chambers in two territories and theDistrict of Columbia were up as well.
Republicans won a trifecta in Texas for the first time since 1873, and in Missouri for the first time since 1923. After the elections, Republicans held a majority of state legislative seats for the first time in half a century.[5]
Regularly scheduled elections were held in 91 of the 99 state legislative chambers in the United States. Nationwide, regularly scheduled elections were held for 6,381 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.[6] 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 inpresidential midterm election years.
Note that this table only covers regularly scheduled elections; additional special elections took place concurrently with these regularly scheduled elections.
Partisan control of U.S. state legislative redistricting following the 2000 census.
Democratic control
Republican control
Split or bipartisan control
Independent redistricting commission
The 2002 elections were the first held afterredistricting following the2000 census. All states holding elections in 2002 did so under new maps drawn in accordance with the new census results with the exception of Montana, which implements its new maps four years after the census as opposed to two. In a majority of states, legislative redistricting is controlled by the state legislature, often subject to gubernatorial veto. This allows for widespreadgerrymandering, in which the party in power draws legislative boundaries to favor itself. A few states delegate redistricting power to an independent or bipartisanredistricting commission, often with the goal of minimizing or eliminating partisan gerrymandering.[7]
InTexas, despite the state'sdivided government, Republicans fully controlled theredistricting process because they held four of the five seats on the state's backup redistricting commission. This allowed them to draw maps greatly favorable to themselves in an attempt to win control of theTexas House of Representatives for the first time sinceReconstruction.[8][9] InOregon, the state's DemocraticSecretary of State drew the state's maps after its divided government failed to approve plans.[10]
Upper house seats by party holding majority in each state
Republican
50–60%
60–70%
70–80%
80–90%
Democratic
50–60%
60–70%
70–80%
80–90%
Tie
50%
Lower house seats by party holding majority in each state
Republican
40–50%
50–60%
60–70%
70–80%
Democratic
50–60%
60–70%
70–80%
80–90%
Tie
50%
Net changes to upper house seats after the 2002 elections +1 Rep seat +2 Rep seats +3–5 Rep seats +6–7 Rep seats +1 Dem seat +2 Dem seats +3–5 Dem seats Chamber decreased in size
Net changes to lower house seats after the 2002 elections +1 Rep seat +2 Rep seats +3–5 Rep seats +6–22 Rep seats +1 Dem seat +2 Dem seats +4–5 Dem seats +7 Dem seats +1 Ind seat Chamber decreased in size
All of the seats of theDelaware House of Representatives and half of theDelaware Senate were up for election. Democrats maintained control of the Senate while Republicans maintained control of the House.
All of the seats of theGeorgia Legislature were up for election. Republicans gained control of the Senate due to post-election party switching, while Democrats maintained control of the House.
All of the seats of theIndiana House of Representatives and half of theIndiana Senate were up for election. Republicans maintained control of the Senate while Democrats maintained control of the House of Representatives.
All of the seats of theIowa House of Representatives and half of theIowa Senate were up for election. Republicans maintained control of both legislative chambers.
All of the seats of theKentucky House of Representatives and half of theKentucky Senate were up for election. Republicans maintained control of the Senate and Democrats maintained control of the House of Representatives.
Nebraska is the only U.S. state with aunicameral legislature; half of the seats of theNebraska Legislature were up for election. Nebraska is also unique in that its legislature is officially non-partisan and holds non-partisan elections, although the Democratic and Republican parties each endorse legislative candidates. Republicans maintained control.
All of the seats of theNevada House of Representatives and half of theNevada Senate were up for election. Democrats maintained control of the House while Republicans maintained control of the Senate.
All of the seats of theNew York Legislature were up for election. Republicans maintained control of the Senate while Democrats maintained control of the Assembly.
All of the seats of theNorth Carolina House of Representatives and half of theNorth Carolina Senate were up for election. Democrats maintained control of the Senate. Republicans had won control of the House until a post-election party switch tied control of the chamber.
All of the seats of theOregon House of Representatives and half of theOregon Senate were up for election. The Senate became split while Republicans maintained control of the House.
All of the seats of theUtah House of Representatives and half of theUtah Senate were up for election. Republicans maintained control of both state legislative chambers.
All of the seats of theVermont Legislature were up for election. Democrats maintained control of the Senate while Republicans maintained control of the Senate.
All of the seats of theWisconsin Assembly and half of theWisconsin Senate were up for election. Republicans maintained control of the Assembly and won control of the House.
All of the seats of theAmerican Samoa Senate and theAmerican Samoa House of Representatives were up for election. Members of the Senate serve four-year terms, while members of the House of Representatives serve two-year terms. Gubernatorial and legislative elections are conducted on a nonpartisan basis in American Samoa.
All of the seats of the unicameralLegislature of Guam were up for election. All members of the legislature serve a two-year term. Republicans retained control of the legislature.
^TheArizona Senate was controlled by a coalition of Democrats and Republicans. The minority caucus consists of Republicans who were not part of the majority coalition.
^abcdefghThe upper houses of Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Texas use a 2-4-4 term length system.
^abcThese figures represent the seats of Nebraska's unicameral legislature.
^Includes four post-electionparty switches which gave Republicans control of the chamber.
^Includes representativeMichael P. Decker's temporary stint as a Democrat which tied the chamber for much of the 2003–2002 legislative session.
^Includes a 2001 special election that flipped a seat to Democrats, winning them control of the chamber from the Republicans
^Bickerstaff, Steve (2007).Lines in the Sand: Congressional Redistricting in Texas and the Downfall of Tom Delay. Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press. p. 46.ISBN978-0-292-71474-8.
^Attlesey, Sam (2001). "New maps could give GOP large majority in both houses Texas board OKs redistricting plans despite criticism".The Dallas Morning News. p. 1.
^Barta, Carolyn; Alvarez, Elizabeth Cruce (2004). "Republicans Take Total Control of State Government".Texas Almanac, 2004-2005. Dallas, Texas:The Dallas Morning News. pp. 395–396.Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. RetrievedMarch 17, 2023.
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