Partisan composition of state houses
Thepartisan composition of state houses refers to which party holds the majority of seats in the state house or thelower level of each state legislature. Altogether, in the 49state houses, there are 5,413state representatives. The map below highlights each state based on which party controls its state house.
Cumulative numbers
As ofFebruary 16, 2026, 5,356state representatives were affiliated with either the Democratic or Republican parties. This total is updated monthly.
| Partisan balance of all 7,386 state legislative seats | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legislative chamber |  |  |  Other | Vacant | ||||
| State senates | 837 | 1,120 | 6 | 10 | ||||
| State houses | 2,405 | 2,951 | 20 | 37 | ||||
| Total: | 3,242 | 4,071 | 26 | 47 | ||||
Vacancies
As ofOctober 29, 2025, there were 29 state house vacancies across 17 states. This total is updated monthly.
| State | Vacancies |
|---|---|
| Alabama | 3 |
| Arkansas | 1 |
| Florida | 2 |
| Georgia | 3 |
| Indiana | 1 |
| Iowa | 1 |
| Maryland | 1 |
| Mississippi | 1 |
| Missouri | 3 |
| Nevada | 1 |
| New Hampshire | 4 |
| New York | 1 |
| North Dakota | 1 |
| Oklahoma | 1 |
| Oregon | 2 |
| South Carolina | 2 |
| Virginia | 1 |
Minor party
As ofOctober 29, 2025, there were20 state representatives in eight states identifying as independents or parties other than Democratic and Republican. This total is updated monthly.
| State | Independents/Minor party |
|---|---|
| Alaska | 5 (4 Independent, 1 Undeclared) |
| Maine | 2 (1 Independent, 1 unenrolled) |
| Massachusetts | 1 (2 Independent) |
| Mississippi | 3 (Independent) |
| New Hampshire | 1 (No affiliation) |
| Rhode Island | 1 (Independent) |
| Vermont | 7 (4VT Progressive, 3 Independent) |
Election breakdown
Clickhere for a breakdown of partisan affiliation of state houses over time.
States
Clickhere for a state-by-state breakdown of the partisan affiliation of state houses.
Potential ties
A total of 61 state legislative chambers around the country have aneven number of members, raising the possibility of a tie between the two major parties. In some instances, a bipartisan coalition of legislators is formed to act as leadership. This tactic has not been the universal approach, however; some legislative bodies have used a coin toss, gubernatorial choice, shared time, or dividing chairperson positions between the parties.[1]
