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Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2022

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Last updated on August 5, 2025
2022 State Legislative Competitiveness
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2022 State legislative competitiveness
Term limits •Open seats •Contested primaries •Incumbents in contested primaries •Major party competition •Incumbents defeated
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Ballotpedia's 2022 state primary election competitiveness data analyzes allstate legislative,state executive, andcongressional elections that took place in 2022. This analysis provides an understanding of how competitive the year's primary elections were using metrics including the number of incumbents who did not seek re-election, the total number of contested primaries, and the number of incumbents with primary challengers. Historical comparisons are also provided for context.

Ballotpedia has published comprehensive competitiveness data from each election cycle since 2010. In 2022, this includes data from state legislative, state executive, and congressional filings.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • An average of 2.4 candidates filed per seat, the second-highest rate compared to the four preceding election cycles behind 2018.[1]
  • Of the 7,021 seats and offices up for election, 23.5% were open.[2] This was the largest percentage of open seats compared to the four preceding election cycles, none of which had an open seat rate higher than 20%.
  • Of all possible primaries, 24.3% were contested, the highest rate compared to the four preceding election cycles.[3]
  • Of the 5,454 incumbents who filed for re-election, 30.2% faced contested primaries, the highest rate compared to the four preceding election cycles, none of which had a rate higher than 30%.


    • On this page you will find:

    Overview

    The following statistics are an aggregate of primary election competitiveness data across all states with completed filing deadlines unless otherwise noted. Corresponding data from 2020, 2018, 2016, and 2014 are provided for comparative purposes. For state-specific competitiveness data in 2022, clickhere.

    The table below shows aggregate primary competitiveness and incumbency statistics by office in 2022. You may need to move the table horizontally using the scrollbar at the bottom of the table depending on your screen size.

    2022 aggregate primary competitiveness data
    OfficeDistricts/
    offices    		SeatsOpen seatsCandidatesPossible primariesContested Democratic primariesContested Republican primariesContested top-two primaries% of contested primariesIncumbents in contested primaries% of incumbents in contested primaries
    U.S. Senate34346335642326482.8%2175.0%
    U.S. House435435602,1387951652306758.1%22859.8%
    State executive271274891,167516911372749.4%9750.3%
    State legislature5,8626,2781,49213,44311,4198211,38712620.4%1,29926.8%
    Totals6,6027,0211,64717,08312,7941,1001,78022424.3%1,64530.2%

    2020

    Click [show] on the table below to view aggregate primary competitiveness data from 2020.

    2020 aggregate primary competitiveness data
    OfficeDistricts/
    offices    		SeatsOpen seatsCandidatesPossible primariesContested Democratic primariesContested Republican primariesContested top-two primaries% of contested primariesIncumbents in contested primaries% of incumbents in contested primaries
    U.S. Senate33334242652222169.2%1553.6%
    U.S. House435435412,0527941982006358.1%19850.3%
    State executives1441444951025636432139.1%3536.5%
    State legislature5,4975,87587612,35310,74683688210917.0%1,00620.1%
    Totals6,1096,48797015,15711,8611,0921,14719420.5%1,25422.7%

    2018

    Click [show] on the table below to view aggregate primary competitiveness data from 2018.

    2018 aggregate primary competitiveness data
    OfficeDistricts/
    offices    		SeatsOpen seatsCandidatesPossible primariesContested Democratic primariesContested Republican primariesContested top-two primaries% of contested primariesIncumbents in contested primaries% of incumbents in contested primaries
    U.S. Senate33333249641429270.3%1550.0%
    U.S. House435435602,0157962411705558.5%19050.8%
    State executives2642641001,029490961062145.5%6740.4%
    State legislature[4]5,6126,0651,19413,29710,9771,0051,01110719.3%1,08222.2%
    Totals6,3446,7971,35716,59012,3271,3561,31618523.2%1,35424.9%

    2016

    Click [show] on the table below to view aggregate primary competitiveness data from 2016.

    2016 aggregate primary competitiveness data
    OfficeDistricts/
    offices    		SeatsOpen seatsCandidatesPossible primariesContested Democratic primariesContested Republican primariesContested top-two primaries% of contested primariesIncumbents in contested primaries% of incumbents in contested primaries
    U.S. Senate36365266692022365.2%1858.1%
    U.S. House435435451,5887991331705544.8%19650.4%
    State executives9191423001702829938.8%2039.2%
    State legislature[5]5,5385,9161,03211,91810,82775294010816.6%98520.2%
    Totals6,1006,4781,12414,07211,8659331,16117519.1%1,21922.8%

    2014

    Click [show] on the table below to view aggregate primary competitiveness data from 2014.

    2014 aggregate primary competitiveness data
    OfficeDistricts/
    offices    		SeatsOpen seatsCandidatesPossible primariesContested Democratic primariesContested Republican primariesContested top-two primaries% of contested primariesIncumbents in contested primaries% of incumbents in contested primaries
    U.S. Senate31316191611523163.9%1456.0%
    U.S. House435435431,4717991191615341.7%16742.6%
    State executives211211687284137179838.3%5136.4%
    State legislature[6]5,5986,0511,01912,04610,9496469589415.5%98319.5%
    Totals6,2756,7281,13614,43612,2228511,22115618.2%1,21521.7%

    Breakdown by office

    The tables below show primary competitiveness statistics overall and broken down by office type. Figures are shown as percentages with overall figures shown first. Click [show] on the bars beneath the table to view statistics by office type.

    Comparison of overall primary competitiveness percentages, 2010-2022
    2010201220142016201820202022Average
    Open seats (%)18.7%21.9%16.9%17.4%20.0%15.0%23.5%19.0%
    Total primaries (%)18.3%18.5%18.2%19.1%23.2%20.5%24.3%20.3%
    Inc. in contested primaries (%)20.0%23.3%21.7%22.8%24.9%22.7%30.2%23.6%
    U.S. Senate
    2010201220142016201820202022Average
    Open seats (%)--19.4%13.9%9.1%12.1%17.6%14.4%
    Total primaries (%)--63.9%65.2%70.3%69.2%82.8%67.9%
    Inc. in contested primaries (%)--56.0%58.1%50.0%53.6%75.0%58.5%
    U.S. House
    2010201220142016201820202022Average
    Open seats (%)--9.9%10.3%13.8%9.4%13.8%11.4%
    Total primaries (%)--41.7%44.8%58.5%58.1%58.1%52.2%
    Inc. in contested primaries (%)--42.6%50.4%50.8%50.3%59.8%50.8%
    State executive
    2010201220142016201820202022Average
    Open seats (%)--32.2%46.2%37.9%34.0%32.5%36.6%
    Total primaries (%)--38.3%38.8%45.5%39.1%49.4%42.2%
    Inc. in contested primaries (%)--36.4%39.2%40.4%36.5%50.3%40.5%
    State legislative
    2010201220142016201820202022Average
    Open seats (%)18.7%21.9%16.8%17.4%19.7%14.9%23.8%19.0%
    Total primaries (%)18.3%18.5%15.5%16.6%19.3%17.0%20.4%18.0%
    Inc. in contested primaries (%)20.0%23.3%19.5%20.2%22.2%20.1%26.8%21.7%


    The charts below show primary competitiveness statistics broken down by office type. The figures shown are total numbers. This analysis uses the following definitions:

    • Total candidates: the total number of major party candidates running in primary elections.[7]
    • Total seats: the total number of seats or offices up for election with the possibility of a primary election.
    • Open seats: the total number of seats, out of the total seats figure, where the incumbent did not file to run for re-election or filed to run for re-election but withdrew before the primary filing deadline.
    • Incumbents contested: the total number of incumbents in contested primaries.
    • Democratic/Republican/Top-two primaries: the total number of these types of primaries where at least one candidate could have failed to advance to the general election.
    • Total primaries: a combination of all Democratic, Republican, and top-two primaries where at least one candidate could have failed to advance to the general election.

    U.S. Senate


    U.S. House


    State executive


    State legislative



    See also

    Footnotes

    1. ↑2020: 2.3
      2018: 2.4
      2016: 2.2
      2014: 2.1
    2. ↑This analysis defines a seat as open if the incumbent did not file to run for re-election or filed to run for re-election but withdrew before the primary filing deadline.
    3. ↑A primary is contested when more candidates file to run than nominations available, meaning at least one candidate must lose.
    4. ↑State legislative elections in Nebraska's nonpartisan Senate were not included in this analysis.
    5. ↑State legislative elections in Nebraska's nonpartisan Senate were not included in this analysis.
    6. ↑State legislative elections in Nebraska's nonpartisan Senate were not included in this analysis.
    7. ↑In top-two primaries, all candidates, regardless of party affiliation, are counted. If a convention is the sole means of nomination, only the candidate(s) advancing beyond the convention are counted.
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