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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Delaware
All of the seats of the Delaware Senate and all of the seats of the Delaware House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Democrats held control of both chambers, maintaining a government trifecta.

Florida
All of the seats of the Florida Senate and all of the seats of the Florida House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Republicans held control of both chambers, maintaining a government trifecta.

Georgia
All of the seats of the Georgia State Senate and the Georgia House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Republicans held control of both chambers, maintaining a government trifecta.

Hawaii
All of the seats of the Hawaii Senate and all of the seats of the Hawaii House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Democrats held control of both chambers, maintaining a government trifecta.

Idaho
All of the seats of the Idaho Senate and the Idaho House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Republicans held control of both chambers, maintaining a government trifecta.

Illinois
All of the seats of the Illinois Senate and all of the seats of the Illinois House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Democrats held control of both chambers to maintain a trifecta.

Indiana
Half of the seats of the Indiana Senate and all of the seats of the Indiana House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Republicans held control of both chambers, maintaining a government trifecta.

Iowa
Half of the seats of the Iowa Senate and all of the seats of the Iowa House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Republicans held control of the state House, and Democrats held control of the state Senate.

Kansas
All of the seats of the Kansas Senate and the Kansas House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Republicans held control of both chambers and maintained a trifecta.

Kentucky
Half of the seats of the Kentucky Senate and all of the seats of the Kentucky House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Republicans held control of the state Senate, and Democrats held control of the state House.

Maine
All of the seats of the Maine Senate and the Maine House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Democrats won control of both houses, ending a Republican trifecta.

Massachusetts
All of the seats of the Massachusetts Senate and the Massachusetts House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Democrats retained control of both chambers to maintain a trifecta.

Michigan
All of the seats of the Michigan House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. The Michigan Senate did not hold regularly scheduled elections in 2012. Republicans maintained control of the chamber.

Minnesota
All of the seats of the Minnesota Senate and the Minnesota House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Democrats won control of both chambers, thereby establishing a trifecta.

Missouri
Half of the seats of the Missouri Senate and all of the seats of the Missouri House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Republicans held control of both chambers.

Montana
Half of the seats of the Montana Senate and all of the seats of the Montana House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Republicans held control of both chambers.

Nebraska
Nebraska is the only U.S. state with a unicameral legislature; half of the seats of the Nebraska Legislature were up for election in 2012. 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.

Nevada
Half of the seats of the Nevada Senate and all of the seats of the Nevada Assembly were up for election in 2012. Democrats maintained control of both chambers.

New Hampshire
All of the seats of the New Hampshire Senate and the New Hampshire House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Republicans maintained control of the state Senate, and Democrats won control of the state House.

New Mexico
All of the seats of the New Mexico Senate and the New Mexico House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Democrats held control of both chambers.

New York
All of the seats of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly were up for election in 2012. Democrats held control of the state House, and Republicans lost control of the state Senate and thus entered into a coalition government with the Independent Democratic Conference.

North Carolina
All of the seats of the North Carolina Senate and the North Carolina House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Republicans retained control of both chambers.

North Dakota
Half of the seats of the North Dakota Senate and the North Dakota House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Republicans retained control of both chambers, maintaining a government trifecta.

Ohio
Half of the seats of the Ohio Senate and all of the seats of the Ohio House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Republicans retained control of both chambers, maintaining a government trifecta.

Oklahoma
Half of the seats of the Oklahoma Senate and all of the seats of the Oklahoma House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Republicans retained control of both chambers, maintaining a government trifecta.

Oregon
Half of the seats of the Oregon State Senate and all of the seats of the Oregon House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Democrats retained control of the state Senate, and ended the tie in the state House, thus establishing a government trifecta.

Pennsylvania
Half of the seats of the Pennsylvania State Senate and all of the seats of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Republicans retained control of both chambers and their government trifecta.

Rhode Island
All of the seats of the Rhode Island Senate and the Rhode Island House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Democrats retained control of both chambers.

South Carolina
All of the seats of the South Carolina Senate and the South Carolina House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Republicans retained control of both chambers, maintaining a government trifecta.

South Dakota
All of the seats of the South Dakota Senate and the South Dakota House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Republicans retained control of both chambers, maintaining a government trifecta.

Tennessee
Half of the seats of the Tennessee Senate and all of the seats of the Tennessee House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Republicans retained control of both chambers, maintaining a government trifecta.

Texas
Half of the seats of the Texas Senate and all of the seats of the Texas House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Republicans retained control of both chambers, maintaining a government trifecta.

Utah
Half of the seats of the Utah State Senate and all of the seats of the Utah House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Republicans retained control of both chambers, maintaining a government trifecta.

Vermont
All of the seats of the Vermont Senate and the Vermont House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Democrats retained control of both chambers.

Washington
Half of the seats of the Washington State Senate and all of the seats of the Washington House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Democrats retained control of the state House, while Republicans won control of the state Senate with the help of two Democrats who formed a coalition with them.

West Virginia
Half of the seats of the West Virginia Senate and all of the seats of the West Virginia House of Delegates were up for election in 2012. Democrats retained control of both chambers.

Wisconsin
Half of the seats of the Wisconsin Senate and all of the seats of the Wisconsin State Assembly were up for election in 2012. Republicans retained control of the state Assembly, and won control of the state Senate after having lost control through a series of recall elections earlier in the year, thereby recreating a Republican trifecta.

Wyoming
Half of the seats of the Wyoming Senate and all of the seats of the Wyoming House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Republicans retained control of both chambers, maintaining a government trifecta.

American Samoa
All of the seats of the American Samoa Senate and the American 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.

Guam
All of the seats of the unicameral Legislature of Guam were up for election. All members of the legislature serve a two-year term. Democrats retained control of the legislature.

Northern Mariana Islands
A portion of the seats of the Northern Mariana Islands Senate, and all of the seats of the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives, were up for election. Members of the senate serve either four-year terms, while members of the house serve two-year terms. Republicans maintained control of the upper house, and Independents won control of the lower house.

Puerto Rico
All of the seats of the Senate of Puerto Rico and the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico are up for election. Members of the Senate and the House of Representatives both serve four-year terms. The New Progressive Party lost control of both chambers, to the Popular Democratic Party.

U.S. Virgin Islands
All of the seats of the unicameral Legislature of the Virgin Islands were up for election. All members of the legislature serve a two-year term. Democrats retained control of the legislature.

Washington, D.C.
The Council of the District of Columbia serves as the legislative branch of the federal district of Washington, D.C. Half of the council seats are up for election. Council members serve four-year terms. Democrats retained supermajority control of the council.