Partisan composition of state legislatures, 2013

[All Along The Watchtower]

The Republican Party holds 29 state lower house chambers.

The Democratic Party holds 20 state lower house chambers.

Nebraska's unicameral legislature is nonpartisan.

http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Partisan_composition_of_state_houses

The Republican Party holds 28 state senate chambers.

The Democratic Party holds 20 state senate chambers.

One chamber is a 20-20 tie between the two parties (Virginia), while Nebraska's unicameral legislature is nonpartisan.

http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Partisan_composition_of_state_senates

[ElectionsGuy]

I actually just made an spreadsheet the other day of how many seats each party has in each chamber using Ballotpedia.

[LeBron]

I actually just made an spreadsheet the other day of how many seats each party has in each chamber using Ballotpedia.

Does that include Nebraska? Because if party affiliation is considered in their nonpartisan legislature, there's 30 Republicans, 18 Democrats, and 1 Independent.

And unfortunately, I'm one of the many states that has a GOP controlled legislature in both houses. :/  Ohio Democrats will never be able to flip the Ohio State Senate, but if we have another 2014 (maybe 2016) Democratic wave like we had in 2008, then it's plausible the Ohio House of Reps. could change hands then, but really a long shot.

[ElectionsGuy]

I actually just made an spreadsheet the other day of how many seats each party has in each chamber using Ballotpedia.

Does that include Nebraska? Because if party affiliation is considered in their nonpartisan legislature, there's 30 Republicans, 18 Democrats, and 1 Independent.

And unfortunately, I'm one of the many states that has a GOP controlled legislature in both houses. :/  Ohio Democrats will never be able to flip the Ohio State Senate, but if we have another 2014 (maybe 2016) Democratic wave like we had in 2008, then it's plausible the Ohio House of Reps. could change hands then, but really a long shot.

No it didn't include Nebraska, I put N/A on Nebraska. But yes you and I are both in states that the GOP gerrymandered not only at the federal level with the House, but at the state level with both chambers. Unfortunately for you, the numbers for the republicans (23-10 and 61-38) are much more solid and secure than the ones in Wisconsin (18-15 and 57-39). Ohio has practically no chance of changing until 2020 redistricting, but Wisconsin's state senate could flip, the assembly on the other hand is likely here to stay.

[TJ in Oregon]

Wisconsin is an incredibly hard state to gerrymander. There is just so much marginal territory it's hard to see either party ever being safely in control with the current alignment.

[rbt48]

Somehow, my numbers nationwide are different:  http://www.rbt48.com/weather/Presidential_Elections/2012_State_Legislatures_post_election.pdf

I realize I have not accounted for many vacancies, but most often, they don't change party hands when they are filled.  Somehow, I have 25 more D state house seats and 10 more R state house seats.  For State Senates, I have 4 less Democrats and 5 more Republicans.

I'll have to check more carefully later.

[ElectionsGuy]

Wisconsin is an incredibly hard state to gerrymander. There is just so much marginal territory it's hard to see either party ever being safely in control with the current alignment.

Yeah, that is true with Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and even Michigan. Of course there are the safe spots (Waukesha, Washington, Ozaukee) (Madison, Milwaukee), but most of the rural areas of the state only lean one way or the other. Of course repubicans have benefited from the barely leaning republican northern part of the state. They also can pack Milwaukee blacks really good, as well as take only bits and pieces of Waukesha county and combine them with other less safe parts of the states to ultimately make more republican districts overall (for example, I live in Mukwonago, in Waukesha County, and my House district goes out to a Obama area of Jefferson County). That's pretty much how they've done it. Same story in Michigan with packing of Detroit blacks and making many leaning republican districts.

[TJ in Oregon]

Wisconsin is an incredibly hard state to gerrymander. There is just so much marginal territory it's hard to see either party ever being safely in control with the current alignment.

Yeah, that is true with Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and even Michigan. Of course there are the safe spots (Waukesha, Washington, Ozaukee) (Madison, Milwaukee), but most of the rural areas of the state only lean one way or the other. Of course repubicans have benefited from the barely leaning republican northern part of the state. They also can pack Milwaukee blacks really good, as well as take only bits and pieces of Waukesha county and combine them with other less safe parts of the states to ultimately make more republican districts overall (for example, I live in Mukwonago, in Waukesha County, and my House district goes out to a Obama area of Jefferson County). That's pretty much how they've done it. Same story in Michigan with packing of Detroit blacks and making many leaning republican districts.

Jefferson's nothing, if you really want to make it fun just start throwing Madison suburbs into Waukesha districts and the numbers still work out for the GOP.

But overall, Wisconsin is impressively unpolarized by geography outside of the box you get if you draw a line from Sheboygan to Green Lake County and south to Janesville. Anything outside is politically close to unpredictable.

[ElectionsGuy]

Wisconsin is an incredibly hard state to gerrymander. There is just so much marginal territory it's hard to see either party ever being safely in control with the current alignment.

Yeah, that is true with Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and even Michigan. Of course there are the safe spots (Waukesha, Washington, Ozaukee) (Madison, Milwaukee), but most of the rural areas of the state only lean one way or the other. Of course repubicans have benefited from the barely leaning republican northern part of the state. They also can pack Milwaukee blacks really good, as well as take only bits and pieces of Waukesha county and combine them with other less safe parts of the states to ultimately make more republican districts overall (for example, I live in Mukwonago, in Waukesha County, and my House district goes out to a Obama area of Jefferson County). That's pretty much how they've done it. Same story in Michigan with packing of Detroit blacks and making many leaning republican districts.

Jefferson's nothing, if you really want to make it fun just start throwing Madison suburbs into Waukesha districts and the numbers still work out for the GOP.

But overall, Wisconsin is impressively unpolarized by geography outside of the box you get if you draw a line from Sheboygan to Green Lake County and south to Janesville. Anything outside is politically close to unpredictable.

Well, it is the House, so districts can't be too big. I was just giving you an example. But yes, anything outside Southeastern Wisconsin is particularly swingy and very moderate (% wise).

[LeBron]

I actually just made an spreadsheet the other day of how many seats each party has in each chamber using Ballotpedia.

Does that include Nebraska? Because if party affiliation is considered in their nonpartisan legislature, there's 30 Republicans, 18 Democrats, and 1 Independent.

And unfortunately, I'm one of the many states that has a GOP controlled legislature in both houses. :/  Ohio Democrats will never be able to flip the Ohio State Senate, but if we have another 2014 (maybe 2016) Democratic wave like we had in 2008, then it's plausible the Ohio House of Reps. could change hands then, but really a long shot.

No it didn't include Nebraska, I put N/A on Nebraska. But yes you and I are both in states that the GOP gerrymandered not only at the federal level with the House, but at the state level with both chambers. Unfortunately for you, the numbers for the republicans (23-10 and 61-38) are much more solid and secure than the ones in Wisconsin (18-15 and 57-39). Ohio has practically no chance of changing until 2020 redistricting, but Wisconsin's state senate could flip, the assembly on the other hand is likely here to stay.

Which is why I am so hoping come 2014, FitzGerald wins and is re-elected in 2018 or at least after Kasich is term-limited in 2018, a Democrat is finally elected again. The people in charge of redistricting for all states are different, but for us in Ohio it's the Governor, the Secretary of State, the State Auditor, and two leaders from the two major parties (Republican and Democrat) which is the reason for the BS lines we have now. Strickland of course lost a close Governor's race to the top ballot Republican John Kasich, Jennifer Brunner stepping down as Sec. of State cost the Democrats there with a jackass in his own right Republican Jon Husted (even worse than Kasich or Mandel), and Republicans held onto the State Auditor seat with Dave Yost. The Ohio Republicans of course than picked a Republican leader for the redistricting while Ohio Democrats of course picked a Democratic leader for it leaving at a completely biased 4-1 advantage for Republicans being able to do whatever they want with the lines. 

That's why beating Husted is so important to next year. He's leading State Sen. Nina Turner by only a single point 37-36 and is the man behind all these attempted slashes against early voting, college students, third parties, absentee voting, and so many more things. I'd rather the Democrats try and get out Husted instead of Kasich next year though because if the Ohio Democrats have control of at least the Ohio Sec. of State office, they can turn things in their favor for a change.

And about those numbers, the Ohio House of Reps. is 60-39 (not that it really matters given their huge majority there lol), and to be honest as a Democrat, I would like to see Republicans hold the Wisconsin State Senate next year just to see more of this guy xD:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTjB_qLn6VU

[greenforest32]

The answers so far: http://www.ncsl.org/legislatures-elections/elections/statevote.aspx

Legislature flips to Democrats (5) - Colorado (H), Oregon (H), Minnesota (H, S), Maine (H, S), New York (S).

Legislature flips to Republicans (2, 3 if you count WI's recalls) - Alaska (S), Arkansas (H, S), Wisconsin (S).

Legislature flips to split (1) - New Hampshire (H).

Projected post-2012 results partisan control map:

[Tender Branson]

Good chart:

http://www.ncsl.org/documents/elections/2013_Legis_and_State_Oct20.pdf

But isn't Lincoln Chafee now a Democrat ? I thought he switched from Indy to Dem recently.

[Mopsus]

Nebraska's state legislature is unicameral and nonpartisan? Hmm, I smell the handiwork of... early twentieth-century progressives!!!

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Nebraska's state legislature is unicameral and nonpartisan? Hmm, I smell the handiwork of... early twentieth-century progressives!!!

Bryanism would certainly be a huge improvement over the current politics of that state.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

The Republican Party holds 29 state lower house chambers.

The Democratic Party holds 20 state lower house chambers.

Nebraska's unicameral legislature is nonpartisan.

http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Partisan_composition_of_state_houses

The Republican Party holds 28 state senate chambers.

The Democratic Party holds 20 state senate chambers.

One chamber is a 20-20 tie between the two parties (Virginia), while Nebraska's unicameral legislature is nonpartisan.

http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Partisan_composition_of_state_senates

Gee, I wonder why ALEC wants to repeal the 17th amendment.