As of October 12, 2026, Republicans held the majority in 57 of the 99 state legislative chambers and Democrats in 39, according to Ballotpedia; bipartisan coalitions organize both chambers in Alaska, and control of the Minnesota House is split between the parties [1]. Republicans held 4,062 of the 7,386 state legislative seats (55.0%) and Democrats held 3,237 (43.8%) [1]. On November 3, 2026, 88 chambers in 46 states hold regular elections for 6,137 seats [2][3].
Which party controls the most state legislatures?
Each state except Nebraska has a two-chamber legislature, a senate and a house (called an assembly or house of delegates in some states), for 99 chambers in all [2]. The seat count as of October 2026 breaks down this way [1]:
| Chamber type | Democrats | Republicans | Other | Vacant | Total seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State senates | 839 | 1,116 | 6 | 12 | 1,973 |
| State houses | 2,398 | 2,946 | 22 | 47 | 5,413 |
| All chambers | 3,237 | 4,062 | 28 | 59 | 7,386 |
Source: Ballotpedia, partisan composition of state legislatures, as of October 2026 [1].
By chamber, the split is 57 Republican, 39 Democratic, 2 run by multipartisan coalitions (the Alaska House and Alaska Senate) and 1 split evenly (the Minnesota House) [1]. Ballotpedia counts Nebraska's single chamber by its members' party affiliations, while the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) lists the 49-member Nebraska Legislature as officially nonpartisan and leaves it out of its party totals [1][4]. NCSL's table dated August 29, 2025 showed 28 legislatures under Republican control, 18 under Democratic control and 3 divided between the parties [4].
The most one-sided legislatures by share of seats are West Virginia, where Republicans hold 91.8% of seats, Wyoming (91.4% Republican), Rhode Island (85.8% Democratic) and Hawaii (84.2% Democratic) [1].
How many chambers and seats are up in November 2026?
Ballotpedia counts 88 chambers in 46 states holding regular legislative elections on November 3, 2026 [2]. The 11 chambers not on the ballot are the 8 chambers in Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey and Virginia, which elect legislators in odd-numbered years, and the Kansas, New Mexico and South Carolina senates, whose members were elected to four-year terms in 2024 [2][6]. In 2024, DataPorium data show Republicans winning 31 of 40 Kansas Senate seats and 34 of 46 South Carolina Senate seats [6].
Of the 88 chambers up in 2026, Republicans held 51, Democrats 34, and neither party controlled the other 3, according to a Ballotpedia count from January 2026 [5]. Ballotpedia's October 2026 competitiveness report counts 6,137 seats on the ballot [3]. Of those, 4,052 seats (66.0%) are contested by both major parties, 1,064 (17.3%) are open seats with no incumbent running, and one party is guaranteed a majority in 17 chambers across 11 states because the other party is not contesting enough seats [3].
How many states have a trifecta?
A trifecta is when one party holds the governor's office and majorities in both legislative chambers. As of October 12, 2026, there were 23 Republican trifectas, 16 Democratic trifectas and 11 states with divided government [7]. As of January 2026, 41.5% of Americans lived in a state with a Republican trifecta, 39.1% in a state with a Democratic trifecta and 19.4% in a state with divided government [7].
Recent elections changed trifecta status in a handful of states [7]:
- 2022: Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan and Minnesota became Democratic trifectas; Arizona (previously Republican) and Nevada (previously Democratic) became divided.
- 2023: Louisiana became a Republican trifecta.
- 2024: Michigan and Minnesota went from Democratic trifectas to divided government.
- 2025: Virginia went from divided government to a Democratic trifecta.
Between 1992 and 2026, the most trifectas either party held at once was 26 for Republicans (2018) and 18 for Democrats (1993) [7].
Which state legislative chambers have the narrowest majorities?
A handful of chambers are separated by four seats or fewer. The table lists them with seat counts as of October 2026, with the gap between the two parties [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17].
| Chamber | Democrats | Republicans | Other or vacant | Gap | On 2026 ballot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota House | 67 | 66 | 1 vacant | 1 (split control) | Yes |
| Minnesota Senate | 34 | 33 | 0 | D by 1 | Yes |
| Michigan Senate | 20 | 18 | 0 | D by 2 | Yes |
| Virginia Senate | 21 | 19 | 0 | D by 2 | No |
| Maine House | 75 | 73 | 3 other | D by 2 | Yes |
| Pennsylvania House | 103 | 100 | 0 | D by 3 | Yes |
| Vermont Senate | 16 | 13 | 1 other | D by 3 | Yes |
| Wisconsin Senate | 15 | 18 | 0 | R by 3 | Yes |
| Arizona Senate | 13 | 17 | 0 | R by 4 | Yes |
| Pennsylvania Senate | 23 | 27 | 0 | R by 4 | Yes |
Source: Ballotpedia chamber pages, partisan composition as of October 2026 [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]; 2026 ballot status from Ballotpedia's 2026 election list [2].
The Minnesota House shows how close these chambers can be. Republicans began the 2025 session with a 67 to 66 majority, and a Democratic special-election win on March 11, 2025 produced a 67 to 67 tie; Ballotpedia lists control of the chamber as split, with 67 Democrats, 66 Republicans and one vacancy as of October 2026 [8]. DataPorium's results show that 7 of the chamber's 2024 races were decided by less than 2 percentage points, and District 54A was decided by 14 votes, 10,979 to 10,965 [6][18].
In Alaska, Republicans hold 21 of 40 House seats and 11 of 20 Senate seats, but both chambers are organized by bipartisan coalitions rather than by a single-party majority [1][4].
Which chambers changed party control in 2022 and 2024?
Ballotpedia records five chambers changing control in the 2022 elections and two in 2024 [2]:
- 2022: Democrats won majorities in the Michigan House, Michigan Senate, Minnesota Senate and Pennsylvania House, and the Alaska Senate went from a Republican majority to a bipartisan governing coalition. In Pennsylvania, Democrats won a majority of House seats but did not hold a majority when the session began, because of vacancies [2].
- 2024: Republicans won the Michigan House, and the Minnesota House went from a Democratic majority to a 67 to 67 tie [2].
In the odd-year elections between them, Democrats won the Virginia House in 2023, and no chamber changed control in 2025 [2]. Over a longer span, 41 chambers switched control at least once from 2010 to 2025; the Minnesota House and New Hampshire House switched five times each, while 58 chambers did not switch at all [2]. Before the 2010 elections Democrats controlled 60 chambers and Republicans 37 [2].
As of October 12, 2026, Republicans held 57 state legislative chambers and Democrats 39, and 88 of the 99 chambers are on the November 3, 2026 ballot.
Frequently asked questions
How many state legislatures do Republicans and Democrats control?
As of October 12, 2026, Republicans held majorities in 57 of 99 chambers and Democrats in 39 [1]. NCSL's August 29, 2025 table counted 28 Republican legislatures, 18 Democratic and 3 divided, with Nebraska listed as nonpartisan [4].
How many state legislative seats are up in 2026?
Ballotpedia counts 6,137 seats in 88 chambers across 46 states on the November 3, 2026 ballot [2][3].
Which states do not hold legislative elections in 2026?
Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey and Virginia hold legislative elections in odd-numbered years, so their 8 chambers are not on the 2026 ballot [2].
Is the Nebraska Legislature Republican or Democratic?
Neither officially: Nebraska has a 49-member unicameral legislature elected on a nonpartisan ballot [4]. Ballotpedia classifies its members by their party affiliations, which is how it includes Nebraska in its chamber totals [1].
Sources & References
- [1] Ballotpedia, Partisan composition of state legislatures (accessed October 13, 2026)
- [2] Ballotpedia, State legislative elections, 2026 (accessed October 13, 2026)
- [3] Ballotpedia News, This year's state legislative elections are the third most competitive since 2010 (October 7, 2026)
- [4] National Conference of State Legislatures, 2025 State and Legislative Partisan Composition (August 29, 2025)
- [5] Ballotpedia News, An early look at the most competitive state legislative chambers in 2026 (January 14, 2026)
- [6] DataPorium Election Results (state legislative chamber results, 2016 to 2024)
- [7] Ballotpedia, State government trifectas (accessed October 13, 2026)
- [8] Ballotpedia, Minnesota House of Representatives (accessed October 13, 2026)
- [9] Ballotpedia, Minnesota State Senate (accessed October 13, 2026)
- [10] Ballotpedia, Michigan State Senate (accessed October 13, 2026)
- [11] Ballotpedia, Virginia State Senate (accessed October 13, 2026)
- [12] Ballotpedia, Maine House of Representatives (accessed October 13, 2026)
- [13] Ballotpedia, Pennsylvania House of Representatives (accessed October 13, 2026)
- [14] Ballotpedia, Wisconsin State Senate (accessed October 13, 2026)
- [15] Ballotpedia, Arizona State Senate (accessed October 13, 2026)
- [16] Ballotpedia, Pennsylvania State Senate (accessed October 13, 2026)
- [17] Ballotpedia, Vermont State Senate (accessed October 13, 2026)
- [18] DataPorium Election Results (2024 Minnesota House District 54A)
