In 2022, 551 officials in Congress and state legislatures ran for a different office than the one to which they were elected. That’s a 61% increase from 2020, when Ballotpedia tracked 344 officials in Congress and state legislatures who ran for a different office.
At the Congressional level, 17 members of the U.S. House of Representatives sought election to other offices. Five (29%) of them won election to the position they sought, eight (48%) were defeated in their party’s primary, and four (24%) advanced from their primaries and lost in the general election.
Of the five who won election to the positions they were seeking:
- Three won election to the U.S. Senate
- One was elected Attorney General of Maryland
- One was elected Mayor of Los Angeles
Of the four who lost in the general election:
- Two lost a general election for the U.S. Senate
- Two lost a general election for the governorship of their state
Of the eight who were defeated in their party’s primary:
- Four lost their party’s primary for a U.S. Senate seat
- Two lost their party’s primary for the governorship of their state
- One lost his party’s primary for Attorney General of Texas
- One lost his party’s primary for Georgia Secretary of State
Nine of the House members who sought other offices were Democrats. Of those, three (33.3%) won their elections, three (33.3%) lost in the general election, and three (33.3%) lost in the primary. Among the eight Republican House members who sought other offices, two (25%) won, one (12.5%) lost in the general election, and five (62.5%) lost in the primaries.
More members of the U.S. House sought a different office in 2022 than in 2020. That year, Ballotpedia tracked 14 members of the U.S. House who sought election to statewide offices—seven Democrats and seven Republicans. Five (36%) won the general election, one (7%) lost in the general election, three (21%) were defeated in their party’s primary for statewide office, and one (7%) withdrew before the primary ocurred. Additionally, four (29%) members of the U.S. House ran for President of the United States and lost in the Democratic Party primary to Joe Biden (D).
No members of the U.S. Senate sought other offices in 2022. That’s a decrease from 2020, when eight Senators sought to become the Democratic Party’s nominee for President of the United States.
At the state legislative level, 534 state legislators ran for other elected positions in 2022, and 273 of them, or 51%, successfully won election to those positions. Ninety-four of these state legislators (18%) lost in the general election, while 169 (31%) were defeated in their party’s primary.
The success rate for state senators seeking other offices was less than that for state representatives in 2022. Fifty of the 121 state senators (41%) who ran for another office were successful, while 27 (22%) lost in the general election, and 44 (44%) were defeated in the primary. Among state representatives, 223 (54%) of those who ran for another office were successful. Sixty-seven (16%) of them lost in the general election and 123 (30%) were defeated in the primary.
Of the 534 state legislators who sought other offices:
- 12 ran for the U.S. Senate (none won)
- 94 ran for the U.S. House (28 won)
- 22 ran for governor (one won)
- 90 ran for executive offices other than governor (28 won)
- 248 ran for state senate (169 won)
- 23 ran for state house (22 won)
- 11 ran for judicial offices (six won)
- 25 ran for county positions (13 won)
- 9 ran for municipal or school board offices (six won)
Compared to 2020, 212 more state legislators ran for another office in 2022. In 2020, 157 (49%) won election to a new position. Fifty-seven of these state legislators (18%) lost in the general election, while 108 (34%) were defeated in their party’s primary.
Among the two major parties, Democratic state legislators who ran for other offices were more successful than Republicans in 2022. Fifty-six (128 out of 230) of Democratic state legislators who ran for another office this year won, while 48% (145 out of 304) of Republican state legislators who ran for another office were successful.
In 2020, Republicans state legislators who ran for other offices were more successful than Democrats. Fifty-seven percent (92 out of 162) of Republican state legislators who ran for another office that year won, while 41% (66 out of 158) of Democratic state legislators who ran for another office were successful.
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