In America’s state legislature elections, there are no off-years or even off-months. Special elections take place year-round across the country, and these races represent important opportunities for us to build and protect Democratic power.
Last cycle, the DLCC won 43 special elections in the states, securing important seat flips and defending majority-deciding races in multiple chambers. This year, the stakes in special elections are even higher, with nearly half a dozen chambers in Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Virginia controlled by single-seat majorities. We need to be ready to move quickly to defend these chambers when vacancies inevitably arise.
DLCC Spotlight Candidate Rob Long’s Palm Beach area special election in early December will give Democrats an important chance to protect a seat in the Florida House. This seat is not only a key foothold for Florida Democrats today, but also represents an important step towards eventually breaking the chamber’s Republican supermajority.
Rob Long is a civil engineer from Delray Beach running to protect an open Florida House seat in a December special election.
In New York, Republicans are eyeing an open seat in the state’s General Assembly with the hopes that the toss-up district could lead to more wins in the blue-majority chamber. Michael Cashman is running to protect the seat and halt the GOP’s attempts to diminish Democratic power in Albany.
Michael Cashman is a dedicated public servant running in a November special election to fill a vacant seat in the New York State Assembly.
Mississippi will hold special elections across the state in November after a judge threw out the GOP’s racially gerrymandered legislative maps. The new map offers Democrats a chance to pick up seats and break the GOP supermajority in the Mississippi Senate.
Dianne Black is a small business owner running to win a Mississippi Senate seat this November.
Theresa Gillespie Isom is a former nurse and educator running to win a newly drawn seat in the Mississippi Senate this fall.
Justin Crosby is a logistics manager running in a November special election to win a newly redrawn seat in the Mississippi House.
Former Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree is running in a November special election to add a Democratic seat to the Mississippi Senate.
Sen. Reginald Jackson is an engineering technician and farmer running in a November special election to defend his seat in the Mississippi Senate.
An upcoming November special election will give Democrats an opportunity to flip a seat blue in the nation’s largest legislative chamber ahead of the 2026 general election when every New Hampshire House seat will be on the ballot. Playing hard in special elections gives Democrats the best chance at breaking the GOP trifecta before the end of the decade.
Corinne Cascadden is a former teacher and school superintendent from Berlin, New Hampshire, running in a November special election to flip a seat in the state House.
Minnesota is a top battleground state this cycle. Democrats hold a slim majority in the state Senate, which makes the two upcoming November special elections must-wins to maintain control of the chamber.
Rep. Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger is a forensic scientist and current Minnesota House member representing south Maplewood and Woodbury running this fall to protect a seat in the Minnesota Senate.
Louis McNutt is a heavy equipment mechanic from Buffalo, Minnesota, running to flip a seat in the state Senate blue this November.
Two DLCC Spotlight candidates, Victoria Hunt and Deb Krishnadasan, are running in November special elections for the Washington State Senate. These special elections allow voters to reaffirm Democratic leadership that lifts people up, rather than leaves them behind. Both elections are taking place in highly competitive districts where defending their seats means denying Republicans a chance to chip away at Democratic power in the chamber.
Sen. Victoria Hunt is a scientist running in a November special election to defend her seat and win a full term in the Washington Senate.
Sen. Deb Krishnadasan is a former school board member and lifelong Washingtonian running for election to a full term in the Washington Senate this November.
Democratic candidate Xp Lee won a special election to fill the vacancy in the Minnesota House created by the assassination of Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman. Xp is a powerful advocate for Minnesota’s working families, and this Democratic win restores a tie for control of the chamber.
Xp Lee is a health equity analyst who won a special election to fill a vacancy in the Minnesota House created by the assassination of Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman.
DLCC Spotlight candidate Catelin Drey claimed victory in a tightly contested special election to fill a vacant seat in the Iowa Senate on August 26. By flipping this district and defeating one of the most extreme MAGA candidates on the ballot this year, Democrats broke the Republican supermajority in the chamber and provided a check on Republican power.
Catelin Drey claimed victory in a tightly contested special election, flipping a seat in the Iowa Senate and breaking Republicans’ supermajority in the chamber.
This June, Democrats defended a key Tulsa-area house district that has trended blue for nearly a decade, giving us a strong foothold in the Republican-majority chamber.
Amanda Clinton is a small business owner and citizen of the Cherokee Nation who won a June special election to protect a key seat in the Oklahoma House.
The Pennsylvania Senate represents one of Democrats’ best opportunities to build influence in an important chamber and steadily close the gap on Republicans’ majority. In March, DLCC Spotlight candidate James Malone gave Democrats their latest victory in the chamber when he flipped his Lancaster County district blue.
James Malone is a public servant from Lancaster County who flipped his Pennsylvania Senate district blue in a special election.
In 2024, the DLCC and Pennsylvania House Democrats defended their 1-seat majority when voters elected a 102D-101R chamber. DLCC Spotlight candidate, Dan Goughnour once again defended Pennsylvania Democrats’ narrow House majority by winning a March special election.
Dan Goughnour is a McKeesport Police Department officer who won a majority-making special election for the Pennsylvania House.
The Minnesota House is one of the most competitive chambers in the country. Voters elected a tied 67D-67R chamber in 2024, but that hasn’t stopped Republicans from deploying underhanded tactics and power grabs. The DLCC worked directly with the Minnesota House DFL to secure this seat and recently invested $100,000 to support the larger effort to win back a majority.
David Gottfried is a pro bono legal specialist who won a March special election to block GOP control of the Minnesota House.
DLCC helped defend Maine’s Democratic trifecta in 2024 by narrow margins. After losing a bit of ground last cycle, we can’t afford to take any seats for granted, especially in unpredictable special elections. This race was an opportunity to defend an important district for Democrats and ensure that the Maine House’s hard-won majority doesn’t start to slip away.
Sean Faircloth is a former member of the legislature who won a February special election to join the Maine House and bolster its narrow Democratic majority.
In January, DLCC Spotlight candidate Mike Zimmer pulled off an upset victory for the Iowa Senate, winning a district that Donald Trump carried by 21 points last November. His victory was the first state legislative flip of the cycle and a significant win for Democrats in the first month of the year. The DLCC is continuously on the lookout for opportunities to flip seats in red and blue states.
Mike Zimmer is a small business owner and educator who flipped his Iowa Senate district in a January special election.
In January, DLCC Spotlight candidates JJ Singh and Kannan Srinivasan won two of the first special elections of the year in majority-making races for the Virginia House and Senate. Democrats overperformed to retain both chambers’ one-seat majorities and have entered the 2025 legislative sessions with a strengthened Democratic firewall in the commonwealth.
Kannan Srinivasan won a special election for a seat in the Virginia Senate to protect Democrats’ majority in the chamber.
