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.
Democrats currently hold a single-seat majority in the Minnesota Senate, one of the country’s most competitive legislative chambers. This vacancy is in a GOP-leaning district, and a special election this April gives Democrats a chance to flip a seat blue and expand their control of the Minnesota Senate.
This June, Democrats are defending a key Tulsa-area house district that has trended blue for nearly a decade, giving us a strong foothold in the Republican-majority chamber.
Capitalizing on every chance to protect and flip districts in New Hampshire could put Democrats within striking distance of a new majority in the state House by 2026. This summer brings us the latest opportunity to build power in the nation’s largest legislative chamber with a special election to defend a blue seat.
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.
After winning his January special election, JJ Singh is ready to give back to the community by serving in the Virginia House.
Kannan Srinivasan won a special election for a seat in the Virginia Senate to protect Democrats’ majority in the chamber.
