Democrats Target Republican-Held Chambers in State Legislative Races
Democrats are targeting Republican-held chambers in six states in the November 3 elections, according to NPR. The states are Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, New Hampshire, Minnesota and Pennsylvania. More than 6,100 state legislature seats are up for election this cycle.
State legislatures are the lawmaking bodies in each state. They make most laws on education, taxes, reproductive rights, crime and social media access, NPR reported.
Republicans control the legislature in 28 states, and Democrats control 18. Four states are divided or under power-sharing deals, meaning control is split between the two parties or shared under an agreement. That leaves Republicans 10 legislatures ahead of Democrats.
In Arizona, Republicans hold a four-seat majority in the state Senate and a six-seat advantage in the House of Representatives.
Pennsylvania has a split government. Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro leads the state, while Democrats hold a slim majority in the state House and Republicans hold a four-seat majority in the state Senate. According to Fox43, Democrats hold a 103-100 seat majority in the House, and Republicans hold a 27-23 majority in the Senate. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, the party group focused on state legislative races, lists Pennsylvania on its 2026 target map as a seat it aims to defend in the House and a place where it hopes to pick up Senate seats. The group also describes Pennsylvania as a key battleground for building power this year.
The Republican State Leadership Committee said in an April strategy memo that 2026 is likely one of the most challenging environments for state Republicans in recent years. The group said it is taking a defensive-first posture, meaning it is focused first on protecting the seats it holds.
The state races come as the national parties fight over Congress. Republicans hold a 218-214 edge in the U.S. House and a 53-47 majority in the U.S. Senate entering the November 3 vote, according to Reuters. Reuters also reported that governor races are being contested in 39 states. Democrats need a net gain of at least four Senate seats, meaning four more seats than they lose, to take control of the chamber, according to Reuters.
