The 2012 United States state legislative elections were held on November 6, 2012, for 86 state legislative chambers in 44 states. Across the fifty states, approximately 65 percent of all upper house seats and 85 percent of all lower house seats were up for election. Nine legislative chambers in the five permanently-inhabited U.S. territories and the federal district of Washington, D.C. also held elections. The elections took place concurrently with several other federal, state, and local elections, including the presidential election, U.S. Senate elections, U.S. House elections, and gubernatorial elections.
13 chambers shifted party control, as Republicans had gained many chambers in the 2010 mid-term elections, and this was seen as a modest rebalancing.
Democrats won the Colorado House of Representatives, Maine Senate, Maine House of Representatives, Minnesota Senate, Minnesota House of Representatives, New Hampshire House of Representatives, and Oregon House of Representatives that was previously tied. Meanwhile, Republicans won the Wisconsin Senate which was briefly under Democratic control after multiple recall elections earlier in the year, and both chambers of the Arkansas legislature for the first time since 1874. The Alaska Senate went from a Democratic-led coalition to Republican control. The Washington Senate went from Democratic control to a Republican-led coalition, and the New York State Senate went from Republican control to a Republican-led coalition.
Summary table
Regularly-scheduled elections were held in 86 of the 99 state legislative chambers in the United States. Nationwide, regularly-scheduled elections were held for 6,015 of the 7,383 legislative seats. Many legislative chambers held elections for all seats, but some legislative chambers that use staggered elections held elections for only a portion of the total seats in the chamber. The chambers not up for election either hold regularly-scheduled elections in odd-numbered years, or have four-year terms and hold all regularly-scheduled elections in presidential midterm election years.
Note that this table only covers regularly-scheduled elections; additional special elections took place concurrently with these regularly-scheduled elections.
State summaries
Alaska
Most of the seats of the Alaska Senate and all of the seats of the Alaska House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Republicans won control of the Senate from a Democratic-led coalition of Democrats, Republicans, and independents, while maintaining control of the Alaska House of Representatives.
Arizona
All of the seats of the Arizona Senate and the Arizona House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Republicans maintained a government trifecta with control of the governorship and both state legislative chambers.
Arkansas
All of the seats of the Arkansas Senate and all of the seats of the Arkansas House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Republicans won control of both chambers for the first time since Reconstruction, thereby ending a government trifecta.
California
Half of the seats of the California State Senate and all of the seats of the California State Assembly were up for election in 2012. Democrats held control of both chambers, maintaining a government trifecta.
Colorado
Half of the seats of the Colorado Senate and all of the seats of the Colorado House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Democrats held control of the state House and won control of the state Senate, thereby establishing a trifecta.
Connecticut
All of the seats of the Connecticut State Senate and the Connecticut House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Democrats held control of both houses.
Delaware
All of the seats of the Delaware Senate and all of the seats of the Delaware House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Democrats held control of both chambers, maintaining a government trifecta.
Florida
All of the seats of the Florida Senate and all of the seats of the Florida House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Republicans held control of both chambers, maintaining a government trifecta.
Georgia
All of the seats of the Georgia State Senate and the Georgia House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Republicans held control of both chambers, maintaining a government trifecta.
Hawaii
All of the seats of the Hawaii Senate and all of the seats of the Hawaii House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Democrats held control of both chambers, maintaining a government trifecta.