Political party strength in U.S. states

Throughout most of the 20th century, although the Republican and Democratic parties alternated in power at a national level, some states were so overwhelmingly dominated by one party that nomination was usually tantamount to election. This was especially true in the Solid South, where the Republican Party was virtually nonexistent for the best part of a century, from the end of Reconstruction in the late 1870s to the 1960s. Conversely, the New England states of Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire were Republican bastions, as were some Midwestern states like Iowa and North Dakota.

However, in the 1970s and 1980s, the increasingly conservative Republican Party gradually overtook the Democrats, whose support had been eroded during the vast cultural, political and economic upheaval that surrounded the 1960s. In the 1990s, the Republicans overtook the Democrats in holding majorities in statehouses and governorships in the South. In New England, the opposite trend took place; the former Republican strongholds of Maine and Vermont became solidly Democratic, as did formerly Republican areas of New Jersey, New York, and other states.

Currently, the majority of the overall number of seats held in the state legislatures has been switching between the two parties every few years. As of the U.S. gubernatorial elections of 2010, the Republican party holds an outright majority of approximately 440 with 3,890 seats (53% of total) compared to the Democratic party's number of 3,450 (47% of total) seats elected on a partisan ballot. Of the 7,382 seats in all of the state legislatures combined, independents and third parties account for only 15 members, not counting the 49 members of the Nebraska Legislature, which is the only legislature in the nation to hold non-partisan elections to determine its members. Due to the results of the 2010 elections, Republicans took control of an additional 19 state legislative chambers, giving them majority control of both chambers in 25 states versus the Democrats' majority control of both chambers in only 16 states, with 8 states having split or inconclusive control of both chambers (not including Nebraska); previous to the 2010 elections, it was Democrats who controlled both chambers in 27 states versus the Republican party having total control in only 14 states, with eight states divided and Nebraska being nonpartisan.

Current party strength

As of 2010, Gallup polling found that 31% of Americans identified as Democrats, 29% as Republicans, and 38% as independents.

The following table shows all the U.S. states and to what party (Democratic or Republican) their state governors belong. Also indicated is the majority party of the state legislatures' upper and lower houses as well as U.S. Senate representation. Nebraska's legislature is unicameral, i.e., it has only one legislative house and is officially non-partisan, though party affiliation still has an unofficial influence on the legislative process.

The simplest measure of the party strength in a state's voting population is the breakdown-by-party totals from its voter registration figures (figures that can easily be obtained from the websites of the Secretaries of State or the Boards of Elections of the various states). As of 2010, 28 states and the District of Columbia allow registered voters to indicate a party preference when registering to vote; the following 22 states (mostly in the South and the Midwest) do not provide for party preferences in voter registration: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. The partisan breakdown "demographics" provided in the following table are obtained from that state's party registration figures (from late 2010 whenever possible) where indicated. Only Wyoming has a majority of registered voters identifying themselves as Republicans; five states have a majority of registered voters identifying themselves as Democrats: Maryland, Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Louisiana.

State	2008 Presidential Election	Governor	Upper House Majority	Lower House Majority	Senior U.S. Senator	Junior U.S. Senator	U.S. House Delegation	Demographics
Alabama	Republican	Republican	Republican 22-12-1	Republican 66-39	Republican	Republican	Republican 6-1	Republican 48-34
Alaska	Republican	Republican	Coalition(e) 16-4	Republican 24-16	Republican	Democratic	Republican 1-0	Republican 26-15(g)
Arizona	Republican	Republican	Republican 21-9	Republican 40-20	Republican	Republican	Republican 5-3	Republican 36-32(g)
Arkansas	Republican	Democratic	Democratic 20-15	Democratic 54-46	Democratic	Republican	Republican 3-1	Democratic 41-31
California	Democratic	Democratic	Democratic 25-15	Democratic 52-28	Democratic	Democratic	Democratic 34-19	Democratic 44-31(g)
Colorado	Democratic	Democratic	Democratic 20-15	Republican 33-32	Democratic	Democratic	Republican 4-3	Republican 35-33(g)
Connecticut	Democratic	Democratic	Democratic 22-14	Democratic 99-52	Independent(a)	Democratic	Democratic 5-0	Democratic 37-20(g)
Delaware	Democratic	Democratic	Democratic 14-7	Democratic 26-15	Democratic	Democratic	Democratic 1-0	Democratic 47-29(g)
Florida	Democratic	Republican	Republican 28-12	Republican 81-39	Democratic	Republican	Republican 19-6	Democratic 41-36(g)
Georgia	Republican	Republican	Republican 36-20	Republican 116-63-1	Republican	Republican	Republican 8-5	Republican 44-32
Hawaii	Democratic	Democratic	Democratic 24-1	Democratic 43-8	Democratic	Democratic	Democratic 2-0	Democratic 40-23
Idaho	Republican	Republican	Republican 28-7	Republican 57-13	Republican	Republican	Republican 2-0	Republican 50-22
Illinois	Democratic	Democratic	Democratic 35-24	Democratic 64-54	Democratic	Republican	Republican 11-8	Democratic 46-31
Indiana	Democratic	Republican	Republican 37-13	Republican 60-40	Republican	Republican	Republican 6-3	Republican 46-32
Iowa	Democratic	Republican	Democratic 26-24	Republican 60-40	Republican	Democratic	Democratic 3-2	Democratic 34-31(g)
Kansas	Republican	Republican	Republican 32-8	Republican 92-33	Republican	Republican	Republican 4-0	Republican 44-27(g)
Kentucky	Republican	Democratic	Republican 22-15-1	Democratic 59-41	Republican	Republican	Republican 4-2	Democratic 56-37(g)
Louisiana	Republican	Republican	Republican 24-15	Republican 58-45-2	Democratic	Republican	Republican 6-1	Democratic 51-26(g)
Maine	Democratic	Republican	Republican 20-14-1	Republican 78-72-1	Republican	Republican	Democratic 2-0	Democratic 33-28(g)
Maryland	Democratic	Democratic	Democratic 35-12	Democratic 98-43	Democratic	Democratic	Democratic 6-2	Democratic 56-27(g)
Massachusetts	Democratic	Democratic	Democratic 36-4	Democratic 127-33	Democratic	Republican	Democratic 10-0	Democratic 37-11(g)
Michigan	Democratic	Republican	Republican 26-12	Republican 63-47	Democratic	Democratic	Republican 9-6	Democratic 40-33
Minnesota	Democratic	Democratic	Republican 37-30	Republican 72-62	Democratic	Democratic	Split 4-4	Democratic 46-30
Mississippi	Republican	Republican	Republican 30-22	Republican 64-58	Republican	Republican	Republican 3-1	Republican 47-38
Missouri	Republican	Democratic	Republican 26-8	Republican 106-57	Democratic	Republican	Republican 6-3	Republican 39-37
Montana	Republican	Democratic	Republican 28-22	Republican 68-32	Democratic	Democratic	Republican 1-0	Republican 39-32
Nebraska	Republican 4	Republican	Unicameral legislature(d): Non-partisan (official) Republican 32-17 (unofficial)		Democratic	Republican	Republican 3-0	Republican 48-34(g)
	Democratic 1(f)
Nevada	Democratic	Republican	Democratic 11-10	Democratic 26-16	Democratic	Republican	Republican 2-1	Democratic 42-37(g)
New Hampshire	Democratic	Democratic	Republican 19-5	Republican 295-105	Democratic	Republican	Republican 2-0	Tied 29-29(g)
New Jersey	Democratic	Republican	Democratic 24-16	Democratic 48-32	Democratic	Democratic	Democratic 7-6	Democratic 33-20(g)
New Mexico	Democratic	Republican	Democratic 27-15	Democratic 37-33	Democratic	Democratic	Democratic 2-1	Democratic 50-32(g)
New York	Democratic	Democratic	Republican 32-29-1(c)	Democratic 99-51	Democratic	Democratic	Democratic 20-8	Democratic 49-25(g)
North Carolina	Democratic	Democratic	Republican 31-19	Republican 68-52	Republican	Democratic	Democratic 7-6	Democratic 45-32(g)
North Dakota	Republican	Republican	Republican 35-12	Republican 69-25	Democratic	Republican	Republican 1-0	Republican 38-29
Ohio	Democratic	Republican	Republican 23-10	Republican 59-40	Democratic	Republican	Republican 13-5	Republican 37-36
Oklahoma	Republican	Republican	Republican 32-16	Republican 70-31	Republican	Republican	Republican 4-1	Democratic 49-40(g)
Oregon	Democratic	Democratic	Democratic 16-14	Split 30-30	Democratic	Democratic	Democratic 4-1	Democratic 42-32(g)
Pennsylvania	Democratic	Republican	Republican 30-20	Republican 112-91	Democratic	Republican	Republican 12-7	Democratic 51-37(g)
Rhode Island	Democratic	Independent	Democratic 29-8-1	Democratic 65-10	Democratic	Democratic	Democratic 2-0	Democratic 38-11(g)
South Carolina	Republican	Republican	Republican 27-19	Republican 76-48	Republican	Republican	Republican 5-1	Republican 44-33
South Dakota	Republican	Republican	Republican 30-5	Republican 50-19-1	Democratic	Republican	Republican 1-0	Republican 46-38(g)
Tennessee	Republican	Republican	Republican 20-13	Republican 64-34-1	Republican	Republican	Republican 7-2	Republican 38-34
Texas	Republican	Republican	Republican 19-12	Republican 101-49	Republican	Republican	Republican 23-9	Republican 45-21
Utah	Republican	Republican	Republican 22-7	Republican 58-17	Republican	Republican	Republican 2-1	Republican 56-20
Vermont	Democratic	Democratic	Democratic 22-8	Democratic 96-46-8(a)	Democratic	Independent(a)	Democratic 1-0	Democratic 29-27
Virginia	Democratic	Republican	Republican 20-20(h)	Republican 67-32-1(b)	Democratic	Democratic	Republican 8-3	Republican 39-36
Washington	Democratic	Democratic	Democratic 27-22	Democratic 55-42	Democratic	Democratic	Democratic 5-4	Democratic 39-29
West Virginia	Republican	Democratic	Democratic 28-6	Democratic 65-35	Democratic	Democratic	Republican 2-1	Democratic 54-29(g)
Wisconsin	Democratic	Republican	Republican 17-16	Republican 59-39-1(b)	Democratic	Republican	Republican 5-3	Democratic 38-34
Wyoming	Republican	Republican	Republican 26-4	Republican 50-10	Republican	Republican	Republican 1-0	Republican 63-24(g)

Totals
President	Governor	State Upper House Majority	State Lower House Majority	U.S. Senate	U.S. House of Representatives
Democratic 365-173	Republican 29-20-1	Republican 30(h)-18-1(e)-1(d)	Republican 31-17-1(d)	Democratic 51-47-2(a)	Republican 242-193

(a) Non-Democrats caucusing with Democratic Party.

(b) Non-Republicans caucusing with Republican Party.

(c) Vacancy.

(d) Nebraska has no lower house, and its upper house is a non-partisan chamber.

(e) The Alaska State Senate has a coalition majority of all the senate's Democrats and several Republicans, with the remaining Republicans in the minority.

(f) Obama–Biden won an electoral vote in Nebraska by winning a plurality of the votes in Nebraska's 2nd congressional district.

(g) Indicated partisan breakdown numbers are from the registration-by-party figures from that state's registered voter statistics (late 2010 party registration figures provided whenever possible).

(h) As a result of the 2011 legislative elections in Virginia, the Virginia State Senate is tied between the parties, 20-20. But the Republican Lt. Governor is allowed to cast tie-breaking votes in the Virginia State Senate, giving Republicans operational control of the chamber.

Regional breakdowns

Local and regional political circumstances often influence party strength.

State government

The following figure is for Governors as of the Spring of 2011:

Governor

The following figures for party control of state legislative chambers are for the Winter of 2010 (i.e. from the results of the 2010 elections):

Upper	Lower

Presidential election results and congressional delegations

The following are based on the results of the 2008 elections:

Presidential Election

Senate	House of Representatives

Demographics

Historical party strength

The following table shows how many state legislatures were controlled outright by each party.

Year	Democrats	Republicans	Split
1938	21	19	6
1940	21	17	8
1942	19	24	3
1944	19	24	3
1946	17	25	4
1948	19	16	11
1950	19	21	6
1952	16	26	4
1954	19	20	7
1956	22	19	5
1958	30	7	11
1960	27	15	6
1962	25	17	6
1964	32	6	10
1966	23	16	9
1968	20	20	8
1970	23	16	9
1972	26	16	7
1974	37	4	8
1976	35	4	10
1978	31	11	7
1980	29	15	5
1982	34	11	4
1984	26	11	12
1986	28	9	12
1988	29	8	12
1990	30	6	13
1992	25	8	16
1994	18	19	12
1996	20	18	11
1998	20	17	12
2000	16	18	15
2002	18	17	14
2003	16	21	12
2004	17	21	11
2005	20	20	9
2007	24	16	9
2008	23	15	12
2009	27	14	8
2011	15	26	8
2012	15	28	6

The following table shows how many governorships were controlled outright by each party.

Year	Democrats	Republicans	Independent
1922	26	22
1923	27	21
1924	23	25
1926	20	28
1927	19	29
1928	16	32
1930	24	22	2
1931	26	20	2
1932	36	10	2
1934	37	9	2
1936	38	7	3
1937	39	6	3
1938	29	19
1940	28	20
1942	24	24
1943	22	26
1944	25	23
1946	23	25
1947	24	24
1948	28	20
1950	22	26
1952	18	30
1953	19	29
1954	27	21
1956	28	20
1958	35	15
1960	34	16
1962	34	16
1964	33	17
1966	25	25
1967	24	26
1968	19	31
1969	18	32
1970	29	21
1971	30	20
1972	31	19
1973	32	18
1974	36	13	1
1976	37	12	1
1978	32	18
1979	31	19
1980	27	23
1982	34	16
1983	35	15
1984	34	16
1986	26	24
1988	28	22
1989	29	21
1990	28	20	2
1992	30	18	2
1993	29	19	2
1994	19	30	1
1995	18	31	1
1996	17	32	1
1998	17	31	2
1999	18	30	2
2000	19	29	2
2001	21	27	2
2002	24	26
2004	22	28
2006	28	22
2008	29	21
2009	26	24
2010	26	23	1
2011	20	29	1

See also

• Comparison of U.S. state governments
• United States state legislatures' partisan trend