2010 United States state legislative elections

File:United States state legislatures 2009.svg and 2009 elections{{legend|#33f|Democratic control}}{{legend|#f33|Republican control}}{{legend|#829|Split control}}{{legend|#000|Nonpartisan legislature}}]]

The 2008 elections saw a nationwide Democratic wave election, including the election of Barack Obama to the presidency, as well as the expansion of Democratic majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives.{{Cite news |date=2008-11-05 |title=Obama wins historic US election |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/us_elections_2008/7709978.stm |access-date=2025-03-20 |language=en-GB}} At the state legislative level, Democrats won control of 27 state legislatures, while Republicans only held 14, with 8 divided between parties. Democrats showed great strength across the country in that election, primarily losing ground only in the South, where they lost control of the Oklahoma Senate and the Tennessee House of Representatives.{{Cite web |last=Prah |first=Pamela M. |date=2010-10-19 |title=Republican Wave Expected in Statehouses |url=https://www.governing.com/archive/republican-wave-expected-in-statehouses.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808004021/https://www.governing.com/topics/politics/Republican-Wave-Expected-in-Statehouses.html |archive-date=August 8, 2019 |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=Governing |language=en}}

File:9.12_tea_party_in_DC.jpg and the National Mall at the Taxpayer March on Washington on September 12, 2009]]

The 2010 elections were held during the middle of President Barack Obama's first presidential term. Obama had taken office during the Great Recession, and signed several laws meant to counteract it, including the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. He also passed significant healthcare reform through the Affordable Care Act, a highly-controversial effort that a majority of Americans disapproved of at time.{{cite news |last1=Rasmussen |first1=Scott |last2=Schoen |first2=Doug |date=March 9, 2010 |title=Why Obama Can't Move the Health-Care Numbers |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704784904575111993559174212 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402002455/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704784904575111993559174212 |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |access-date=March 20, 2025 |work=The Wall Street Journal |publisher=News Corp |issn=0099-9660 |oclc=781541372}} Other significant issues included illegal immigration and terrorism. By the time of the election, large pluralities of American voters sided with Republicans more than Democrats on these issues, with Democrats only above water on healthcare and environmental policy.{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Jeffrey M. |date=2010-09-01 |title=Americans Give GOP Edge on Most Election Issues |url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/142730/americans-give-gop-edge-election-issues.aspx |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=Gallup.com |language=en}}

The conservative Tea Party movement grew significantly in 2009 and 2010, staging large protests in response to legislation passed by the Obama administration.{{Cite news |last=Seleny |first=Jeff |date=September 12, 2009 |title=Thousands Rally in Capital to Protest Big Government |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/us/politics/13protestweb.html |access-date=March 20, 2025 |work=The New York Times}}{{Cite news |last=Montopoli |first=Brian |date=April 15, 2009 |title=Tax Day Brings Out "Tea Party" Protesters Protests Planned Across Country Against Government Taxation And Spending As Some Question Whether Movement Has Been Co-Opted |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/04/15/politics/main4946264.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090418151802/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/04/15/politics/main4946264.shtml |archive-date=April 18, 2009 |access-date=March 20, 2025 |publisher=CBS News}}

Behind the scenes, Republicans aggressively targeted state legislative races in states where they could gain complete control of the redistricting process following the 2010 census through the project REDMAP.{{Cite magazine |last=Daley |first=David |date=15 October 2020 |title=Inside the Republican Plot for Permanent Minority Rule |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/159755/republican-voter-suppression-2020-election |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018074215/https://newrepublic.com/article/159755/republican-voter-suppression-2020-election |archive-date=18 October 2020 |access-date=18 October 2020 |magazine=The New Republic}}{{Cite web |last=Rove |first=Karl |date=4 March 2010 |title=The GOP Targets State Legislatures |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703862704575099670689398044 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201008210659/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703862704575099670689398044 |archive-date=8 October 2020 |access-date= |website=The Wall Street Journal}}

Regularly-scheduled elections were held in 88 of the 99 state legislative chambers in the United States; nationwide, regularly-scheduled elections were held for 6,064 of the 7,383 legislative seats. Most 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 that were 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 election years.

Note that this table only covers regularly-scheduled elections; additional special elections took place concurrently with these regularly-scheduled elections.

Analysts predicted a very strong showing for the Republicans, anticipating a nationwide wave election in their favor. This was attributed to the nation's slow recovery from the Great Recession, the chaotic passage and implementation of the Affordable Care Act, immigration, and the large number of legislative chambers and governorships that Democrats controlled after the 2006 and 2008 elections.{{Cite web |last=Jacobson |first=Louis |date=July 7, 2010 |title=2010 State Legislatures: Democrats Buckle Up for Wild Ride |url=http://www.governing.com/blogs/politics/2010-state-legislatures-democrats-wild-ride.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100728141936/http://www.governing.com/blogs/politics/2010-state-legislatures-democrats-wild-ride.html |archive-date=July 28, 2010 |access-date=July 15, 2024 |website=Governing}} As the campaign progressed, Democratic prospects only became worse, leading to the largest gap in legislative chambers held by each party considered vulnerable in over a decade.{{Cite web |last=Jacobson |first=Louis |date=September 29, 2010 |title=2010 State Legislatures: Forecast Worsens for Democrats |url=http://www.governing.com/blogs/politics/2010-state-legislatures-forecast-worsens-democrats.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101205232729/http://www.governing.com/blogs/politics/2010-state-legislatures-forecast-worsens-democrats.html |archive-date=December 5, 2010 |access-date=July 15, 2024 |website=Governing}} By election day, Republicans were expected to be able to flip between eleven and twenty seven legislative chambers from Democrats, with only one Republican-held chamber considered vulnerable.

Ratings are designated as follows:

• "Tossup": Competitive, no advantage
• "Lean": Competitive, slight advantage
• "Likely": Not competitive, but opposition could make significant gains
• "Safe": Not competitive at all

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{{col-end}}Republicans made substantial gains in state legislatures across the nation. Twenty chambers flipped from Democratic to Republican control, giving Republicans full control of eleven state legislatures and control of one chamber in Colorado, Iowa, and New York.{{cite web |last1=Storey |first1=Tim |title=GOP Makes Historic State Legislative Gains in 2010 |url=http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/political_commentary/commentary_by_tim_storey/gop_makes_historic_state_legislative_gains_in_2010 |access-date=2014-07-29 |website=Rasmussen Reports |publisher=Rasmussen Report, LLC}}{{cite news |last=Balz |first=Dan |date=November 14, 2010 |title=The Republican takeover in the states |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/13/AR2010111304276.html |access-date=June 4, 2013 |publisher=Washingtonpost.com}} Additionally, Republicans gained enough seats in the Oregon House of Representatives to produce a 30-30 party split, pushing Democrats into a power-sharing agreement that resulted in the election of two "co-speakers" (one from each party) to lead the chamber.{{cite news |last1=Cole |first1=Michelle |date=January 11, 2011 |title=Oregon House makes history by electing two co-speakers |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/01/for_the_first_time_in_history.html |access-date=2014-07-29 |agency=The Oregonian}} Republicans gained a net of 680 seats in state legislative races, breaking the previous record of 628 flipped seats set by Democrats in the post-Watergate elections of 1974.{{cite web |date=November 4, 2010 |title=Devastation: GOP Picks Up 680 State Leg. Seats |url=http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2010/11/devastation-gop.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121028132627/http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2010/11/devastation-gop.php |archive-date=October 28, 2012 |access-date=November 4, 2010}}

Six states saw both chambers switch from Democrat to Republican majorities: Alabama (where the Republicans won a majority and a trifecta for the first time since 1874), Maine (for the first time since 1975 and a trifecta for the first time since 1965), Minnesota (for the first time since 1915 in partisan elections and 1973 in non-partisan elections), New Hampshire, North Carolina (for the first time since 1896), and Wisconsin. In addition, by picking up the lower chambers in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Montana{{efn|Prior to the 2010 election, the 100 seats in the Montana House of Representatives were evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, but the Democratic Party controlled the chamber by virtue of holding the governor's office.}} and Pennsylvania, Republicans gained control of both chambers in an additional five states. Further, Republicans picked up one chamber from Democrats in Colorado, Iowa, and New York to split control in those states. They expanded majorities in both chambers in Texas, Florida, and Georgia.{{Cite web |last=Taylor |first=Jessica |date=November 16, 2010 |title=Democrats’ losses ran wide, deep |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2010/11/democrats-losses-ran-wide-deep-045160 |access-date=February 29, 2024 |website=Politico}}{{Cite web |last=Daigneau |first=Elizabeth |date=2010-11-03 |title=2010 State Legislatures: GOP Chalks Up Historic Gains |url=https://www.governing.com/archive/2010-state-legislatures-republicans-historic-gains.html |access-date=2024-02-29 |website=Governing |language=en}}

File:2010 post-election legislative party switch gains.svg

Between the November general election and January 2011, 25 Democratic state legislators switched parties and became Republicans.{{Cite web |last=Geraghty |first=Jim |date=2010-12-30 |title=25 Democrat State Lawmakers Have Flipped Parties |url=https://www.nationalreview.com/the-campaign-spot/25-democrat-state-lawmakers-have-flipped-parties-jim-geraghty/ |access-date=2025-03-11 |website=National Review |language=en-US}} These legislators were primarily conservative, White Democrats from the South who felt that the views of the Republican party more closely aligned with their own. This party switching gave Republicans control of the Louisiana House of Representatives, which did not hold regularly-scheduled elections in 2010, for the first time since Reconstruction prior to the start of the 2011 session.{{cite news |last=Barrow |first=Bill |date=December 17, 2010 |title=Louisiana Republicans take first House majority since Reconstruction with latest party switch |url=http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/12/louisiana_republicans_take_fir.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130130103104/http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/12/louisiana_republicans_take_fir.html |archive-date=January 30, 2013 |access-date=May 11, 2018 |newspaper=The Times-Picayune}}

The massive Republican gains made in 2010 immensely strengthened their position on the national stage. This had both short-term effects, such as their ability to counter the policies of president Barack Obama, as well as long term consequences due to the impending redistricting cycle. In the short term, these elections heralded in a conservative shift in state legislatures across the country, especially in the states where Republicans gained complete control. This led to a tightening of policies surrounding abortion and illegal immigration, a loosening of tax policy, and the curtailing of the power of labor unions. Many of these states refused to accept the Medicaid expansion offered by the Affordable Care Act meant to close the Medicaid coverage gap.{{Cite web |last=Greenfield |first=Jeff |date=May 12, 2021 |title=We’re still feeling the aftershocks of the 2010 midterm elections |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/05/12/2010-elections-politics-effects/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210615075638/https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/05/12/2010-elections-politics-effects/ |archive-date=June 15, 2021 |access-date=February 3, 2025 |website=The Washington Post}}

For the past several years, immigration policy had become an increasingly-important issue in state legislatures.{{Cite news |last=Couch |first=Aaron |date=March 23, 2011 |title=State illegal immigration laws: What have they accomplished? |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2011/0323/State-illegal-immigration-laws-What-have-they-accomplished |access-date=2025-04-22 |work=Christian Science Monitor |issn=0882-7729}} In April 2010, the Arizona legislature passed Arizona SB 1070, which was considered at the time to be the strictest anti-illegal immigration bill in the country.{{cite news |author=Archibold, Randal C. |date=April 24, 2010 |title=U.S.'s Toughest Immigration Law Is Signed in Arizona |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/24/us/politics/24immig.html |newspaper=The New York Times |page=1}} Following the 2010 elections, a number of states, some of which had just become Republican-controlled, passed measures in the same vein as the Arizona law. The most controversial among these was Alabama HB 56, which gave police wide discretion to detain those they suspected of being undocumented immigrants, banned undocumented immigrants from receiving any public benefits, including attending public universities, and required public schools to enquire about the immigration statuses of their students.{{cite news |last=Fausset |first=Richard |date=June 10, 2011 |title=Alabama enacts anti-illegal-immigration law described as nation's strictest |url=https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-xpm-2011-jun-10-la-na-alabama-immigration-20110610-story.html |access-date=August 27, 2011 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times}}{{Cite web |last=Gargis |first=Peggy |date=2011-06-09 |title=Alabama gov. signs nation's toughest immigrant law |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna43343494 |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=NBC News |language=en}} The immigration laws passed in both Alabama and Georgia received heavy criticism for their potentially devastating impacts on state agriculture, where many farmers relied on immigrant labor to harvest their crops.{{Cite news |last=Pilkington |first=Ed |date=2011-10-14 |title=Alabama immigration: crops rot as workers vanish to avoid crackdown |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/oct/14/alabama-immigration-law-workers |access-date=2025-04-22 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite news |last=Chappell |first=Bill |date=2011-05-27 |title=Georgia Farmers Say Law Keeps Migrant Workers Away |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2011/05/27/136718112/georgia-farmers-say-immigration-law-keeps-workers-away |access-date=2025-04-22 |work=NPR |language=en}} Many of the strictest portions of these laws were later blocked by federal courts.{{Cite web |last=Winograd |first=Ben |date=2012-08-21 |title=Alabama Ruling Yet Another Rebuke to State Immigration Laws |url=https://immigrationimpact.com/2012/08/21/alabama-ruling-yet-another-rebuke-to-state-immigration-laws/ |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=Immigration Impact |language=en-US}}

The direct impact of the enforcement of these laws was often minimal, with many such as Arizona SB 1070 producing no arrests in its first few months on the books. The widest-reaching effects of these laws, however were social: changing attitudes of both immigrants and citizens. Some viewed the new laws as passed both in response to the backlash to the recent rise in illegal immigration as well as further fueling said backlash. Opponents of these laws criticized them as "Juan Crow" laws which created a climate of fear in immigrant populations.{{Cite web |last=Garcia |first=Uriel J. |last2= |first2= |date=November 24, 2011 |title=Opponents say Ala.’s ‘Juan Crow’ law causes fear, anxiety |url=https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/112411_ala_immigration_law/opponents-say-alas-juan-crow-law-causes-fear-anxiety/ |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=TucsonSentinel.com |language=en-US}} Alabama in particular saw a significant drop in public school attendance among Hispanic students despite HB 56 not barring the attendance of undocumented immigrants.{{cite news |date=September 30, 2011 |title=Alabama: Many Immigrants Pull Children From Schools |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/01/us/alabama-many-immigrants-pull-children-from-schools.html |access-date=October 4, 2011 |newspaper=The New York Times |agency=Associated Press}} Many undocumented immigrants decided to leave the states that passed these laws, citing both the laws themselves and their cultural impacts.{{Cite web |last=Lee |first=M. J. |date=2012-02-01 |title=Study: Alabama law costs $11B |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2012/02/study-ala-immigration-law-costs-11b-072308 |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=POLITICO |language=en}} One study from the University of Alabama estimated that the economic costs to the state in GDP of the loss of workers and taxpayers could reach as high as $11 billion annually.{{cite web |last1=Addy |first1=Samuel |date=January 31, 2012 |title=A Cost-Benefit Analysis of the New Alabama Immigration Law |url=https://cber.cba.ua.edu/New%20AL%20Immigration%20Law%20-%20Costs%20and%20Benefits.pdf |access-date=28 June 2019 |publisher=Center for Business and Economic Research}}

Three states where Republicans gained complete control of state government in 2010, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin, would establish right-to-work laws during the following decade.{{Cite web |last=Sherer |first=Jennifer |last2=Gould |first2=Elise |date=February 13, 2024 |title=Data show anti-union ‘right-to-work’ laws damage state economies: As Michigan’s repeal takes effect, New Hampshire should continue to reject ‘right-to-work’ legislation |url=https://www.epi.org/blog/data-show-anti-union-right-to-work-laws-damage-state-economies-as-michigans-repeal-takes-effect-new-hampshire-should-continue-to-reject-right-to-work-legislation/#:~:text=But%20since%202010,%20five%20additional,bargaining%20rights%20in%20those%20states. |access-date=2025-02-03 |website=Economic Policy Institute |language=en-US}} States passed a number of other wide-ranging bills to weaken public-sector unions, most notoriously in Wisconsin with the passage of Act 10, which led to massive protests and recall elections in 2011.{{cite news |last=Condon |first=Stephanie |date=2011-03-11 |title=Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signs anti-union bill – but Democrats say they're the political victors |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/wisconsin-gov-scott-walker-signs-anti-union-bill-but-democrats-say-theyre-the-political-victors/ |access-date=2011-03-12 |work=CBS News}}{{cite web |author=Mary Spicuzza |date=March 31, 2012 |title=Recall elections ordered for Walker, Kleefisch, 4 GOP senators |url=http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/elections/recall-elections-ordered-for-walker-kleefisch-gop-senators/article_97b6f274-7a74-11e1-bd58-001a4bcf887a.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818010115/http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/elections/recall-elections-ordered-for-walker-kleefisch-gop-senators/article_97b6f274-7a74-11e1-bd58-001a4bcf887a.html |archive-date=August 18, 2017 |access-date=October 4, 2017 |work=Wisconsin State Journal}} Efforts to pass a similar bill in Ohio failed after a veto referendum overwhelmingly rejected it in 2011.{{cite web |title=Ohio Voters Overwhelmingly Reject Issue Two - :: Cincinnati news story :: LOCAL 12 WKRC-TV in Cincinnati |url=http://www.local12.com/news/local/story/Ohio-Issue-2-Collective-Bargaining-Rejected/2ymromy-CE-vw-CBVV-_iQ.cspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20111111184458/http://www.local12.com/news/local/story/Ohio-Issue-2-Collective-Bargaining-Rejected/2ymromy-CE-vw-CBVV-_iQ.cspx |archive-date=2011-11-11 |access-date=2022-06-06 |website=www.local12.com}}

File:USCongressionalRedistrictingPartisanControl2010.svg

{{See also|2010 United States redistricting cycle}}

Republicans' massive state legislative gains timed perfectly with the release of the results of the 2010 census, giving the party unprecedented control over congressional and legislative district maps until after the 2020 elections.{{cite news |last=Memoli |first=Michael A. |date=November 3, 2010 |title=State legislative gains give Republicans unprecedented clout to remake districts - Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-nov-03-la-pn-state-legislatures-20101104-story.html |access-date=June 4, 2013 |publisher=Articles.latimes.com}}{{Cite web |last=Cook |first=Charlie |date=2014-08-04 |title=The Lessons of the 2010 Midterm Elections |url=https://www.govexec.com/oversight/2014/08/lessons-2010-midterm-elections/90500/ |access-date=2025-02-03 |website=Government Executive |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=Daley |first=David |title=Ratf**ked: The True Story Behind the Secret Plan to Steal America's Democracy |publisher=Liveright Publishing Corporation |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-63149-321-8 |location=New York, NY |pages=xi–xxviii |language=en}} Republicans, knowing this ahead of time, deliberately targeted vulnerable Democratic incumbents and Democratic-held legislative chambers in order to maximize their power in the upcoming redistricting cycle.{{Cite news |last=Kolbert |first=Elizabeth |date=2016-06-20 |title=The G.O.P. Plan That Turned America Red |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/06/27/ratfcked-the-influence-of-redistricting |access-date=2025-02-03 |work=The New Yorker |language=en-US |issn=0028-792X}} As a result, Republicans fully controlled the redistricting of 210 congressional districts across 18 states, minimizing Democratic control to a mere 44 congressional districts across 6 states.{{Cite web |title=National Overview |url=https://redistricting.lls.edu/national-overview/ |access-date=2024-12-06 |website=All About Redistricting |language=en}} The impact of this was most immediately felt during the 2012 elections, where Barack Obama won the presidential election and Democratic U.S. House candidates won a plurality of the nationwide popular vote, but Republicans maintained control of the chamber.{{cite news |last=Wang |first=Sam |date=February 2, 2013 |title=The Great Gerrymander of 2012 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/03/opinion/sunday/the-great-gerrymander-of-2012.html |access-date=May 29, 2013 |work=The New York Times}}

The 2010 midterms ushered in an era of Republican dominance of statewide politics fueled by a Democratic collapse in white, rural, and southern regions of the country.

File:2010-2011 former Confederate state house elections.svg in the 2010 and 2011 elections due to both electoral losses and party switching. Democrats lost more and more ground throughout the 2010s and gained have virtually none of it back since.

{{legend|#f48882|Republican hold (651)}}

{{legend|#CA0120|Republican gain through election (127)}}

{{legend|#ff7f2a|Representative switched to the Republican Party (32)}}

{{legend|#92c5de|Democratic hold (502)}}

{{legend|#0671B0|Democratic gain through election (9)}}

{{legend|#999999|Independent hold (4)}}

{{legend|#666666|Independent gain through election (1)}}]]

Democrats had been slowly losing ground in the rural South for the past several decades leading up to the 2010 elections. Democrats lost nearly every southern legislative chamber up for election in 2010, with White, rural incumbents primarily falling victim. Republicans successfully tied the conservative Democrats in these seats to the more liberal national party, eroding their local support and tying them to policies unpopular in their districts. A number of incumbents who survived would later switch to the Republican party, with many doing so before or immediately after the election. This left most Southern Democratic caucuses primarily made up of African American and Hispanic legislators, often based in urban areas, with a nearly extinct White, rural caucus, and a weakened but slowly growing suburban caucus.{{Cite web |last=Martin |first=Jonathan |date=2010-11-28 |title=Democratic South finally falls |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2010/11/democratic-south-finally-falls-045627 |access-date=2025-02-03 |website=POLITICO |language=en}} By 2014, Republicans controlled every governorship, U.S. Senate seat, and legislative chamber in the former Confederacy.{{Cite web |last=Rogers |first=Alex |date=2014-12-07 |title=Landrieu's Loss a Harsh Milestone for Southern Democrats |url=https://time.com/3621999/mary-landrieu-southern-democrats/ |access-date=2025-02-03 |website=TIME |language=en}}

The 2010 elections sparked a sharp decline in Democratic support in rural areas across the country, even outside the South. Throughout the decade, this led to a strengthening correlation between population density and political party support.{{Cite news |last=Montgomery |first=David |date=2018-11-05 |title=How Density Shaped Congressional Politics Over the Last Decade |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-11-05/how-the-urban-rural-divide-shaped-the-modern-congress |access-date=2025-02-03 |work=Bloomberg.com |language=en}} At the same time, increased political polarization made it more challenging for conservative Democrats to win in areas which voted for Republicans in presidential elections, culminating in Republicans flipping the Kentucky House of Representatives in 2016, the final Democratic-controlled legislative chamber in a deeply Republican state.{{Cite web |last=Phillips |first=Amber |date=November 8, 2016 |title=Democrats are now basically extinct in the South |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/11/08/democrats-are-now-basically-extinct-in-the-south/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329112205/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/11/08/democrats-are-now-basically-extinct-in-the-south/ |archive-date=March 29, 2023 |access-date=February 3, 2025 |website=The Washington Post}}

Bolstered by heavily gerrymandered legislative maps, the 2010s saw a sharply-conservative turn in Midwestern state policy. By the end of the decade, five Midwestern states had adopted right-to-work laws, with a sixth, Missouri, rejecting one in a 2018 veto referendum.{{Cite web |title=Unions notch win: Deep-red Missouri rejects right-to-work law - CNNPolitics |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/07/politics/missouri-right-to-work-vote/index.html/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180810105132/https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/07/politics/missouri-right-to-work-vote/index.html |archive-date=August 10, 2018 |access-date=January 30, 2019}} These policies remained in place even as Democrats made gains in statewide elections in these states, winning the governorships in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania in 2018. Democrats won the aggregate popular vote in the lower house elections in all three of these states, but they did not win control of any of them due to gerrymandering.{{cite news |last1=Ingraham |first1=Christopher |date=November 13, 2018 |title=In at least three states, including Pa., Republicans won House while losing popular vote |url=http://www2.philly.com/philly/news/politics/gerrymandering-election-state-houses-pennsylvania-michigan-north-carolina-republicans-analysis-20181113.html |access-date=November 19, 2018 |work=The Philadelphia Inquirer |location=Philadelphia, U.S.A. |agency=The Washington Post}} Democrats would only begin to be able to reverse these policies after the implementation of new legislative maps in the 2020s.{{Cite web |last=Andrews |first=Joey |date=August 28, 2023 |title=In Michigan, Progressives Are Finally Rolling Back Right-Wing Anti-Labor Laws |url=https://jacobin.com/2023/08/joey-andrews-michigan-state-democrats-pro-labor-law-right-to-work |access-date=2025-02-04 |website=jacobin.com |language=en-US}} In other states, such as Ohio, Democrats have been unable to regain power in any meaningful form since their 2010 losses.{{Cite web |last=Suddes |first=Thomas |date=2024-11-10 |title=A harsh new reality for Ohio Democrats after Tuesday’s losses, earlier miscues: Thomas Suddes |url=https://www.cleveland.com/opinion/2024/11/a-harsh-new-reality-for-ohio-democrats-after-tuesdays-losses-earlier-miscues-thomas-suddes.html |access-date=2025-02-04 |website=cleveland |language=en}}

The Tea Party movement's success in the 2010 election predicated the rise of Donald Trump as the dominant force in the Republican Party. Tea Party candidates ran on anti-establishment credentials, favoring low taxes, minimal government intervention, and fierce social conservatism. These became defining features of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, the rise of the Make American Great Again movement, and Trumpism.{{Cite news |last=Elving |first=Ron |date=2022-05-21 |title=Trump's MAGA is marching down a trail blazed by the Tea Party |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/05/21/1100386445/trumps-maga-is-marching-down-a-trail-blazed-by-the-tea-party |access-date=2025-02-04 |work=NPR |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Akin Posted |first=Stephanie |date=2018-09-26 |title=Tea Party Pioneer Says Democrats Can’t Match That Wave |url=https://rollcall.com/2018/09/26/tea-party-pioneer-says-democrats-cant-match-that-wave/ |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=Roll Call |language=en-US}} Many of the regions outside the South where Republicans made the largest gains in 2010 swung sharply towards Donald Trump in the 2016 election despite having voted for Barack Obama again in the 2012 election.{{Cite web |last=Freelander |first=Adam |date=2024-01-11 |title=How Michigan explains American politics |url=https://www.vox.com/videos/24034528/michigan-explains-american-politics |access-date=2025-02-04 |website=Vox |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Heath |first=Brad |last2=Thorson |first2=Mitchell |last3=Sergent |first3=Jim |title=How Trump changed the Obama landscape |url=https://www.usatoday.com/pages/interactives/2016-trump-flipped-counties/ |access-date=2025-02-04 |website=USA TODAY |language=en}}

File:US state government trifectas after the 2010 elections.svg|Partisan control of state governments following the 2010 elections{{legend|#0971b0|Democrats gained control}}{{legend|#93C5DD|Democrats retained control}}{{legend|#C77FE2|Split government formed}}{{legend|#CEAFDA|Split government maintained}}{{legend|#ca0020|Republicans gained control}}{{legend|#FF9998|Republicans retained control}}

File:2010 US State Upper House Control.svg|alt=Upper house seats by party holding majority in each state Republican 50–60% |Upper house seats by party holding majority in each state
{{col-begin}}{{col-3}}Republican{{legend|#E27F7F|50–60%}}{{legend|#D75D5D|60–70%}}{{legend|#D72F30|70–80%}}{{legend|#C21B18|80–90%}}{{col-3}}Democratic{{legend|#7996E2|50–60%}}{{legend|#6674DE|60–70%}}{{legend|#584CDE|70–80%}}{{legend|#3933E5|80–90%}}{{legend|#0D0596|90–100%}}{{col-3}}Tie{{legend|#AE8BB1|50%}}{{col-end}}

File:2010 US State Lower House Control.svg|alt=Lower house seats by party holding majority in each state Republican 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% 90–100% Democratic 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% 90–100%|Lower house seats by party holding majority in each state
{{col-begin}}{{col-3}}Republican{{legend|#E27F7F|50–60%}}{{legend|#D75D5D|60–70%}}{{legend|#D72F30|70–80%}}{{legend|#C21B18|80–90%}}{{col-3}}Democratic{{legend|#7996E2|50–60%}}{{legend|#6674DE|60–70%}}{{legend|#3933E5|80–90%}}{{col-3}}Tie{{legend|#AE8BB1|50%}}{{col-end}}

File:2010 US State Upper House Gains.svg|Net changes to upper house seats after the 2010 elections
{{legend0|#ff9999|+1 Rep seat}} {{legend0|#ff6666|+2 Rep seats}} {{legend0|#ff0000|+3–5 Rep seats}} {{legend0|#a80000|+6–16 Rep seats}}
{{legend0|#55DDFF|+1 Dem seat}} {{legend0|#2A7FFF|+2 Dem seats}}
{{legend0|#87de87|+1 Prog seat}}

File:2010 US State Lower House Gains.svg|Net changes to lower house seats after the 2010 elections
{{legend0|#ff6666|+2 Rep seats}} {{legend0|#ff0000|+3–5 Rep seats}} {{legend0|#a80000|+6–122 Rep seats}}
{{legend0|#2A7FFF|+2 Dem seats}}

{{Main|2010 Alabama Senate election|2010 Alabama House of Representatives election}}{{Multiple image

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}}

All of the seats of the Alabama Legislature were up for election. Republicans flipped control of both state legislative chambers, winning them for the first time since 1874.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2010-11-03 |title=Republicans claim majority in Alabama House and Senate for 1st time in 136 years |url=https://www.al.com/live/2010/11/republicans_historic_alabama_majority.html |access-date=2025-02-10 |website=al |language=en}} After the election, an additional four Democratic state representatives switched parties, giving Republicans a supermajority in the chamber.{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Bob |date=November 22, 2010 |title=Four lawmakers jump from Democratic Party to GOP |url=https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/story/news/2010/11/22/four-lawmakers-jump-from-democratic-party-to-gop/28362780007/ |access-date=2025-02-10 |website=The Tuscaloosa News |language=en-US}}

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{{Main|2010 Alaska Senate election|2010 Alaska House of Representatives election}}

All of the seats of the Alaska House of Representatives and half of the Alaska Senate were up for election. The Democratic-led coalition maintained control of the Senate while Republicans maintained control of the House.

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{{Main|2010 Arizona Senate election|2010 Arizona House of Representatives election}}{{Multiple image

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| image1 = 2010 Arizona State Senate election.svg

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| caption2 = House of Representatives results

}}

All of the seats of the Arizona Legislature were up for election. Republicans maintained control of both state legislative chambers.

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{{Main|2010 Arkansas State Senate election|2010 Arkansas House of Representatives election}}

All of the seats of the Arkansas House of Representatives and half of the Arkansas Senate were up for election. Democrats maintained control of both state legislative chambers but with substantially reduced majorities.

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{{Main|2010 California State Senate election|2010 California State Assembly election}}{{Multiple image

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All of the seats of the California House of Representatives and half of the California Senate were up for election. Democrats maintained control of both state legislative chambers.

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{{Main|2010 Colorado Senate election|2010 Colorado House of Representatives election}}

All of the seats of the Colorado House of Representatives and half of the Colorado Senate were up for election. Republicans won control of the House while Democrats maintained control of the Senate.

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{{main|2010 Connecticut State Senate election|2010 Connecticut House of Representatives election}}{{Multiple image

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}}

All of the seats of the Connecticut Legislature were up for election. Democrats maintained control of both state legislative chambers.

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{{main article|2010 Delaware Senate election|2010 Delaware House of Representatives election}}{{Multiple image

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| image1 = 2010 Delaware State Senate Election.svg

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| caption2 = House of Representatives election

}}

All of the seats of the Delaware House of Representatives and half of the Delaware Senate were up for election. Democrats maintained control of both state legislative chambers.

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{{Main|2010 Florida Senate election|2010 Florida House of Representatives election}}

All of the seats of the Florida House of Representatives and half of the Florida Senate were up for election. Republicans maintained control of both state legislative chambers.

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{{Main|2010 Georgia State Senate election|2010 Georgia House of Representatives election}}{{Multiple image

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}}

All of the seats of the Georgia Legislature were up for election. Republicans maintained control of both state legislative chambers, slightly expanding their majorities in each. Immediately following the election, one Democratic senator and eight Democratic representatives switched parties and became Republicans, further bolstering their majorities.

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{{Main|2010 Hawaii Senate election|2010 Hawaii House of Representatives election}}

All of the seats of the Hawaii House of Representatives and half of the Hawaii Senate were up for election. Democrats maintained control of both state legislative chambers.

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{{main|2010 Idaho Senate election|2010 Idaho House of Representatives election}}

All of the seats of the Idaho Legislature were up for election. Republicans maintained control of both state legislative chambers.

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{{Main|2010 Illinois Senate election|2010 Illinois House of Representatives election}}{{Multiple image

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| image1 = 2010 IL Senate G&H.svg

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| image2 = Illinois State House 2010 Results.svg

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}}

All of the seats of the Illinois House of Representatives and 1/3rd of the Illinois Senate were up for election. Democrats maintained control of both state legislative chambers.

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{{Main|2010 Indiana State Senate election|2010 Indiana House of Representatives election}}{{Multiple image

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| image2 = Indiana House elections 2010.svg

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}}

All of the seats of the Indiana House of Representatives and half of the Indiana Senate were up for election. Republicans expanded their majority in the Senate and flipped control of the House of Representatives, winning their largest legislative gains in over 25 years.

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{{Main|2010 Iowa Senate election|2010 Iowa House of Representatives election}}{{Multiple image

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| image1 = 2010 Iowa senate election.svg

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}}

All of the seats of the Iowa House of Representatives and half of the Iowa Senate were up for election. Republicans won control of the House of Representatives and Democrats maintained control of the Senate.

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{{main|2010 Kansas House of Representatives election}}

All of the seats of the Kansas House of Representatives. Republicans maintained control of both state legislative chambers.

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{{Main|2010 Kentucky Senate election|2010 Kentucky House of Representatives election}}{{Multiple image

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| image1 = 2010 Kentucky Senate election.svg

| caption1 = Senate results

| image2 = 2010 Kentucky House of Representatives election.svg

| caption2 = House of Representatives results

}}

All of the seats of the Kentucky House of Representatives and half of the Kentucky Senate were up for election. Republicans maintained control of the Senate and Democrats maintained control of the House of Representatives.

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{{Main|2010 Maine State Senate election|2010 Maine House of Representatives election}}

All of the seats of the Maine Legislature were up for election. Republicans won control of both legislative chambers.

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{{main|2010 Maryland Senate election|2010 Maryland House of Delegates election}}{{Multiple image

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| image1 = 2010 Maryland Senate election.svg

| caption1 = Senate results

| image2 = 2010 Maryland House of Delegates election.svg

| caption2 = House of Delegates results, simplifying multi-member districts

}}

All of the seats of the Maryland Legislature were up for election. Democrats maintained control of both state legislative chambers.

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{{main|2010 Massachusetts Senate election|2010 Massachusetts House of Representatives election}}{{Multiple image

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| image1 = 2010 State Senate elections in Massachusetts.svg

| caption1 = Senate results

}}

All of the seats of the Massachusetts Legislature were up for election. Democrats maintained control of both state legislative chambers.

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{{Main|2010 Michigan Senate election|2010 Michigan House of Representatives election}}{{Multiple image

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| total_width = 450

| image1 = MI State Senate 2010.svg

| caption1 = Senate results

| image2 = Michigan House of Representatives Election 2010 - Results by District.svg

| caption2 = House of Representatives results

}}

All of the seats of the Michigan Legislature were up for election. Republicans made large gains in both chambers, flipping control of the House and expanding their majority in the Senate.

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{{Main|2010 Minnesota Senate election |2010 Minnesota House of Representatives election}}{{Multiple image

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| image1 = MN Senate 2010.svg

| caption1 = Senate results by vote share

| image2 = MN House 2010 gains.svg

| caption2 = House of Representatives results

}}

All of the seats of the Minnesota Legislature were up. Republicans won control of both chambers.

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{{Main|2010 Missouri Senate election|2010 Missouri House of Representatives election}}

{{Multiple image

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| image1 = Missouri State Senate 2010 Gains and Holds Map.svg

| caption1 = Senate results

| image2 = Missouri State House 2010 Results.svg

| caption2 = House of Representatives results

}}

All of the seats of the Missouri House of Representatives and half of the Missouri Senate were up for election. Republicans maintained control of both state legislative chambers.

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{{main|2010 Montana Senate election|2010 Montana House of Representatives election}}{{Multiple image

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| image2 = 2010 Montana State House election.svg

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All of the seats of the Montana House of Representatives and half of the Montana Senate were up for election. Republicans won control of the House and maintained control of the Senate.

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{{Main article|2010 Nebraska State Legislature election}}

Nebraska is the only U.S. state with a unicameral legislature; half of the seats of the Nebraska Legislature were up for election. Nebraska is also unique in that its legislature is officially non-partisan and holds non-partisan elections, although the Democratic and Republican parties each endorse legislative candidates. Republicans maintained control.

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{{Main|2010 Nevada State Senate election|2010 Nevada Assembly election}}

All of the seats of the Nevada House of Representatives and half of the Nevada Senate were up for election. Democrats maintained control of both state legislative chambers.

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{{main|2010 New Hampshire Senate election|2010 New Hampshire House of Representatives election}}

All of the seats of the New Hampshire House of Representatives and the New Hampshire Senate were up for election. Republicans won control of both legislative chambers.

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{{Main|2010 New Mexico House of Representatives election}}

File:NMrep10.svg

All of the seats of the New Mexico House of Representatives. Democrats maintained control of the chamber.

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{{Main|2010 New York State Senate election|2010 New York State Assembly election}}{{Multiple image

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| image1 = 2010NYSSResults.svg

| caption1 = Senate results

| image2 = New_York_State_House_elections_2010.svg

| caption2 = House of Representatives results

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All of the seats of the New York Legislature were up for election. Republicans won control of the Senate, and Democrats maintained control of the Assembly.

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{{main|2010 North Carolina Senate election|2010 North Carolina House of Representatives election}}{{Multiple image

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| image1 = 2010 NC state senate results.svg

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| image2 = 2010 North Carolina House of Representatives election map.svg

| caption2 = House of Representatives results

}}

All of the seats of the North Carolina House of Representatives and half of the North Carolina Senate were up for election. Republicans made massive gains, flipping control of both state legislative chambers, winning them both simultaneously for the first time in over a century.

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{{main|2010 North Dakota Senate election|2010 North Dakota House of Representatives election}}

All of the seats of the North Dakota House of Representatives and half of the North Dakota Senate were up for election. Republicans maintained control of both state legislative chambers.

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{{Main|2010 Ohio Senate election|2010 Ohio House of Representatives election}}

All of the seats of the Ohio House of Representatives and half of the Ohio Senate were up for election. Republicans won control of the House of Representatives and maintained control of the Senate.

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{{main|2010 Oklahoma Senate election|2010 Oklahoma House of Representatives election}}

All of the seats of the Oklahoma House of Representatives and half of the Oklahoma Senate were up for election. Republicans maintained control of both state legislative chambers.

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{{Main|2010 Oregon legislative election}}{{Multiple image

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| image1 = Oregon State Senate 2010 Election Results.svg

| caption1 = Senate results

| image2 = Oregon House of Representatives Election 2010 - Results by District.svg

| caption2 = House of Representatives results

}}

All of the seats of the Oregon House of Representatives and half of the Oregon Senate were up for election. Democrats maintained control of the Senate, and the House of Representatives became tied.

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{{Main|2010 Pennsylvania Senate election|2010 Pennsylvania House of Representatives election}}{{Multiple image

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| image1 = PAStateSenate2002-2006-2010.svg

| caption1 = Senate results

| image2 = 2010 Pennsylvania House of Representatives election map.svg

| caption2 = House of Representatives results

}}

All of the seats of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and half of the Pennsylvania Senate were up for election. Republicans maintained control of the Senate and won control of the House of Representatives.

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{{main|2010 Rhode Island Senate election|2010 Rhode Island House of Representatives election}}

All of the seats of the Rhode Island Legislature were up for election. Democrats maintained control of both state legislative chambers.

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{{Main|2010 South Carolina House of Representatives election}}

All of the seats of the South Carolina House of Representatives were up for election. Republicans maintained control of both state legislative chambers.

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{{main|2010 South Dakota Senate election|2010 South Dakota House of Representatives election}}

All of the seats of the South Dakota Legislature were up for election. Republicans maintained control of both state legislative chambers.

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{{main|2010 Tennessee Senate election|2010 Tennessee House of Representatives election}}{{Multiple image

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| image1 = 2010 Tennessee Senate election.svg

| caption1 = Senate results

| image2 = 2010 Tennessee House of Representatives election map.svg

| caption2 = House of Representatives results

}}

All of the seats of the Tennessee House of Representatives and half of the Tennessee Senate were up for election. After having narrowly won control of both chambers in the 2008 election, Republicans greatly expanded their majority in the House and picked up one seat in the Senate.

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{{Main|2010 Texas Senate election|2010 Texas House of Representatives election}}{{Multiple image

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| image1 = TxSen2010Results1.svg

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| caption2 = House of Representatives results

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All of the seats of the Texas House of Representatives and half of the Texas Senate were up for election. After having nearly lost control of the Texas House in 2008, Republicans routed the Democrats, flipping 22 seats. Republicans erased all of the gains Democrats had made in 2006 and 2008, and they defeated almost every Democrat representing a rural, Republican-leaning district.{{Cite web |last=Grissom |first=Brandi |last2=Hamilton |first2=Reeve |last3=Hu |first3=Elise |last4=Ramsey |first4=Ross |last5=Ramshaw |first5=Emily |last6=Smith |first6=Morgan |last7=Stiles |first7=Matt |last8=Aguilar |first8=Julián |last9=Muto |first9=David |last10=Galbraith |first10=Kate |last11=Aaronson |first11=Becca |last12=Chang |first12=Julie |last13=Hallman |first13=Tristan |last14=Brown |first14=Emily |display-authors=1 |date=2010-11-03 |title=Red November |url=https://www.texastribune.org/2010/11/02/yes-the-gop-wave-turned-out-to-be-a-tsunami/ |access-date=2023-05-07 |website=The Texas Tribune |language=en}}

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{{main|2010 Utah Senate election|2010 Utah House of Representatives election}}

All of the seats of the Utah House of Representatives and half of the Utah Senate were up for election. Republicans maintained control of both state legislative chambers.

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{{Main|2010 Vermont Senate election|2010 Vermont House of Representatives election}}

All of the seats of the Vermont Legislature were up for election. Democrats maintained control of both state legislative chambers.

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{{Main|2010 Washington State Senate election|2010 Washington House of Representatives election}}{{Multiple image

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| image1 = 2010 Washington State Senate election map.svg

| caption1 = Senate results

| image2 = 2010 Washington House of Representatives election map.svg

| caption2 = House of Representatives results

}}

All of the seats of the Washington House of Representatives and half of the Washington Senate were up for election. Democrats maintained control of both legislative chambers.

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{{Main|2010 West Virginia Senate election|2010 West Virginia House of Delegates election}}{{Multiple image

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| image1 = WV Senate Election, 2010.svg

| caption1 = Senate results

}}

All of the seats of the West Virginia House of Delegates and half of the West Virginia Senate were up for election. Democrats maintained control of both state legislative chambers.

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{{main|2010 Wisconsin Senate election|2010 Wisconsin State Assembly election}}{{Multiple image

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| image1 = Wisconsin_State_Senate_2010.svg

| caption1 = Senate results

| image2 = Wisconsin_State_Assembly_2010.svg

| caption2 = State Assembly results

}}

All of the seats of the Wisconsin Assembly and half of the Wisconsin Senate were up for election. Republicans flipped control of both state legislative chambers, as well as the governorship, winning complete control of state government for the first time since 1998.

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{{Main|2010 Wyoming Senate election|2010 Wyoming House of Representatives election}}{{Multiple image

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| image1 = 2010 Wyoming Senate election map.svg

| caption1 = Senate results by vote share

}}

All of the seats of the Wyoming House of Representatives and half of the Wyoming Senate were up for election. Republicans maintained control of both state legislative chambers.

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All of the seats of the American Samoa Senate and the American Samoa House of Representatives were up for election. Members of the Senate serve four-year terms, while members of the House of Representatives serve two-year terms. Gubernatorial and legislative elections are conducted on a nonpartisan basis in American Samoa.

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There were 30 state legislative special elections held in 2010 across 10 states. No seats changed party control through these elections.{{Cite web |title=State legislative special elections, 2010 |url=https://ballotpedia.org/State_legislative_special_elections,_2010 |access-date=2025-03-11 |website=Ballotpedia |language=en}}

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{{2010 United States elections}}

{{United States legislatures}}

State legislative elections

Category:State legislature elections in the United States by year