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In 2024, 180 state legislators are facing term limits. Here's everything you need to know about which states will be most impacted

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Published 2:19 AM


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In 2024, 180 state legislators are facing term limits. Here’s everything you need to know about which states will be most impacted

Entrance to the Senate Chamber in the Nebraska State Capitol building in Lincoln.

Of the 85 state legislative chambers holding elections in 2024, 22 of them—12 senate chambers and 10 house chambers—include incumbents who are unable to run for re-election due to term limits. In those 22 chambers, term limits affected 1,284 seats up for election.

According to a Ballotpedia report, there are 99 chambers throughout the country. In 31 legislative chambers across 16 states, state legislators are subject to term limits. In the United States, there are 1,973 state senate seats and 5,413 state house seats. 609 of the 1,973 state senate seats, or 30.9%, come with a limit. 1,462 of the 5,413 state house seats, or 27%, come with a limit. Of the total of 7,386 state legislative seats, 2,071 (28%) are limited.

Highlights

In 2024, 180 state legislators—79 state senators and 101 state representatives—are term-limited. This represents 3.1% of the 5,793 total seats up for election in November 2024.

There are less term-limited legislators in 2024 than in 2022 and 2020. In 2022 and 2020, there were 252 and 211 term-limited state legislators, respectively. Ballotpedia tracked the most term-limited legislators in 2010 when 375 legislators were termed out.

101 Republicans are term-limited, while 66 Democrats and 13 independents are term-limited. In even-numbered election years between 2010 and 2022, Democrats averaged about 99 term-limited legislators, while Republicans averaged 148 term-limited legislators.

The Nebraska State Senate and Montana House of Representatives have the highest percentage of term-limited legislators in 2024. In the Nebraska Senate, 52% of the incumbents up for election are term-limited, while 17% of the Montana House are term-limited.

2024 term-limited legislators by state

All 16 states are holding elections in 2024 except Louisiana. Louisiana holds state legislative elections every four years in odd-numbered years. Click on a state to see the total number of term-limited state legislators in 2024 as well as a breakdown of the totals for each legislative chamber.

States where term limits have the greatest impact

  • The Nebraska State Senate has the highest percentage of state senators term-limited in 2024. Of the 25 seats up for election, 13 Nebraska senators, or 52% of the chamber, are term-limited in 2024.
  • Montana’s House has the highest percentage of term-limited state representatives in 2024. 17 of the 100 seats up for election in 2024 (17%) have term-limited incumbents. The second-highest number of term-limited representatives is in Montana. The Montana House of Representatives has 22 state representatives term-limited out of the 163 seats up for election in 2024, or 13.5% of the chamber.

States where term limits have the least impact

 


Ballotpedia

Democratic and Republican term-limited incumbents

Chart showing term limited legislators by party.

Term limits can often affect the competitiveness of a state legislative election because term limits create open seats. Open seats are believed to be more electorally competitive than seats in which an incumbent is running for re-election because incumbents tend to win re-election. A 2015 study by Ballotpedia found that in state legislative elections between 1972 and 2014, the incumbency win rate never fell below 90%, except for 1974 when 88% of incumbents won re-election.

2024 term-limited state senate elections 

79 state senators—27 Democrats, 39 Republicans, and 13 nonpartisan—are term-limited in 2024. Going into the November elections, Democrats have majorities in four of the 14 term-limited state senates. Republicans have majorities in nine of the 14 state senates. Nebraska’s state Senate is term-limited and officially nonpartisan.

Three state senates—California, Colorado, and Maine—have more term-limited Democrats than Republicans. Six state senates—Florida, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Oklahoma, and South Dakota—have more term-limited Republicans than Democrats. Two states—Arizona and Nevada—have the same number of term-limited Republicans and Democrats, while Michigan did not have any term-limited senators.

2024 term-limited state house elections

101 state representatives—39 Democrats and 62 Republicans—are term-limited in 2024. Going into the November elections, Democrats have majorities in four of the 13 term-limited state houses. Republicans had majorities in 10 of the 13 state house of representatives.

Four state houses—California, Colorado, Maine and Missouri have more term-limited Democrats than Republicans. Six state houses—Arizona, Florida, Montana, Ohio, Oklahoma, and South Dakota—have more term-limited Republicans than Democrats. Three states—Arkansas, Michigan, and Nevada—do not have any term-limited representatives.

State senators

There are 42 state senates holding general elections in 2024. In 13 of these states, state senators are term-limited. Louisiana and Michigan are the only states with state senate term limits that do not have a general election in 2024.

79 state senators are term-limited. This represents 27% of the 293 seats up for election in the 13 term-limited state senates with elections on Nov. 5. This includes:

  • 27 incumbent Democratic state senators
  • 39 incumbent Republican state senators
  • 13 nonpartisan state senators

Some of the 79 state senators listed below may resign before their term ends. These officials will still be counted in the total number of term-limited state senators in 2024.

State representatives

There are 43 state houses holding general elections in 2024. In 13 of these states, state representatives are term-limited. Louisiana will not hold state house elections in 2024 and Nebraska does not have a state house. The Arkansas House of Representatives, Michigan House of Representatives, and Nevada State Assembly are up for election in 2024 and have term limits, but no representatives are impacted by term limits in 2024.

101 state representatives are term-limited in 2024. This represents 8% of the 1,261 seats up for election in the 13 term-limited state houses with elections on Nov. 5. This includes:

  • 39 incumbent Democratic state representatives
  • 62 incumbent Republican state representatives

Some of the 101 state representatives may resign before their term ends. These officials will still be counted in the total number of term-limited state representatives in 2024.

 


Ballotpedia

Term-limited state legislators by year

Chart showing term-limited state legislators by year, 2010-2024

The chart above shows term-limited state legislators by year from 2010 to 2024. Between those years, 2,126 state legislators were term-limited. Republicans had 295 more term-limited legislators than Democrats.

  • Democratic legislators term-limited: 875
  • Republican legislators term-limited: 1,170
  • Nonpartisan legislators term-limited: 81

 

This story was produced by Ballotpedia and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media.

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