Political party strength in U.S. states

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Registered Democrats, Republicans and Independents in the United States, in millions, as of January 2004.^[1]

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.)

Throughout most of the 20th century, although the Republican party often held power at a national level, the Democratic party held almost uncontested power at the state level, especially in the solid South, where the Republican Party was virtually nonexistent. (For much of the 20th century, North Dakota was a one-party Republican state, the only one in the country.)

However, in the 1970s and 1980s, the Republicans slowly increased their strength in the state legislatures, especially in the South, where the increasingly conservative Republican party took the place of the Democrats, who had been weakened by their party's support for the Civil Rights Movement starting in the 1940s. In the 1990s, the Republicans finally overtook the Democrats in holding majorities in statehouses and governorships.

Currently, majority control of overall seats in the state legislature has been changing every few years. As of the U.S. gubernatorial elections of 2006, the Democratic party holds an outright majority of 669 with 3,989 seats over the Republican party's 3,320 in number of 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 17 members, not counting the 49 members of the Nebraska Legislature, which is the only legislature in the nation to hold nonpartisan elections to determine its members.

[edit] Current party strength

(a) Independents caucusing with Democratic Party.

(b) Independents caucusing with Republican Party.

(c) Vacancies.

(d) Nebraska has no lower house.

[edit] Regional breakdowns

Local and regional political circumstances often influence party strength.

Governor	Upper

Lower

Senators' party membership by state.

Percent of members of the House of Representatives from each party by state.

[edit] Historical party strength

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

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

[edit] References

1. '^ Neuhart, P. (22 January, 2004). Why politics is fun from catbirds' seats. USA Today.. Retrieved on 2007-07-11.

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