State government trifectas
A state government trifecta is a term to describe single party government, when one political party holds three positions in a state's government. The following are variations of the term:
- Trifecta: One political party holds the governorship, a majority in the state senate, and a majority in the state house in a state's government.
- Trifecta plus: A trifecta and a working majority of the court siding with the political leaning of the party in power.[1]
- Trifecta with supermajority: A trifecta in which both legislative bodies have a supermajority, commonly defined as either 60 percent or two-thirds of seats held by a single party. Click here to read more about states with veto-proof supermajorities.[2]
There are currently trifectas or variations of them in 32 of the 50 states.
- 26
Republican - 6
Democratic[3]
The 2016 election saw the Republican Party pick up four trifectas: Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, and New Hampshire. Two states—Nevada and North Carolina—changed from Republican trifectas to divided governments, while one state—Vermont—changed from a Democratic trifecta to divided government.
The 2017 state legislative sessions began with a total of six Democratic trifectas, 25 Republican trifectas, and 19 states under divided government. Following the switch of Gov. Jim Justice (WV) from Democratic to Republican on August 3, 2017, those numbers became 26 Republican trifectas and 18 states under divided government.
The following maps display current state government trifectas as well as historical trifectas leading up to the 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016 elections. Use the buttons on the left to select a map.
For more information on potential trifecta changes in upcoming elections, click here.
Gubernatorial elections are being held in New Jersey and Virginia in 2017.
In the state legislatures, elections are being held for New Jersey State Senate, New Jersey General Assembly, and Virginia House of Delegates. Virginia will not hold any state Senate elections in 2017.
| Partisan control prior to the 2017 elections | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Senate | House | Governor | |
| New Jersey | Democratic | Democratic | Republican | |
| Virginia | Republican | Republican | Democratic | |
| Washington | Republican | Democratic | Democratic | |
Potential trifecta changes
- New Jersey: Democrats would need to win control of the governorship and maintain control of both legislative chambers in order to move the state to a trifecta. Gov. Chris Christie (R) is term-limited and ineligible to run for re-election. As of October 2017, the overall race rating from five separate outlets was Likely Democrat.[4] Heading into the general election, Democrats hold a 24-16 majority in the state Senate. In the General Assembly, Democrats hold a 52-28 majority heading into the election. Although there are a large number of districts contested by Democrats and Republicans, both chambers are likely to remain controlled by Democrats.
- Virginia: Republicans would need to win in the gubernatorial election and hold their majority in the state House in order to pick up a trifecta. Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) was term-limited and ineligible to run for re-election. As of October 2017, the overall race rating from five separate outlets was Lean Democrat.[4] Heading into the general election, Republicans hold a 66-34 majority in the state House. Democrats would need to gain 17 seats in order to take control of the chamber. Ballotpedia identified 13 races to watch in the Virginia House of Delegates elections: four Democratic seats and nine Republican seats.
- Washington: Special elections will take place in the Washington State Senate and Washington House of Representatives on November 7, 2017, in order to address eight vacated seats between the two chambers. The vacated seats include five seats in the state Senate and three seats in the state House. The November 7 special elections have a higher profile than most state legislative special elections in 2017 because the majority control of the state Senate is at stake. If Democrats gain effective control of the state Senate, Washington would become a Democratic trifecta. The competitive nature of the Senate District 45 race affords Democrats the opportunity to gain control of the chamber. Democrats already have a numerical majority in the Senate. However, because Senator Tim Sheldon (D) caucuses with the GOP, Republicans maintain effective control of the chamber.
See also
- Gubernatorial and legislative party control of state government
- Historical and potential changes in trifectas
- Who Runs the States Project
- State legislative elections, 2015
- State legislative elections, 2014
- State legislative elections, 2013
- State legislative elections, 2012
- State legislative elections, 2010
- Gubernatorial elections, 2014
- Gubernatorial elections, 2013
- Gubernatorial elections, 2012
- Gubernatorial elections, 2010
Footnotes
- ↑ A trifecta plus for the Democratic Party is a state with a trifecta and a working majority of the state's high court that tends to support progressive jurisprudence. A trifecta plus for the Republican Party is a state with a trifecta and a working majority of the state's high court that tends to support conservative or libertarian jurisprudence.
- ↑ A trifecta with a supermajority increases the odds of a party passing new bills with only token opposition from the minority party.
- ↑ Includes Connecticut where Democrats control the Senate through tie-breaking votes.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Ratings are based on projections found in Governing, Larry Sabato, The Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, Decision Desk HQ, and The Cook Political Report. These ratings are updated periodically throughout the election season.
