August 17, 2018: A total of 109 state legislative incumbents have been defeated in primaries so far this year. That total includes 51 Democrats and 58 Republicans.
Historically, about 12 percent of state legislative incumbents are defeated in primaries and 88 percent win their nomination. So far this year, 86 percent have emerged victorious.
In addition to those defeated in primaries, about 8 percent of state legislative incumbents typically lose in the general election.
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology. Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
Scott Rasmussen is founder and president of the Rasmussen Media Group. He is the author of "Mad as Hell: How the Tea Party Movement Is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System," "In Search of Self-Governance," and "The People’s Money: How Voters Will Balance the Budget and Eliminate the Federal Debt." Read more reports from Scott Rasmussen — Click Here Now.
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