2020 United States elections

2020 United States elections

Presidential election year
Election day	November 3
Incumbent president	Donald Trump (Republican)
Next Congress	117th
Presidential election
Electoral vote
The electoral map for the 2020 election, based on populations from the 2010 Census
Senate elections
Seats contested	35 of 100 seats (33 seats of Class II + two special elections)
Map of the 2020 Senate races      Democratic incumbent      Republican incumbent      Democratic incumbent retiring      Republican incumbent retiring      Undetermined incumbent
House elections
Seats contested	All 435 voting-members All six non-voting delegates
Map of the 2020 House of Representatives elections      Democratic incumbent      Republican incumbent      Independent incumbent      Democratic incumbent retiring      Republican incumbent retiring      Undetermined incumbent
Gubernatorial elections
Seats contested	13 (11 states, two territories)
Map of the 2020 gubernatorial races      Democratic incumbent eligible for re-election      Term-limited or retiring Democrat      Republican incumbent eligible for re-election      Term-limited or retiring Republican

The 2020 United States elections will be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. All 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives, 35 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate, and the office of president of the United States will be contested. Thirteen state and territorial governorships, as well as numerous other state and local elections, will also be contested.

Each major party will choose a nominee for the 2020 presidential election through a series of primaries and caucuses, culminating in a national convention held in mid-2020. Incumbent Republican president Donald Trump is seeking re-nomination in the 2020 Republican Party presidential primaries, while several candidates are seeking the Democratic Party's presidential nomination in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries.

Barring vacancies and party-switching, Republicans will enter the 2020 elections with control of 53 of the 100 seats in the Senate, while Democrats will enter the election with control of approximately 235 seats in the House of Representatives.^[a] All 33 Class 2 senators are up for election, and two states (Georgia and Arizona) are holding special elections for the Senate. The six non-voting congressional delegates from the District of Columbia and the inhabited U.S. territories will also be elected.

The vast majority of the fifty states will hold regularly-scheduled state legislative elections, and eleven states will hold gubernatorial elections. The outcome of these state elections will have a major impact on the redistricting cycle that will take place following the 2020 United States Census.

Federal elections

Presidential election

The United States presidential election of 2020 will be the 59th quadrennial U.S. presidential election. Incumbent Republicans Donald Trump and Mike Pence are both eligible for second terms.^[1] Though he is widely considered to be likely to win re-nomination, Trump may face a challenge in the Republican primaries.^[2][3] The Republican ticket will be nominated at the 2020 Republican National Convention, held in August 2020.

Other parties, including the Democratic Party and various third parties, will also field presidential candidates. Like the Republican primaries, the 2020 Democratic primaries will take place from early 2020 to mid-2020. The Democratic ticket will be nominated at the 2020 Democratic National Convention, held in July 2020. Other parties will conduct various processes to choose their presidential tickets, and independent candidates may also seek the presidency.

The individual who wins a majority of the presidential electoral vote (270 of the 538 electoral votes) will win the presidential election. The current electoral vote distribution was determined by the 2010 census. Each elector is chosen by the states and is charged with casting one vote for president and one vote for vice president. Most states award all their electoral votes to the individual who wins a majority or plurality of that state's popular vote, although two states award electors by congressional districts. If no individual wins a majority of the electoral vote, then the United States House of Representatives will hold a contingent election to determine the winner.^[b] The vice president is selected in a similar manner, though a contingent election will be held in the United States Senate if no individual receives a majority of the vice presidential electoral vote.

Congressional elections

Senate elections

At least 35 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate will be up for election. All seats of Senate Class II will be up for election; the winners of those elections will serve six-year terms. Additionally, Arizona and Georgia will hold special elections to a fill Class III Senate vacancies; the winners of those elections will serve two-year terms. Other states may also hold special elections.

Republicans won control of the Senate in the 2014 Senate elections. They retained that majority through the 2016 and 2018 Senate elections. Republicans currently hold 53 Senate seats, Democrats hold 45, and independents hold two. Both independents have caucused with the Democratic Party since joining the Senate. Barring further vacancies or party switching, 21 Republican-held seats, along with 12 Democratic-held seats, will be up for election. If they win the vice presidency, Democrats will need to achieve a net gain of at least three seats to take the majority; otherwise, they will need to achieve a net gain of at least four seats to take the majority.

House of Representatives elections

All 435 voting seats in the United States House of Representatives will be up for election. The winners of each race will serve a two-year term. Additionally, elections will be held to select the delegate for the District of Columbia as well as the delegates from U.S. territories. This includes the resident commissioner of Puerto Rico, a position with a four-year term.

Democrats won control of the House of Representatives in the 2018 elections, controlling 235 seats while Republicans control 199 seats. One seat is held by an independent.^[c] Winning 218 or more seats determines which party is in the majority.

Special elections

The following special elections will be held to replace a member who resigned or died in office during the 116th U.S. Congress:

• California's 25th Congressional district: Democrat Katie Hill announced on October 27, 2019, her intent to resign in the wake of ethics concerns surrounding a relationship with a staffer complicated by her being a victim of revenge porn.^[4] Gov. Gavin Newsom has set the date of March 3 for the special election primary, with a general election scheduled for May 12 in case no candidate garners more than 50% of the vote in the non-partisan primary.^[5] The district has an even partisan index.^[6]
• Maryland's 7th Congressional district: Democrat Elijah Cummings died in office on October 17, 2019.^[7] Gov. Larry Hogan has chosen April 28, 2020, as the date for the special election with the primaries scheduled for February 4. The district has a partisan index of D+26.^[8]
• New York's 27th Congressional district: Republican Chris Collins resigned from Congress on October 1, 2019, ahead of his pleading guilty to insider trading.^[9] As of October 22, 2019^[update], Gov. Andrew Cuomo had not set a date for the special election, although he has indicated it would happen in 2020.^[10] The district has a partisan index of R+11.^[11]
• Wisconsin's 7th congressional district: Republican Sean Duffy announced his resignation effective September 23, 2019, ahead of the birth of his ninth child, who was diagnosed in utero with severe medical complications.^[12][13] Gov. Tony Evers set May 12, 2020, as the date for the special election with the primaries scheduled for February 18.^[14] The district has a partisan index of R+7.^[15]

State elections

Gubernatorial elections

Elections will be held for the governorships of 11 U.S. states and two U.S. territories. Special elections may be held for vacancies in the other states and territories, if required by respective state/territorial constitutions. Most elections will be for four-year terms, but the governors of New Hampshire and Vermont each serve two-year terms.

Barring vacancies and party switching, Republicans will be defending seven seats, while Democrats will be defending six seats. At least two Democratic incumbents and at least one Republican incumbent will not seek election to another term.

Legislative elections

Partisan control of states after the 2019 elections.

  Democratic trifecta

  Republican trifecta

  Divided government

  Officially non-partisan legislature

Most states will hold state legislative elections in 2020. Alabama, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Virginia will not hold state legislative elections, Michigan will hold elections only for the lower house, and North Dakota will hold elections only for the upper house. In states that use staggered terms, some state senators will not be up for election. After the 2019 elections, Democrats have 15 trifectas (control of the governor's office and both legislative chambers), Republicans have 20 trifectas, and 14 states have a divided government (Nebraska has a non-partisan legislature).^[16][17]

Elections

• 2020 California State Assembly election in the state of California
• 2020 California State Senate election in the state of California
• 2020 Pennsylvania House of Representatives election in the state of Pennsylvania
• 2020 Pennsylvania Senate election in the state of Pennsylvania

Impact on redistricting

A census will be conducted in 2020, after which the United States House of Representatives and state legislatures will undergo redistricting, and the state delegations to the United States House of Representatives will undergo reapportionment. In states without redistricting commissions, the legislators and governors elected between 2017 and 2020 will draw the new Congressional and state legislative districts that will take effect starting with the 2022 elections. If either party does well in the 2020 elections, they could gain a significant advantage in electing their candidates to the state legislature and the United States House of Representatives until the next round of redistricting in 2030.^[18]

Local elections

Mayoral elections

Mayoral elections will be held in many cities, including:

• Baltimore, Maryland: Incumbent Democrat Jack Young, who was elevated to mayor following the resignation of Catherine E. Pugh, is eligible to run for reelection, although he has indicated that he does not plan to do so.^[19]
• Honolulu, Hawaii: Two-term incumbent Democrat Kirk Caldwell is ineligible to run for reelection due to term limits.
• Milwaukee, Wisconsin: This is a non-partisan office. Four-term incumbent Tom Barrett is eligible to run for reelection.
• Portland, Oregon: This is a non-partisan office. One-term incumbent Ted Wheeler is eligible to run for reelection.
• Sacramento, California: One-term incumbent Democrat Darrell Steinberg is eligible to run for reelection.
• San Diego, California: This is a non-partisan election. Incumbent Kevin Faulconer is ineligible to run for a third term due to term limits.
• San Juan, Puerto Rico: Two-term incumbent Popular Democrat Carmen Yulín Cruz is eligible to run for reelection, but has said she plans to run for governor.^[20]

Other elections and referenda

• One of Washington, D.C.'s, shadow senators and its shadow representative, who are charged with lobbying Congress for D.C. statehood, are up for election.

Table of state, territorial, and federal results

This table shows the partisan results of president, congressional, gubernatorial, and state legislative races held in each state and territory in 2020. Note that not all states and territories hold gubernatorial, state legislative, and U.S. Senate elections in 2018. The five territories and Washington, D.C., do not elect members of the U.S. Senate, and the territories do not take part in presidential elections; instead they each elect one non-voting member of the House. Nebraska's unicameral legislature and the governorship and legislature of American Samoa are officially non-partisan. In the table, offices/legislatures that are not up for election in 2019 or 2020 are already filled in for the "after 2020 elections" section, although vacancies or party switching could potentially lead to a flip in partisan control.

See also

• Foreign interference in the 2020 United States elections

Notes

References

This page was last edited on 28 November 2019, at 12:57