California Voting: The Incumbent Protection Racket
Of the 80 State Assembly races, there was exactly one race that was close (within 5%). Not a single incumbent lost.
Of the 20 State Senate races, there were none that were close. Not a single incumbent lost.
Of the 53 Congressional races, there were two that were close. It quite possible that not a single incumbent will have lost their seat, although it is also possible that the two close races will yield non-incumbents.
Of 153 races, 3 (2%) were close. Not all races had incumbents, of course. Of the 53 Congressional races, two did not. The State legislature has term-limits, so 8 Senate and 23 Assembly races had no incumbent.
It will be interesting to see if redistricting by an independent commission changes these statistics significantly.
Of the 20 State Senate races, there were none that were close. Not a single incumbent lost.
Of the 53 Congressional races, there were two that were close. It quite possible that not a single incumbent will have lost their seat, although it is also possible that the two close races will yield non-incumbents.
Of 153 races, 3 (2%) were close. Not all races had incumbents, of course. Of the 53 Congressional races, two did not. The State legislature has term-limits, so 8 Senate and 23 Assembly races had no incumbent.
It will be interesting to see if redistricting by an independent commission changes these statistics significantly.