16.35% Fewer Major Party Candidates Ran For U.S. Congress In 2024 Than In The Previous Election Year

The Sept. 10 primaries in Delaware, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island marked the end of the 2024 primary season. So, let’s take a look at the data on how many major party candidates ran for office in this year’s primaries.

Let’s start off with major party candidates who appeared on primary ballots for 475 seats in the U.S. Congress. Those seats include 34 U.S. Senate seats, all 435 U.S. House seats, and six non-voting delegate seats in the U.S. House. There were 474 seats up for election in 2022, 474 in 2020, and 473 in 2018. 

In total, 2,026 major party candidates appeared on primary ballots, including 929 Democratic candidates and 1,097 Republican candidates. That’s a 16.35% decrease from the 2 422 candidates who ran in 2022, a 9.11% decrease from the 2,229 candidates who ran in 2020, and a 6.81% decrease from the 2 174 candidates who ran in 2018.

According to CNN’s Simone Pathe, “strategists on both sides of the aisle chalk [it] up to this being a presidential election year with a particularly narrow House battlefield compared with the 2022 midterms.”

The 1,800 major party candidates who ran for the U.S. House include 833 Democratic candidates and 967 Republican candidates. The total number of candidates who ran this year was a decrease from the previous three election years.

The 226 major party candidates who ran for the U.S. Senate includes 96 Democratic candidates and 130 Republican candidates. Like the U.S. House, the total number of U.S. Senate candidates who ran this year also decreased from the previous three election years.

12,072 major party candidates appeared on the primary ballot for 5,807 state legislative seats nationwide. In 2022, 6,278 seats were up for election, 5,875 in 2020, and 6,073 in 2018. 

In total, 12,072 major party candidates appeared on primary ballots, including 5,821 Democratic candidates and 6,251 Republican candidates. That’s a 10.52% decrease from the 13,491 candidates who ran in 2022, a 2.64% decrease from the 12,399 candidates who ran in 2020, and a 10.19% decrease from the 13,441 candidates who ran in 2018.

The 9,685 major party candidates who ran for state houses nationwide included 4,679 Democratic candidates and 5,006 Republican candidates. The total number of candidates who ran this year decreased from the previous three election years.

The 2,387 major party candidates who ran for state senates nationwide included 1,142 Democratic candidates and 1,245 Republican candidates. Like the state house, the total number of state senate candidates who ran this year also decreased from the previous three election years.

There were 495 major party candidates who appeared on the primary ballot for 164 state executive seats nationwide. There were 304 seats up for election in 2022, 165 in 2020, and 296 in 2018. 

In total, 495 major party candidates appeared on primary ballots, including 210 Democratic candidates and 285 Republican candidates. That’s a 56.58% decrease from the 1,140 candidates who ran in 2022, a 3.03% increase from the 480 candidates who ran in 2020, and a 51.66% decrease from the 1,024 candidates who ran in 2018.

Candidates who appeared on the primary ballot for 108 state judicial seats are up for partisan election in states that use this method to select judges. There were 88 seats up for election in 2022, 91 in 2020, and 109 in 2018. 

In total, the 216 major party candidates appeared on primary ballots, including 97 Democratic candidates and 119 Republican candidates. That’s a 25.93% increase from the 160 candidates who ran in 2022, an 8.8% increase from the 197 candidates who ran in 2020, and a 6.48% increase from the 202 candidates who ran in 2018.

Today, we’re looking at the Nov. 5 general election for Michigan’s 8th Congressional District between Kristen McDonald Rivet (D) and Paul Junge (R). Steve Barcelo (L), Jim Casha (G), Kathy Goodwin (Working Class Party), and James Little (U.S. Taxpayers Party) are also running in the general election. 

Incumbent Rep. Dan Kildee (D), who was first elected in 2012, is not running for re-election. Michigan Public Radio‘s Steve Carmody wrote that Kildee’s decision to retire “marked the end of decades of Kildee family control of the mid-Michigan congressional seat, and possibly along with it, a half-century of Democratic control of the seat representing Flint.” His uncle, former Rep. Dale Kildee (D), served in Congress for 36 years. 

Bridge Michigan‘s Simon Schuster wrote that the district had “grown more conservative since new district lines took effect in 2022, and it will be a tougher lift for Democrats without the benefit of incumbency.”

McDonald Rivet represents Michigan’s 35th Senate district. She was elected in 2022 after defeating Annette Glenn (R) 53.4% to 46.6%. She also served as Bay City Commissioner from 2019 to 2023. McDonald Rivet previously worked as the executive director of Michigan Head Start, chief of staff for Michigan’s Department of Education, and vice president of the Skillman Foundation.

McDonald Rivet said her priorities include addressing prescription drug costs, the cost of housing and child care, and protecting access to abortion. She also said she has a “reputation as someone who gets real, practical work done.”

Junge is a former prosecutor and television news anchor who worked for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services during the Trump administration. He was the District’s GOP nominee in 2020 and 2022. In 2020, Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D) defeated Junge 50.9% to 47.3%. In 2022, Kildee defeated Junge 53.1% to 42.8%.

Junge said his priorities include protecting Social Security and Medicare, improving the economy, and addressing border security. He also said, “​​Our communities need a strong voice that stands up against liberal Washington elites and puts the interests of Michigan families first.”

Based on Q2 2024 reports filed with the Federal Election Commission, McDonald Rivet raised $1.6 million and spent $881,546, and Junge raised $2.1 million and spent $1.9 million.

As of Sept. 12, The Cook Political Report, DDHQ/The Hill, Inside Elections, and Sabato’s Crystal Ball each rated the district as a Toss-up.

Due to a series of minor party ballot access challenges pending before the state supreme court, Pennsylvania ballots are not yet ready, so voting will be delayed. Had those cases not been active and had ballots been finalized, counties in Pennsylvania could have begun early voting today.  Minnesota, South Dakota, and Virginia will start early voting on Sept. 20.

Sept. 16—50 days before the general election—is the day Pennsylvania counties are required to start processing mail ballot applications. Instead of traditional early voting, Pennsylvania voters can apply for a mail ballot and vote in person on the same visit to their county elections office once ballots are available. 

According to the Pennsylvania Department of State’s Office of Communications and Press: “The Secretary will certify a final list of candidates as soon as practicable after the resolution of those challenges, and county boards of elections will then begin delivery of mail ballots as soon as the ballot is certified and printed copies are available.” 

According to the Associated Press, this means ballots may not be available until late September or early October. To view the status of pending Pennsylvania cases, click the “2024 Nomination Paper Mandamus and Objections Tracker” link here. 

Once ballots are finalized, the Department of State advises voters to contact their county elections office to confirm ballots are ready and see when the office is open for voting. 

The last day to request a mail ballot and vote in person in Pennsylvania is Oct. 29.

Produced in association with Ballotpedia