271 State Legislators Can't Run in 2018

In the 2018 elections, term limit laws will prevent 271 state legislators from seeking re-election. This includes 177 Republicans, 86 Democrats, six officially nonpartisan legislators in Nebraska, and two independent legislators in Maine.

The totals include 96 state senators and 175 state representatives.

The biggest impact of term limits may be seen in the Michigan State Senate. Twenty-six (26) of the 38 seats up for election in 2018 are affected by term limits. That figure includes 19 Republican and seven Democratic seats. Currently, Republicans hold a 27-11 majority in the Senate.

The only state senate where more Democrats than Republicans are subject to term limits is in Colorado. Four Democrats are term-limited along with three Republicans. Ten other seats are also up for re-election. Currently, Republicans hold an 18-17 majority in the Colorado Senate.

At the state house level, California, Colorado, Nevada, and Michigan have more Democrats term-limited than Republicans. Eight state houses — Arizona, Florida, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Maine — have more Republicans term-limited than Democrats.

The biggest impact at the state house level will be found in Missouri, where 27 percent of the state House cannot run for office again due to term limits.

Overall, there are 7,383 state legislative seats in the United States. A total of 1,930 (26 percent ) are under term limit laws. In 2018, 6,066 state legislative seats are up for election. In 4 percent of the races, the incumbent is ineligible to run because of term limits.

Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day is published by Ballotpedia. Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.

Scott Rasmussen is a Senior Fellow for the Study of Self-Governance at the King’s College in New York and an Editor-At-Large for Ballotpedia, the Encyclopedia of American Politics. His most recent book, "Politics Has Failed: America Will Not," was published by the Sutherland Institute in May.To read more of his reports — Click Here Now.