(The Center Square) – All of Georgia’s 56 Senate seats and 180 House seats are up for election this fall, but experts predict the election will do little to shake the Republicans’ majorities of both chambers.
The Grand Old Party has significant advantages in each.
Yet, over the past few elections, the Democrats have been closing the gap and slowly gaining more control.
In the House, Republicans have a 102-78 edge. This is the most seats Democrats have held since 2004, just one election after the Republicans first took control in the state House.
The Senate has a similar gap, with Republicans holding a 33-23 edge. This is the most seats Democrats have held since 2002, also just one election after the Republicans first took control in the state Senate.
In many districts, incumbents do not even face a challenger from the opposite party.
For example, of the 56 state Senate seats up for grabs, only 24 of them have a candidate from each party running in them.
In the state House, an even smaller percentage of candidates face a challenger.
Voters in only 90 of the 180 districts will even have a choice between a Democrat or a Republican.
“Many state legislative races are uncompetitive or uncontested,” explained Dr. M.V. Hood III, professor of political science at the University of Georgia, to The Center Square. “There may be a few seats that switch hands, but the overall partisan balance will be close to what it is now. I don’t think the GOP is in any jeopardy of losing control of the General Assembly.”
In the spring election, no incumbents lost a primary and only four incumbents decided to not run for reelection: three Democrats and one Republican.
While considered a swing state, since 2005 the governorship, state Senate, and state House have all gone the way of Republicans.
Yet, President Joe Biden surprisingly won the state in 2020, after nearly 30 years of Georgia voting for Republican presidential candidates.
Dr. Charles S. Bullock III, a professor of political science at the University of Georgia, told The Center Square that he doubts there will be any significant change in the current makeup of the Legislature.
“No way that the GOP loses control of either chamber,” he said. “They might lose a Senate seat and three or four House seats. A good showing for Dems would bring the number of House Republicans below 100 for the first time since 2005.”
No state executive offices, besides the public service commissioner, or U.S. Senate seats are on the ballot in Georgia.
All 14 candidates to the U.S. House will be up for election in their respective districts, but the incumbents in those races are also strongly favored. The makeup in the 118th Congress is nine Republicans and five Democrats.
