Visual Library
/
Elections & Democracy
/
Electoral Competition
Explainer

Four in Five Ohio Legislative Primaries Were Uncontested

WP001 reports that 181 of 223 Republican and Democratic General Assembly party-primary contests in 2026 had only one candidate.

[ALT TEXT]

What This Graphic Shows

The graphic compares contested and uncontested party-primary contests across the Ohio House and Senate.

Key Takeaway

About 81.2% of the 2026 General Assembly party-primary contests analyzed offered no choice between candidates.

Verification Status:

Verified — Current

Last Verified:

September 23, 2026

Sources

Review the sources used to support this visual.

Ohio Common Ground Research Center

The Uncontested Majority: Competition — or Its Absence — in Ohio’s 2026 State Legislative Primaries

July 6, 2026
View Source →

Related Visuals

Explore closely related graphics and explainers.

Explainer

In 75 of 116 Districts, Neither Party Had a Contested Primary

WP001 examines competition at the district level by asking whether either major party offered a contested primary.

View Visual →
Explainer

Uncontested Primaries Are Not a One-Party Pattern

WP001 reports similarly high uncontested rates on Republican and Democratic legislative primary ballots in 2026.

View Visual →
Explainer

Most Primary Candidate Votes Were Cast in Uncontested Races

WP001 reports that 72.4% of candidate votes cast in the analyzed General Assembly primary contests were cast in single-candidate races.

View Visual →

Explore More

Continue exploring the issue or return to the complete OCG Visual Library.

Back to Topic →Browse the Visual Library →