Ahead of redistricting, Democrats seek to reverse statehouse declines
The national Democratic Party wants to regain some of the 900-plus state legislative seats Democrats have lost since 2009.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
The national Democratic Party wants to regain some of the 900-plus state legislative seats Democrats have lost since 2009.
The new GOP-controlled Congress takes office at a time when the American public sees partisan rifts in the country getting worse.
Almost one-in-five members of the House and Senate are a racial or ethnic minority, making the 114th Congress the most diverse in history. However, Congress remains disproportionately white when compared with the U.S. population, which has grown increasingly diverse in recent decades.
An unusually active lame duck session enabled the 113th Congress to avoid its predecessor’s record for legislative unproductivity.
Most eligible voters — typically 8-in-ten or more — live in House districts with little or no real competition between candidates and parties.
If history is any guide, well under half of eligible voters will come out to vote in Tuesday’s midterms.
Lame duck congressional sessions have become more common in recent years, but their actual legislative productivity has varied considerably.
Only nine major-party candidates have won a second presidential nomination after losing a previous election, and only four of those won the second time around.
The current Congress remains on pace to be one of the least legislatively productive in recent history.
1615 L St. NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20036
USA
(+1) 202-419-4300 | Main
(+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax
(+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries
ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.
© 2024 Pew Research Center