Contest Every Race Finds Republicans Ran Unopposed in 51% of Races in 2022

Contest Every Race Finds Republicans Ran Unopposed in 51% of Races in 2022

New data just released by Contest Every Race shows that Democrats failed to field candidates in 51% of all races. In stark contrast, Republicans left only 15% of races uncontested. This disparity, recently featured on the front page of the The New York Times, underscores a critical gap in Democratic recruitment efforts, particularly in local and down-ballot races.

Key Findings:

• In 2022, Democrats didn’t compete in 51% of all partisan races. This equates to 14,894 races where Democrats let Republicans take office without opposition.
• In contrast, Republicans only left 14.5% of all races uncontested, or 4,224 offices.
• Races at the city, local, and county levels accounted for 84% of uncontested races, even though these hyperlocal offices are often the ones that most directly affect daily life.
• The statistics are similarly jarring in battleground states, where local Dems competing could boost turnout for Dems at the top of the ticket via the reverse coattails effect. Democrats left over 40% of races uncontested in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina.

Leaving so many races uncontested not only signals a democracy in distress — it also depresses Democratic voter turnout and creates an echo-chamber where extremist ideologies can flourish. Contest Every Race is a national organization dedicated to addressing this problem. To date, our candidate recruitment program has fielded more than 7,500 democrats to run, with a 38% win rate.

To push back against uncontested election deniers and extremists, Contest Every Race recently launched its first-ever endorsement slate: 42 candidates running down-ballot in the crucial swing states. These candidates, dubbed "Democracy Defenders," are running in districts currently held by election deniers. Check them out here!

Lauren Gepford, Contest Every Race Exec. Director and Former Exec. Director of the Missouri Democratic Party, lays out the importance of this work:

“Too many races go uncontested — especially those where the only candidate is an election-denying conspiracy theorist. Through our partnerships with local and state groups and endorsement of our ‘Democracy Defenders’ candidates, we aim to protect local communities from the toxic influence of MAGA extremists – while building the bench of Democrats running for local office.”

Lauren Gepford and candidates running against previously unopposed election deniers are available for interview. Contact Daniel Jubelirer, daniel@movementlabs.com or 919-619-5795 to coordinate.

#####

Contest Every Race is a national organization dedicated to recruiting Democratic candidates to run for local office and building long-term Democratic infrastructure. By focusing on rural and local elections, Contest Every Race is strengthening democracy at the grassroots level and ensuring every community has the representation it deserves.

‍