Democrats have flipped 9 seats in state legislative special elections under Trump while Republicans are at 0

Democrats have flipped 9 seats in state legislative special elections under Trump while Republicans are at 0 Since the start of 2025, Democrats have racked up wins in special elections for state legislative seats, giving the party hope for the midterm elections. Democrat Alex Holladay flipped a Republican seat in an Arkansas special election on Tuesday. Alex Holladay for Arkansas House / via Facebook Share Add NBC News to Google March 4, 2026, 1:03 PM EST By Allan Smith Listen to this article with a free account 00:00 00:00 Democrat Alex Holladay prevailed in a special election on Tuesday for a state legislative seat in Arkansas, marking the 9th time since President Donald Trump took office last year that the party has flipped control of a state legislative seat in a special election. In that same time, Republicans have not flipped a single state legislative seat controlled by Democrats. Holladay, a health care administrator, defeated Republican businessman Bo Renshaw in a race to replace state Rep. Carlton Wing, a Republican who defeated Holladay by 2 points in 2024. Arkansas’ 70th District is just north of Little Rock. In a statement , Holladay said he learned a lot from his previous loss. “Mainly, it taught us that North Little Rock and Sherwood are primed for change,” he said. “Thousands of people told us that year that they were sick and tired of single-party GOP rule in Arkansas … The People are ready to hold our state’s leaders accountable, and that’s what this election was about.” Holladay’s victory came after Democrats, since the start of 2025, have flipped Republican-held seats in special elections in Iowa, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Georgia and Texas. When adding in the flips from last fall’s off-year elections in New Jersey and Virginia, Democrats have flipped 27 total seats controlled by Republicans, while Republicans are still searching for their first flip, according to data compiled by the The Downballot, a left-leaning outlet. Democrats say the tren...