WikimediaNow that the primary elections have come and gone, we know the final results in nearly 87 percent of the active and inactive House and Senate races.
As for the November runoff, there are only four runoffs on the Senate side remaining and another 15 elections to be decided for the House on the Nov. 21 ballot.
Political watchers believe this large number of decided seats will surely jumpstart the work to be done for the 2016 sessions and maybe even free up some lawmakers to get involved in the governor’s race.
The Senate is the closest to fully intact, with 21 unopposed senators and 14 races that are completed, or 90 percent of the body that’s settled.
Across Memorial Hall, there are 53 unopposed representatives and 76 races that are now decided, or 89 percent of the lower chamber that is completely off the ballot now.
The figures factor prominently into the race for speaker as a very small handful of the dozen candidates are beginning to peel off to commit to the leading contenders. Freshman representatives will especially be under the gun to pick a horse after the primary.