Today, about 55 percent of all state legislative seats in the country are held by Republicans. That’s the largest share of GOP state legislators since the 1920s. Just 11 states have an all Democratic-controlled legislature, while Republicans have a legislative majority in 30 states, including the battleground states of Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. Before the 2014 election, Democrats had single-party control (legislature and governor) in 15 states. Post-2014, that number is down to seven.
A continuing realignment in the South from Democratic stronghold to GOP bastion has contributed to GOP gains at the legislative level. In 1992, all 15 southern states (Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida) had Democratic-controlled legislatures. Today, they are all Republican but for Kentucky which has split control. It’s not just the South however. Since 2012, notes the NCSL, Republicans have picked up seats in every region of the country.