By Stacy Householder

Legislative leaders play an integral role for their caucuses and chambers, especially during an election where they must fight for their party and then, almost immediately, unite a chamber.

This year, many leaders faced the challenge of holding the majority (or trying to win the majority) in their chamber; while also fighting for their own legislative lives.

 Below are the highlights, surprises and changes you can expect in the states:

• Kentucky Speaker Greg Stumbo lost his race. He held the speaker position since 2009. The Democrats lost the House chamber as well—the last Southern chamber to flip to Republican control.
• Iowa Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, a Democrat, lost. Gronstal was a member of the legislature since 1983, and a senator since 1985. The Senate is now controlled by Republicans.
• New Mexico ousted Democrat Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez, though Democrats maintain control of the Senate.
• Lone Republican Senator Sam Slom lost his seat in Hawaii, leaving the Senate all Democrats with no minority party.
• Senate President Pro Tempore Patricia Blevins lost her seat, which she’s held since 1990, leaving leadership in the Delaware Senate in question. Currently, the Democrats have a one-seat majority, but one of their own will become lieutenant governor, which leaves an open seat.
• Republican Minority Leader David Hann in Minnesota lost his election despite the fact that his party took control of the Senate. The Senate is in Republican hands for only the second time since Minnesota started using party designations.
• Democratic Speaker Nicholas Mattiello of Rhode Island is in a very tight race for his seat that will be decided by mail ballots.

Due to chamber flips, we expect new leaders in the following chambers:

• Nevada Assembly and Senate (both flipped to Democratic control).
• Iowa Senate (flipped to Republican control).
• New Mexico House (flipped to Democratic control).
• Kentucky House (flipped to Republican control).
• Minnesota Senate (flipped to Republican control).
• Connecticut Senate is tied.

An interesting chamber to note is the Alaska House where three Republican legislators organized with their Democrat colleagues resulting in a Democratic Speaker of the House, Bryce Edgmon.

Stay tuned as legislatures move into caucus and organizational sessions to decide who will lead chambers in 2017.

Stacy Householder is a program principal in NCSL's State Services division.

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