According to Stephen Farnsworth, professor at the University of Mary Washington and the director for the Center for Leadership and Media Studies, there are two major reasons why – the way the districts are drawn, and money.
“The biggest factor that explains why so many races are uncontested is gerrymandering. If the district is drawn in such a way that a Democrat is obviously going to win, or a Republican is obviously going to win, why would a candidate in the other party invest the kind of time, and money, and energy that’s required to compete in an election,” said Farnsworth.
