BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- Election Day is just four months away, but many are still waiting to see if they'll have an opponent.

On the Republican side, Assemblymen Cliff Crouch and Phil Palmesano are among those who have yet to be challenged by the Democratic party.

State Senator Fred Akshar is also currently running unopposed.

“I think it speaks to the fact that those incumbents have run a really good job on the Republican side. The voters have a lot of confidence in our elected officials,” said Bijoy Datta, Broome County Republican Chairman.

But it's a similar story on the Democratic side.

Assemblywomen Pam Hunter of Onondaga County and Donna Lupardo of Broome County still running unopposed

Political science professors say it all comes down to perceptions that incumbent candidates are just too popular to beat.

"There's a real sort of inhibition about running against them, and so once people run, the incumbency advantage sort of disappears, so that is the biggest issue," said Jonathan Krasno, Binghamton University Political Science Professor.

In just one example, in Broome County, Democrats are challenging for just 35 of the 100 open spots.

Republicans are challenging 97.

But the chairman of the party says it's not for a lack of interest.

"This year, because of the shock in 2016, we had a lot of people come see me who wanted to run for office who had never run for office before," said Tim Grippen, Broome County Democratic Chairman.

But when it comes to challenging incumbents in big races, Tim Grippen says it all comes down to dollars and cents.

"When you tell people, even if they're interested, when you tell people the hundreds of thousands of dollars you have to raise, it kind of closes their eyes, and it's a full-time commitment to run an election," said Grippen.

But regardless of the challenge, both parties I spoke to say they'll continue to search for the right candidate.

“That’s not to say that challengers can’t succeed as well. Every incumbent was challenger at some point, so they have to get to office somehow,” said Datta.