Special elections to the 116th Congress: What’s coming up

By

Amee LaTour
As of February 20, 2019, two special elections have been scheduled for the 116th Congress: one for Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District and another for one of Arizona’s U.S. Senate seats. Another will be scheduled for North Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District.
 
Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District: A special election to fill the vacant U.S. House seat will be held on May 21, 2019. The vacancy occurred following the resignation of former Rep. Tom Marino (R) on January 23. Marino won the November 6, 2018, election with 66 percent support.
 
Rather than hold a primary, party committees are nominating their candidates for the race. On February 12, the Democratic Party nominated Marc Friedenberg as its candidate. Republican Party delegates are scheduled to choose their nominee on March 2.
 
U.S. Senate seat from Arizona: On November 3, 2020, there will be a special election to fill the rest of the 2017-2022 term that John McCain (R) was elected to in 2016. McCain died on August 25, 2018.
 
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) first appointed Jon Kyl (R) to fill the seat until the special election winner takes office, and Kyl resigned on December 18, 2018. Ducey then appointed Martha McSally (R). The winner of the special election will serve the remainder of McCain’s term, ending in January 2023.
 
North Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District: North Carolina’s 3rd District Rep. Walter Jones (R) died on February 10. Walter was unopposed in the 2018 election. Gov. Roy Cooper (D) must schedule a special election for the seat. Dates have not yet been set.
 
Ahead of these special elections, Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the U.S. Senate, and Democrats hold a 235-197 majority in the U.S. House (with two vacancies and one 2018 election, in North Carolina’s 9th district, still to be decided).
 
There were 17 special elections called to fill vacancies in the 115th Congress in 2017 and 2018. Nine Republicans and eight Democrats won those elections. Four races resulted in a partisan flip from a Republican to Democratic officeholder.