By: David Luchs
Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- Candidate Connection survey update—Four races reached 100% completion last week; featured responses from Nevada State Assembly District 2 and North Carolina House of Representatives District 37
- Judge removes and then reinstates five members of a Pennsylvania school board
- North Carolina U.S. House filings reach decade high
Candidates for office in Nevada and North Carolina complete Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey
Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey asks candidates for federal, state, and local office to share what motivates them on a personal and political level. We’ll be providing regular updates on races with a 100% survey completion rate in Thursday editions of the Brew this year.
As of April 5, 2022, we’re tracking 24 races with final candidate lists and a 100% Candidate Connection completion rate. Four of those races reached 100% completion in the past week.
What’s new this week
Two candidates are running for the Republican nomination for Nevada State Assembly District 2: incumbent Heidi Kasama (R) and Erin Gomez (R). Nick Christenson (D) and Jason Bednarz (L) are also running for the seat. The last time the seat was up, in 2020, Kasama defeated Radhika Kunnel (D) 54% to 44%. All 42 seats in the Nevada State Assembly, currently under a 26-16 Democratic majority, are up for election this year.
Here’s how Kasama and Gomez answered two selected survey questions:
Heidi Kasama:
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
“Expanding and diversifying our economy as well as improvements to our system of education and health care.”
Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?
“There are many but I hear consistently the impact of high health care costs on my constituents and this needs to be reigned in.”
Erin Gomez:
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
“My key passion would be to restore our election so everyone feels confident.”
Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?
“I’ve heard a lot of things that people have said, that’s the reason I’m running is because peoples lives have been destroyed over the past two years due to governors and decisions people have made and that’s why am running.”
Three candidates are running for the Democratic nomination for North Carolina House of Representatives District 37: Mary Bethel (D), Christine Kelly (D), and Elizabeth Parent (D). Incumbent Erin Paré (R) and Christopher Robinson (L) are also running for the seat. The last time the seat was up, in 2020, Paré defeated then-incumbent Sydney Batch (D) 50% to 47%. All 120 seats in the North Carolina House of Representatives, currently under a 69-51 Republican majority, are up for election this year.
Here’s how Bethel, Kelly, and Parent answered the question, “Who are you? Tell us about yourself.”
Mary Bethel:
“After a career working as an advocate for older adult and persons with disabilities, which included 20+ years interacting with the NC General Assembly to seek legislation and state appropriations that would benefit these groups, I am throwing my hat in the ring for the House seat in my District. Over my career, I have used by people skills, my willingness to listen to broad perspectives, and my leadership abilities to craft common-sense solutions to many problems. As our state emerges from the impact of COVID, I want to be engaged in the process of helping to develop solutions to move us forward in North Carolina.”
Christine Kelly:
“Christine Kelly moved to Southern Wake County 30 years ago where she raised her family, made a home, and became a part of a diverse community. While she still lives in the same house, the community has seen a lot of change, and she is proud to say that she has been a key driver of that change by being active in serving her community. Christine proudly served for four years on the Holly Springs Town Council, and worked to implement policies to: protect her local environment, attract prestigious businesses, and honor the City’s history. She also fought for greater accountability and transparency from local government.
Christine earned a Bachelor of Math and a Masters of Wealth and Trust Management. Her love of numbers led her to SAS Institute, a company dedicated to empowering minds through data analytics, where she has worked for over 30 years. As a naturalized citizen, born and raised in Canada, Christine understands the importance of having a government that works for all people.
In the NC House, Christine will work to ensure: a community that is safe for all, health coverage for all, properly funded education, and a clean and healthy environment. Christine aims to represent District 37 so that all residents in Southern Wake County have the opportunity for a better quality-of-life.”
Elizabeth Parent:
“Elizabeth Parent was born in Littleton, Colorado and soon after, her family moved to Poulsbo, Washington where Elizabeth was raised on a small family farm. Elizabeth is a mother of three young children, wife to an Army Veteran, a childhood sexual abuse survivor, and a honey beekeeper. Elizabeth serves on the board of the Artist Aliance of the Triangle, and has been a leader for various chapters of MOMS Club – a non-profit serving moms in the community.”
About Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey
We use the term race to describe a primary, runoff, or general election for a single office or seat or for a single set of seats that are elected as a batch. For example, a school board general election for three at-large seats where each voter selects three candidates would be one race, while a school board general election for three seats elected by district where each voter is voting for one candidate would be three separate races.
Some other details about the 24 races with a 100% response rate:
- As of this week, there are eight states with at least one race with a 100% response rate.
- Thirteen of the 24 races are taking place in Texas.
- Three of the 24 races are general elections.
- Of the 21 primaries and primary runoffs, 13 are for the Democratic nomination and eight are for the Republican nomination.
- Twelve of the 24 are races for U.S. House.
Judge removes and then reinstates five members of a Pennsylvania school board
Subscribers to Ballotpedia’s Hall Pass saw this yesterday; Ballotpedia’s Hall Pass is a free newsletter tracking the conversations driving school board politics and education policy. Click here for more information and a link to subscribe.
On March 30, Chester County, Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas Judge William Mahon ordered the removal from office of five members of the West Chester Area School District School Board. The order was issued in response to a petition calling for the removal of school board members who had voted in favor of a mandatory mask policy. Beth Ann Rosica, a parent in the district and the executive director of Back to School PA, filed the petition on Feb. 13.
Mahon said his decision had been prompted by the school districts’ attorneys not responding to Rosica’s petition ahead of a March 15 deadline. The district’s attorneys asked that Mahon reconsider, saying the actual deadline for a formal response was April 4. On April 1, Mahon reversed his earlier decision, reinstating the board members and allowing the case to proceed.
The petition calling for the members’ removal cited a 1949 Pennsylvania statute allowing any 10 taxpayers in a given school district to file a petition in county court to remove school board directors if any “(1) fail to organize as hereafter provided, or (2) refuse or neglect to perform any duty imposed upon it by the provisions of this act relating to school districts, or (3) being a party to a joint board agreement refuse or neglect to perform any duty imposed upon it by the provisions of this act relating to joint boards or by the joint board agreement.”
In a press release when she filed her petition, Rosica said, “Parents all over Chester County are exacerbated over the current masking policies of their school districts. Several parents have taken their frustrations to the next level by filing petitions with county court to recall those board members who voted to mask children.” Rosica added that the school board’s decision to continue a mask mandate after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court struck down the statewide school mask requirement on Dec. 10 was illegal.
All five members named in the petition, including the board president, are Democrats. Democrats control a 6-3 majority on the board after flipping two seats in the 2021 elections. We identified this election in our 2021 report on conflicts in school board elections.
Both sides will have 45 days to collect evidence and file for a hearing before Mahon.
Since the start of the pandemic, 35 states have required masks in schools at some point. Click here to learn more about school responses to the pandemic.
North Carolina U.S. House filings reach decade high
The filing deadline for candidates running for state or federal office in North Carolina was March 4. This year, 103 candidates are running for North Carolina’s 14 U.S. House districts, including 60 Republicans, 40 Democrats, two Libertarians, and one independent. That’s 7.4 candidates per district, up 42% from 5.3 in 2020 and 5.0 in 2018.
Here are some other highlights from this year’s filings:
- This is the first election to take place under new district lines following the 2020 census. North Carolina was apportioned 14 seats after the 2020 census, up from 13 seats in the last round of apportionment following the 2010 census.
- Two members of North Carolina’s U.S. House delegation are running for re-election in a different district than the one they currently represent. Richard Hudson (R), who represents the 8th District, is running for re-election in the 9th District. Dan Bishop (R), who represents the 9th District, is running for re-election in the 8th District.
- Four seats are open, meaning no incumbent is running. In addition to the newly-created 14th District, they are the 1st, 4th, and 13th District seats.
- Ted Budd (R), who currently represents the 13th District, is running for U.S. Senate rather than seeking re-election. G.K. Butterfield (D) and David Price (D), who represent the 1st and 4th districts, respectively, are retiring from politics.
- This year’s four open seats is the most since at least 2012. There were three open seats in 2020 and none in 2018.
- There are three districts this year where incumbents do not face primary challenges.
- Fifteen candidates filed to run in the 11th District, more than any other. This figure includes eight Republicans, six Democrats, and one Libertarian.
North Carolina’s U.S. House primaries will take place on May 17. A candidate must receive at least 30% of the vote plus one to win the primary outright. In the event no candidate reaches this threshold, the top two finishers will advance to a July 26 runoff.