Welcome to the Monday, February 12, Brew.
By: Mercedes Yanora and Juan Garcia de Paredes
Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- New York’s 3rd Congressional District special election tomorrow
- Voter participation deadlines scheduled for February 2024
- Ten candidates running in Anchorage’s nonpartisan mayoral election
New York’s 3rd Congressional District special election tomorrow
Tom Suozzi (D) and Mazi Pilip (R) are running in a special election in New York’s 3rd Congressional District tomorrow, Feb. 13. Governor Kathy Hochul (D) called the special election after the House voted to expel former-Rep. George Santos (R) on Dec. 1, 2023.
Suozzi represented an earlier version of the district from 2017 to 2023, and ran for New York Governor in the 2022 Democratic primary. Pilip has served in the Nassau County Legislature since 2021. There were no primaries. Instead, party leaders selected both candidates because this is a special election.
Local political analysts said that support for Israel is likely to be an issue in the race, with both Suozzi and Pilip saying they strongly support the country. Hofstra University professor Lawrence Levy said the issue could affect turnout for Democrat Suozzi: “There’s not an inch of daylight between Suozzi and Pilip on support for Israel…but the Democratic Party is seeing younger voters at odds with Israel.”
In an interview with Politico, Suozzi said Democrats who opposed U.S. aid to Israel were not informed on the issue: “They don’t understand what a serious threat this is to not only Israel and Jews throughout the world, but to America and our allies. They’re just not educated about the issues.”
Pilip, who is Jewish, has said support for Israel is personal. Pilip’s campaign website says “she will always stand with Israel as they fight terrorism.”
There are currently 219 Republicans, 212 Democrats and four vacancies in the House. The 3rd District is one of those vacancies, giving Republicans a seven-member advantage.
The winner will serve the remainder of Santos’ term, which ends on Jan. 3, 2025. Candidates for the special election are also eligible to run in the November general election.
In the 2022 election, the first conducted under new district lines following redistricting, Santos defeated Robert Zimmerman (D) 53.7%-46.2%.
As of Feb. 8, eight special elections have been called for the 118th Congress. Six of these specials are in the House, while the other two are in the Senate. Three of these specials have already occurred, all in the House. None of the three districts changed partisan control following the special elections.
Sixty-seven special elections were held between 2013 and 2022. Democrats had held 23 of 67 districts up for special election, while Republicans had held 44.
Looking at special House elections alone, Democrats gained two seats between 2013 and 2022. Republicans, conversely, lost two seats during the same period.
Click below to read more about the special election in New York’s 3rd Congressional District.
Voter participation deadlines scheduled for February 2024
The 2024 election season is well on its way, and with so many primary contests taking place, now is the perfect time to take a look at the important deadlines voters need to be aware of this month to take part in their state’s primary election.
Twenty-seven states have important voter participation deadlines this month. These include voter registration deadlines, early voting opening and closing dates, deadlines to request absentee/mail-in ballots, and deadlines to return those ballots.
The map below shows the states that have voter participation deadlines in February. The bulleted list below lists every state with deadlines taking place this month.
- Alabama: Feb. 16 (in-person registration deadline), Feb. 17 (mail-in registration deadline), Feb. 19 (online registration deadline), Feb. 29 (deadline to request an absentee/mail-in ballot in-person and online), Feb. 27 (deadline to request an absentee/mail-in ballot by mail)
- Arkansas: Feb. 5 (in-person and mail registration deadline), Feb. 19 to Mar. 4 (early voting period), Feb. 27 (deadline to request an absentee/mail-in ballot online and by mail)
- Arizona (presidential primary): Feb. 20 (voter registration deadline), Feb. 21 to Mar. 15 (early voting period).
- California: Feb. 20 (voter registration deadline), Feb. 24 to Mar. 4 (early voting period).
- Colorado (presidential primary): Feb. 26 to Mar. 5 (early voting period).
- District of Columbia (Republican presidential primary): Feb. 16 (in-person and mail registration deadline), Feb. 26 (online registration deadline).
- Florida (presidential primary): Feb. 20 (voter registration deadline).
- Georgia (presidential primary): Feb. 12 (voter registration deadline), Feb. 19 to Mar. 8 (early voting period).
- Illinois: Feb. 20 (mail registration deadline), Feb. 8 to Mar. 18 (early voting period).
- Iowa (Democratic presidential primary): Feb. 19 (voter registration deadline, deadline to request an absentee/mail-in ballot).
- Kansas (presidential primary): Feb. 20 (voter registration deadline, deadline to request an absentee/mail-in ballot), Feb. 28 to Mar. 18 (early voting period).
- Maine (presidential primary): Feb. 13 (mail and online registration deadline), Feb. 29 (early voting ends, deadline to request an absentee/mail-in ballot).
- Massachusetts: Feb. 24 (voter registration deadline), Feb. 24 to Mar. 1 (early voting period), Feb. 27 (deadline to request an absentee/mail-in ballot).
- Michigan (presidential primary): Feb. 12 (mail and online registration deadline), Feb. 23 (deadline to request an absentee/mail-in request online or by mail), Feb. 26 (in-person registration deadline, deadline to request an absentee/mail-in ballot in person), Feb. 17 to Feb. 25 (early voting period), Feb. 27 (primary date, deadline to return absentee/mail-in ballots).
- Minnesota (presidential primary): Feb. 13 (mail and online registration deadline), Jan. 19 to Mar. 4 (early voting period).
- Mississippi: Feb. 12 (voter registration deadline).
- Missouri (Republican presidential primary): Feb. 24 (voter registration deadline).
- Missouri (Democratic presidential primary): Feb. 21 (voter registration deadline).
- North Carolina: Feb. 9 (mail and online registration deadline), Feb. 15 to Mar. 2 (early voting period).
- Ohio: Feb. 20 (voter registration deadline), Feb. 21 to Mar. 18 (early voting period).
- Oklahoma (presidential primary): Feb. 9 (voter registration deadline), Feb. 19 (deadline to request an absentee/mail-in ballot), Feb. 29 to Mar. 2 (early voting period).
- South Carolina (Republican presidential primary): Feb. 12 to Feb. 22 (early voting period), Feb. 13 (deadline to request an absentee/mail-in ballot), Feb. 24 (primary date, deadline to return absentee/mail-in ballots)
- Tennessee (presidential primary): Feb. 5 (voter registration deadline), Feb. 14 to Feb. 27 (early voting period), Feb. 27 (deadline to request an absentee/mail-in ballot)
- Texas: Feb. 5 (voter registration deadline), Feb. 20 to Mar. 1 (early voting period), Feb. 23 (deadline to request an absentee/mail-in ballot).
- Utah (presidential primary): Feb. 23 (mail and online registration deadline), Feb. 20 to Mar. 1 (early voting period).
- Virginia (presidential primary): Feb. 12 (mail and online registration deadline), Jan. 19 to Mar. 2 (early voting period), Feb. 23 (deadline to request an absentee/mail-in ballot) .
- Washington: Feb. 23 to Mar. 12 (early voting period).
Looking ahead
March will be the busiest month for primary elections in the 2024 election cycle with 33 separate primaries and caucuses scheduled across 30 states. We’ll bring you all the information you need to know to vote in those contests as well, so stay tuned!
Ten candidates running in Anchorage’s nonpartisan mayoral election
Throughout the year, we’ll bring you coverage of the most compelling primaries—the battleground elections we expect to have a meaningful effect on the balance of power in governments or to be particularly competitive.
Last week, we previewed the March 19 Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Ohio. You can catch our previous coverage of other battleground races here.
Today, we’re looking at the April 2 nonpartisan mayoral election in Anchorage, Alaska. With a population of 291,247, Anchorage was the 71st largest city in the U.S. in 2020.
Ten candidates are running for mayor. Four lead in endorsements and local media attention: incumbent David Bronson, Suzanne LaFrance, Bill Popp, and Chris Tuck. If no candidate wins more than 45% of the vote, the top two finishers will advance to a May 14 runoff.
Although the election is nonpartisan, Bronson is a registered Republican, LaFrance is a registered nonpartisan, Popp is not declaring his partisan affiliation, and Tuck is a registered Democrat.
The Alaska Republican Party endorsed Bronson and the Alaska Democratic Party endorsed both LaFrance and Tuck.
First elected in 2021, Bronson is running on his first-term record. Bronson opposed the Anchorage Assembly’s efforts to increase tax and spending rates and worked to reopen the city following the COVID-19 pandemic.
LaFrance is a former member of the Anchorage Assembly, serving as its chairwoman during the first two years of Bronson’s term. LaFrance said her business experience and time on the assembly give her the knowledge and skills to turn Anchorage around.
Popp is a former president and CEO of the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation, having spent 16 years in that role. Popp said Anchorage has become stagnant, mentioning economic and population growth, the state of public services, and the homeless population as areas of concern.
Tuck is a former state legislator who served as majority leader in the Alaska House’s bipartisan coalition after the 2020 elections. Tuck said he is running because Anchorage “is falling into disrepair, and I can no longer sit and let the dysfunction continue. … Together we will rebuild Anchorage even better.”
Ballotpedia’s mayoral election coverage includes all mayoral elections in the 100 largest U.S. cities by population. Thirty-four of those cities, including Anchorage, are having mayoral elections this year. Eighteen of those currently have Democratic mayors, 11 have Republican mayors, and five have independent or nonpartisan incumbents.
Overall, the partisan breakdown of the mayors of the 100 largest U.S. cities is 63 Democrats, 25 Republicans, one Libertarian, four independents, and five nonpartisans. Two mayors’ partisan affiliations were unknown.