Welcome to the Wednesday, May 8, Brew.
By: Ethan Sorell
Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- Ballotpedia’s Administrative State Legislation Tracker
- Chair of House Freedom Caucus faces challenger in Republican primary
- Upcoming voter participation deadlines
Ballotpedia’s Administrative State Legislation Tracker
Ballotpedia is excited to announce the launch of our Administrative State Legislation Tracker—a centralized hub that will help Ballotpedia users understand state-level administrative state reform activity across the country.
Ballotpedia’s federal and state-level administrative state resources are a gateway to learning about the administrative state.
But what does “the administrative state” mean? It’s a term used to describe how federal and state administrative agencies create and enforce their own rules and regulations.
Thousands of agencies employing millions of people comprise the administrative state at the federal and state levels. To name a few: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Social Security Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), cabinet departments such as the Department of Commerce and the Department of Transportation, plus state education agencies, state health and human services agencies, state workforce commissions, and state environmental agencies.
Our clear, comprehensive, and unbiased resources explain how the administrative state works and what it means. If you want to track legislation related to administrative state reforms, our 50 State Administrative State Legislative Tracker tracks bill movement every step of the way. We make daily updates so you can act quickly and translate bill text into summaries in easy-to-understand, everyday language.
This is the newest offering that is part of Ballotpedia’s suite of administrative state coverage, featuring neutral, nonpartisan, encyclopedic content about concepts, laws, court cases, executive orders, scholarly work, government activity, and other material related to the administrative state. Our new Administrative State Legislation Tracker deepens our coverage scope and provides an additional resource to help journalists, scholars, and everyday readers stay abreast of the changing administrative state landscape.
To access Ballotpedia’s Administrative State Legislation Tracker, click here. This is Ballotpedia’s second legislative tracker, joining our existing elections administration legislative tracker.
Sign up for Checks and Balances, our monthly newsletter on the administrative state featuring pivotal actions at the federal and state levels related to the separation of powers, due process, and the rule of law.
Additional resources:
- Ballotpedia’s coverage of the administrative state.
- Ballotpedia’s coverage of proposals and reforms to the administrative state.
Chair of House Freedom Caucus faces challenger in Republican primary
Throughout the year, we’ll bring you coverage of the most compelling elections—the battlegrounds we expect to have a meaningful effect on the balance of power in governments or to be particularly competitive.
Today, we’re looking at the June 18 Republican primary for Virginia’s 5th Congressional District. Two candidates are running: Incumbent Bob Good (R) and John McGuire (R).
Why we’re watching this race
- The 5th Congressional District is considered a solid or safe Republican seat by the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales, and Larry J. Sabato’s Crystal Ball. These ratings indicate the winner of the June 5 Republican primary has a clear advantage in the Nov. 5 general election.
Election Context
- According to Sabato’s Crystal Ball Managing Editor Kyle Kondik, support for former President Donald Trump (R) is an issue in the race: “Though Good is very conservative ideologically, McGuire can undercut that by saying he’s not loyal.”
- According to University of Lynchburg professor David Richards, Good’s vote to remove Kevin McCarthy (R) as House Speaker is also a point of difference between the candidates: “Ever since the ouster of McCarthy from the speaker position, Good and some others have been viewed by the mainstream GOP as more obstructionist than team players.”
- Good defeated Joshua Throneburg (D) 57.6%-42.2% in the 2022 general election.
Previous Political Offices
- Good is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Virginia’s 5th Congressional District. Good was first elected in 2020, and is in his second term as chairman of the House Freedom Caucus.
- Good served on the Campbell County, Virginia, Board of Supervisors from 2017-2019.
- McGuire represents the 10th District in the Virginia Senate. McGuire assumed the state senate office in 2024.
- McGuire represented the 65th District in the House of Delegates from 2018-2024.
What Good is saying
- Good is running on his record, which he says includes supporting the Life at Conception Act, removing Liz Cheney (R) as GOP conference chair, and introducing 35 bills.
- Good says McGuire is a member of the political establishment and that the primary “represents defeating the swamp’s efforts to strike back, and they have found a willing candidate in liar McGuire.”
- Good says he is running to “continue the battle against unconstitutional government mandates, the invasion at our Southern Border, the leftist indoctrination in our education systems, and the reckless spending that is bankrupting our nation.”
- Good said groups who opposed former President Donald Trump supported McGuire.
What McGuire is saying
- McGuire says he has a record of service to the country, including 10 years as a Navy SEAL.
- McGuire is running on his legislative record, which he says includes advocating for veterans and law enforcement, establishing a task force to propose improvements in law enforcement’s approach to heroin and fentanyl distribution, and increasing penalties for the illegal distribution of opioids.
- McGuire said Good’s vote to remove McCarthy and his support of Ron DeSantis (R) hurt Republicans political prospects in the 2024 presidential primary: “If you’re on the Republican team, but you’re helping the Democrat team, that’s why I call him a RINO.”
- In his campaign kickoff announcement, McGuire said, “On the day our president was wrongly indicted, Bob abandoned Trump by endorsing another candidate,” in reference to Good endorsing Ron DeSantis (R) for president.
Campaign Finance
- As of March 31, 2024, Good had raised $855,792 and had $427,342 in cash on hand.
- As of March 31, 2024, McGuire had raised $496,448 and had $351,813 in cash on hand.
Upcoming voter participation deadlines
With the 2024 election season well on its way, we are taking a look at the important deadlines voters need to be aware of over the next two weeks to take part in their state’s primary election.
Thirteen states and the District of Columbia 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 with voter participation deadlines scheduled in the next two weeks. The bulleted list below includes every state with deadlines between May 7 and May 21, 2024.
- D.C.: May 14 (voter registration deadline by mail and online).
- Georgia: April 29 to May 17 (early voting dates), May 10 (absentee/mail-in request deadline), May 21 (absentee/mail-in return deadline).
- Indiana: May 7 (absentee/mail-in return deadline).
- Idaho: May 6 to May 17 (early voting dates), May 10 (absentee/mail-in request deadline by mail or online), May 17 (in-person absentee/mail-in request deadline), May 21 (in-person voter registration deadline), May 21 (absentee/mail-in return deadline).
- (Democratic presidential primary): May 16 (online absentee/mail-in request deadline), May 23 (absentee/mail-in return deadline).
- Iowa: May 20 (voter registration deadline), May 20 (absentee/mail-in request deadline).
- Kentucky: May 16 to May 18 (early voting dates), May 7 (absentee/mail-in request deadline), May 21 (absentee/mail-in return deadline).
- Maine: May 21 (voter registration deadline by mail and online).
- Maryland: May 2 to May 9 (early voting dates), May 7 (absentee/mail-in request deadline by mail or online), May 14 (in-person absentee/mail-in request deadline), May 14 (in-person voter registration deadline), May 14 (absentee/mail-in return deadline), May 14 (absentee/mail-in return deadline).
- Nebraska: April 15 to May 13 (early voting dates), May 14 (absentee/mail-in return deadline).
- Nevada: May 14 (voter registration deadline by mail), May 14 (absentee/mail-in return deadline).
- New Mexico: May 7 to June. 4 (early voting dates), May 21 (absentee/mail-in request deadline).
- Oregon: May 21 (absentee/mail-in return deadline).
- New Jersey: May 14 (voter registration deadline).
- West Virginia: May 1 to May 11 (early voting dates), May 8 (absentee/mail-in request deadline), May 13 (absentee/mail-in return deadline in-person), and May 14 (absentee/mail-in return deadline by mail).