Author: David Luchs
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President Trump signs Consolidated Appropriations Act, approves second round of direct payments
President Donald Trump (R) signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act into law December 27, approving a $900 billion legislative package that included a second round of direct stimulus payments in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The act, which was introduced as a series of amendments to the United States-Mexico Economic Partnership Act, passed both chambers of…
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Incumbent governors had a 100% re-election rate in 2020
Eleven states held elections for governor this year, including nine where the incumbent ran for re-election. All nine governors up for re-election won another term this year. Republicans had greater partisan risk in 2020; the eleven states electing a governor included seven with Republican governors and four with Democratic governors. Republicans won eight of those…
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Republican and Democrat national party committees raised $467 million between October 15 and November 23
Six party committees raised a combined $467 million between October 15 and November 23 this year, according to post-general election campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission on December 3. One more campaign finance report is due this cycle, covering fundraising and spending through December 31. Democrats and Republicans each have three party…
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Average U.S. House margin of victory on track to be narrower than 2018, setting a decade-low record
The average margin of victory among U.S. House races that were callable as of Nov. 18 was 30.0 percentage points, the narrowest since at least 2012, according to a Ballotpedia analysis. The previous record low was 30.2 percentage points in 2018. The average margin of victory in callable U.S. Senate races was 18.9 percentage points,…
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Three states split presidential and gubernatorial vote
Three states voted for presidential and gubernatorial candidates of different parties this year, while at least two voted for presidential candidates of a different party than the state's trifecta status. A state government trifecta occurs when one party holds a state's governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. Heading into the 2020…
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Abigail Spanberger (D) wins re-election in Virginia's 7th Congressional District
Incumbent Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D) defeated challenger Nick Freitas (R) in Virginia's 7th Congressional District. Spanberger was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018, defeating incumbent Rep. Dave Brat (R) 50% to 48%. Preliminary results indicate Spanberger won re-election by a similar 51% to 49% margin. The 7th District was one of…
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Conor Lamb wins re-election to Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District
Incumbent Conor Lamb (D) defeated challenger Sean Parnell (R) in Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District. Lamb was first elected in a March 2018 special election for the remainder of Tim Murphy's (R) term in what was then the 18th Congressional District. Lamb defeated Rick Saccone (R) 49.9% to 49.5% to flip the seat. Following court-ordered redistricting…
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French Hill wins election to fourth term in U.S. House
Incumbent French Hill (R) defeated challenger Joyce Elliott (D) in the general election for Arkansas' 2nd Congressional District. Hill was first elected in 2014, and won his subsequent re-election campaigns in 2016 and 2018 58%-37% and 52%-46%, respectively. He led Elliott 55% to 45% in preliminary 2020 results. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) included…
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Jim Hagedorn wins re-election to Minnesota's 1st Congressional District
Incumbent Jim Hagedorn (R) defeated challengers Dan Feehan (D) and Bill Rood (Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota) in Minnesota's 1st Congressional District. The election was one of 56 U.S. House rematches taking place this year. In 2018, this seat was left open as incumbent Tim Walz (D) ran for governor. Hagedorn defeated Feehan 50.1% to…
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Tom Malinowski wins re-election to Congress
Incumbent Tom Malinowski (D) defeated challenger Thomas Kean Jr. (R) in New Jersey's 7th Congressional District. Malinowski was first elected in 2018, when he defeated incumbent Leonard Lance (R) 52% to 47%, becoming the first Democrat to win election in the district since 1978. Preliminary returns suggest Malinowski expanded on his 2018 margin this year,…