Author: Jaclyn Beran
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Kansas lawmaker battling cancer will resign his seat
Kansas state Rep. Greg Lewis (R) announced on February 18, 2019, that he would resign his seat, effective Friday, February 22, 2019. He is resigning after he was diagnosed with a brain tumor in December 2018. Lewis has served in the state House representing District 113 since 2015. He was appointed to the chamber…
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Former Alaska lieutenant governor dies at 93
Former Alaska Lieutenant Governor Jack Coghill passed away on February 13, 2019. He died of natural causes at the age of 93. Coghill was living with his son, state Sen. John Coghill (R), at the time of his death. His son said in a statement, “Dad was a firm believer in utilizing Alaska’s natural resources…
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New Mexico Legislature forms a Women’s Caucus
A bipartisan Women’s Caucus has been established in the New Mexico State Legislature after historic gains in the 2018 election. Currently, one-third of the state legislature is made up of women. Rep. Kelly Fajardo (R) and Sen. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez (D) were nominated to lead the 39-member caucus. The group will focus on helping women,…
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U.S. Rep. Tom O’Halleran (D) announces re-election bid
Rep. Tom O’Halleran (D) announced in a tweet on February 7 that he would be running for re-election in 2020. He has represented Arizona’s 1st Congressional District since 2017. He last won re-election in 2018 when he captured 53.8 percent of the vote to defeat Wendy Rogers (R). A former Flagstaff city council member, Eva…
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Trump to nominate David Bernhardt to serve as U.S. Secretary of the Interior
On February 4, President Donald Trump (R) announced that he would nominate David Bernhardt to serve as U.S. Secretary of the Interior. Bernhardt became the department’s deputy secretary in 2017, and he has served as acting secretary since Ryan Zinke (R) resigned the position on January 2, 2019. Trump tweeted, “I am pleased to…
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Governor appoints Ives to fill New Mexico Court of Appeals vacancy
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) appointed Zachary Ives to the New Mexico Court of Appeals on January 31. He was appointed to replace Justice Michael Vigil, who was elected to the New Mexico Supreme Court in 2018. Ives earned his B.A. from Vassar College in 1995 and his J.D. from the University…
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Longtime New Mexico lawmaker dies at 82
Former New Mexico state Rep. Henry “Kiki” Saavedra (D) died on January 28, 2019, from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. He was 82 years old. He served in the New Mexico House of Representatives for 37 years from 1977 to 2014. He left office in 2014 when he decided to not seek re-election. While in…
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Local recalls headline Ballotpedia’s year-end recall report
Recall efforts targeting local officials in Michigan, North Dakota, Oregon, and Wisconsin topped Ballotpedia’s list of notable recall efforts in 2018. Ballotpedia covered a total of 206 recall efforts against 299 officials this year. Of the 123 officials whose recalls made it to the ballot, 77 were recalled and 46 survived the attempt. This year’s…