Joel Williams – Ballotpedia News

April 6, 2023 at 9:59 AM

Brandon Johnson defeated Paul Vallas in the runoff election for mayor of Chicago, Illinois, on April 4, 2023. Johnson received 51.4% of the vote and Vallas received 48.6%. They advanced from a field of nine candidates in the Feb. 28 general election.

Johnson was elected to the Cook County Board of Commissioners as a Democrat in 2018. He was a teacher with Chicago Public Schools and an organizer with the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU). The CTU endorsed Johnson. He received 20.3% of the vote in the general election.

Vallas was the 2014 Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor. He worked as chief administrative officer at Chicago State University and was the CEO of Chicago Public Schools. The Chicago Fraternal Order of Police endorsed Vallas. He received 33.7% of the vote in the general election.

Incumbent Lori Lightfoot finished third in the general election with 17.1% of the vote and did not advance to the runoff. Lightfoot, who was elected in 2019, was the first incumbent Chicago mayor to lose a re-election bid since 1983 when Jane Byrne lost her primary.

Although elections are officially nonpartisan, candidates are typically affiliated with one of the major political parties. Johnson and Vallas are both Democrats. The last Republican mayor of Chicago, William Thompson, left office in 1931.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin becomes Paul Vallas’ first congressional endorsement in Chicago mayoral runoff

By Joel Williams

In Local

March 29, 2023 at 11:21 AM

On March 26, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) endorsed Paul Vallas in the April 4, 2023, runoff for mayor of Chicago. The state’s other senator, Tammy Duckworth (D), endorsed Mayor Lori Lightfoot in the first round and has not endorsed in the runoff. Vallas and Brandon Johnson are running in the runoff election.

Eleven members of Congress have endorsed Johnson so far, including U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). Four members of the Illinois House delegation endorsed Johnson: Jonathan Jackson (District 1), Delia Ramirez (District 3), Danny Davis (District 7), and Jan Schakowsky (District 9).

Although elections are officially nonpartisan, candidates are typically affiliated with one of the major political parties. Johnson and Vallas are both Democrats. The last Republican mayor of Chicago, William Thompson, left office in 1931.

Johnson and Vallas advance to mayoral runoff in Chicago

By Joel Williams

In Local

March 3, 2023 at 12:40 PM

Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas advanced from a nine candidate field in the Feb. 28, 2023, general election for mayor of Chicago, Illinois, to an April 24 runoff.

Vallas received 33.7% of the vote in the general election. He was the 2014 Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor. He worked as chief administrative officer at Chicago State University and was the CEO of Chicago Public Schools. On the night of the general election, Vallas gave a speech focused on public safety. “Public safety is the fundamental right of every American. It is a civil right. And it is the principle responsibility of government, and we will have a safe Chicago,” he said. The Chicago Fraternal Order of Police endorsed Vallas.

Johnson received 20.3% of the vote in the general election. He was elected to the Cook County Board of Commissioners as a Democrat in 2018. He was a teacher with Chicago Public Schools and an organizer with the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU). In a speech on the night of the general election, Johnson focused on education policy. Johnson thanked CTU for their support and said, “We get to turn the page of the politics of old . . . Every single child in the city gets to have their needs met.” The CTU endorsed Johnson.

Incumbent Lori Lightfoot finished third with 17.1% of the vote. She was elected mayor in 2019, defeating Toni Preckwinkle 74% to 26% in a runoff election after advancing from a 14-candidate general election field. Lightfoot became the first mayor of Chicago to lose a re-election bid since 1983 when Jane Byrne lost her primary.

Although elections are officially nonpartisan, candidates are typically affiliated with one of the major political parties. Johnson and Vallas are both Democrats. The last Republican mayor of Chicago, William Thompson, left office in 1931.

Chicago adopted the system of nonpartisan general elections with a potential runoff beginning with the 1999 mayoral elections. In the six elections between 1999 and 2019, a runoff election occurred twice (2015 and 2019). A candidate won the other four general elections outright (1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011).

Chicago mayoral election takes place next week

By Joel Williams

In Local

February 23, 2023 at 11:40 AM

Nine candidates are running for mayor of Chicago, Illinois on Feb. 28. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, a runoff election will take place on April 4. Mayor Lori Lightfoot, first elected in 2019, is running for re-election.

The candidates to perform best in polling and receive the most endorsements are Lightfoot, U.S. Rep. Jesus Garcia, Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson, and former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas.

Among recent polling, no candidate has cleared the majority bar to avoid a runoff. Vallas and Lightfoot have consistently performed in the low 20s and upper teens, with Garcia and Johnson also polling between 10% and 20%.

Based on campaign finance reports filed through Q4 2022, businessman Willie Wilson led all candidates in fundraising with $6.1 million ($5 million of which was self-funded), followed by Lightfoot with $4.5 million, Vallas with $2.2 million, Johnson with $1.8 million, and Garcia with $1.5 million.

Eight of the nine candidates in this election are affiliated with the Democratic Party and the ninth (Wilson) is an independent. The last Republican mayor of Chicago, William Thompson, left office in 1931.

How state Senates determine term lengths after redistricting

By Joel Williams

In State

February 15, 2023 at 7:44 PM

Most of the time, redistricting changes where a district is. But it can also change when incumbents must stand for re-election.

This is most commonly the case in state senates, where senators often serve varying term lengths or staggered terms, meaning only a certain number of districts are up for election each cycle.

Senators in 30 states serve four-year terms. In 12 states, senators serve two-year terms. But in eight states, senators serve two- or four-year terms depending on how close the elections are to redistricting. Howthese states change the timing and term lengths in their state Senates vary.

In Arkansas and Texas, senators draw random lots during the first legislative session after redistricting. Half of the senators serve a regular four-year term, while the other half starts with a two-year term and then four-year terms after that.

In Delaware, specific districts follow either a 4-4-2 or 2-4-4 schedule, referring to the term lengths in a given decade. This schedule has been in place since 1980.

In Florida, after redistricting, odd-numbered districts are up for election in even years that are multiples of four, and even-numbered districts are up in even years that are not multiples of four.

During Hawaii’s redistricting process, the redistricting commission selects 12 districts that will serve a two-year term to start the decade. The other 13 districts serve regular four-year terms.

In Illinois, at the beginning of the first legislative session after redistricting, the Legislature passes a bill dividing the districts into three groups: the first is elected to 4-4-2 year terms, the second is elected to 4-2-4 year terms, and the third is elected to 2-4-4 year terms.

Every Senate seat in Minnesota and New Jersey is up for election simultaneously, so no adjustments are needed. The entire chamber is up during the first cycle after redistricting and then every four years until the cycle repeats.

Average margin of victory in state legislative races was 27.7 percentage points in 2022

By Joel Williams

In State

February 13, 2023 at 9:21 AM

On November 8, 2022, 88 of the nation’s 99 state legislative chambers held regularly-scheduled elections for 6,278 seats. Across those races, the average margin of victory was 27.7 percentage points. This was the highest even-year average margin of victory of the last three even-year elections. The average state legislative margin of victory in 2020 was 27.0 percentage points, and in 2018 it was 25.8 percentage points.

Democrats gained control of four chambers in the 2022 elections: the Michigan House and Senate, Minnesota Senate, and Pennsylvania House. The average margin of victory in each of these chambers was lower than the national average:

Michigan House: 26.9
Michigan Senate: 25.2
Minnesota Senate: 26.7
Pennsylvania House: 27.6

Fewer major-party candidates won by margins of 10 percentage points or less, as well. In 2022, 875 candidates (404 Democratic and 471 Republican) won seats by 10 percentage points or less. In 2020, 928 elections (444 Democratic and 484 Republican) were decided by that same margin, and that figure was 1,078 seats (505 Democratic and 573 Republican) in 2018. The percentage of seats up won by these margins was 13.9% in 2022, 15.8% in 2020, and 17.8% in 2018.

Sixty-five elections (1.04%) were decided by 0.5 percentage points or less in 2022, compared to 56 (0.95%) in 2020 and 88 (1.45%) in 2018.

The only tie race to take place in those three years occurred in 2022. In New Hampshire House of Representatives District Strafford 8, both Rep. Chuck Grassie (D) and David Walker (R) received 970 votes each. Both candidates are running in a redo special election on February 21.

One hundred and three state legislative races decided by fewer than 100 votes in 2022, triple the figure from 2020

By Joel Williams

In State

February 7, 2023 at 10:55 AM

One hundred and three (1.64%) of the 6,278 state legislative races that took place in 2022 were decided by fewer than 100 votes. Ninety-eight of the races were in state house chambers, and five were in a state senate chamber.

Of the 88 state legislative chambers that held elections in 2022, 31 (35.2%) had at least one race that was decided by fewer than 100 votes.

The New Hampshire House of Representatives had 36 races decided by fewer than 100 votes—more than any other chamber. As of 2020, there were, on average, 3,444 people in each New Hampshire House district, making them the smallest state legislative districts in the country. The Maine House of Representatives and Vermont House of Representatives each had five races decided by fewer than 100 votes—the second-highest number after the New Hampshire House.

Most of the races took place in districts with small population sizes compared to the rest of the country. Sixty-eight races (66%) were in districts with a population of less than 25,000. Districts that size made up 26.3% of all state legislative districts as of 2020.

In 2020, 30 races across 14 chambers were decided by this margin. The New Hampshire House had the most (11), followed by the Vermont House (five). Twenty-four races (80%) were in districts with a population of less than 25,000.

Willie Wilson leads Chicago mayoral candidates in fundraising through 2022; Mayor Lori Lightfoot leads in spending

By Joel Williams

In Local

January 26, 2023 at 11:20 AM

Willie Wilson has reported the most fundraising of all nine candidates running for mayor of Chicago, Illinois, on Feb. 28. Wilson reported raising $6.1 million. WTTW reported that $5 million was self-funded. Mayor Lori Lightfoot spent the most at $4.3 million. These figures include all reports filed through Dec. 31, 2022.

Four other candidates reported receipts of more than $1 million: Lightfoot ($4.5 million), former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas ($2.2 million), Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson ($1.8 million), and U.S. Rep. Jesus Garcia ($1.5 million).

Three other candidates reported spending more than $500,000: Wilson ($2.0 million), Vallas ($1.0 million), and Johnson ($578,000).

The other candidates in the election are Kambium Buckner, Ja’Mal Green, Sophia King, and Roderick Sawyer. If no candidate receives a majority of votes in the general election, the top two candidates will compete in a runoff on Apr. 4. The last two mayoral elections (2019 and 2015) resulted in runoffs.

Results of state executive endorsements in 2022 school board elections

By Joel Williams

In 2022 elections, Local

January 19, 2023 at 11:34 AM

Ballotpedia tracked 106 endorsements of school board candidates by state executive officials and candidates in 2022. Endorsements included official statements, appearances at campaign rallies, and direct participation in campaign ads and materials. The state executives and candidates to make endorsements were:

Arizona: Gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake (R) and Superintendent of Public Instruction candidate Shiry Sapir (R)
California: Attorney general candidate Eric Early (R)
Florida: Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist (D), and Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez (R)
Maryland: Gubernatorial candidate Dan Cox (R)

DeSantis was the only executive whose full slate of candidates won. Across all 106 endorsements, candidates had a 56.6% success rate.

Following the 2022 elections, more Americans now live in a Democratic trifecta than a Republican trifecta

By Joel Williams

In State

January 4, 2023 at 8:43 PM

As a result of the 2022 elections, a greater percentage of Americans now live in a Democratic state government trifecta than in a Republican trifecta. Once all newly elected officials take office, 41.7% of Americans will live in a state with a Democratic trifecta, 39.6% in a state with a Republican trifecta, and 18.8% in a state with divided government.

This will be the lowest percentage of Americans living in a Republican trifecta and the highest percentage of Americans living in a Democratic trifecta since at least 2018.

State government trifecta is a term to describe single-party government, when one political party holds the governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. The 2022 elections resulted in 22 Republican trifectas, 17 Democratic trifectas, and 11 states with divided government. The 17 Democratic trifectas are the most since 1993 and the 11 divided governments are the fewest since at least 1992.

Before the election, 41.8% of Americans lived in a state with a Republican trifecta, 33.9% with a Democratic trifecta, and 24.3% in a state with no trifecta.

The table below shows the percentage of Americans living in each type of state going back to before the 2018 elections.