Author: Joel Williams
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56 percent of state legislative races do not have major party competition, according to 2019 competitiveness report
Fifty-six percent of the 538 state legislative elections taking place in November 2019 do not feature major party competition, according to our 9th Annual State Legislative Competitiveness Report. These 299 races feature a candidate from either the Democratic or Republican Parties, but not both. On the other hand, 44 percent of the November 2019…
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Rep. Susan Davis (D-Calif.) announces 2020 retirement
Rep. Susan Davis (D-Calif.) announced that she would not seek re-election in 2020. She was first elected to represent California's 53rd Congressional District in 2000, and she won re-election in 2018 by a margin of 38 points. In a statement announcing her retirement, she said she had "a desire to live and work 'at home'…
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Ducey picks Bill Montgomery for Arizona Supreme Court
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) appointed Bill Montgomery (R) to the Arizona Supreme Court on September 4, 2019. Montgomery replaces former Chief Justice Scott Bales, who retired on July 31, 2019. Montgomery was Ducey's fifth appointment to the seven-member court. Before being appointed to the state Supreme Court, Montgomery was Maricopa County Attorney. He…
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Bill Flores announces 2020 retirement
Rep. Bill Flores (R-Texas) announced that he would not seek re-election in 2020. He was first elected to represent Texas' 17th Congressional District in 2010, and he won re-election in 2018 by more than 15 points. In a statement announcing his retirement, he cited a desire to spend more time with his family. Flores…
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Johnny Isakson announces 2019 retirement
U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) announced his resignation effective December 31, 2019. He cited his health as a reason for the resignation. He is the first senator to announce an early retirement from the 116th Congress and the fifth senator not to run for re-election in 2020. Three other Republicans and one Democratic senator are…
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Abbott fills vacancy on Texas Supreme Court
Gov. Greg Abbott (R) appointed Jane Bland to Place 6 on the Texas Supreme Court, filling the vacancy left by Justice Jeff Brown. Brown was confirmed to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas in late July. Bland previously served on the Texas First District Court of Appeals from 2003 to…
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Seth Moulton suspends his presidential campaign
Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) suspended his presidential campaign on Friday, August 23, making him the sixth notable Democrat to do so. “I think it’s evident that this is now a three-way race between Biden, Warren and Sanders, and really it’s a debate about how far left the party should go,” he said in an interview…
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Trump campaigns for Bevin in Kentucky gubernatorial race
Last night, President Donald Trump (R) headlined a fundraiser in Louisville for Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin's (R) re-election campaign. He also spoke at the American Veterans convention earlier in the day, where he told an audience, "We'll get [Bevin and Sen. Mitch McConnell] both back in." Bevin, Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear (D), and…
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Early analysis: 88 House and Senate battleground races in 2020
In 2020, all 435 seats in the U.S. House and 34 of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate are up for election. Our initial list of battleground races includes 88 of them—15 in the Senate and 73 in the House. Battlegrounds are elections that we expect to have a meaningful effect on the balance…
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Rep. Kenny Marchant (R) announces retirement; fourth Congressional Republican from Texas in two weeks
U.S. Rep. Kenny Marchant (R-Texas) announced he would not seek re-election in 2020. He has represented Texas' 24th Congressional District since 2009 and won re-election in 2018 by 3.1 percentage points. His Dallas-area seat was already rated as competitive by three major race rating outlets. Marchant is the fourth Congressional Republican from Texas to…