Author: Joel Williams
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Buckhorn makes an endorsement in Tampa mayoral runoff
On Wednesday, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn (D) endorsed former police chief Jane Castor over philanthropist David Straz in the city's April 23 mayoral runoff election. The two candidates advanced from a field of seven on March 5, with Castor leading Straz 48-15. Buckhorn is term-limited and unable to run for re-election. Both Castor and…
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Castor and Straz advance to April runoff for Tampa mayor
Former police chief Jane Castor and philanthropist David Straz advanced from a field of seven candidates to an April 23 runoff election for Tampa mayor. Castor's 48 percent put her two percentage points shy of the threshold required to win outright. Straz took second place with 15 percent of the vote and Councilman Harry Cohen…
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Nominating commission submits shortlist for Arizona Supreme Court vacancy
On March 1, the same day Justice John Pelander retired, the Arizona Commission on Appellate Court Appointments submitted a shortlist of five potential Arizona Supreme Court replacements to Gov. Doug Ducey (R). The commission narrowed the list to five after interviewing 11 candidates over the last month. The five potential replacements include three sitting…
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Republicans select nominee for PA-12 special election
On March 2, Republicans from counties represented by Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District selected state Rep. Fred Keller as their nominee for a special election taking place on May 21. Keller was selected from a field of 14 candidates after four rounds of voting at the party's convention. He will face college professor Marc Friedenberg,…
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The Kentucky Supreme Court has one vacancy. How will it be filled?
Kentucky Supreme Court Justice Bill Cunningham left office on January 31, 2019. Governor Matt Bevin will now have the opportunity to make his first appointment to the court once he is given a list of three names by the Kentucky Judicial Nominating Commission. The newly-appointed justice will serve until a special election in…
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Do you know how many trifecta changes have occurred since 2010?
A state government trifecta occurs when one political party holds the governorship, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state House. If one party does not control all three offices, they are considered under divided government. Since November 2010, there have been 62 trifecta changes across the country. Republicans gaining…
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Upcoming Republican nominating convention in PA-12 special election
Republican Party leaders and representatives from the 15 counties that make up Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District will meet on March 2 to choose their party's nominee for a special election on May 21. Six candidates have declared their candidacy on the Republican side. Democrats already nominated Marc Friedenberg on February 12—he was the only Democratic…
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Obama-Obama-Trump pivot counties in 2018 state legislative elections
There are 206 pivot counties in the country-those that voted for Barack Obama (D) in both 2008 and 2012 and Donald Trump (R) in 2016. On November 6, 2018, 87 of the nation's 99 state legislative chambers held regularly-scheduled elections for 6,073 seats. Of those, 453 state house districts and 138 state senate districts intersected with pivot counties. These 591 state legislative districts accounted for approximately 10…
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Reverse pivot counties in 2018 U.S. House elections
Democratic candidates for the U.S. House carried all six reverse pivot counties in 2018. Reverse pivot counties are counties that voted for John McCain (R) in 2008, Mitt Romney (R) in 2012, and Hillary Clinton (R) in 2016. The average margin of victory for 2018 U.S. House candidates in these counties was 11.05 percent.…
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Two weeks to Tampa mayoral race
Seven candidates are running in the March 5 election for Tampa's open mayoral seat. Mayor Bob Buckhorn (D) is term-limited and unable to run for re-election. Transportation and congestion relief are the major issues in this race. Mayoral elections in Tampa are officially nonpartisan, though candidates are typically members of a political party. Tampa's mayor…