Category: State
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Democrats, Republicans each defending eight vulnerable trifectas this year
Sixteen state trifectas are vulnerable in 2020, according to Ballotpedia’s trifecta vulnerability rating system. Both major parties will be defending eight trifectas. A state government trifecta occurs when one party holds the governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. There are currently 21 Republican trifectas and 15 Democratic trifectas. The remaining 14 states…
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Trujillo resigns from New Mexico House of Representatives
On Sept. 28, Rep. Jim Trujillo (D) resigned from the District 45 seat in the New Mexico House of Representatives, citing health and family reasons. Trujillo was first appointed to the seat in 2003 to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of Patsy Trujillo, to whom he is not related. Trujillo’s successor will be…
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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz recall effort under review by state supreme court
A recall effort has been filed against Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) over his mask mandate in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The Minnesota Supreme Court will now review whether the grounds for recall stated in the petition are sufficient and meet statutory requirements. Two earlier efforts to recall Walz were dismissed by the supreme…
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Finalists for open Hawaii Supreme Court seat announced September 29, Gov. Ige to make selection by October 29
Hawaii’s judicial nominating commission published its list of four nominees for a state supreme court vacancy on September 29, 2020. The nominees are Judge Todd Eddins, David Forman, Judge Darolyn Lendio Heim, and Benjamin Lowenthal. Gov. David Ige (D) will appoint one of the four to the state supreme court with consent from the state…
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What statewide ballot measures will Washington voters decide on November 3?
Voters in Washington will decide six statewide ballot measures on November 3: two binding measures and four nonbinding tax advisory questions. This year is the first presidential election year since 1928 in which the Washington ballot will not feature an Initiative to the People (ITP), a citizen-initiated state statute for which groups collect signatures to…
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Campaign contributions to California’s 12 November ballot measures exceed $500 million
In California, more than $525 million has been raised to support or oppose this year’s 12 general election ballot measures through September 19. The next campaign finance deadline—and the final one before the election—in California is October 24. So far, there are four ballot measures that have seen more than $50 million raised. Proposition 22,…
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Share of incumbents defeated in contested primaries grows for third even-year cycle in a row
Ballotpedia’s annual state legislative competitiveness study shows that for the third even-year election cycle in a row, the share of incumbents defeated in contested primaries has grown. In the 44 states that held state legislative elections this year, 153 incumbents—61 Democrats and 93 Republicans—were defeated by primary challengers. Overall, 15.2% of the 1,016 major-party incumbents who faced…
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Comparing state legislative fundraising from 2018 to 2020
The value of money in state-level politics extends beyond purchasing power. Campaign cash allows candidates to promote their message and turn out their voters, but perhaps more importantly, it may represent momentum. While having the biggest campaign account is no guarantee of success at the polls, studies conducted by the Center for Responsive Politics and the Campaign Finance…
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Luther, Springer advance to runoff in Texas’ State Senate District 30 special election
Shelley Luther (R) and Drew Springer (R) will advance to a runoff in Texas’ State Senate District 30 special election. As of 10:30 p.m. EST with 97% of precincts reporting, Luther and Springer had each received 32% of the vote, respectively. Jacob Minter (D) followed with 21%. No other candidate received over 10% of the…