Category: State

  • Three-hundred and forty-four elected officials at the state and federal levels sought another office in 2020

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    In 2020, Ballotpedia tracked 344 officials in Congress and state legislatures who ran for a different office than the one to which they were elected. Of those 344 officials, 162 (47%) won election to a new position. Fourteen members of the U.S. House and eight members of the U.S. Senate sought election to a different office. Four…

  • Pennsylvania State Senate District 48 special election set for May 18, 2021

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    Election officials have scheduled a special election for the District 48 seat in the Pennsylvania State Senate for May 18, 2021. The seat became vacant when David Arnold (R) died from brain cancer on Jan. 17. There is no primary, and candidates will be nominated directly by political parties.

  • Judith French appointed Ohio Director of Insurance

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    Director of Insurance Judith French (R) was appointed by Gov. Mike DeWine (R) on Jan. 19, to succeed interim director Tynesia Dorsey.  The director is a cabinet-level executive position in the Ohio state government and the chief officer of the Department of Insurance. The director is responsible for ensuring the laws and regulations related to…

  • Louisiana House of Representatives District 82 special election set for April 24, 2021

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    Election officials have scheduled a special election for the District 82 seat in the Louisiana House of Representatives for April 24, 2021. The seat became vacant when Charles Henry (R) resigned on Jan. 12. The primary is on March 20, and the filing deadline is on Jan. 27.

  • Filing deadline passes for special Louisiana congressional, state executive elections

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    Candidates interested in running in the special election for Louisiana’s 2nd and 5th Congressional Districts and District 4 of the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) had until January 22, 2021, to file. The primary is scheduled for March 20, and the general election, if needed, is set for April 24. The 2nd…

  • Californians to vote on flavored tobacco ban referendum in 2022

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    In 2022, Californians will vote on a veto referendum to uphold or repeal a bill to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products. On January 22, 2020, the secretary of state’s office confirmed that referendum petitioners submitted more signatures than the minimum requirement of 623,212. SB 793 was written to go into effect on January…

  • Governor’s appointment shifts New Mexico Supreme Court partisan balance

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    New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) appointed Julie Vargas (D) to the New Mexico Supreme Court on December 19, 2020. Vargas succeeds Justice Judith Nakamura (R) who retired on Dec. 1. Vargas was Gov. Lujan Grisham’s third nominee to the five-member supreme court. Her appointment shifted the partisan balance on the New Mexico Supreme…

  • Pennsylvania state Senator David Arnold (R) dies

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    On Jan. 17, Pennsylvania state Senator David Arnold (R) died from brain cancer. Arnold won election to the 48th District seat in a special election on Jan. 14, 2020. The seat became vacant after Mike Folmer (R) resigned on Sep. 18, 2019, after being charged with possession of child pornography. Prior to serving in the…

  • Filing deadline passes for special election in Virginia state Senate

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    Candidates interested in running in the special election for District 38 of the Virginia State Senate had until January 22, 2021, to file. Former Radford City Councilwoman Laurie Buchwald (D) is facing Tazewell County Supervisor Travis Hackworth (R) in the general election scheduled for March 23. The seat became vacant after the death of A.…

  • Ballotpedia’s 2020 Candidate Connection report: 16.4% of candidates completed surveys this election cycle

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    For the third year in a row, Ballotpedia invited candidates to take part in our Candidate Connection initiative. The survey was open to the 29,002 federal, state, and local candidates that Ballotpedia covered in 2020. Ballotpedia received submissions from 4,745 candidates—or 16.4%—who were running for seats across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.…