Category: State
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Harmon elected new Illinois Senate president
The Illinois State Senate elected Sen. Don Harmon (D) to be its president for the upcoming legislative session. Harmon won the post over fellow senator Kimberly Lightford (D). In Illinois, the Illinois Senate president is the highest-ranking legislative officer, serving as the leader of the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly. He or she…
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Vacancy committee appoints Hansen to Colorado Senate
On January 17, 2020, Chris Hansen (D) was appointed to fill the vacant District 31 seat in the Colorado Senate. Hansen assumed office on January 21, 2020, and his current term will end in January 2021. Vacancies in either chamber of the Colorado General Assembly are filled by a committee of members of the political party…
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Democratic party selects Feigenholtz to replace Cullerton in Illinois Senate
On January 21, 2020, Sara Feigenholtz (D) was appointed by Democratic Party leaders in Illinois Senate District 6 to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of former Sen. John Cullerton (D). Feigenholtz’s Senate term will end on January 11, 2023. Cullerton resigned on January 20 and served as the president of the Illinois State…
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Colorado State Representative Beckman resigns to join the Trump administration
On January 17, 2020, Colorado State Rep. Susan Beckman (R) announced she was resigning to assume a position within President Trump’s administration. Beckman has not yet announced what position she will assume, nor has President Trump or his administration commented on her resignation. An announcement is expected from the Trump administration next week. Beckman was…
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Tester endorses Cooney in MT governor primary
On Saturday, U.S. Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) endorsed Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney in the Democratic primary for Governor of Montana. Term-limited Gov. Steve Bullock (D) previously endorsed Cooney in October 2019. Whitney Williams also has noteworthy endorsements in this race, from EMILY’s List, former Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau (D), and Missoula Mayor John…
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Signatures filed for North Slope oil tax initiative in Alaska
The campaign Vote Yes for Alaska’s Fair Share filed signatures for a ballot initiative to increases taxes on North Slope oil production fields. The taxes would apply to North Slope fields that have a lifetime output of at least 400 million barrels of oil and had a daily output of at least 40,000 barrels during…
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No seats flip party control in first round of 2020 state legislative specials
Connecticut, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania held the first state legislative special general elections of the year on January 14. On the ballot were Connecticut House Districts 48 and 132, Kentucky Senate District 38, and Pennsylvania Senate District 48. All four seats became vacant in September or November 2019. No seats changed party control as a result…
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Maryland filing deadline is January 24
The major-party filing deadline to run for elected office in Maryland is on January 24, 2020. In Maryland, prospective candidates may file for the following offices: U.S. House (8 seats) Maryland Court of Appeals (2 seats) Maryland Court of Special Appeals (5 seats) The primary is scheduled for April 28, and the general election is…
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Davis Appointed to Louisiana State Board of Education
Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) appointed Louisiana State University professor Belinda Davis to the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education effective January 13, 2020. Davis fills the at-large seat formerly held by Lurie Thomason, who resigned in December 2019 for health-related reasons. Davis ran unsuccessfully for the 70th District seat in the Louisiana House…
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Mississippi Executive Director of Environmental Quality Resigns
The former Executive Director of Mississippi’s Department of Environmental Quality, Gary Rikard, resigned from his position on January 13, 2020. Newly elected Gov. Tate Reeves (R) was sworn in the following day. Rikard served as director of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality since 2014 after former Gov. Phil Bryant (R) appointed him to the…