Category: State

Democrat Ibraheem Samirah won the February 19 special election for the District 86 seat in the Virginia House of Delegates with 59.5 percent of the vote, according to unofficial election night results. He defeated Republican Gregg Nelson and independent candidate Connie Haines Hutchinson. The candidates were selected through firehouse primaries administered by each political party.…

A special primary for District 14 of the South Carolina House of Representatives was held on February 19. Garrett McDaniel defeated Bobby Gregory Sr. in the Democratic primary, earning 92 percent of the vote. Stewart Jones earned 51.6 percent of the vote in the Republican primary, defeating Michael Seymour, Scott Horne, and Grant Blair. McDaniel…

Kansas state Rep. Greg Lewis (R) announced on February 18, 2019, that he would resign his seat, effective Friday, February 22, 2019. He is resigning after he was diagnosed with a brain tumor in December 2018.   Lewis has served in the state House representing District 113 since 2015. He was appointed to the chamber…

Wednesday marked the one-year anniversary of Wisconsin’s nonpartisan primary election for a seat on the state Supreme Court. Sauk County Circuit Judge Michael Screnock and Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Rebecca Dallet placed first and second in the primary, respectively, and advanced to the March 20 general election. Attorney Tim Burns placed last and was eliminated.…

On February 14, the Virginia General Assembly appointed Virginia Court of Appeals Judge Teresa M. Chafin to succeed Elizabeth McClanahan on the Virginia Supreme Court. The Senate voted 36-0 and the House voted 97-0. Chafin will join the state supreme court on September 1, 2019. Both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly have Republican majorities.…

All 50 states will draw new congressional and state legislative district lines after the 2020 census. The manner in which redistricting occurs varies from state to state.   In most states, the legislature draws new district maps. Some states have commissions charged with producing new maps instead.   In Arizona, California, Idaho, and Washington, congressional…

Former Alaska Lieutenant Governor Jack Coghill passed away on February 13, 2019. He died of natural causes at the age of 93. Coghill was living with his son, state Sen. John Coghill (R), at the time of his death. His son said in a statement, “Dad was a firm believer in utilizing Alaska’s natural resources…

At this time four years ago, Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown (D) was preparing to succeed four-term Gov. John Kitzhaber (D), who had announced his resignation on February 13 over allegations that he had been involved in influence peddling. Kitzhaber, who was first elected in 1994 and won re-election in 1998, 2010, and 2014,…

Rep. Bryce Edgmon was elected as Alaska House speaker Thursday, three days after he switched his party affiliation from Democrat to unenrolled. Edgmon was House speaker from 2017 and 2018. The latest election ended a 30-day period without a majority in place in the House, the longest in state history.   The final vote was…

On February 13, 2019, Judge Carlton W. Reeves, of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, issued an order striking down the state legislative map for Mississippi State Senate District 22.   Judge Reeves ruled that the district constituted a violation of the Voting Rights Act by denying racial minorities “an…