Category: State

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…

Two candidates were selected by their political parties to run in the special election for Pennsylvania State Senate District 37. The special election was called to fill the vacancy in District 37 after incumbent Guy Reschenthaler (R) was elected on November 6, 2018, to the United States House of Representatives to represent Pennsylvania’s 14th Congressional…

A special election for District 125 of the Texas House of Representatives was held on February 12. Fred Rangel (R) and Ray Lopez (D) defeated Steve Huerta (D), Coda Rayo-Garza (D), and Arthur Reyna (D). Rangel and Lopez earned 38 percent and 19 percent of the vote, respectively. The date of the runoff election has…

A special election for District 176 of the Georgia House of Representatives was held on February 12. James Burchett (R) and Franklin Patten (R) defeated Barbara Griffin (D) and Barbara Seidman (D). Burchett and Patten earned 43.1 percent and 42.5 percent of the vote, respectively. The two candidates are competing in a runoff election on…

Record-setting deadlock in the Alaska House of Representatives continues as speaker bids by Republican leader David Talerico and Rep. Gary Knopp (R) failed on Tuesday. Twenty-one votes are needed to select a speaker of the house, and both votes were 20-20. Republicans won 23 of 40 seats in the 2018 elections, but Knopp, Rep. Gabrielle…

A bipartisan Women’s Caucus has been established in the New Mexico State Legislature after historic gains in the 2018 election. Currently, one-third of the state legislature is made up of women. Rep. Kelly Fajardo (R) and Sen. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez (D) were nominated to lead the 39-member caucus. The group will focus on helping women,…

The special election for District 125 of the Texas House of Representatives is on February 12. Steve Huerta (D), Ray Lopez (D), Coda Rayo-Garza (D), Arthur Reyna (D), and Fred Rangel (R) are running in the election. A runoff between the top two candidates will take place if no candidate receives a majority of the…

The special election for District 176 of the Georgia House of Representatives is on February 12. Barbara Griffin (D), Barbara Seidman (D), James Burchett (R), and Franklin Patten (R) are running in the election. A runoff between the top two candidates will take place on March 12 if no candidate receives a majority of the…