Category: State

Former New Mexico state Rep. Henry “Kiki” Saavedra (D) died on January 28, 2019, from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. He was 82 years old.   He served in the New Mexico House of Representatives for 37 years from 1977 to 2014. He left office in 2014 when he decided to not seek re-election. While in…

The Alaska House of Representatives still does not have a working majority, leaving it unable to elect a permanent speaker, conduct legislative business, or appoint members to standing committees. The House has been deadlocked since the session began on January 15. If it does not establish a majority by February 6, it will pass the…

North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Martin is retiring on February 28, 2019. Martin is leaving the court to become the dean of Regent University Law School in Virginia Beach, Virginia.   Because Martin is retiring midterm, Gov. Roy Cooper (D) will select a successor. Martin’s successor will be Gov. Roy Cooper’s (D) first…

Special elections for the District 79 and District 145 seats in the Texas House of Representatives were held on January 29. The race for the District 79 seat was decided outright when Democrat Art Fierro defeated two challengers with 50.8 percent of the vote, according to unofficial election night results. The race for the District…

Kentucky’s 2019 gubernatorial election will either preserve the state’s Republican trifecta or return it to divided government. Kentucky has been a Republican trifecta since the start of the 2017 legislative session. Gov. Matt Bevin is a Republican and Republicans control both chambers of the legislature.   Since 1992, there have been 11 years of trifecta…

Four of the twelve states holding gubernatorial elections in 2020 have not seen the office change hands since the 20th century.   The longest winning streak on the 2020 ballot is in Utah, where Republicans have won the past 10 gubernatorial elections. Should Republicans win their 11th consecutive gubernatorial election in the state, they would…

Virginia Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth McClanahan is retiring on September 1, 2019. Under Virginia law, the Virginia General Assembly selects the justices of the supreme court. If the legislature is out of session, the governor appoints an interim justice who must be approved by the legislature. The Republican-controlled Virginia General Assembly will choose a successor.…

Four states are holding statewide general or primary elections in the first six months of 2019. Below are the elections on the ballot and voter registration deadlines in each state.   Kentucky is holding primaries for governor and five other statewide executive offices on May 21. Voters must submit their registration application 28 days before…

Incumbent Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R) announced on Friday that he is seeking re-election. He will not be running with current Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton, however, as Bevin opted to make State Sen. Ralph Alvarado his running mate. So far, the only other announced Republican in the race is State Rep. Robert Goforth (R), whose…

When Steve Sisolak (D) was sworn in as Nevada’s governor on Monday, January 7, the state became a new Democratic trifecta.   A trifecta is a state where one political party holds the governorship, a majority in the state senate, and a majority in the state house.   In 2018, Sisolak won the governor’s office…