Latest stories

The Daily Brew: Supreme Court declines to hear Chevron challenge in case involving UPS, Amazon

Daily Brew

Welcome to the Friday, May 24, Brew. I hope you have a great Memorial Day weekend. I will not be popping into your inbox on Monday, and will instead see you again, bright and early, Tuesday morning. Next week, Ballotpedia will also begin our annual Ballotpedia Society membership drive. In case you didn’t know, Ballotpedia is a nonprofit organization, and we rely on the donations of our readers to keep informative products like the Brew going! We don’t like to bug you often, but we are excited to tell you more about what we are working on, and how you can help.

But until then, it’s back to your regularly scheduled programming. Here’s what’s in store for you as you start today:

  1. Supreme Court declines to hear Chevron challenge in case involving UPS, Amazon
  2. Alaska state representative targeted for recall
  3. Quiz: Which states do not have a state income tax?

Supreme Court declines to hear Chevron challenge in case involving UPS, Amazon

Last week, the Supreme Court declined to hear a case in which the plaintiff challenged the Chevron doctrine—a 35-year old court precedent. The case also involves two of the largest corporations in the United States: Amazon and UPS.

The Chevron doctrine is an administrative law principle that compels federal courts to defer to a federal agency’s interpretation of an ambiguous or unclear statute that Congress delegated to the agency to administer. The principle derives its name from the 1984 U.S. Supreme Court case Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council. That decision guided courts to consider whether Congress’ intent in writing a statute was ambiguous and whether the agency’s interpretation of the statute is reasonable.

In the suit, the United Parcel Service (UPS) challenged how the D.C. Circuit applied Chevron deference in upholding the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) cost allocation and pricing formulas. USPS package delivery rates are set by the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC). UPS argued that the D.C. Circuit made a mistake in its May 2018 opinion which applied the Chevron doctrine to uphold the formula used by the PRC to set rates. Amazon was among several organizations which filed briefs supporting the PRC.

In its petition, UPS asked the Court to reconsider the Chevron doctrine in light of the following criticisms:

  • “It threatens the proper separation of powers by shifting legislative and judicial responsibilities to executive agencies”
  • “There is no legal basis for the assumption that Congress implicitly delegates interpretive authority to agencies”
  • Chevron (with its attendant limitations) is enormously difficult to apply in practice.”
  • “Several Justices have recognized that this powerful criticism warrants a reconsideration of Chevron by the Court.”

A 2017 study by Michael Kagan at the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, found that the Chevron doctrine has been cited in legal arguments 81,000 times since it was introduced. That same study also found that all nine current Supreme Court justices “have at least once signed an opinion explicitly holding that Chevron should not apply in a situation where the administrative law textbooks would previously have said that it must apply.”

In deciding not to take the case, the Supreme Court upheld the D.C. Circuit’s decision letting the PRC’s interpretation stand and upholding the cost and pricing formulas used by the postal service. Click the link below to read more about the Chevron doctrine, or click here to take one of our Learning Journeys to explore the topic in depth.

Learn more

Alaska state representative targeted for recall

The Alaska House of Representatives elected a Speaker of the House for its 2019 session on February 14thirty days after its members were sworn into office. During that time, majority or minority leaders and committee chairpersons were not selected and little legislative business was conducted. Last week, Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) called the legislature into a 30-day special session to address bills related to criminal reform, education funding, and the state’s operating, capital and mental health budgets.

Earlier this month, a committee was formed to gather signatures to recall Alaska state Rep. Gary Knopp (R) for what recall supporters state was his role in the delays and disruptions to the 2019 legislative session.

In the November 2018 elections for the Alaska House of Representatives, Republicans won 23 seats, Democrats won 16 seats, and a Democratic-aligned independent won another race. On December 8, Knopp announced that he was leaving the Republican caucus in order to form a majority coalition with Democrats. Rep. Bryce Edgmon—who switched his party affiliation from Democratic to unenrolledwas eventually elected House Speaker by 15 Democrats, four Republicans, and two independents. Both parties also split control of committee leadership positions in a power-sharing agreement. Alaska currently has divided government, as Republicans control the governor’s office and state Senate.

Recall supporters need about 1,000 signatures to request a recall petition from Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer (R). If Meyer accepts the application, supporters will need about an additional 3,000 signatures to force a recall election. Alaska is one of 18 states to allow the recall of state legislators. Since 2011, 80 recall petitions have been filed against state lawmakers. Nine recalls were successful, nine were defeated at the ballot, 55 did not go to a vote, and seven are still ongoing. The most recent recall of a state legislator was in 2018 when California state Sen. Josh Newman (D) was recalled.

The only grounds for recalling an elected official in the state are misconduct in office, incompetence, or failure to perform prescribed duties. Recall supporters stated in their petition that they are seeking to recall Knopp because he “did not show up for several key votes this session,” “demonstrated his incompetence in representing a conservative district,” and “admitted that he had deceived his fellow lawmakers and constituents.”

Knopp responded to the recall by stating, “In the recall petition, they are welcome to do what they want to do. I don’t think they have cause, but if they want to move forward with it that’s their prerogative. I just wish it would be done by people in the district not the haters across the state who aren’t getting what they want.”

Knopp was elected to the state House in 2016 with 66.5% of the vote. He won re-election unopposed in 2018.

Want to learn more about recalls? Check out this short Ballotpedia video from our Beyond the Headlines series.

Learn more

Quiz: Which states do not have a state income tax?

I brought you a story yesterday about voters in Texas who will decide later this year whether to add an amendment to their state constitution prohibiting the adoption of a state income tax. Texas does not have currently have a state income tax and is one of just seven states without one. Four of the seven states without an income tax are Florida, Washington, Alaska, and Nevada.

Today’s quiz question is, what are the other two states without a state income tax?

  1. North Dakota and South Dakota
  2. Montana and Wyoming
  3. Idaho and Montana
  4. South Dakota and Wyoming

Correction: A story in Thursday’s Brew incorrectly stated that Amanda Green-Hawkins and Beth Tarasi advanced from Tuesday’s Democratic primary for the Pennsylvania Superior Court. The two candidates that advanced from the Democratic primary were Amanda Green-Hawkins and Daniel D. McCaffery. We apologize for the error.



The Daily Brew: Texas voters to decide constitutional amendment prohibiting a state income tax

Daily Brew

Welcome to the Wednesday, May 23, Brew. Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:

  1. Texas voters to decide constitutional amendment prohibiting a state income tax
  2. We’re collecting maps to improve your sample ballot
  3. More of Tuesday’s election results from Kentucky and Pennsylvania

 

Texas voters to decide constitutional amendment prohibiting a state income tax

Voters in Texas will decide a constitutional amendment in November 2019 to prohibit the state from levying an income tax on individuals. Texas is one of seven states without a personal income tax.

The measure would ban the adoption of a personal income tax and would require a subsequent constitutional amendment to enact one in the future. This requires the approval of two-thirds of the members of each legislative chamber in addition to being approved by voters. Under current law, voters in Texas must approve an income tax as a statewide referendum but only a majority vote in each chamber is necessary to place it on the ballot. These provisions were established when voters approved Proposition 4 in 1993. Proposition 4 also specifies that if an income tax is enacted, any revenues raised would be dedicated to education and would also be used to limit local school tax rates.

Twenty Democrats joined 80 Republicans in voting to approve the 2019 amendment in the state House. One hundred votes were needed in that chamber to pass. All 42 votes opposing the amendment were cast by Democrats, and three Republicans and five Democrats were absent or didn’t vote. In the state Senate, 21 votes were needed for passage. All 19 Republicans joined three Democrats in approving the amendment and all 9 votes opposing the measure were cast by Democrats.

Seven statewide ballot measures have been certified for the November 2019 ballot in Texas. The state legislature is expected to adjourn on May 27 and could refer additional constitutional amendments before they adjourn. An average of 13 measures appeared on odd-year statewide ballots in Texas between 1995 and 2017. Voters approved 91 percent145 out of 159of the constitutional amendments during this 22-year period.

Across the country, 12 statewide ballot measures in four states have been certified to appear before voters in 2019.

Learn more

 

We’re collecting maps to improve your sample ballot

One of our primary aims here at Ballotpedia is filling the ballot information gap. The further down the ballot you go, the more the ballot information gap widens. At the most local level, voters typically have little information about who or what they’re voting for. We will consider ourselves many steps closer to achieving our mission when we can offer a comprehensive sample ballot.

Ballotpedia currently offers two lookup tools for voters: a preview of your ballot, and a tool to find out your current representatives. These tools are partly powered by digital maps, and so are limited by the maps that are available. We’ve faced a variety of challenges in getting maps for city council seats and county commission seats. Without these maps, voters cannot view a sample ballot specific to these local districts.

Our goal: to be able to place each address in the country correctly inside their respective districts. This would be the first step toward being able to show every voter in the country a list of candidates through their most local elections, including school boards and special districts. That’s what we mean when we talk about offering a comprehensive sample ballot.

Earlier this year, we conducted a study evaluating how we can get all the maps we need to provide a comprehensive, accurate, and specific sample ballot. We hope that we will be able to build off this work and start bringing you more ballot information, state by state.

If we are successful in comprehensively gathering and building these maps, we will be meeting voters needs in a way they haven’t been met before. Any voter in the United States could search their address and find a list of candidates for their local school board, or the names of the individuals representing a special district in their area. That is what the future looks like when we succeed in our mission of providing a comprehensive, universal sample ballot.

Launch our tools

Sample Ballot Lookup Tool

Who Represents Me?

 

More of Tuesday’s election results from Kentucky and Pennsylvania

Yesterday’s Brew highlighted the results of Kentucky’s Democratic and Republican gubernatorial primaries. Here’s a wrap-up of some of the other races we were following on Tuesday:

PA-12

State Rep. Fred Keller (R) defeated college professor Marc Friedenberg (D) in a special election to fill the vacant U.S. House seat representing Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District. Unofficial returns showed Keller receiving 68% of the vote to Friedenberg’s 32%.

The vacancy occurred when former Rep. Tom Marino (R) resigned in January. Marino beat Friedenberg by 32 points in November 2018 and Donald Trump (R) carried the district by 36 points in the 2016 presidential election.

This was the first special election to fill a vacancy in the 116th Congress. Two special elections—in North Carolina’s 3rd and 9th Congressional Districts—will occur on September 10.

Philadelphia

Incumbent James Kenney defeated former City Controller Alan Butkovitz and state Sen. Anthony Williams in the Democratic primary for mayor of Philadelphia. Kenney received 67% of the vote to Williams’ 24% and Butkovitz’ 9%. Kenney, who served 23 years on the city council before his election as mayor in 2015, was endorsed by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Gov. Tom Wolf (D), Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (D), and all three of Philadelphia’s representatives in the U.S. House.

Kenney will face attorney Billy Ciancaglini (R) and any independent or third-party candidates in the November 5 general election. Since 1951, no incumbent Philadelphia mayor has lost a re-election bid, and no Republican has won a Philadelphia mayoral election since 1947.

Philadelphia voters also approved four charter amendments on Tuesday, according to election night results. Voters approved changing gender-specific references in the city charter to gender-neutral ones, making the city’s Office of Immigrant Affairs permanent, and creating a new class of law enforcement officers to assist with regulating traffic but that are not allowed to carry firearms. Voters also approved a charter amendment asking the Pennsylvania legislature to increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2025. This measure does not actually affect Philadelphia’s minimum wage since Pennsylvania has preempted local governments, such as cities, from setting their own minimum wage standards. All charter amendments on Tuesday’s ballot were approved by at least 68% of voters.

Pennsylvania

Amanda Green-Hawkins and Beth Tarasi were the top two finishers in the Democratic primary for two open seats on the Pennsylvania Superior Court. Megan McCarthy King and Christylee Peck were the top two finishers for the Republican nomination for those seats.

The Pennsylvania Superior Court is one of Pennsylvania’s two statewide intermediate appellate courts. It reviews most of the civil and criminal cases that are appealed from the courts of common pleas in the state’s 67 counties. Judges of the superior court are chosen in partisan elections to 10-year terms. Existing judges are subject to retention elections to win successive 10-year terms.

Kentucky

Voters selected nominees for five down-ballot state executive offices in Kentucky—attorney general, secretary of state, agriculture commissioner, state auditor, and state treasurer. Republican incumbents Ryan Quarles, Mike Harmon, and Allison Ball won their primaries for agriculture commissioner, state auditor, and state treasurer, respectively. All three were first elected in 2015.

Daniel Cameron defeated Wil Schroder in the Republican primary for the open-seat race for attorney general. Former state Attorney General Greg Stumbo won the Democratic nomination unopposed. Incumbent Attorney General Andy Beshear (D) won his party’s nomination for governor. Heather French Henry (D) and Michael Adams (R) won their party’s primaries for Kentucky Secretary of State to succeed incumbent Alison Lundergan Grimes (D), who is term-limited.

Learn more



Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) rules ballot measure distribution requirement unconstitutional

On Wednesday, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) released an opinion stating that a distribution requirement and some other provisions restricting the state’s initiative process passed in 2018 were unconstitutional.
 
Nessel’s opinion is binding for state officials unless a court ruling overturns it. The opinion was requested by Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D), who would have been involved in the enforcement of the new initiative petition rules.
 
In 2018’s lame-duck legislative session the Michigan State Legislature approved and Gov. Rick Snyder (R) signed Michigan House Bill 6595 (now Public Act 608). HB 6595 (PA 608) created a distribution requirement for initiative signature petitions in Michigan limiting the number of signatures collected in any one congressional district to 15% of the total required. This effectively requires valid signatures from a minimum of seven different congressional districts for a successful initiative petition. The bill also required the disclosure on petitions of whether a petitioner is paid or volunteer; mandated a petitioner affidavit; and made other changes regarding petitioners, valid signatures, and the timeline for certification. In the Senate, 26 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, and all 11 Democrats along with one Republican voted against the bill. In the House, Republicans approved the bill 56-5, and Democrats rejected the bill 42-1.
 
Nessel’s opinion also declared unconstitutional the requirement that petitioners disclose on petition sheets their paid or volunteer status.
 
In her opinion, Nessel argued that the distribution requirement provisions of HB 6595 imposed an additional obligation for qualifying an initiative for the ballot beyond what was required or authorized by the Michigan Constitution. Nessel said, “The Legislature cannot impose an additional obligation that does not appear in article 2, § 9 and that curtails or unduly burdens the people’s right of initiative and referendum. Here, the 15% distribution requirement goes beyond a process requirement to impose a substantive limitation on the number of voters within a congressional district whose signatures may be counted under article 2, § 9.”
 
Nessel also cited Citizens Protecting Michigan’s Constitution v Sec’y of State—a 2018 Michigan Supreme Court ruling—that the initiative and referendum rights “can be interfered with neither by the legislature, the courts, nor the officers charged with any duty in the premises.”
 
In response to Nessel’s opinion, Rep. Jim Lower (R), who sponsored HB 6595, said, “I don’t think anybody’s surprised. I disagree with the conclusions she has come to, and I think it will be litigated.” Lower argued spreading signature gathering efforts out across more of the state shows broader support for any proposed initiatives and is a common-sense requirement.
 
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) said, “Both the Michigan Constitution and the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protect Michigan citizens’ right to amend our laws or state constitution through direct citizen petitions. I am grateful to Attorney General Nessel for clarifying the constitutional infirmities of Public Act 608.”
 
Sixteen other states have a distribution requirement for citizen-initiated measures.
 
Michigan has divided government with Republicans controlling the state legislature and a Democrat controlling the governor’s office. Michigan has a Democratic Triplex. In the 2018 elections, Democrats took control of the offices of governor, attorney general, and secretary of state—offices held by Republicans going into 2018. The 2018 elections broke an existing Republican trifecta and triplex in Michigan.
 
In the 2018 election cycle, Michigan voters approved three citizen initiatives:
  • a marijuana legalization initiative;
  • a redistricting commission initiative; and
  • an initiative adding eight voting policies to the Michigan Constitution, including straight-ticket voting, automatic voter registration, same-day voter registration, and no-excuse absentee voting.
 
Three other initiatives qualified for the 2018 ballot: a minimum wage initiative, a paid sick leave initiative, and an initiative repealing the state’s prevailing wage law. But, using Michigan’s indirect initiative process, the legislature passed the initiatives themselves, thereby precluding an election on them. Then, in December 2018, the legislature amended the minimum wage and paid sick leave initiatives.
 
Additional reading:


The Daily Presidential News Briefing: Hickenlooper unveils gun safety platform

The Daily Presidential News Briefing

May 23, 2019: John Hickenlooper unveiled his gun safety platform. Kirsten Gillibrand released her “Family Bill of Rights” on healthcare and adoption.

Here’s the latest from the campaign trail.

Poll Spotlight

Polling update

Polling update

Notable Quote of the Day

“[Barack Obama’s] untitled memoir, which will reportedly begin with his 2004 Democratic National Convention speech and cover his two terms in the White House, won’t be released in 2019, as his publisher, Penguin Random House, had predicted just a few months ago. Dropping the book this year would have helped Obama largely avoid the current political calendar, and a 2020 release threatens to affect the primaries and the party’s campaign against Donald Trump by re-litigating decisions made a decade ago. Another option is to hold it until 2021, when Obama could be either the voice of a party in despair after another defeat, or poised to grab the spotlight from a freshly elected Democratic president.”

– Edward-Isaac Dovere, The Atlantic staff writer

Democrats

 

 

 

  • Bill de Blasio will attend a rally of McDonald’s workers in Iowa striking for a $15 minimum wage and to form a union. Julián Castro will also join a McDonald’s rally in North Carolina Thursday.

 

 

  • Cory Booker said that he would create a White House Office of Reproductive Freedom focused on “coordinating and affirmatively advancing abortion rights and access to reproductive health care” at the federal level.

 

 

  • Pete Buttigieg discussed the state of the Republican Party and democracy in The New York Times podcast The Argument.

 

 

  • Kirsten Gillibrand released her “Family Bill of Rights” proposal that would address several medical, educational, and tax policies, including requiring insurance companies to cover fertility treatments like IVF and providing refundable tax credits for adoption. She also said she would establish “Equal Adoption Rights” prohibiting taxpayer-funded adoption services from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or religion.

 

 

  • Gillibrand and Bernie Sanders introduced the Inclusive Prosperity Act which would tax the trade of stocks by 0.5 percent, bonds by 0.1 percent, and derivatives by 0.005 percent.

 

 

 

 

  • During an interview on Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Kamala Harris discussed investigations into Trump and her equal pay policy proposal.

 

 

  • John Hickenlooper released his gun safety platform Wednesday, calling for universal background checks, extending waiting periods from three to 10 days, establishing a national gun license, raising the age to own a gun from 18 to 21, and supporting extreme risk protection orders.

 

 

  • Jay Inslee signed a measure into law in Washington prohibiting local authorities from asking about someone’s immigration status.

 

 

  • Amy Klobuchar will hold a roundtable with health officials, first responders, and healthcare and treatment professionals on the opioid crisis in Minnesota Thursday.

 

 

  • Seth Moulton advocated a public option rather than single-payer healthcare during a hearing on various Medicare for All proposals.

 

 

 

 

  • Tim Ryan discussed Chinese tariffs, the economy, Nancy Pelosi, and why he changed his mind on abortion access in an interview on WBUR’s Here & Now.

 

 

 

 

  • Marianne Williamson made a three-day swing through New Hampshire from Tuesday through Thursday. She also appeared on Fox News, where she criticized the debate qualification criteria set by the Democratic National Committee. Williamson has met the minimum qualification for the debate via fundraising.

 

Republicans

 

  • Mike Pence attended a kickoff event in North Carolina for the Republican National Convention, which will be held in Charlotte next year.

 

General Election Updates

  • The Nevada State Senate passed a bill supporting the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. If signed by Gov. Steve Sisolak, Nevada would be the 15th state to join the agreement, bringing the total electoral votes covered by the agreement up to 195. The compact will only take effect once 270 electors are pledged.

What We’re Reading

Flashback: May 23, 2015

Ben Carson won the Southern Republican Leadership Conference straw poll with 25 percent of the vote. Scott Walker and Ted Cruz followed with 21 percent and 17 percent, respectively.



U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear challenge to Chevron deference in UPS case

A fight between UPS and Amazon over how a federal agency determines shipping costs will not proceed to the U.S. Supreme Court. On May 20, 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a case that challenged giving Chevron deference to the way the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) sets package delivery prices. UPS argued that the D.C. Circuit made a mistake in its May 22, 2018, opinion applying the Chevron doctrine to uphold the formula used by the PRC to set postal rates for deliveries of packages.
 
 
The Chevron doctrine is an administrative law principle that compels federal courts to defer to a federal agency’s interpretation of an ambiguous or unclear statute that Congress delegated to the agency to administer. The principle derives its name from the 1984 U.S. Supreme Court case Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council.
 
In its 267-page petition, UPS asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider the Chevron doctrine in light of the following criticisms:
  • “It threatens the proper separation of powers by shifting legislative and judicial responsibilities to executive agencies”
  • “There is no legal basis for the assumption that Congress implicitly delegates interpretive authority to agencies”
  • “Chevron (with its attendant limitations) is enormously difficult to apply in practice.”
  • “Several Justices have recognized that this powerful criticism warrants a reconsideration of Chevron by the Court.”
In its 2018 ruling, the D.C. Circuit held that the PRC formula was based on a permissible interpretation of an unclear part of the 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (Accountability Act). The court said that the agency interpretation was consistent with longstanding practice stretching back to 1975. Under Chevron, courts defer to reasonable agency interpretations of ambiguous laws.
 
 
Additional reading:
 
Text of UPS’ petition for a writ of certiorari:
 
Text of the D.C. Circuit Decision:


Keller defeats Friedenberg in Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District

State Rep. Fred Keller (R) defeated college professor Marc Friedenberg (D) in a special election to fill the vacant seat representing Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District in the U.S. House. As of 10:55 p.m. E.T., Keller had received 71 percent of the vote while Friedenberg had received 29 percent with 66 percent of precincts reporting.

The vacancy occurred following the resignation of former Rep. Tom Marino (R) on January 23, 2019. He beat Friedenberg by 32 points in November 2018. Donald Trump (R) won the district by 36 points in the 2016 presidential election.

This was the first special election during the 116th Congress. So far in 2019, there have been four special elections called during the 116th Congress. Three of those are for seats in the U.S. House, and one is for a seat in the U.S. Senate. From the 113th Congress to the 115th Congress, a total of 40 special elections were held.



Voters in Philadelphia approve four charter amendments

On May 21, 2019, voters in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, voted in the city’s primary election for mayor, city council, and other city offices. Voters also approved four amendments to the city’s charter according to election night results with 94% of precincts reporting. The four amendments were all referred to the ballot by the city council.
 
Question 1 changed gender-specific references, such as councilman, to gender-neutral references, such as councilmember, in the city’s charter. It was approved by 68% of voters.
 
Question 2 added the Office of Immigrant Affairs to the city’s charter, making the office permanent rather than dependent on executive orders. In 2013, Mayor Michael Nutter created the office through an executive order, and his successor, Mayor James Kenney, also authorized the office. Question 2 was approved by 74% of voters.
 
Question 3 calls on the Pennsylvania State Legislature to increase the minimum wage to $15.00 by 2025 and requests the legislature to allow Philadelphia to increase the city’s minimum wage. It did not have a direct, legally binding effect on the city’s minimum wage. Since 2006, Pennsylvania has preempted local governments, such as cities, from setting their own minimum wage standards. Therefore, Philadelphia cannot increase its minimum wage for private employers unless the legislature repeals the preemption clause. Question 3 was approved by 81% of voters.
 
Question 4 created a new class of law enforcement officers, called public safety enforcement officers (PSEO), to assist the police department in regulating traffic and enforcing code provisions. PSEOs will not have the authority to carry firearms or to detain or arrest any person. The amendment was approved by 69% of voters.
 


Incumbent James Kenney wins Philadelphia Democratic mayoral primary

Incumbent James Kenney (D) defeated former City Controller Alan Butkovitz (D) and state Sen. Anthony Williams (D) in the Democratic primary for mayor of Philadelphia. As of 9:30 p.m. ET, Kenney had received 66.4% of the vote to Williams’ 22.9% with 53.5% of precincts reporting.
 
 
Kenney, who served 23 years on the city council before his election as mayor in 2015, said that he had demonstrated a progressive record during his first term by increasing the minimum wage for city employees, declaring Philadelphia a sanctuary city, and pledging to abide by the terms of the Paris Climate Agreement. His endorsers included the Philadelphia Inquirer, Gov. Tom Wolf (D), Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (D), and all three of Philadelphia’s representatives in the U.S. House.
 
Butkovitz, who served three terms as city controller before he was unseated by former Kenney administration official Rebecca Rhynhart (D) in the 2017 primary, said that Kenney had not done enough to address poverty and violent crime during his first term.
 
Williams, who was the runner-up to Kenney in the 2015 Democratic mayoral primary, also criticized Kenney’s response to crime and poverty. As he did in 2015, Williams supported expanding charter schools to every Philadelphia neighborhood. He was endorsed by Philadelphia Magazine and former Mayor John Street (D).
 
Both Butkovitz and Williams criticized a 1.5-cent-per-ounce tax on soda and other sugary drinks that Kenney implemented in his first term. While Kenney said the measure provided funding for education and infrastructure spending, both challengers promised to repeal the tax and find the money elsewhere in the city’s budget.
 
Supporters and opponents of soda taxes from outside Philadelphia spent on the race, with the American Beverage Association spending over $600,000 to run an ad opposing Kenney and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (D) donating $1,000,000 to a political group supporting him.
 
Kenney will face attorney Billy Ciancaglini (R) and any independent or third-party candidates in the November 5 general election. Since 1951, no incumbent Philadelphia mayor has lost a re-election bid, and no Republican has won a Philadelphia mayoral election since 1947.
 


Attorney General Andy Beshear (D) defeats three other candidates in Kentucky gubernatorial primary

State Attorney General Andy Beshear (D) defeated state House Minority Leader Rocky Adkins (D), former state Auditor Adam Edelen (D), and retired engineer Geoff Young (D) in Kentucky’s Democratic gubernatorial primary. As of 9:00 p.m. ET, Beshear had received 37.9% of the vote to Adkins’ 32.4% with 95% of precincts reporting.
 
 
Beshear, the son of former Gov. Steve Beshear (D), focused his campaign on responding to the opioid crisis, increasing wages, and increasing funding for public schools. His endorsers included former Lt. Govs. Crit Luallen (D) and Jerry Abramson (D), who both served under Beshear’s father.
 
Adkins, a 16-term member of the state House and the chamber’s Democratic leader, promised to secure funding for Kentucky’s pension and retirement systems as well as increased spending on infrastructure. His endorsers included former Gov. Paul Patton (D).
 
Edelen, who was elected as state auditor in 2011 and defeated for re-election in 2015, said he would focus on increasing spending on healthcare, encouraging the renewable energy industry to expand in Kentucky, and eliminating what he described as gender-based pay disparities. The Louisville Courier-Journal endorsed him.
 
Beshear will face incumbent Matt Bevin (R), who defeated three challengers in the Republican primary, in the November general election. Since Beshear and Bevin were elected to their respective offices in 2015, the two have often clashed, with Beshear launching a series of lawsuits against what he contended were unlawful modifications to state education boards Bevin had made.
 


Matt Bevin defeats three challengers in Kentucky gubernatorial primary

Incumbent Matt Bevin (R) defeated state Rep. Robert Goforth (R), developer Ike Lawrence (R), and bus driver and realtor William Woods (R) in Kentucky’s gubernatorial primary. As of 8:10 p.m. ET Tuesday, Bevin had received 51.5% of the vote to Goforth’s 39.1% with 68% of precincts reporting.
 
 
Bevin, who was first elected in 2015, said that he would focus his second term on healthcare policy and increasing the state’s investment in charter schools. He selected state Sen. Ralph Alvarado (R) as his running mate, becoming the third consecutive governor of Kentucky to choose a new running mate when seeking re-election.
 
Goforth, who was first elected to the state house in a special election in 2018, challenged the tone of Bevin’s first term, particularly Bevin’s status as a non-native Kentuckian. He said that he would focus his policymaking on working families, seniors, and small business owners.
 
Bevin will face the winner of the Democratic gubernatorial primary in the November general election.