TagNew special election

Tags for new special elections that are added to our list.

Indiana Rep. Jackie Walorski killed in car accident

By Elisabeth Moore
In Breaking News
August 4, 2022 at 5:45 PM

Indiana Rep. Jackie Walorski (R) was killed in a wrong-way vehicle crash on Aug. 3, 2022. Walorski was driving on an Indiana highway with two members of her staff, who were also killed in the crash.

Walorski represented Indiana’s 2nd Congressional District. She was first elected in 2012. Prior to serving in the U.S. Congress, Walorski worked as a television reporter and nonprofit director. She served as a member of the Indiana House of Representatives from 2004 to 2010.

A special election will be called to fill the vacancy created by Walorski’s death. Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) stated that his office had not begun the process to set the election. Walorski’s seat is also up for election in the general election on Nov. 8.

Since 2019, eight members of Congress have passed away while serving their terms. Three of those members were Democratic, while the other five were Republican.

The Constitution requires that vacancies in the House be filled through an election. In the first session of any Congress, all states, territories, and districts mandate a special election in case of a vacancy in any House seat. If the vacancy occurs during the second session, requirements differ based on the length of time between when the vacancy occurs and the next general election.

The process for filling House vacancies is distinct from that of filling vacancies in the U.S. Senate, where 37 states fill vacancies through gubernatorial appointment and the remaining 13 require a special election.

Additional reading:

Special elections to the 117th United States Congress (2021-2022)



Democrats and Republicans deciding on candidates for Connecticut House 116 vacancy

By Caitlin Vanden Boom
In State
November 10, 2021 at 4:46 PM

A special election has been called for the Connecticut House of Representatives District 116 for Dec. 14. Prospective candidates will be nominated by their respective parties. 

Michael DiMassa (D) resigned from the state House on Oct. 25 following his arrest on Oct. 18. DiMassa first assumed office in 2016 after defeating incumbent Louis Esposito in the Democratic primary and Richard DePalma (R) in the general election. 

The Dec. 14 election will mark the fifth state legislative special election in Connecticut this year. Connecticut held 40 state legislative special elections between 2010 and 2020, which was the seventh-most in the country. 

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Special election primary to be held in New Hampshire House district

By Tyler King
In State
October 11, 2021 at 11:33 AM

A special election primary is being held on Oct. 19 for the Rockingham 6 District of the New Hampshire House of Representatives. Thomas Cardon, Jodi Nelson, and Neil Wetherbee are running for the Republican nomination. Mary Eisner is unopposed in the Democratic primary. The general election is taking place on Dec. 7, and the winner of the special election will serve until December 2022.

The seat became vacant on Aug. 5 after Anne Copp (R) moved out of the district. Copp had represented the district since Jan. 2021.

Heading into the special election, Republicans have a 207-187 majority in the New Hampshire House with six vacancies. New Hampshire has a Republican state government trifecta. A trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governor’s office and majorities in both state legislative chambers.

As of October, 64 state legislative special elections have been scheduled for 2021 in 21 states. Between 2011 and 2020, an average of 75 special elections took place each year. New Hampshire held 29 state legislative special elections from 2011 to 2020.

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Special election to be held in Iowa state House district on Sept. 14

By Jaclyn Beran
In State
September 13, 2021 at 10:17 AM

A special election is being held on Sept. 14 to fill a vacant seat in District 37 in the Iowa House of Representatives. Andrea Phillips (D) and Mike Bousselot (R) are running in the special election. Both candidates were selected to run in the special election by their respective political parties in conventions. The winner of the special election will serve until January 2023.

This Polk County-based House seat became vacant on July 29 after John Landon (R) died. He had served in the state House since 2013. He won re-election in 2020 by defeating Phillips with 53.1% of the vote.

Heading into the special election, Republicans have a 58-41 majority in the Iowa state House with one vacancy. Iowa has a Republican state government trifecta. A trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governor’s office and majorities in both state legislative chambers.

As of September 2021, 59 state legislative special elections have been scheduled for 2021 in 20 states. Between 2011 and 2020, an average of 75 special elections took place each year. Iowa held 22 state legislative special elections from 2011 to 2020.

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Three Kentucky state legislative special elections added

By Daniel Anderson
In State
August 31, 2021 at 12:17 PM

Three new state legislative special elections have been added to our list. The special elections are for the District 22 seat in the Kentucky State Senate and the District 51 and 89 seats in the Kentucky House of Representatives. There are no primaries, and candidates will be chosen by party county executive committees.

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Special election to be held in Texas House district

By Tyler King
In State
August 17, 2021 at 5:26 PM

A special election is being held on Aug. 31 for District 10 of the Texas House of Representatives. The candidate filing deadline was Aug. 12. Pierina Otiniano (D), Kevin Griffin (R), Brian Harrison (R), Susan Hayslip (R), Clark Wickliffe (R), John Wray (R), Matt Savino (L), and Scott Goodwin (I) are running in the general election. A general election runoff will be scheduled if no candidate earns at least 50% of the vote. The winner will serve until January 2023.

The District 10 seat became vacant after Jake Ellzey (R) won a special election to Texas’ 6th Congressional District on July 27. Ellzey had represented District 10 since January 2021.

Heading into the special election, Republicans have an 82-67 majority in the Texas House with one vacancy. Texas has a Republican state government trifecta. A trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governor’s office and majorities in both state legislative chambers.

As of August, 51 state legislative special elections have been scheduled for 2021 in 18 states. Between 2011 and 2020, an average of 75 special elections took place each year. Texas held 28 state legislative special elections from 2011 to 2020.

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