40 people declared candidacies for federal or statewide offices in the past week, two fewer than last week. All of these candidates declared before their state’s official filing deadline.
Twenty-two of those candidates were Democratic, while 18 were Republican.
Twenty-eight candidates are running for Congress, four for governorship, and eight for a lower state executive office.
Since the beginning of the year, Ballotpedia has identified 912 declared candidates for federal and statewide offices. At this time in 2021, Ballotpedia had identified 1,794 declared candidates for 2022, 2023, and 2024 races.
An official candidate is someone who registers with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline or appears on candidate lists released by government election agencies. A declared candidate is someone who has not completed the steps to become an official candidate but who might have done one or more of the following:
Appeared in candidate forums or debates
Published a campaign website
Published campaign social media pages
Advertised online, on television, or through print
Issued press releases
Interviewed with media publications
For more on Ballotpedia’s definition of candidacy, click here.
Incumbent Michael Adams defeated two candidates—2015 Republican nominee Stephen Knipper and former state Rep. Allen Maricle—in the Republican primary for Kentucky secretary of state on May 16. Adams faces former state Rep. Charles Wheatley—the only candidate who ran for the Democratic nomination—in the general election on Nov. 7.
Adams was elected secretary of state in 2019, defeating Heather French Henry (D), 52% to 48%. He succeeded Alison Lundergan Grimes (D), who served two terms in the position from 2012 to 2020. Grimes was unable to run in 2019 due to term limits. Before Adams, the previous Republican secretary of state was Trey Grayson (R), who served from 2005 until 2012.
According to the state’s official website, the secretary of state is “responsible for business registration, preservation of state records, state election management, and other administrative, fiscal and personnel tasks.”
Adams received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Louisville and a law degree from Harvard University. He previously worked in Gov. Ernie Fletcher’s (R) administration, in the U.S. attorney general’s office during George W. Bush’s (R) presidency, and as an attorney specializing in election law. He served on the Kentucky State Board of Elections from 2016 to 2020. Adams stated why he was running on his website: “We’ve done more in 3 years to make it easy to vote and hard to cheat than our predecessors were able to do in 200 years…I do not take this race for granted, nor should anyone who wants fair, free, accessible and secure elections.”
Knipper is the chief of staff for Kentucky Lieutenant Govenor Jenean Hampton (R). He was the Republican nominee for secretary of state in 2015, losing to Lundergan Grimes (D) in the general election, 51% to 49%, and he finished third in the Republican primary for the office in 2019. Knipper received a bachelor’s degree from Northern Kentucky University and previously worked as a business analyst and project manager for The Cincinnati Insurance Companies and Catholic Health Initiatives. He said he ran because “The election concerns I have had for nearly a decade are now recurring national news. The election topic is not going away this time, so I am dedicating myself once again to address it.”
Maricle is a political and broadcast television consultant and served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. Maricle received a bachelor’s degree from Sullivan University and previously worked as a sales manager for a magazine and several local television stations. Maricle said that he would “bring his extensive knowledge of elections and campaign finance to the forefront, and will work tirelessly to ensure that all citizens have the opportunity to participate in the democratic process.
Adams supported changes to Kentucky’s voting procedures during the coronavirus pandemic. Zach Montellaro of Politico wrote, “Kentucky earned measured praise from voting rights advocates for how it largely sidestepped the missing ballots, long lines and other problems faced by many states amid coronavirus. The Democratic governor and Republican secretary of state reached bipartisan agreement on a massive expansion of absentee voting, leading to the highest primary turnout in Kentucky since the hard-fought 2008 presidential primary.”
Adams also supported election administration legislation that Kentucky’s Republican-controlled General Assembly passed in 2021 and that Gov. Andy Beshear (D) signed into law. “House Bill 564…creates additional in-person voting days, adds protections for poll workers, and codifies our existing policy of not connecting the voting machines to the internet.” “Senate Bill 216…doubling the number of counties subject to post-election audit, moving up the full transition to paper ballots, and placing voting machines under video surveillance when not being used.”
Jane Timm of NBC News wrote that Knipper stated in 2021 that “Donald Trump won the 2020 election and that he personally saw hackers manipulate U.S. election results online.” Timm also said Knipper “criticized the supercenters and early voting codified in the 2021 law and fought against the use of electronic voting machines.
Maricle believed there was fraud in Kentucky’s 2022 general election and said he would make the following changes to the state’s voting processes: “Clean up the voter rolls. Eliminate the ERIC system…look into the voter machine process and give counties more options to choose from. Give back local control to the county clerk’s. Create an office called Election Integrity Task force to look into every election complaint and give prompt answers to the public.”
The state’s membership in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) was also an issue in the campaign. According to Timm, Adams “doesn’t want to remove the state from ERIC…[and] said ERIC is a helpful tool in election administration.” Both Knipper and Maricle have said that Kentucky should withdraw from ERIC.
Nationally, governors issued 26 executive orders from May 1-7. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) led the field with 16, followed by Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) with three. Governors in 41 states issued the fewest orders with zero.
Governors use executive orders to manage executive branch operations. Last week’s executive orders account for 5% of the year-to-date total of 568. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) leads with 160 orders issued since Jan. 1, followed by DeSantis with 102 and New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) with 57.
Georgia and Florida lead in the number of executive orders issued for two reasons: unlike most states, in Georgia, the governor uses executive orders to appoint and reappoint members of state boards and judges. In Florida, also unlike most states, the governor uses executive orders for state attorney executive assignments.
Governors in 16 states have issued fewer than five orders since the start of the year, and those in 11 states have yet to issue any orders. In states with a Republican trifecta, governors issued 363 orders, while governors in states with a Democratic trifecta issued 147. A trifecta is when one political party holds the governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. In states where neither party holds trifecta control, governors issued 58 orders.
The Iowa State Legislature referred a constitutional amendment to the 2024 ballot that would create a system of succession in the case of temporary or permanent disability of the governor. The amendment would provide that if the governor dies, resigns, or is removed from office, the lieutenant governor would assume the office of governor for the remainder of the term, thereby creating a vacancy in the office of lieutenant governor. Under the amendment, if the lieutenant governor assumed the office of governor, they would have the authority to appoint a new lieutenant governor.
Currently, in Iowa, if the governor leaves office, the lieutenant governor becomes responsible for fulfilling the duties and assumes the powers of the governor, but does not have the authority to appoint a new lieutenant governor.
Adam Gregg (R) was appointed lieutenant governor of Iowa by Gov. Kim Reynolds on May 25, 2017. Reynolds, the previous lieutenant governor, had recently become Governor following the resignation of Terry Branstad to serve as U.S. Ambassador to China.
Before Reynolds was sworn in, Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller (D) issued a legal opinion stating that Reynolds would not have the ability to appoint her own lieutenant governor. In a press conference announcing the decision, Miller said, “There’s a clear historic practice that there is no replacement of a lieutenant governor or vice president absent a constitutional provision.” Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate (R) disagreed, saying in a statement, “There is sufficient legal authority for Governor Reynolds to fill the vacancy of lieutenant governor.”
Upon Gregg’s appointment, a Des Moines Register report citing Reynolds’ Deputy Chief of Staff Tim Albrecht said Gregg was appointed in such a way that he will “‘operate’ the office of lieutenant governor, but not actually ‘hold’ that office.” Although Gregg held the title and carried out the responsibilities of the office, he took office while remaining outside of the gubernatorial line of succession. This meant that if Reynolds became unable to carry out the office of governor, the new governor would be the President of the Iowa Senate, who at the time was Jack Whitver (R).
The constitutional amendment was introduced as House Joint Resolution 2005 on Feb. 10, 2022. It was passed in the House on Feb. 23, 2022, in a vote of 63-34. It was passed in the Senate on March 22, 2022, in a vote of 46-3. The amendment was sent to the Iowa secretary of state and thereby referred to the 2023-2024 session of the state legislature. The constitutional amendment was introduced during the 2023 legislative session as House Joint Resolution 3 on Jan. 26, 2023. It was passed in the House on Feb. 1, 2023, in a vote of 81-18. It was passed in the Senate on April 19, 2023, in a vote of 50-0.
The state legislature first passed a constitutional amendment addressing the gubernatorial line of succession during the 2018 legislative session, which would have gone before the legislature during the 2019-2020 legislature session to appear on the 2020 ballot. However, due to an error made by the secretary of state’s office, the 2018 vote did not count toward referring the amendment to the ballot and the process had to be restarted.
Voters in Indiana will also vote on a constitutional amendment related to the gubernatorial line of succession in 2024. Under the proposal, the superintendent of public instruction would be removed from the gubernatorial line of succession since the elected position of state superintendent of public instruction was abolished in 2021 and replaced by the secretary of education, a position appointed by the governor.
Nationally, governors issued 14 executive orders from April 3-9. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) led the field with three each, followed by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) with two. Governors in 41 states issued the fewest orders with zero.
Governors use executive orders to manage executive branch operations. Last week’s executive orders account for 3% of the year-to-date total of 425. Governor Kemp leads with 123 orders issued since Jan. 1, followed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) with 64 and New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) with 39.
Georgia and Florida lead in the number of executive orders issued for two reasons: unlike most states, in Georgia, the governor uses executive orders to appoint and reappoint members of state boards and judges. In Florida, also unlike most states, the governor uses executive orders for state attorney executive assignments.
Governors in 19 states have issued fewer than five orders since the start of the year, and those in 13 states have yet to issue any orders so far. In states with a Republican trifecta, governors issued 266 orders, while governors in states with a Democratic trifecta issued 113. A trifecta is when one political party holds the governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. In states where neither party holds trifecta control, governors issued 46 orders.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) issued two executive orders from Feb. 27-March 5. As of March 5, Polis has issued eight executive orders in 2023—four fewer than he did at this point a year ago.
Governors use executive orders to manage executive branch operations. During the week of Feb. 27-March 5, the nation’s governors issued 16 executive orders. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) issued the most with four. Governors in 40 states issued the fewest orders with zero. Democratic governors issued five of the 16 orders, while Republican governors issued 11.
Polis has served as governor since Jan. 8, 2019. He issued 70 executive orders in 2022 and 162 in 2021. Nationally, governors issued at least 1,559 executive orders in 2022. Governors have issued 290 executive orders in 2023. Republican governors issued 196, while Democratic governors issued 94. Colorado is a Democratic trifecta, meaning Democrats control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) issued one executive order from Feb. 27-March 5. As of March 5, Holcomb has issued one executive order in 2023—eight fewer than he did at this point a year ago.
Governors use executive orders to manage executive branch operations. During the week of Feb. 27-March 5, the nation’s governors issued 16 executive orders. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) issued the most with four. Governors in 40 states issued the fewest orders with zero. Democratic governors issued five of the 16 orders, while Republican governors issued 11.
Holcomb has served as governor since Jan. 9, 2017. He issued 15 executive orders in 2022 and 34 in 2021. Nationally, governors issued at least 1,559 executive orders in 2022. Governors have issued 290 executive orders in 2023. Republican governors issued 196, while Democratic governors issued 94. Indiana is a Republican trifecta, meaning Republicans control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) issued two executive orders from Feb. 27-March 5. As of March 5, DeSantis has issued 48 executive orders in 2023—five fewer than he did at this point a year ago.
Governors use executive orders to manage executive branch operations. During the week of Feb. 27-March 5, the nation’s governors issued 16 executive orders. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) issued the most with four. Governors in 40 states issued the fewest orders with zero. Democratic governors issued five of the 16 orders, while Republican governors issued 11.
DeSantis has served as governor since Jan. 8, 2019. He issued 272 executive orders in 2022 and 246 in 2021. Nationally, governors issued at least 1,559 executive orders in 2022. Governors have issued 290 executive orders in 2023. Republican governors issued 196, while Democratic governors issued 94. Florida is a Republican trifecta, meaning Republicans control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) issued one executive order from Feb. 27-March 5. As of March 5, Hochul has issued seven executive orders in 2023—three fewer than she did at this point a year ago.
Governors use executive orders to manage executive branch operations. During the week of Feb. 27-March 5, the nation’s governors issued 16 executive orders. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) issued the most with four. Governors in 40 states issued the fewest orders with zero. Democratic governors issued five of the 16 orders, while Republican governors issued 11.
Hochul has served as governor since Aug. 24, 2021. She issued 64 executive orders in 2022 and 25 in 2021. Nationally, governors issued at least 1,559 executive orders in 2022. Governors have issued 290 executive orders in 2023. Republican governors issued 196, while Democratic governors issued 94. New York is a Democratic trifecta, meaning Democrats control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) issued one executive order from Feb. 13-19. As of Feb. 19, Hochul has issued five executive orders in 2023—two fewer than she did at this point a year ago.
Governors use executive orders to manage executive branch operations. During the week of Feb. 13-19, the nation’s governors issued 14 executive orders. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) issued the most with five. Governors in 41 states issued the fewest orders with zero. Democratic governors issued 12 of the 14 orders, while Republican governors issued two.
Hochul has served as governor since Aug. 24, 2021. She issued 64 executive orders in 2022 and 25 in 2021. Nationally, governors issued at least 1,559 executive orders in 2022. Governors have issued 251 executive orders in 2023. Republican governors issued 172, while Democratic governors issued 79. New York is a Democratic trifecta, meaning Democrats control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.
