The Illinois State Senate elected Sen. Don Harmon (D) to be its president for the upcoming legislative session. Harmon won the post over fellow senator Kimberly Lightford (D). In Illinois, the Illinois Senate president is the highest-ranking legislative officer, serving as the leader of the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly. He or she…
On January 17, 2020, Chris Hansen (D) was appointed to fill the vacant District 31 seat in the Colorado Senate. Hansen assumed office on January 21, 2020, and his current term will end in January 2021. Vacancies in either chamber of the Colorado General Assembly are filled by a committee of members of the political party…
On January 21, 2020, Sara Feigenholtz (D) was appointed by Democratic Party leaders in Illinois Senate District 6 to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of former Sen. John Cullerton (D). Feigenholtz’s Senate term will end on January 11, 2023. Cullerton resigned on January 20 and served as the president of the Illinois State…
On January 17, 2020, Colorado State Rep. Susan Beckman (R) announced she was resigning to assume a position within President Trump’s administration. Beckman has not yet announced what position she will assume, nor has President Trump or his administration commented on her resignation. An announcement is expected from the Trump administration next week. Beckman was…
The major-party filing deadline to run for elected office in Maryland is on January 24, 2020. In Maryland, prospective candidates may file for the following offices: U.S. House (8 seats) Maryland Court of Appeals (2 seats) Maryland Court of Special Appeals (5 seats) The primary is scheduled for April 28, and the general election is…
New campaign finance reports for Colorado ballot measures, which covered information through December 31, 2019, show support campaigns had raised more money than opposition campaigns. So far, four measures are certified to appear on the November 2020 ballot in Colorado, including one legislatively referred bond issue, a veto referendum, and two citizen initiatives. No issue…
Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) appointed Louisiana State University professor Belinda Davis to the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education effective January 13, 2020. Davis fills the at-large seat formerly held by Lurie Thomason, who resigned in December 2019 for health-related reasons. Davis ran unsuccessfully for the 70th District seat in the Louisiana House…
The former Executive Director of Mississippi’s Department of Environmental Quality, Gary Rikard, resigned from his position on January 13, 2020. Newly elected Gov. Tate Reeves (R) was sworn in the following day. Rikard served as director of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality since 2014 after former Gov. Phil Bryant (R) appointed him to the…
On January 13, 2020, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) appointed former state Rep. Henry “Mickey” Michaux, Jr. (D) to represent District 20 in the state Senate. Michaux had retired from the North Carolina House of Representatives in 2018. He was nominated by Durham County Democrats for the vacancy. Former Sen. Floyd McKissick, Jr. (D)…