Lauren Rodgers/2012 state executive election preview

• Lauren Rodgers
• Notes
• 2012 elections
• Incumbents
• Competitiveness
• Table
• 2012 vs 2010

Lauren Rodgers

Lauren Rodgers Project Director, State Executive Officials Ballotpedia

Contact:
Lauren.Rodgers@ballotpedia.org
Biography:
Lauren Rodgers

• # of total elected offices; % of those that are up for election in 2012
• visuals (map)
• competitiveness: % contested, % not contested
• partisan breakdown -- which party has higher hill to climb

-- number of each party currently holding

-- possible power shifts?

• status of incumbents: running, resigning, running for a different office, term limited

• 2012 vs 2012: general overview -- states, # of elections, how the incumbents fared

-- next primary -- brief overview -- mention vacant seat? and 2 seats not allowed to run

State executive official elections in 2012:

• 95 of the 344 elected state executive offices (27.6%)

• 49 currently held by a Democrat
• 37 currently held by a Republican
• 4 are held by an independent or non-partisan candidate
• 4 are non-partisan offices
• 1 office is currently vacant

• 1 office is currently vacant and has no incumbent
• 67 (68.8%) of the 93 incumbents are seeking re-election to their office

• 13 are retiring or not seeking another office
• 6 are term-limited
• 3 are running for a different office
• 2 are prevented, by the conditions of their appointment, from running

As of Friday, May 24, 2013, there are a total of 81 state executive candidates who are (or were) unopposed in the 2012 primary elections.

34 of those are incumbents.

Governor: 10

Lt. Governor: 8

Secretary of State: 8

Attorney General: 9

Top office primary unopposed incumbents:

• 3 + 2 + 3 + 4

Down ballot primary unopposed incumbents:

• 6 + 4 + 2 + 2 + 0 + 0 + 3 + 1 + 4 + 0

Treasurer: 10

Auditor: 9

Superintendent of Schools: 3

Insurance Commissioner: 4

Natural Resources Commissioner: 0

Agriculture Commissioner: 3

Education Commissioner: 5

Labor Commissioner: 1

Public Services Commissioner: 11

Railroad Commissioner: 0

State executive candidates who are unopposed in the 2012 primaries

Name:	Party:	Current office:
Adam Hamm	Republican	North Dakota Commissioner of Insurance
Benjamin Mobley	Republican	Delaware Insurance Commissioner
Beth Wood	Democratic	North Carolina State Auditor
Betty Quintana	Non-partisan	West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture
Brad Crabtree	Democratic	North Dakota Public Service Commissioner
Brian Savilla	Republican	West Virginia House of Delegates District 14
Carl Waggoner	Non-partisan	West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture
Carmie Lynn Toulouse	Democratic	New Mexico Public Education Commission District 3
Carolyn Shearman	Democratic	New Mexico Public Education Commission District 9
Cassandra Gakas	Democratic	Lieutenant Governor of Vermont
Cherie K. Berry	Republican	North Carolina Commissioner of Labor
Chris Koster	Democratic	Attorney General of Missouri
Christopher Ocksrider	Republican	New Mexico Public Regulation Commissioner - District 1
Cisse Spragins		Secretary of State of Missouri
Darrell V. McGraw, Jr.	Democratic	Attorney General of West Virginia
David Freed	Republican	Attorney General of Pennsylvania
Dee W. Smith	Democratic	Attorney General of Utah
Denise Juneau	Democratic	Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction
Derek Skees	Republican	Montana House of Representatives, District 4
Diana Irey Vaughan	Republican	Pennsylvania Treasurer
Don Schramm	Vermont Progressive Party	Vermont State Treasurer
Drew Wrigley	Republican	Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota
Elaine Marshall	Democratic	North Carolina Secretary of State
Elizabeth Pearce	Democratic	Vermont Treasurer
Ellen Chaffee	Democratic	Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota
Frank E. Landis, Jr.	Republican	Nebraska Public Service Commission, District 1
Gail Gutsche	Democratic	Montana Public Service Commissioner - District 4
Glen Gainer	Democratic	West Virginia State Auditor
Jack Dalrymple	Republican	Governor of North Dakota
Jack Markell	Democratic	Governor of Delaware
Jack McMullen	Republican	Attorney General of Vermont
James F. Conyers	Democratic	New Mexico Public Education Commission District 5
Jeff Carr	Democratic	New Mexico Public Education Commissioner District 10
Jim Condos	Democratic	Vermont Secretary of State
John Gregg	Democratic	Governor of Indiana
John Klayton Miller	Non-partisan	West Virginia Auditor
John Perdue	Democratic	West Virginia Treasurer
Joshua Voytek		North Dakota Public Services Commission
June Atkinson	Democratic	North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction
Jason Harter		Secretary of State of Missouri
Kelly Schmidt	Republican	North Dakota Treasurer
Ken Larsen		Governor of Utah
Kent Leonhardt	Republican	West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture
Knute Buehler	Republican	Secretary of State of Oregon
Larry Faircloth	Republican	West Virginia Auditor
Linda McCulloch	Democratic	Montana Secretary of State
Marakay Rogers		Attorney General of Pennsylvania
Marjorie Powers	Democratic	Lieutenant Governor of Vermont
Martha Abbott		Governor of Vermont
Matt McGovern	Democratic	South Dakota Public Utilities Commissioner
Matthew Denn	Democratic	Lieutenant Governor of Delaware
Mike Pence	Republican	Governor of Indiana
Monica Lindeen	Democratic	Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance, State Auditor
Natalie Tennant	Democratic	West Virginia Secretary of State
Nick Nemec	Democratic	South Dakota Public Utilities Commissioner
Patrice Douglas	Republican	Oklahoma Corporation Commission
Patrick Morrisey	Republican	Attorney General of West Virginia
Peter Cooke	Democratic	Governor of Utah
Peter Shumlin	Democratic	Governor of Vermont
Phillip Scott	Republican	Lieutenant Governor of Vermont
Randel Christmann	Republican	North Dakota Public Service Commission
Randolph Brock	Republican	Vermont Senate Franklin District
Richard Ellis	Republican	Utah Treasurer
Richard Proctor		Utah State Auditor
Rob Latham		Lieutenant Governor of Utah
Rob McCord	Democratic	Pennsylvania Treasurer
Robert Peterson	Republican	North Dakota State Auditor
Ross Mushik	Democratic	North Dakota Treasurer
Roy Cooper	Democratic	Attorney General of North Carolina
Ryan Taylor	Democratic	North Dakota State Senate District 7
Sandy Welch	Republican	Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction
Scot Kelsh	Democratic	North Dakota House of Representatives District 11
Stephen Oppenheimer	Democratic	Georgia Public Service Commissioner - District 3
Ted Wheeler	Democratic	Oregon Treasurer
Tim Alders		Lieutenant Governor of Utah
Tim Schram	Republican	Nebraska Public Service Commission, District 3
Tom Potter	Democratic	North Dakota Commissioner of Insurance
Vince Bergman	Republican	New Mexico Public Education Commissioner
W. Andrew McCullough		Attorney General of Utah
Wayne Goodwin	Democratic	North Carolina Commissioner of Insurance
Wendy Wilton	Republican	Vermont State Treasurer

At least 11 state executive candidates will run unopposed in this year's general election:

State executive candidates who are unopposed in the 2012 general election

Name:	Party:	Current office:
Bob Anthony	Republican	Oklahoma Corporation Commission
Carmie Lynn Toulouse	Democratic	New Mexico Public Education Commission District 3
Carolyn Shearman	Democratic	New Mexico Public Education Commission District 9
Frank E. Landis, Jr.	Republican	Nebraska Public Service Commission, District 1
James F. Conyers	Democratic	New Mexico Public Education Commission District 5
Jeff Carr	Democratic	New Mexico Public Education Commissioner District 10
Patrice Douglas	Republican	Oklahoma Corporation Commission
Roy Cooper	Democratic	Attorney General of North Carolina
Tim Schram	Republican	Nebraska Public Service Commission, District 3
Valerie Espinoza	Democratic	New Mexico Public Regulation Commissioner - District 3
Vince Bergman	Republican	New Mexico Public Education Commissioner

Breakdown	Top offices	Down ballot	Total
Total seats up for election in 2012	39	57	96
Incumbents running	23	44	67
% of races with no incumbent	41.0%	22.8%	30.2%
Incumbents with no primary challenger	7	18	25
% of incumbents with no primary challenger	30.4%	40.9%	37.3%
Candidates with no major party opposition	1	4	5
% with no major party opposition	2.7%	7.0%	5.2%
Incumbents with no primary or general	1	3	4
% of incumbents with no primary or general	4.3%	6.8%	5.9%

• 43 states in 2010
• 212 seats up for election