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Ballotpedia's top 10 races, 2019
From Ballotpedia
October 29, 2019
We've compiled a list of 10 elections we watched in November 2019, including races for state executive and legislative offices, municipal elections, and statewide ballot measures. The top 10 elections are grouped by type and sorted alphabetically.
To find out what happened in these races, click here.
See more of our 2019 election analysis by visiting our Election Analysis Hub.
Top 10 elections to watch
Gubernatorial
- See also: Gubernatorial elections, 2019
- Kentucky: Incumbent Gov. Matt Bevin (R) faced state Attorney General Andy Beshear (D) and John Hicks (L) in his bid for re-election. The election followed nearly four years of conflict between Beshear and Bevin. The main issues in the election were healthcare and education funding. Bevin won the 2015 election by a margin of 8.7 percentage points, becoming the first Republican to win a Kentucky gubernatorial election since 2003. Kentucky's status as a Republican trifecta would have been preserved by a Bevin victory and broken by a Beshear or Hicks victory.
- Louisiana: Incumbent Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) faced businessman Eddie Rispone (R) in a November 16, 2019, election. Edwards and Rispone were the top two finishers in the October 12 primary. Edwards was the first incumbent Louisiana governor to run in a general election since the state adopted the all-party primary system in 1975. Edwards won the 2015 general election by a margin of 12.2 percentage points to become the first Democrat to win a Louisiana gubernatorial election since 2003. Louisiana's trifecta status was determined by this election, with a Rispone win creating a Republican trifecta and an Edwards win maintaining Louisiana's divided government.
- Mississippi: State Attorney General Jim Hood (D), Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves (R), Bob Hickingbottom (Constitution), and David Singletary (I) ran for Mississippi's open gubernatorial seat. Incumbent Phil Bryant (R) was term-limited. Hood described himself as a moderate, saying that he owned firearms and supported restrictions on abortion. Reeves said that he had lowered taxes while reducing Mississippi's debt. Both Hood and Reeves accused one another of ethics violations. In order to win statewide election in Mississippi, a candidate needed to both win a majority of the statewide vote and carry a majority of the 122 state House districts. In the event that no candidate met both requirements, the state House would have decided the winner. Republicans needed to hold both houses of the state legislature and the gubernatorial race in order to preserve their state government trifecta.
State legislative
- See also: State legislative elections, 2019
- Virginia House of Delegates: Republicans had a 51-48 majority in the Virginia House of Delegates. In the 2017 elections, Democrats flipped 15 Republican-held seats—their largest single gain in the chamber since 1899. There were 27 battleground districts. Republicans held 16 of those seats to Democrats' 11. Democrats needed to win both the state House and state Senate in order to create a state government trifecta in Virginia, while Republicans needed to hold at least one chamber to maintain the state's divided government.
- Virginia State Senate: Republicans had a 20-19 majority in the Virginia State Senate. In the 2015 elections, the chamber's partisan balance did not change. There were seven battleground districts. Republicans held six of those seats to Democrats' one. Democrats needed to win both the state Senate and state House in order to create a state government trifecta in Virginia, while Republicans needed to hold at least one chamber to maintain the state's divided government.
Municipal
- See also: United States municipal elections, 2019
- Mayor of Houston: Incumbent Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner faced 11 challengers in a nonpartisan election. Houston law called for a December runoff election if no candidate received a majority of the vote. Local media outlets have identified Turner's most prominent challengers as Kendall Baker, Dwight Boykins, Tony Buzbee, Bill King, and Sue Lovell. Much of the policy discussion in the race centered on Turner's first term in office. Turner defeated King by a margin of 0.4 percentage points in the 2015 election. Houston's mayor serves as the city's chief executive and is responsible for proposing a budget, signing legislation into law, appointing departmental directors, and overseeing the city's day-to-day operations. He or she also presides over the city council with voting privileges.
- Seattle City Council: Seven of the nine seats on the Seattle City Council were up for nonpartisan election. The 2019 races had seen a record-breaking $3.5 million in satellite spending through October 25. In 2015—the last time the seven district seats were on the ballot—satellite spending totaled $785,000. The elections took place one year after the repeal of a proposal which would have required businesses grossing over $20 million to pay a per-employee tax. A political action committee associated with the Seattle Chamber of Commerce, which opposed the proposal, had spent $1.5 million on Council races as of October 25, while a political action committee opposed to the Chamber-endorsed candidates had spent $280,000. This was the second election in recent Seattle history where councilmembers were elected by district; between 1910 and 2013, all members of the city council were elected by the entire city at-large.
Ballot measures
- See also: 2019 ballot measures
- Colorado Proposition CC: Colorado Proposition CC would have allowed the state to retain revenue it was, at the time of the election, required to refund under the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR). Under TABOR, the state was limited in its revenue collection and spending, with excess revenue being refunded to taxpayers. The retained funds would have been limited to use for education and transportation purposes. Its supporters included Gov. Jared Polis (D) and the state House and Senate Democratic caucuses, while its opponents included former Gov. Bill Owens (R), the state House Republican caucus, and the state Republican and Libertarian parties. As of October 9, 2019, committees registered in support and opposition of the measure had spent a combined $3.6 million.
- Pennsylvania Marsy's Law Amendment: This measure would have amended the Pennsylvania Constitution to guarantee victims of crimes 15 specific rights. As of 2019, 12 states had passed a Marsy's Law ballot measure. Supporters of the measure included Gov. Tom Wolf (D) and state Attorney General Josh Shapiro (D), while its opponents included the state chapters of the ACLU and the League of Women Voters. As of October 21, 2019, the sole committee registered to support the measure had spent $6.1 million. There were no committees registered to oppose the measure.
- Texas Proposition 4: Texas Proposition 4 would have amended the Texas Constitution to prohibit the state from levying an income tax. At the time of the election, the Texas Constitution required that an income tax be approved by a majority of both chambers of the state legislature and by voters in a statewide referendum. Texas had never levied a statewide income tax. Supporters of the amendment included Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and the state Republican Party, while its opponents included the state branch of the American Federation of Teachers and the Center for Public Policy Priorities. As of October 26, 2019, the sole committee registered to support the measure had spent $3,000. There were no committees registered to oppose the measure.
Election coverage by office
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Footnotes
