Daily Brew: February 9, 2026
Welcome to the Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, Brew.
By: Lara Bonatesta
Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- Fewer than 3% of Oklahoma school districts are holding primaries on Feb. 10
- Rep. Christian Menefee takes office — ending the vacancy in Texas’ 18th Congressional District
- A look at Article III federal judicial nominations by president by days in office since 2001
Fewer than 3% of Oklahoma school districts are holding primaries on Feb. 10
A version of this story appeared in Ballotpedia’s Hall Pass newsletter on Feb. 4. Click here to sign up.
Oklahoma school districts hold school board primaries each February. But due to the state’s election rules and the number of candidates running, most voters won’t see school board candidates on their ballots this month.
In Oklahoma, districts hold primaries if more than two candidates run for a seat. If only one candidate runs, the candidate wins the seat outright. If two candidates run, the district cancels the primary, and the candidates automatically advance to the general election.
On Feb. 10, voters in just 15 districts — 2.9% of the state’s 509 districts — will decide school board elections.
General elections this year are scheduled for April 7.
Fifty candidates are running for 15 seats across the 15 districts. In 10 of those races, three candidates are jockeying for each seat. In five races, there are four candidates apiece.
Both the number of districts in Oklahoma holding school board primaries and the number of candidates running in primaries have fallen since 2024.
The 15 districts holding elections are comparatively small and rural, with an average of 500 students enrolled. The largest district, Silo Public Schools, has approximately 1,200 students, which is the average enrollment for public schools in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma typically has a high rate of uncontested school board elections. In a 2023 analysis, Ballotpedia found that 79% of Oklahoma's school board races were uncontested. For comparison, roughly 64% of the elections Ballotpedia covered between 2018 and 2025, including school board and non-school board elections, were uncontested.
Last year, the Oklahoma Senate voted 33-10 to pass SB 6. The bill would require districts to hold primaries in August and general elections in November, when voters cast ballots for many of the state’s other elected positions. SB 6 passed out of two state House committees in 2025 and is eligible for a full House vote in 2026.
Studies find that on-cycle elections — those held in November of even-numbered years — generally have higher turnout than elections held at other times of the year. Turnout in Oklahoma’s school board elections is typically in the single digits. Although concurrent elections can increase turnout, proponents of separate dates argue that voters focus more on local issues without high-profile state and/or federal races as distractions.
Ballotpedia is providing comprehensive coverage of Oklahoma’s school board elections in 2026, including for Tulsa Public Schools (two seats), Oklahoma City Public Schools (two seats), and Edmond Public Schools (one seat)—the state’s three largest districts by student enrollment. In all three districts, only two candidates are running per seat, automatically advancing them to the April 7 general elections.
Click here to learn more about school board elections in Oklahoma.
Rep. Christian Menefee takes office — ending the vacancy in Texas’ 18th Congressional District
On Feb. 2, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) swore Rep. Christian Menefee (D-Texas) into the U.S. House of Representatives, filling the vacancy in Texas' 18th Congressional District.
The previous incumbent, Sylvester Turner (D-Texas), died on March 5, 2025, creating a vacancy that lasted 334 days, the longest of the 119th Congress. It was also the third-longest in the U.S. House since the 113th Congress.
In a runoff election on Jan. 31, Menefee defeated Amanda Edwards (D) 67.5% to 32.5%. Menefee and Edwards advanced to the runoff after no candidate received an outright majority in the special election on Nov. 4, 2025. In that election — which included 16 candidates from all parties — Menefee received 28.9% of the vote, and Edwards received 25.6%.
Menefee is the fourth person to represent Texas’s 18th District since 2024. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D) represented the district from 1995 until she died in July 2024. On Nov. 5, 2024, Rep. Erica Lee Carter (D) won the special election to fill the vacancy, and Turner won the general election. Carter represented the district from Nov. 12, 2024, to Jan. 3, 2025, when Turner assumed office.
Menefee’s swearing-in raised Democrats’ seat count from 213 to 214, resulting in a 218 to 214 Republican majority with three vacancies.
Vacancies in the 119th Congress
So far in the 119th Congress, there have been nine vacancies in the U.S. House and three in the U.S. Senate:
- Governors appointed two Senators, filling two vacancies.
- Senator Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) filled one of the Senate vacancies when he was sworn into office 11 days after the start of the 119th Congress. Justice delayed his swearing-in to fulfill the remainder of his term as governor of West Virginia.
- The six House vacancies were filled after special election winners were sworn in.
The three remaining House vacancies are in California's 1st Congressional District, Georgia's 14th Congressional District, and New Jersey's 11th Congressional District.
The longest vacancy in the U.S. House between the 113th and 118th Congresses was in Michigan's 13th Congressional District. The vacancy occurred during the 115th Congress, when Rep. John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) resigned on Oct. 27, 2019. Following Conyers' resignation, the seat was vacant for 359 days.
The second-longest vacancy in the U.S. House during that period was in California's 50th Congressional District. The vacancy occurred during the 116th Congress, when Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) resigned on Jan. 13, 2020. Following Hunter's resignation, the seat was vacant for 356 days.
Congressional vacancies since the 113th Congress
During the 113th through 118th Congresses, there were 88 vacancies in the House and 19 in the Senate. The average length of a vacancy in the Senate was six days. The average length of a vacancy in the House was 138 days.
On the U.S. Senate side, the longest vacancy during that time was in New Jersey. The vacancy occurred during the 118th Congress, when Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) resigned on Aug. 20, 2024. Following Menendez's resignation, the seat was vacant for 20 days.
For more on congressional vacancies, click here.
A look at Article III federal judicial nominations by president by days in office since 2001
There were 41 vacancies out of 890 authorized federal judicial posts as of Jan. 30. Forty of those were for Article III judgeships.
In the past month:
- One judge has been confirmed.
- Four judges have been nominated.
By Jan. 30—376 days in office—President Donald Trump (R) had nominated 39 individuals to Article III judgeships, 33 of which have been confirmed. Here’s how that compares to past presidents at this point. (Because Trump's second term is nonconsecutive, the following figures compare it to other cases where a president began a term after another president's departure.)*
- President Joe Biden (D) nominated 81 individuals during his first 376 days in office, 72 of whom were ultimately confirmed.
- In the first Trump term, he nominated 95 individuals, 67 of whom were ultimately confirmed.
- President Barack Obama (D) nominated 43 individuals during his first term, 39 of whom were confirmed.
- President George W. Bush (R) nominated 130 individuals during his first term, 75 of whom were confirmed.
*Note: These figures include unsuccessful nominations.
The charts below show the number of Article III judicial nominations by president by days in office during the Biden, Trump, Obama, and G.W. Bush administrations (2001-present).
The first chart is limited to nominees who were confirmed.
The second chart shows all Article III nominations, including unsuccessful nominations (for example, when a nomination was withdrawn, or the U.S. Senate did not vote on the nomination. It also shows individuals who were renominated to the same court, as well as recess appointments. A recess appointment occurs when the president appoints a federal official while the Senate is not in session.
Click here to learn more about vacancies on federal courts. Plus, to stay up to date on the latest news on federal court vacancies, nominations, and retirements, as well as cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, subscribe to Robe & Gavel.
