Daily Brew: October 10, 2018

October 10, 2018

Plus: Haley announces she will leave U.N. post at end of year   Welcome to the Wednesday, October 10 Brew. Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Maine state spotlight Wisconsin state spotlight Haley announces she will leave U.N. post at end of year Maine: It Must Be Maine Maine is holding elections for one U.S. Senate seat, two U.S. House seats, governor, all 35 state Senate seats, and all 151 state House seats. Five statewide ballot measures are also on the ballot. What is the partisan balance in the state? Congress: Democrats hold one U.S. House seat, and Republicans hold one U.S. Senate seat and one U.S. House seat. The second U.S. Senate seat is held by an independent who caucuses with Democrats. Governor: Republican. Lt. Governor: Maine does not have a lieutenant governor. Attorney General: Democrat. State Senate: 18-17 Republican majority. State House: 73 Democrats, 70 Republicans, six independents, one Green Independent, and one vacancy. Races to watch Maine gubernatorial election: Attorney General Janet Mills (D), businessman Shawn Moody (R), businessman Alan Caron (I), and State Treasurer Teresea Hayes (I) are running to replace term-limited Gov. Paul LePage (R). Maine’s 2nd Congressional District: U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin (R), state Rep. Jared Golden (D), Tiffany Bond (I), and Will Hoar (I) are running for a seat that backed Barack Obama (D) and Donald Trump (R) by roughly ten percentage points each in 2012 and 2016, respectively. Poliquin is the only Republican House member from New England. What you need to know if you’re a Maine voter Congressional races in Maine will use ranked-choice voting. Learn more about how that works here. Early voting dates: When ballots become available until November 1. This is considered to be in-person absentee voting. Eligible voters can submit an absentee ballot in person at an election office. Polls open/close: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voter ID: A voter in Maine does not have to present identification at the polls unless he or she is registering on Election Day. In that case, the voter must present identification and proof of residence. Bookmark your sample ballot. Learn more         Wisconsin: America's Dairyland Wisconsin is holding elections for one U.S. Senate seat, eight U.S. House seats, governor and four other state executive offices, 17 out of 33 state Senate seats, and all 99 state Assembly seats. Ballotpedia is also covering local elections in Dane and Milwaukee Counties and a special election in the city of Milwaukee. What is the partisan balance in the state? Congress: Democrats hold one U.S. Senate seat and three U.S. House seats. Republicans hold one U.S. Senate seat and five U.S. House seats. Governor: Republican. Lt. Governor: Republican. Attorney General: Republican. State Senate: 18-15 Republican majority. State Assembly: 64-35 Republican majority. Races to watch Wisconsin Governor: Gov. Scott Walker (R) is seeking a third term in 2018 and is being challenged by Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers (D). Education and the state's economy have been dominant themes in the race. Wisconsin’s governorship has changed partisan hands five times in the last 10 elections. Only one governor has won election to a third term since 1967, and the last time an incumbent seeking re-election was defeated was in 1986. Wisconsin Attorney General: Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel (R) will face Josh Kaul (D) and Terry Larson (Constitution Party). Schimel was first elected attorney general in 2014. Republicans have held the seat since 2007. Governing identified this as one of six Toss-up attorney general races in 2018. Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District: This seat became open for the first time since 1998 when House Speaker Paul Ryan (R) announced earlier this year that he would not seek re-election. Bryan Steil (R), Randy Bryce (D), and Ken Yorgan (independent) are running in the November 6 election to fill the seat. Ryan and Pres. Donald Trump endorsed Steil, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) endorsed Bryce. What you need to know if you’re a Wisconsin voter Early voting dates: Varies by locality. Polls open/close: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voter ID: Photo ID required. Bookmark your sample ballot. Learn more→ Haley announces she will leave U.N. post at end of year U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley announced that she would resign from her diplomatic post at the end of the year. In her resignation, Haley said she would take a break from public service. While sitting in the Oval Office together, President Donald Trump said of Haley, “She’s done a fantastic job and we’ve done a fantastic job together.” Trump previously asked Haley to serve as U.N. ambassador on November 23, 2016. She was confirmed by the Senate on January 24, 2017, by a vote of 96-4. Haley previously served as the 116th governor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017. The U.S. ambassador to the U.N. is responsible for assisting the President of the United States and the U.S. Department of State in conducting U.S. policy at the United Nations, an international organization founded in 1945 with 193 member states. The position is formally known as the Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations. Trump said that he will name Haley’s successor in the next few weeks. His nominee will have to be confirmed by the Senate. As a refresher, here are the five previous U.N. ambassadors: Samantha Power - 2013-2017 (Barack Obama) Susan Rice - 2009-2013 (Barack Obama) Zalmay Khalilzad - 2007-2009 (George W. Bush) John R. Bolton - 2005-2006 (George W. Bush) John Danforth - 2004-2005 (George W. Bush) Read more about Haley’s time as U.N. ambassador here→