Daily Brew: October 11, 2018

October 11, 2018

Plus, get caught-up on the trifecta landscape for the upcoming elections   Welcome to the Thursday, October 11 Brew. Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Georgia state spotlight Tennessee state spotlight Get caught-up on the trifecta landscape for the upcoming elections Georgia: Peach State Georgia is holding elections for 14 U.S. House seats, governor and eight other state executive offices, all 56 state Senate seats, and all 180 state House seats. Ballotpedia will also cover seven statewide ballot measures, local elections in DeKalb County and Fulton County, and five school board elections.   What is the partisan balance in the state? Congress: Republicans hold both U.S. Senate seats and 10 U.S. House seats. Democrats hold four U.S. House seats. Governor: Republican. Lt. Governor: Republican. Attorney General: Republican. State Senate: 37-19 Republican majority. State House: 115-64 Republican majority with one vacancy. Races to watch Georgia gubernatorial election: Former state House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams (D), Secretary of State Brian Kemp (R), and Ted Metz (L) are running to replace term-limited Gov. Nathan Deal (R). Abrams would be the first black woman to win a gubernatorial race in U.S. history. Kemp would be the third consecutive Republican to win Georgia’s governorship since 2002. Prior to that, no Republican had held the position since the Reconstruction period following the Civil War. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote on November 6, the top two candidates will compete in a December 4 runoff. Georgia Secretary of State: Former U.S. Rep. John Barrow (D), state Rep. Brad Raffensperger (R), and Smythe Duval (L) are running to replace Brian Kemp (R) as secretary of state. Barrow was the last white Democratic House member from the Deep South when he lost re-election in 2014. Raffensperger was first elected to the state House in 2015. Georgia’s 6th Congressional District: U.S. Rep. Karen Handel (R) and gun regulation activist Lucy McBath (D) are running for the 6th District. The election takes place more than one year after Handel defeated Jon Ossoff (D) in a special election that captured national attention. It was the most expensive House race in U.S. history with more than $50 million spent by the campaigns and satellite groups. Georgia’s 7th Congressional District: U.S. Rep. Rob Woodall (R) and Georgia State University professor Carolyn Bourdeaux (D) are running for the 7th District. The district is mostly based in Gwinnett County, Georgia, which is one of six counties in the country that voted for Hillary Clinton (D) after going for Mitt Romney (R) in 2012 and John McCain (R) in 2008. What you need to know if you’re a Georgia voter Early voting dates: October 15 to November 2. Polls open/close: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voter ID: Photo identification is required when voting on Election Day in Georgia. Valid forms of ID include a driver's license, state ID card, tribal ID card, United States passport, employee ID card, military ID card, or a voter ID card issued by county registration offices. Bookmark your sample ballot. Learn more         Tennessee: The Volunteer State Tennessee is holding elections for one U.S. Senate seat, nine U.S. House seats, governor, 18 of 33 state Senate seats, and all 99 state House seats. What is the partisan balance in the state? Congress: Republicans hold both U.S. Senate seats and seven U.S. House seats. Democrats hold the other two U.S. House seats. Governor: Republican. Lt. Governor: Republican. Attorney General: Republican. State Senate: 27-4 Republican majority with two vacancies. State Assembly: 70-25 Republican majority with four vacancies. Race to watch United States Senate election in Tennessee: Former Gov. Phil Bredesen (D) faces U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R) in the election along with six Independent candidates. They are competing for the seat currently occupied by incumbent Rep. Bob Corker (R), who is not running for re-election. Blackburn has gathered endorsements from President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and the Senate Conservatives Fund, while Bredesen has garnered support from the Senate Majority PAC-affiliated group Majority Forward, which launched a $1.3 million TV ad buy supporting him in August. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) said this race is among the 2018 Senate elections where the biggest battles would play out. What you need to know if you’re a Tennessee voter Early voting dates: October 17 to November 1. Polls open/close: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voter ID: Photo ID is required. Acceptable forms of ID include a Tennessee driver’s license, a U.S. passport, or a state-issued ID. Bookmark your sample ballot. Learn more→ More than half of existing state government trifectas are vulnerable in 2018 Republicans hold trifecta control — the governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature — in 26 states. Democrats hold trifecta control in eight. At least 18 existing trifectas are vulnerable to be lost, according to gubernatorial race ratings and analysis of the number of seats that would need to flip to change control of each legislative chamber. Republicans hold 13 of the vulnerable trifectas, and Democrats hold five. The most vulnerable Republican trifectas are in Florida, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The most vulnerable Democratic trifectas are in Connecticut and Delaware. There is a similar chance of a new Republican or Democratic trifecta forming in at least six states. Democrats have a shot at gaining new trifecta control in eight other states, and Republicans have a chance to gain new control in at least two. Read more here→