Daily Brew: September 7, 2018

September 7, 2018

Today's Brew brings you the next round of our state legislative analysis and a note from Ballotpedia's founder.   Welcome to the Friday, September 7 Brew. Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: 2018 state legislative elections and pivot counties Exclusive, free webinar tomorrow about West Virginia special elections A message from Ballotpedia’s founder The Thursday primary Part four of our exploration into state legislative elections data: Legislative retirements in pivot counties At least 616 state legislative districts holding elections this November (more than 10 percent of all seats we looked at for this study) intersect with a pivot county—a county which backed Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Legislators in pivot counties retired at rates greater than their party's average, although the difference is greater among Republicans. The total includes elections happening for 5,858 seats in 43 states this year. In all, 28 percent of Pivot County Republicans did not file for re-election, compared to an overall 20.5 percent Republican retirement rate in the 43 states covered. Similarly, 18 percent of Pivot County Democrats did not file for re-election, greater than the 16.1 percent retirement rate across all Democrats. Pivot county legislators made up a disproportionate share of both party's 2018 retirements. Pivot County Democrats, who represent 9.6 percent of the party's seats up for election, accounted for 10.8 percent of the party's retirements. Pivot County Republicans, who represent 11.2 percent of Republican districts up for election, make up 15.3 percent of Republican retirements. The state with the most Pivot County Democrats is New Hampshire, with 38 Democratic legislators representing a district partially or entirely in a pivot county. Fifteen states did not have any Pivot County Democrats. New Hampshire recorded the highest retirement rate among Pivot County Democrats at 39.5 percent. There were 11 states where no Pivot County Democrats retired. The state with the most Pivot County Republicans is Maine, with 59 Republican legislators representing a district partially or entirely in a pivot county. Sixteen states did not have any Pivot County Republicans. The state with the highest retirement rate among Pivot County Republicans is Michigan, where 56.7 of Pivot County Republicans retired. There were nine states where no Pivot County Republicans retired. Learn more Tune in today for our webinar about the Supreme Court situation in West Virginia Join me at 1 pm EST as I will be talking with Sara Reynolds, the writer in charge of our WV Supreme Court coverage, about what is happening in the state. As you’ve read about here, members of the West Virginia State House approved impeachment articles in mid-August against the four sitting justices of the state's highest court. The investigation and impeachment proceedings stemmed from the justices' alleged misuse of over $1 million in state funds. Since then, two justices have resigned. Now, special elections are around the corner. Get caught up on what has transpired, and what is to come. Sign up here→ Dear fellow Ballotpedians, Check out our short video where Leslie Graves, founder and president of Ballotpedia, answers questions about Ballotpedia’s strategy for 2018 and beyond.     You can read her letter to readers on the State of Ballotpedia here→ U.S. Sen. Tom Carper defeats progressive Kerri Evelyn Harris in Delaware Democratic primary Incumbent Sen. Tom Carper (D) defeated community organizer and Air Force veteran Kerri Evelyn Harris on Thursday. Carper received 65 percent of the vote to Harris' 35 percent. He is seeking his fourth term in the Senate. Some media outlets compared Harris' progressive challenge to the one Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez launched against 10-term U.S. Representative Joseph Crowley in New York's 14th District Democratic primary in June. Carper touted his "reputation as a results-oriented centrist" and campaigned on his legislative record, including his role in passing the Affordable Care Act, writing parts of the Dodd-Frank Act, and supporting increased renewable energy development. Harris argued that Carper has not gone far enough on healthcare, the environment, or banking regulations. She criticized Carper's support for the Keystone XL pipeline and his co-sponsorship of a bill that exempted community banks from certain Dodd-Frank provisions. Her platform included  Medicare for all. Carper served as Delaware's treasurer, one of its representatives in the U.S. House, and governor before being elected to the Senate in 2000. Learn more→