Preview of 2014's most competitive down ballot state executive races
On November 4, voters from coast to coast found a plethora of state executive seats on their ballots that may not have looked familiar. Ballotpedia covered elections for 225 state executive seats in 2014, including 189 seats down the ballot from the gubernatorial races. Our staff selected five of these races to preview based on competitiveness and intriguing story lines. In each election preview below, you will find a capsule describing major events in the race and a list of general election candidates.
Each race was assigned ratings based on Ballotpedia's racetracking methodology, which took into account polling information, current officeholders and the results of the 2012 presidential election.
This preview touches on races for attorney general, lieutenant governor and secretary of state. There were 31 attorneys general up for election this year including 17 Republican and 14 Democratic officeholders. The Republican Party held 17 out of the 26 secretary of state seats and 18 out of 30 lieutenant gubernatorial seats up for election in 2014.
Arizona Attorney General
- See also: Arizona Attorney General election, 2014
Race rating: Lean Republican
The open attorney general's seat in Arizona attracted a pair of strong candidates along with millions of dollars in satellite spending. Republican candidate Mark Brnovich, who previously worked for private prison firm Corrections Corporation of America and the Arizona Department of Gaming, defeated Phoenix attorney Felecia Rotellini (D). Brnovich advanced to the general election by defeating incumbent Tom Horne in the August 26 Republican primary.
Rotellini led by 3 percent in a poll published by Moore Information in early October despite a concerted effort by the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) to discredit her campaign. The RAGA spent more than $1.7 million in TV ads and mailers highlighting Rotellini's "dangerous views," compared to the $287,665 spent by the Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA).[1] Rotellini and Brnovich sparred over the expansion of private prisons in Arizona during a late September debate, with Rotellini hitting the Republican candidate over his past connections to the industry.[2]
Candidates
☑
Mark Brnovich[3][4]
☐
Felecia Rotellini[5]
☐
(Write-in) Anthony Camboni[6]
Arkansas Attorney General
- See also: Arkansas Attorney General election, 2014
Race rating: Toss-up
Democratic incumbent Dustin McDaniel was unable to run for re-election due to term limit, opening the seat for newcomers in 2014. Attorney Leslie Rutledge (R) emerged from a May primary and a June runoff to reach a general election match-up with Democratic candidate Nate Steel and Libertarian Party candidate Aaron Cash. Rutledge won in the general election. McDaniel secured the attorney general's office for the Democrats with comfortable wins in 2006 and 2010, but strong turnout for Republican gubernatorial candidate Asa Hutchinson may have trickled down the ballot in 2014.
Rutledge faced several challenges to her candidacy during the general election campaign, starting with the revocation of her voter registration by Pulaski County Clerk Larry Crane (D) in September. Crane canceled the registration because Rutledge was also registered to vote in Virginia and Washington, D.C.. She criticized Crane for political maneuvering and argued that she was receiving greater scrutiny due to her gender. Rutledge also faced accusations of illegal coordination with a super PAC following her involvement in a TV ad produced by the Republican Attorneys General Association.[7]
Candidates
☑ Leslie Rutledge[8]
☐ Nate Steel[9]
☐
Aaron Cash[10]
Kansas Secretary of State
- See also: Kansas Secretary of State election, 2014
Race rating: Lean Republican
Voting rights took center stage in the Kansas Secretary of State race between incumbent Kris Kobach (R) and challenger Jean Schodorf (D). Kobach won re-election based on his efforts to improve the integrity of the state's elections process, including advocacy for a 2013 law requiring voter ID at polling locations. Schodorf, a former state senator, argued that Republican election reforms have disenfranchised one out of every four Kansas voters. She noted during an October 22 debate that she voted for these measures in the Kansas State Senate but felt that legislators did not know the extent to which Kobach would use the measures. Kobach argued that Schodorf changed her stance on the issue in order to win the race.[11] An average of polls published in September and October showed Kobach with a 2.3 percent lead, falling within the average margin of error of 2.9 percent.
Candidates
☑ Kris Kobach - Incumbent[12]
☐ Jean Schodorf[13]
Nevada Lieutenant Governor
Race rating: Toss-up
Nevada's lieutenant gubernatorial race attracted national attention due to the potential for the winning candidate to replace Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) down the road. Sandoval is a prospective challenger to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) in 2016; if he were to win that race, the winner of the 2014 lieutenant gubernatorial race would become the next Governor of Nevada. Lucy Flores (D) and Mark Hutchison (R) were running to replace term-limited Brian Krolicki (R) with help from political heavy-hitters. Flores received campaign help from former aides to Reid, while U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R) campaigned for Hutchison. The Republican Party won the previous three elections for lieutenant governor by at least 10 percent.[14]
Flores and Hutchison battled over education, ethics and immigration policy during debates heading into the general election. Flores criticized state Republicans for cutting public school funding, leading Hutchison to consistently respond that state Democrats have failed to take initiative on the issue. Both candidates pointed out possible ethical slips related to campaign finance reporting, including an unreported trip to Israel for Hutchison and campaign money used by Flores for personal expenses. Flores and Hutchison both supported comprehensive immigration reform, though Hutchison faulted President Barack Obama (D) for failing to work with congressional leaders on a legislative solution to illegal immigration.[15][16]
Candidates
☑ Mark Hutchison[17]
☐ Lucy Flores[18]
☐
Mike Little[19]
Wisconsin Attorney General
Race rating: Toss-up
Incumbent J.B. Van Hollen (R) did not file for re-election as attorney general in 2014, leaving a seat open in the politically divided Badger State. Jefferson County District Attorney Susan Happ defeated two challengers in the August Democratic primary and faced Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel and Libertarian Party candidate Thomas Nelson in the race to replace Van Hollen. Schimel won the general election and will serve a four-year term.
Happ and Schimel clashed on the campaign trail over their views of the attorney general's office. During an October 12 debate, both candidates highlighted their stark differences over the office's responsibilities. Schimel stated that the attorney general must defend state laws in court as the state's top law enforcement official, regardless of the officeholder's political beliefs. Happ argued that she would not defend the state's same-sex marriage ban or voter ID law in federal court, noting that the officeholder should use discretion when committing resources to defend state laws. Both candidates were deadlocked in a Marquette University Law School poll in mid-October and two out of the past three races for attorney general were decided by a margin of 3 percent or less.[20]
Candidates
☐ Susan Happ[21]
☑ Brad Schimel[22]
☐ Thomas Nelson[23]
See also
- State executive official elections, 2014
- Attorney General elections, 2014
- Lieutenant gubernatorial elections, 2014
- Secretary of State elections, 2014
- Attorney General
- Lieutenant Governor
- Secretary of State
- Preview of 2014's most competitive gubernatorial races
Footnotes
- ↑ Arizona's Politics, " ARIZONA AG RACE: National Republican AG Group Goes Dark, Outraises Democratic Counterpart More Than 4:1 In 3rd Quarter; Explains 6:1 Difference In Arizona Spending (#50ShadesOfDarkMoney)," October 20, 2014
- ↑ Phoenix New Times, "Felecia Rotellini and Mark Brnovich Battle in Debate for Arizona Attorney General," October 1, 2014
- ↑ The Associated Press via abc15.com, "Mark Brnovich, ex-Department of Gaming director, to run for Arizona attorney general," October 2, 2013
- ↑ The Arizona Republic, "Former gaming chief will run for attorney general," September 27, 2013
- ↑ Phoenix News Times, "Felecia Rotellini Making Another Run at Attorney General," February 26, 2013
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, "2014 General Election Candidates Full Listing," accessed September 29, 2014
- ↑ Times Record, "Election 2014: Arkansas AG Candidate Claims Gender Bias," October 5, 2014
- ↑ Leslie Rutledge, "Campaign website," accessed August 12, 2013
- ↑ Nate Steel Attorney General, "Campaign website," accessed August 12, 2013
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "2014 Preferential Primary Elections & Non Partisan General Election, Aaron Scott Cash," accessed March 3, 2014
- ↑ Ledger-Enquirer, "Secretary of state candidates meet for 2nd debate," October 22, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ Kris Kobach for Secretary of State, "Homepage," accessed September 23, 2013
- ↑ Saline Journal, "Schodorf to run for secretary of state," September 25, 2013
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Why senior Republican senators are showing up for a lieutenant governor’s race in Nevada," September 11, 2014
- ↑ Las Vegas Review-Journal, "Nevada lieutenant governor candidates clash in Vegas," September 3, 2014
- ↑ Las Vegas Review-Journal, "Status quo isn't popular at lieutenant governor's debate," October 15, 2014
- ↑ News 4, Hutchison to run for Nevada lieutenant governor, July 8, 2013
- ↑ RGJ, Democrats' lieutenant governor candidate Flores is young and ambitious; Is her goal to become first Latina governor of Nevada? February 20, 2014
- ↑ Nevada Secretary of State, 2014 Filed Candidates, accessed March 17, 2014
- ↑ Green Bay Press-Gazette, "Attorney general debate shows differing philosophies," October 12, 2014
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Candidates Registered by Office," February 17, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Waukesha County DA Brad Schimel formally launches attorney general run," October 14, 2013
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "CERTIFICATE OF NOMINATION," accessed July 4, 2014
