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State Legislative Tracker: Alabama state senator arrested for driving under the influence

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July 6, 2015

Edited by Jackie Beran

This week’s tracker includes a look at a state senator arrested in Alabama for driving under the influence and a vetoed liquor privatization bill in Pennsylvania.

Weekly highlight

Sen. Cam Ward (R)

ALABAMA: A state senator vowed to seek help after being arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol last week. Cam Ward (R), the District 14 incumbent, was stopped at Warrior Park in Alabaster on Wednesday afternoon following a report of a possibly impaired driver on State Highway 119. After failing several sobriety tests, Ward was arrested and his Mercedes-Benz was impounded; police did not release Ward's blood-alcohol content level. The arrest came about two hours after Ward posted an Instagram photo during a visit to a vocational academy about 35 miles away. Ward was released from jail early Thursday morning after posting a $1,000 bond.[1] Shortly after, he released a statement:

“ My failure at dealing with stress led me to make incredibly reckless decisions. I recognize that I used alcohol as a crutch. I was very wrong and deeply apologize to my family, friends and constituents. I plan on seeking professional assistance immediately.[2] ”
—Sen. Cam Ward (R)[3]

Ward is set to appear in court August 12.[4] The arrest does not appear to have immediate professional consequences; in a statement, Senate Majority Leader Greg Reed said, "Senator Ward made a mistake. We encourage him to seek help and will be there for emotional and spiritual support."[5] Ward, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, was notable this year for having sponsored prison reform legislation; the day before his arrest, Ward was chosen to serve on the Alabama Criminal Justice Oversight and Implementation Council by Gov. Robert Bentley (R), who had no comment on the arrest.[6] Last month, Ward was interviewed by The Daily Show with Jon Stewart for a segment on private probation companies, on which he had previously sought restrictions.[7]

Pennsylvania General Assembly

PENNSYLVANIA: On July 2, 2015, Gov. Tom Wolf (D) vetoed House Bill 466, only days after the Senate and House passed the historic liquor privatization bill.[8] The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 27-22 and the House passed the bill by a vote of 113-82 on June 30.[9] Under House Bill 466, more than 600 state wine and spirits stores would have been closed to allow for grocery stores with eateries and distributors to sell alcohol and wine.[8] Gov. Wolf vetoed the legislation, saying that it was not a good business decision and that it would have led to higher prices for consumers.[10]

“ It makes bad business sense for the Commonwealth and consumers to sell off an asset, especially before maximizing its value. During consideration of this legislation, it became abundantly clear that this plan would result in higher prices for consumers.[2] ”
—Gov. Tom Wolf (D)[10]

Supporters of the bill claimed that the plan would have provided $220 million in annual revenue.[11] Opponents argued that more than 4,700 jobs would be lost if state-owned liquor stores were closed.[11] House Republican spokesman Steve Miskin said Wolf vetoed the legislation "to protect his own special interests and drive for higher taxes. In the end his entire budget veto, and his entire budget stance is to raise taxes on Pennsylvanians and employers, nothing else."[12]

Partisan breakdown

As of today, July 6, 2015, the following figures represent the cumulative partisan breakdown of the 50 state senates and 49 state houses. In the 50 states, Republicans currently control 55.7 percent of all seats while Democrats hold 42.8 percent. All told, Republicans control 68 chambers while Democrats are the majority in 30 chambers. One chamber is nonpartisan.

Representation in 50 State Legislatures
Party Number of Percentage
Democratic state legislators 3,163 42.8%
Republican state legislators 4,110 55.7%
Independent (and nonpartisan) state legislators 69 0.93%
Third party legislators 7 0.094%
Vacancies 33 0.45%

State Senates

The partisan composition of state senates refers to which political party holds the majority of seats in the state senate. Altogether, in the 50 state senates, there are 1,972 state senators.

The current breakdown of chamber control by party is as follows:

  • Democratic Party 14 chambers
  • Republican Party 35 chambers
  • Grey.png 1 chamber (Nebraska)
See also: Partisan composition of state senates

State Houses

The partisan composition of state houses refers to which party holds the majority of seats in the state house or the lower level of each state legislature. Altogether, in the 49 state houses, there are 5,413 state representatives.

The current breakdown of chamber control by party is as follows:

  • Democratic Party 16 chambers
  • Republican Party 33 chambers
See also: Partisan composition of state houses

Sessions

Current sessions capture for the week of July 6, 2015
See also: Dates of 2015 state legislative sessions
Click here to see a chart of each state's 2015 session information.

Regular sessions

Currently seven out of 50 state legislatures are meeting in regular session. Four states are in recess, 36 states have adjourned their 2015 legislative sessions and three states are in special session.

The following states are in regular session:[13]

In recess

As of today, July 6, there are four state legislatures currently in recess.[14]

Adjourned

The following states have adjourned their 2015 regular sessions:[15]

Special sessions

As of today, July 6, there are three state legislatures currently in special session.

2015 Legislative Elections

See also: State legislative elections, 2015

A total of seven of the 99 chambers will hold state legislative elections on November 3, 2015.

There are seven chambers in four states with elections in 2015:

The New Jersey Senate also typically holds elections in odd years, but all members were elected to four-year terms in 2013 and are not up for election again until 2017.

Of the 1,972 state senate seats in the country, 131 are up for up for election in November 2015, and 407 of the country's 5,411 state house seats are up for election. Altogether, 538 of the country's 7,383 state legislative seats are up for election on November 3, 2015.

Primary Information

The state legislative filing deadlines and primary dates are as follows:

Filing Deadlines

Primary Dates

Special Elections

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See also: State legislative special elections, 2015

There is one special election scheduled this week.

New Hampshire House of Representatives District Rockingham 20

See also: New Hampshire state legislative special elections, 2015

Rio Tilton (R) defeated Elaine Andrews-Ahearn (D) in the special election on July 7, 2015.[23][24]

The seat was vacant following Dennis B. Sweeney's (R) resignation on April 6, 2015.[25]

A special election for the position of New Hampshire House of Representatives District Rockingham 20 was called for July 7. The special election was originally scheduled for August 25, with a primary election on July 7, but since only one person from each party registered for the primary election, the special general election for this seat was held on July 7.[23] The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was May 15.[23]

New Hampshire House of Representatives, Rockingham 20, Special Election, 2015
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngRio Tilton 67.3% 772
     Democratic Elaine Andrews-Ahearn 32.7% 375
Total Votes 1,147
July 7 Special election candidates:
Democratic Party Elaine Andrews-Ahearn
Republican Party Rio Tilton

Recent election results

June 23, 2015

RunoffArrow.jpg Wisconsin State Senate District 33

See also: Wisconsin state legislative special elections, 2015

Sherryll Shaddock was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while Chris Kapenga defeated Brian Dorow and Mikael Langner in the Republican primary on June 23.[26][27] Kapenga defeated Shaddock in the special election on July 21.[28]

The seat was vacant following Paul Farrow's (R) resignation on July 17.[29]

A special election for the position of Wisconsin State Senate District 33 was called for July 21. A primary election took place on June 23. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was May 26.[30]

Wisconsin State Senate, District 33, Special Election, 2015
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngChris Kapenga 71.9% 7,191
     Democratic Sherryll Shaddock 28% 2,798
     Other Scattering 0.2% 18
Total Votes 10,007
Democratic Party June 23 Democratic primary candidates:
Republican Party June 23 Republican primary candidates:
July 21 special election candidates:
Democratic Party Sherryll Shaddock
Republican Party Chris Kapenga

Looking ahead

Upcoming special elections include:

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Associated Press, "Alabama state senator seeking help after DUI arrest," July 2, 2015
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  3. ↑ WBRC, "State Senator Cam Ward bonds out of jail, releases statement," July 2, 2015
  4. ↑ AL.com, "Alabaster police arrest state Sen. Cam Ward after receiving drunken-driver report," July 2, 2015
  5. ↑ WBMA, "UPDATE: Alabama Senator Cam Ward arrested on DUI charge in Alabaster," July 2, 2015
  6. ↑ WSFA, "Sen. Cam Ward calls his DUI 'incredibly reckless', promises to seek help," July 2, 2015
  7. ↑ Clanton Advertiser, "Sen. Cam Ward appearing on ‘The Daily Show,’" June 25, 2015
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 triblive.com, "Gov. Wolf vetoes bill to privatize Pennsylvania's liquor system," July 2, 2015
  9. ↑ triblive.com, "In historic vote, Legislature approves bill selling state liquor stores," June 30, 2015
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 post-gazette.com, "Wolf vetoes GOP liquor privatization bill for Pennsylvania," July 2, 2015
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 pennbusinessdaily.com, "Pennsylvania Senate passes historic liquor privatization bill," July 1, 2015
  12. ↑ wtae.com, "Wolf vetoes bills on liquor privatization, school funding," accessed July 6, 2015
  13. ↑ Stateside Associates, "Session Calendar 2015," accessed July 6, 2015
  14. ↑ StateNet, "Daily Session Summary," accessed July 6, 2015
  15. ↑ StateNet, "Daily Session Summary," accessed July 6, 2015
  16. ↑ Regular session adjourned on April 24
  17. ↑ Regular session began on June 4, 2015
  18. ↑ Regular session began on December 1, 2014
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Mississippi Secretary of State, "2015 Elections," accessed January 2, 2015
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Mississippi Secretary of State, "2015 Election Calendar," accessed January 2, 2015
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 New Jersey Department of Elections, "2015 Primary Election Timeline," accessed February 2, 2015
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Virginia State Board of Elections, "2015 November Election Calendar," accessed January 2, 2015
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 New Hampshire Secretary of State, "Candidate list for Rockingham County District No. 20," accessed May 18, 2015
  24. ↑ New Hampshire Secretary of State, "Special election results," accessed July 7, 2015
  25. ↑ seacoastonline.com, "No-show state Rep. Sweeney of Seabrook resigns," accessed April 10, 2015
  26. ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Candidates Registered by Office," accessed May 27, 2015
  27. ↑ jsonline.com, "Chris Kapenga wins special Senate primary in Waukesha County," accessed June 24, 2015
  28. ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Canvass Results for 2015 Special Election State Senate 33 - 7/21/2015," accessed August 6, 2015
  29. ↑ madison.com, "State Sen. Farrow announces July 17 resignation," accessed May 6, 2015
  30. ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "2015 Senate District 33 Special Election," accessed May 6, 2015
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