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The State and Local Tap: Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates participate in forum

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February 8, 2020Issue No. 193

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Week in review
On tap next week

THE WEEK IN REVIEW

Here's what happened in State and local politics last week.

State Politics: The Week in Review

Ballot Measures Update

2020:

  • Fifty-five statewide measures in 24 states have been certified for the 2020 ballot so far.
    • Eighteen of the 55 certified measures are citizen-initiated measures. Thirty-six are legislative referrals. One is an automatic constitutional revision commission question.
    • One measure was certified for the 2020 ballot last week.
      • A citizen initiative in California concerning local rent control qualified for the ballot on February 3. The measure would replace the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act and allow local governments to adopt rent control on housing units with certain exceptions.
    • Proponents of four additional ballot initiatives or veto referendums in Alaska, Maine, and Michigan submitted signatures, which are pending verification by state officials.
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Saturday, February 1

Kent elected DFL state Senate leader in Minnesota, becomes first female to hold the position

  • On February 1, 2020, the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) caucus of the Minnesota State Senate elected Susan Kent (D) to serve as the party’s minority leader for the upcoming legislative session. Kent won the post over fellow senator Tom Bakk (D). Kent will serve as the DFL’s first female leader in the state Senate.
  • In Minnesota, the minority leader acts as the spokesperson for the minority party’s policy positions and helps direct the minority party’s overall legislative agenda. The current party composition of the Minnesota State Senate is 35 Republicans and 32 Democrats.
  • The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party of Minnesota is an affiliate of the national Democratic Party. It traces its roots in the state to the 1920s when the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party ran candidates on a platform of agrarian reform, the public ownership of railroads and a series of protections for farmers and union workers. The Farmer-Labor Party united with the Minnesota Democratic Party in 1944.

Monday, February 3

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates hold forum ahead of Feb. 18 primary

  • Three candidates running for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court met for a forum Monday. Incumbent Daniel Kelly and challengers Ed Fallone and Jill Karofsky discussed their judicial philosophies at the University of Wisconsin-Stout.
  • The forum is one of several that have been held so far this year. The three attended a Jan. 30 candidate forum hosted by the Milwaukee Bar Association on Jan. 30. Kelly and Fallone appeared at a forum in Green Bay on Jan. 27, while Fallone and Karofsky met in Green Bay on Feb. 1.
  • Kelly, a member of the court’s conservative majority, was appointed to fill a vacancy in 2016 by then-Gov. Scott Walker (R). Both Fallone and Karofsky have indicated that they would join the liberal minority, reducing the size of the conservative majority to 4-3.
  • A victory for Fallone or Karofksy would mean that the next regularly scheduled election, in 2023, will determine control of the court. A Kelly win would preserve the existing ideological balance and prevent liberals from gaining a majority until 2026 at the earliest, assuming no justices leave the bench before their terms expire.
  • Recent Wisconsin Supreme Court elections have been decided by narrow margins. In the past decade, three out of seven Wisconsin Supreme Court elections were decided by margins of 5 percentage points or less. Most recently, conservative Brian Hagedorn defeated liberal Lisa Neubauer by a margin of 0.5 percentage points in the 2019 election.
  • The nonpartisan supreme court primary will be held Feb. 18. The top two finishers in that race will advance to the April 7 general election. The winner of that election will serve a ten-year term.

Hettleman sworn in as Maryland state Senator

  • On January 31, 2020, Governor Larry Hogan (R) appointed Shelly Hettleman (D) to fill the vacant District 11 seat in the Maryland Senate. Hettleman assumed office on February 3, 2020. Her current term will end in 2022.
  • Hettleman’s appointment came after former senator Robert Zirkin (D) resigned on January 2, 2020, to focus on his law practice and a new business venture. Zirkin served in the Maryland Senate for 12 years.
  • Before Hettleman was appointed to the state Senate she served in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2015 to 2020. During her time in the state House, Hettleman served as the vice-chair of the Education and Economic Development subcommittee and the House chair of the Joint Audit and Evaluation Committee.
  • The Maryland Senate has no remaining vacancies. The only current vacancy in the Maryland General Assembly is the vacancy created by Hettleman’s resignation. Vacant Maryland General Assembly seats are filled by gubernatorial appointment.

Tuesday, February 4

Woodrow appointed to Colorado House of Representatives

  • On February 4, 2020, Steven Woodrow (D) was appointed to fill the vacant District 6 seat in the Colorado House of Representatives. Vacancies in either chamber of the Colorado General Assembly are filled by a committee of members of the political party that last held the seat.
  • Woodrow’s appointment came after former Colorado representative Chris Hansen (D) resigned on January 21, 2020. Hansen resigned from the state House of Representatives to accept an appointment to the state Senate. Woodrow will complete the remainder of Hansen’s term, which runs until January 2021. All 65 Colorado House seats are up for election in 2020.
  • The Colorado House has one remaining vacancy, created by Susan Beckman’s (R) resignation to join President Trump’s (R) administration as regional director for the federal Department of Health and Human Services.

Alaska governor nominates state revenue commissioner

  • On February 4, 2020, Lucinda Mahoney was appointed commissioner of Alaska's Department of Revenue by Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R). She was appointed to replace former Commissioner Bruce Tangeman, who resigned his post in November of last year over differences with the governor.
  • "Alaska is fortunate to have all the key pieces in place to solve our fiscal situation. We have a tremendous future as long as we are able to remedy our fiscal situation through a sustainable fiscal plan," Tangeman stated in his letter of resignation. "The message you campaigned on and continue to stress was based on a math equation that would lead us toward fiscal responsibility. It has become apparent that the appetite by many for the level of budget reductions required to balance this math equation will be difficult to realize." Tangeman commended Governor Dunleavy on the challenges he has undertaken in the state and said he believes that the governor has the best of intentions for Alaska's future.
  • In her role as commissioner, Mahoney is responsible for providing general supervision and directing the activities of the Department of Revenue. Her professional experience includes working as a business consulting company owner, as well as working for the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation and ARCO.
  • Alaska's Department of Revenue enforces the tax laws of the state, registers cattle brands, manages the power development fund, and collects, invests and manages revenue.

Georgia state Senate special election advances to runoff

  • Carden Summers (R) and Jim Quinn (R) were the top two finishers in the special election to fill the Georgia Senate District 13 seat left vacant by former Senator Greg Kirk (R). Kirk passed away on December 22, 2019, and had represented District 13 since 2015. The winner of the runoff will serve out the remainder of Senator Kirk's term, which ends January 10, 2021. Members of the Georgia state Senate serve two-year terms.
  • Summers finished first with 43% of the vote and Quinn was second with 42%. Because no candidate received a majority of the vote, both candidates will meet in a runoff election March 3. Mary Egler (D) finished third in the special election, receiving 15% of the vote.
  • As of February 2020, 28 state legislative special elections have been scheduled for 2020 in 13 states. Between 2011 and 2019, an average of 77 special elections took place each year.
  • Georgia was one of 21 Republican state government trifectas at the start of the 2020 legislative session. A state government trifecta occurs when one political party holds the governor's office, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state House.

Friday, February 7

Filing period for state executive and legislative offices ends in Indiana

  • The major-party filing deadline to run for elected office in Indiana was on February 7, 2020. The filing deadline for independent and minor party candidates is June 30. In Indiana, prospective candidates could file for the following offices:
  • Incumbent Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) faces a primary challenge from Brian Roth (R), while Woody Myers (D) and Bill Levin (L) are uncontested for their parties’ gubernatorial nominations. In the attorney general race, Karen Tallian (D) and Jonathan Weinzapfel (D) are seeking the Democratic nomination. Incumbent Curtis Hill (R) faces Adam Krupp (R) and John Westercamp (R). Hill is currently awaiting results from a disciplinary review conducted by the Indiana Supreme Court following allegations that he had inappropriately touched a lawmaker and three staff members at a party. Candidates for Indiana attorney general are selected at state party conventions rather than in a primary.
  • The primary is scheduled for May 5, and the general election is scheduled for November 3, 2020.
  • Indiana’s statewide filing deadline was the 12th to take place in the 2020 election cycle. The next statewide filing deadline is on February 18 in Pennsylvania.
  • Indiana has a Republican state government trifecta. A trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governor’s office and majorities in both state legislative chambers.

Special Elections

  • So far this year, 28 state legislative special elections have been scheduled in 13 states. Special elections have been held for six seats so far; heading into those races, Democrats had previously controlled two of the seats while Republicans previously controlled six.
    • In special elections between 2011 and 2019, one party (either Republicans or Democrats) saw an average net gain of four seats nationally each year.
    • An average of 55 seats were filled through special elections in each of the past five even years (2010: 26, 2012: 45, 2014: 40, 2016: 65, 2018: 99).
    • An average of 88 seats were filled through special elections in each of the past five odd years (2011: 94, 2013: 84, 2015: 88, 2017: 98, 2019: 77).

Upcoming special elections include:

February 11

February 25

March 3

Local Politics: The Week in Review

  • In 2020, Ballotpedia is providing comprehensive coverage of elections in America's 100 largest cities by population. This encompasses every office on the ballot in these cities, including their municipal elections, trial court elections, school board elections, and local ballot measures. Ballotpedia is also covering all local recall elections as well as all local ballot measures in California.
    • 2020
      • February 11 - Nebraska: Voters in Lincoln Public Schools in Nebraska will decide a $290 million bond issue.
      • March 3 - California: Local voters in California will decide about 300 local ballot measures on the ballot in different jurisdictions across 48 different counties.
        • Measures include a Los Angeles county citizen initiative—Measure R—that would authorize the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission to develop a Comprehensive Public Safety Reinvestment Plan designed to reduce jail population and incarceration and granting the commission subpoena power to investigate complaints.
        • San Diego County voters will also decide two measures concerning land use and development.
        • San Francisco voters will decide five measures, including Proposition E, a citizen initiative that would limit city office development based on progress on annual housing goals.
      • March 3 - Oklahoma: Voters in Oklahoma City will decide a citizen initiative that would levy an additional 0.125% sales tax to fund city parks, thereby increasing the total sales tax rate in the city from 8.625% to 8.75%.
      • March 10 - Arizona: Voters in Chandler will decide a charter amendment to make the city’s charter compatible with state law governing local election dates.
      • March 17 - Ohio: Voters in Cleveland will decide three charter amendments concerning election procedures, city council salaries, and city council meetings. Voters in the Columbus State Community College will decide a $300 million bond issue.

Tuesday, February 4

Former Obama administration official files to run for New York City mayor in 2021

  • Former Obama administration official Shaun Donovan filed to run for mayor of New York City in 2021. Donovan was secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and director of the Office of Management and Budget during the administration of President Barack Obama (D). He previously served in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development during the Clinton administration and New York City's Housing Commissioner.
  • Loree Sutton, who previously served in the office of incumbent Bill de Blasio (D), announced in 2019 she would run for mayor. Several current elected officials, such as Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams (D), New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson (D), and New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer (D) have established fundraising committees for a potential run. De Blasio is prevented by term limits from running for a third term in 2021.
  • New York City voters approved an amendment to the city charter in 2019 establishing ranked-choice voting for primary and special elections beginning in 2021. The 2021 mayoral primary will be the first regularly scheduled election in the city conducted using this method. Voters will be able to rank five candidates, including a write-in candidate, in order of preference.
WHAT'S ON TAP NEXT WEEK

Here's what is happening in State and local politics this week.

State Politics: What's On Tap Next Week

States in session

Forty-one states—Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin—are in regular session.

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The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022.

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