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The Tap: Tuesday, August 2, 2016

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

Review of the day

The excerpts below were compiled from issue #28 of The Tap, which was published on August 6, 2016. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

Federal

  • U.S. Rep. Richard Hanna (R-N.Y.) became the first member of Congress to publicly declare that he will cross party lines and vote for Hillary Clinton in November. He wrote in an op-ed, "In his latest foray of insults, Mr. Trump has attacked the parents of a slain U.S. soldier. Where do we draw the line? I thought it would have been when he alleged that U.S. Sen. John McCain was not a war hero because he was caught. Or the countless other insults he's proudly lobbed from behind the Republican presidential podium. For me, it is not enough to simply denounce his comments: He is unfit to serve our party and cannot lead this country." Hanna previously announced in December that he was retiring after serving three terms in the House.
  • Clinton’s campaign and joint fundraising operation with national and state Democratic parties together raised nearly $90 million in July. “The campaign [in] began August with more than $58 million on hand, with the average July donation coming in at $44 and 54 percent of the last month's contributions coming from new donors,” Politico noted.
  • President Barack Obama called Donald Trump “unfit to serve as president.” He continued, “He keeps on proving it. … The notion that he would attack a Gold Star family that made such extraordinary sacrifices on behalf of our country, the fact that he doesn't appear to have basic knowledge of critical issues in Europe, the Middle East, in Asia, means that he's woefully unprepared to do this job.” Obama then criticized Republican leaders for not withdrawing their support for Trump. He said, “What does this say about your party that this is your standard-bearer? This isn't a situation where you have an episodic gaffe. This is daily and weekly where they are distancing themselves from statements he's making. There has to be a point at which you say, 'This is not somebody I can support for president of the United States, even if he purports to be a member of my party.’”
    • Trump responded to the criticism in a statement, saying, "Hillary Clinton has proven herself unfit to serve in any government office. Obama-Clinton have single-handedly destabilized the Middle East, handed Iraq, Libya and Syria to ISIS, and allowed our personnel to be slaughtered at Benghazi." In an interview, Trump continued his criticism, saying, "He's [Obama’s] a terrible president. He'll probably go down as the worst president in the history of our country. He's been a total disaster."
  • Donald Trump declined to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) in his primary election. He said, “I like Paul, but these are horrible times for our country. We need very strong leadership. We need very, very strong leadership. And I’m just not quite there yet. I’m not quite there yet.” According to The Washington Post, “Trump also said he was not supporting Sen. John McCain in his primary in Arizona, and he singled out Sen. Kelly Ayotte as a weak and disloyal leader in New Hampshire, a state whose presidential primary Trump won handily.”
  • NBC News reported that Hillary Clinton and groups supporting her have planned to spend nearly $97 million more on TV ads than Donald Trump and groups supporting his candidacy. According to NBC News, “Clinton's campaign and pro-Clinton group Priorities USA Action have reserved a combined $98 million through the fall so far, while pro-Trump PAC Rebuilding America Now has just about $817,000 set to air at this time. Through last week, Team Clinton had aired a total of $68 million in ads, while Team Trump had spent roughly $6 million - mostly from Rebuilding America Now and the NRA Political Victory Fund.”
  • Maria Comella, a former top aide to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, said that she plans to vote for Hillary Clinton during an interview. She explained, "Donald Trump has been a demagogue this whole time, preying on people's anxieties with loose information and salacious rhetoric, drumming up fear and hatred of the 'other.’ Instead of trying anything remotely like unifying the country, we have a nominee who would rather pick fights because he views it as positive news coverage. It may make him media savvy, but it doesn't make him qualified or ready to be president."
  • Donald Trump said that he would defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) by bombing them. He said, "We have no choice but to bomb them. They have taken over Libya. That was another one of Hillary Clinton's duties — they have taken over Libya. No good. We have to bomb them. … I would do what you have to do to get rid of ISIS. It's a horrific problem. ... We should have never been there in the first place. I was opposed to going into Iraq.”
  • Kansas held congressional primaries.
    • In Kansas’ 1st Congressional District, Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R) became the fourth member of Congress to lose a primary in 2016. Huelskamp was defeated by physician Roger Marshall by a significant margin of 13 percent. In a reversal of the usual narrative, Huelskamp, the incumbent, was supported by the more conservative, anti-establishment wing of the Republican Party, while the challenger, Marshall, received the backing of groups normally associated with establishment Republicans. The district is rated safely Republican in November.
    • The U.S. Senate seat held by Jerry Moran is up for election in 2016. Moran defeated D.J. Smith in the Republican primary, while Patrick Wiesner defeated Monique Singh to win the Democratic nomination. The race is rated safely Republican in the general election.
    • Kansas has four U.S. House districts. The Republican Party currently holds all four seats. Each House seat is rated safely Republican in the general election.
  • Missouri held congressional primaries.
    • The U.S. Senate seat held by Roy Blunt is up for election in 2016. Blunt easily defeated three challengers in the Republican primary, while Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander defeated three other Democratic challengers to win the nomination. The race is rated as a race to watch in the general election.
    • Missouri has eight U.S. House districts. The Republican Party currently holds six seats to the Democratic Party’s two. All eight incumbents are seeking re-election, and each faced and defeated at least one primary challenger on Tuesday. Each House seat is rated safe for the party that currently holds it.
  • Washington held congressional primaries.
    • Washington uses a top-two primary system. All candidates compete together in the same primary regardless of party affiliation. The two candidates who receive the most votes then advance to the general election. Washington also votes exclusively by mail. As a result, the second-place finisher in the majority of U.S. House races has not been called yet.
    • The U.S. Senate seat held by Patty Murray (D) is up for election in 2016. Murray and Chris Vance (R) took the top two spots in the primary, defeating 15 other candidates. The race is rated safely Democratic in November.
    • Washington has 10 U.S. House districts. The Democratic Party currently holds six seats to the Republican Party’s four. Nine of the state’s 10 incumbents are seeking re-election, and each incumbent took the top spot in his or her district’s primary.
    • District 7 incumbent Jim McDermott (D) is the only incumbent not seeking re-election in 2016. Pramila Jayapal (D) took the top spot in the race and will face another Democrat in November, although the second place slot has not been called yet. Brady Walkinshaw currently leads Joe McDermott by 0.4 percent of the vote.
    • There are no battlegrounds in Washington. Each district is rated safe for the party currently in control of the seat.
  • President Barack Obama and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong met at the White House to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the United States and Singapore. Obama said that they shared a “common vision of a peaceful and prosperous Asia-Pacific and a more secure world.” In a press conference, Obama and Lee discussed the importance of ratifying the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. Lee said, “Singapore fervently hopes that the U.S. will stay engaged and maintain its indispensable role in the Asia-Pacific. In particular, we hope, and I’m sure the president shares this hope, that Congress will ratify the TPP soon.” Despite a lack of support for TPP in Congress, Obama said that his administration will continue efforts to convince legislators to approve the trade deal. Obama also addressed the anti-TPP rhetoric of presidential nominees Hillary Clinton (D) and Donald Trump (R). He said, “They are coming from a sincere concern about the position of workers and wages in this country. But I think I’ve got the better argument, and I have the evidence to support it. And hopefully after the election is over and the dust settles, there will be more attention to the actual facts behind the deal, and it won’t just be a political symbol or political football.”
  • Donald Trump shuffled his North Carolina campaign team, appointing Jason Simmons as state director in place of Earl Philip. According to Politico, Philip “just had a difficulty relating to the grassroots activists and did not share a lot of information.” Simmons previously worked for North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory and was on the North Carolina staff for Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign.
  • Aetna, one of the five major nationwide health insurance companies, announced that it would not be expanding its business on the Affordable Care Act health insurance exchanges in 2017 as originally planned. The company also stated that it would be re-evaluating its current presence on the exchanges. The announcement came as the health insurer revealed that it expected a $300 million loss on the exchanges for 2016. Aetna is the fifth national insurer to announce an expected loss for this plan year. UnitedHealth and Humana have both said they will withdraw from most ACA markets next year, while Anthem will be similarly re-examining its presence on the exchanges. Cigna expects a small loss this year, but maintains plans to expand its exchange health plans in 2017.

To learn more about health insurance exchanges, see this article.

  • At least 15 states and a dozen energy groups filed legal challenges against the Obama administration for its rule limiting methane emissions from the oil and gas industry. West Virginia and agencies representing 12 other states filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), arguing that the emissions limits would place additional costs on oil and gas developers, which would effectively raise consumer costs. Texas and North Dakota filed their own lawsuits. Furthermore, the states argued that the EPA went beyond its statutory authority under the Clean Air Act when the agency wrote the rule. West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, who is leading the lawsuit, argued that the EPA has ignored how the oil and gas industry has voluntarily reduced its methane emissions in the past decade. In addition to West Virginia, the lawsuit was joined by Alabama, Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Wisconsin as well as the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. The EPA expects this new rule to cut methane emissions by between 6.9 million tons and 11 million tons by 2025. The new methane rules will cover around 15,000 wells across the United States and will require oil and gas producers to limit emissions from wells, pumps, and compressors as well as along the routes used to transport oil and natural gas.

Emissions map.png

State

  • The director of the Missouri State Public Defender System exercised his power to delegate cases to private attorneys and ordered Governor Jay Nixon (D) to defend a criminal case in Cole County. Missouri's public defense system ranks 49th in the nation in funding, according to a 2009 study co-authored by the Spangenberg Group and the Center for Justice, Law and Society at George Mason University.
    • The previous month, the office had filed a petition alleging that the governor had unconstitutionally withheld $3.5 million of a $4.5 million appropriation made to the public defender system by the state legislature in the 2016-2017 fiscal budget, an occurrence that also took place in previous years, according to Barrett. A spokesman for Nixon asserted that all budget restrictions to the office were eventually released and that the public defender system had received a 9 percent budget increase since 2009; his office has yet to comment on his appointment to defend a criminal case. Peter Joy, director of the Criminal Justice Clinic at Washington University in St. Louis, stated that actions to appoint private attorneys to serve as public defenders in other states have been challenged in court; it is possible the governor could refuse to "represent someone unless there was a court order, ordering him to do so.” Missouri currently has a divided government; Nixon is term-limited and ineligible for re-election in 2016.
  • Justice Steven Taylor of the Oklahoma Supreme Court announced that he would retire on December 31, 2016. While previously serving as a district judge, Taylor presided over the state trial of Oklahoma City bomber and co-conspirator Terry Nichols. His current term would have expired in January 2017. Under Oklahoma’s merit selection appointment process, Gov. Mary Fallin (R) will appoint a successor from a list prepared by the state’s judicial nominating commission. This will be Gov. Fallin’s first appointment to the high court. Judges in Oklahoma are all appointed by this process and subsequently stand for retention by voters to six-year terms. The court’s balance currently stands at 8-1 in favor of Democrat-appointed justices.

ELECTION NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS: Moderate Republicans collect wins in Kansas legislative primary; Greitens wins Missouri’s Republican gubernatorial primary; Democrats lose Washington treasurer office for first time in 60 years.

  • Primary election: Kansas
    • State legislature: There are 40 state Senate seats and 125 state House seats up for election. Thirty-nine incumbents—four Democrats and 35 Republicans—faced primary competition. Republicans hold significant majorities in both chambers.
      • Six incumbents were defeated in the state Senate, while nine incumbents were defeated in the state House. Outside of the one incumbent Democrat defeated in the House, moderate Republicans defeated 14 conservative Republican incumbents. Moderate candidates ran against the conservative policies of Gov. Sam Brownback (R). Before the 2016 primary, moderate Republicans had been losing ground in the state legislature since Gov. Brownback (R) was elected in 2010. After the 2012 election, the moderate Republican-controlled state legislature shifted to a more conservative one.
      • Kansas is one of 23 Republican state government trifectas.
  • Primary election: Michigan
    • State legislature: All 110 state House seats are up for election. Republicans hold a 16-seat majority in the chamber. Twenty-three incumbents, 14 Democrats and nine Republicans, faced primary competition. All 23 incumbents advanced past the primary. Eleven Democrats and 27 Republicans were ineligible to run due to term limits. Michigan has 100 percent of its legislative districts featuring two major party candidates in the general election. The national average sits at just around 60 percent of seats with general election competition. Since 2010, Michigan is the only state to achieve 100 percent general election competition, and it did so in 2014 as well. The House is included in Ballotpedia’s list of top battlegrounds in 2016. There are no Senate seats up for election in 2016.
    • Missouri currently has a divided government: if Democrats lose control of the governorship, Republicans may gain trifecta control of the state. The gubernatorial race is currently rated as a Toss-up.
    • State legislature: There are 17 state Senate seats and 163 state House seats up for election. Twenty-one incumbents—seven Democrats and 14 Republicans—faced primary competition. Representatives Nick King (R-17), Bonnaye Mims (D-27), and Sheila Solon (R-31) were defeated by primary opponents. Both chambers are held by strong GOP majorities.

Special elections

Local

  • Bill Bratton, New York City police commissioner, announced he would retire in mid-September to take a job in the private sector. Bratton was appointed to his post in January 2014 and served in the same position previously from 1994 to 1996. He notably stood by Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) when some members of the law enforcement community criticized the mayor's remarks following the death of Eric Garner during an attempted arrest. Bratton’s successor will be James O'Neill, a 33-year veteran of the police department. New York City is the largest city in the United States by population.
  • Portland Mayor Charlie Hales (D) announced a change to the city’s homeless sleeping policy. The original guideline implemented by the mayor had allowed tent camping or sleeping on sidewalks in groups of six or fewer between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m., though problems arose because people often did not move along outside of those hours. Announcing the change, he encouraged police to now break up “disruptive” groups that assemble on public property. Portland is the 29th-largest city in the United States by population and the largest in Oregon.
  • Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, and Washington held primary elections for local judicial offices.
    • Kansas: Partisan primary elections were held for nine district court judgeships and 10 district magistrate judgeships in 14 of 31 Kansas District Court judicial districts. The candidate with the most votes from each major party (Democratic or Republican) in the primary will represent that party in the general election on November 8, 2016. Judges in partisan districts serve four-year terms and run for re-election at the end of their terms. In the remaining 17 districts of the Kansas District Courts, judges are politically appointed. These judges stand for retention after their first year in office and serve four-year terms if retained.
    • Michigan: Nonpartisan primary elections were held for 13 circuit court judgeships, two probate court judgeships, and eight district court judgeships across the state. The two candidates who received the greatest number of votes in the primary election advanced to the general election on November 8, 2016. All judges in Michigan are elected to six-year terms.
    • Missouri: Partisan primary elections were held for seven circuit court and associate circuit court judgeships across the state. The winner of each primary election will represent that party in the general election on November 8, 2016. An additional 11 circuit court judgeships were unopposed and did not appear on the ballot in the primary election. The 141 judges of the Missouri Circuit Courts are elected to six-year terms—except in the cities of Springfield, St. Louis, and Kansas City, where the circuit court judges are appointed by the governor and a judicial selection commission.
    • Washington: Nonpartisan primary elections were held for six superior court seats. None of the primary elections featured incumbents. Primaries were held only if more than two candidates filed for a position. The two candidates who received the greatest number of votes in the primary advanced to the general election on November 8, 2016. If a candidate won over 50 percent of the vote in the primary, he or she will run unopposed in the general election. Superior court judges serve four-year terms.

Preview of the day

The excerpts below were compiled from issue #27 of The Tap, which was published on July 30, 2016. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

Federal

  • Kansas will hold congressional primaries.
    • The U.S. Senate seat held by Jerry Moran is up for election in 2016. Moran will face D.J. Smith in the Republican primary, while Monique Singh and Patrick Wiesner will compete for the Democratic nomination. The race is rated safely Republican.
    • Kansas has four U.S. House districts. The Republican Party currently holds all four seats. All four incumbents are seeking re-election, and two will face a primary challenger. Each House seat is rated safely Republican in the general election.
  • Michigan will hold congressional primaries.
  • Missouri will hold congressional primaries.
    • The U.S. Senate seat held by Roy Blunt is up for election in 2016. Blunt will face three challengers in the Republican primary, while four Democrats will compete for their party’s nomination. The race is rated safely Republican in the general election.
    • Missouri has eight U.S. House districts. The Republican Party currently holds six seats to the Democratic Party’s two. All eight incumbents are seeking re-election, and each will face at least one primary challenger. Each House seat is rated safe for the party that currently holds it.
  • Washington will hold congressional primaries.
    • Washington uses a top-two primary system. All candidates compete together in the same primary regardless of party affiliation. The two candidates who receive the most votes then advance to the general election.
    • The U.S. Senate seat held by Patty Murray is up for election in 2016. Murray will face 16 challengers in the primary. The race is rated safely Democratic.
    • Washington has 10 U.S. House districts. The Democratic Party currently holds six seats to the Republican Party’s four. Nine of the state’s 10 incumbents are seeking re-election, and due to the top-two primary system, all incumbents will face several primary opponents. District 7 incumbent Jim McDermott (D) is the only incumbent not seeking re-election in 2016.
    • There are no battlegrounds in Washington. Each district is rated safe for the party currently in control of the seat.

State

ELECTION NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS: Missouri decides a close gubernatorial primary; Legislative battleground primaries take place in Washington and Michigan; Chief justice of the Washington Supreme Court faces primary challengers

  • Primary election: Kansas
    • State legislature: There are 40 state Senate seats and 125 state House seats up for election. Thirty-nine incumbents—four Democrats and 35 Republicans—are facing primary competition. Kansas legislative elections in 2012 proved to be a unique occurrence when moderate Republicans were targeted by more conservative ones. The result was 19 Republican incumbents being defeated in the 2012 primary. Those tensions seemed to cool off when, in 2014, just two incumbents were defeated in the primary. Republicans hold significant majorities in both chambers. With Republican Sam Brownback as the state’s governor, Kansas is one of 23 Republican state government trifectas.
  • Primary election: Missouri
    • State legislature: There are 17 state Senate seats and 163 state House seats up for election. Twenty-one incumbents—seven Democrats and 14 Republicans—are facing primary competition. Both chambers are held by strong GOP majorities. Missouri’s governor, Jay Nixon, is a Democrat, making the state one of 20 states with split government control.
    • State executives: Five state executive offices are up for election, five of which are open races and four of which are held by Democrats. Incumbent Governor Jay Nixon (D) is term-limited and ineligible for re-election. Four candidates are competing for the Democratic nomination for governor, including incumbent Attorney General Chris Koster (D), who has a seven-figure fundraising lead over his opponents and is expected to win the Democratic nomination. Polling suggests a close race between the four candidates competing for the Republican nomination, including incumbent Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder (R). The general election is currently rated as a Toss-up.
  • One of the two Republican candidates for attorney general, Kurt Schaefer, is currently under investigation by the Missouri Ethics Commission for allegedly attempting to impede the ability of his opponent, Josh Hawley, to run for the office. Two Democrats are also competing for their party's nomination. The open seat for lieutenant governor has also attracted several prominent candidates. Secretary of State Jason Kander (D) is running for the U.S. Senate, and both parties will see competitive primary elections for the office; incumbent treasurer Clint Zweifel (D) is term-limited. Missouri currently has a divided government, but at stake in 2016 is a potential trifecta gain for Republicans. The party holds significant majorities in both chambers of the legislature; the election of Governor Nixon in 2008 ended a four-year Republican trifecta.
  • Primary election: Washington
    • State legislature: There are 26 state Senate seats and 98 state House seats up for election. Thirty-two incumbents, evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, are facing primary competition. Washington uses a top-two primary system where all candidates face off in the primary election regardless of party affiliation. The two candidates with the most votes in the primary move on to the general election. Republicans have a one-seat majority in the Senate, while Democrats maintain a two-seat majority in the House. Washington has two of the most contested chambers in Ballotpedia’s list of top battlegrounds in 2016.
    • State judiciary: Three seats on the Washington State Supreme Court and six seats on the Washington Court of Appeals are up for election on November 8, with a primary on August 2. Only seats with more than two candidates will appear on the primary ballot. Chief Justice Barbara Madsen faces two challengers for her seat, and because there are three candidates, this seat will appear on the August 2 ballot. The top two finishers will advance to the November 8 general election. Her challengers are Kittitas County prosecutor Greg Zempel and disbarred attorney John Scannell. Scannell has run before; by law, he cannot serve on the court because he has been disbarred, but there is no law to stop him from placing his name on the ballot.
    • The remaining two seats on the state supreme court have only two candidates apiece and will therefore skip the primary and appear only on the November 8 ballot. In five out of the six court of appeals seats up for election, the incumbent judges are unopposed, and in the sixth, the incumbent has only one challenger. All six of these races will also skip the primary for the November 8 general election.
    • Each of the three incumbent supreme court justices has at least one challenger for the first time since the 1990s. At least one justice in every election typically runs unopposed. State Representative Matt Manweller (R) said he and other lawmakers have actively recruited candidates to challenge the incumbent supreme court justices this year, partly in response to the court’s decisions in the ongoing McCleary school funding case in which the supreme court held the state government in contempt and fined it $100,000 per day until the state complies with the court’s orders. Manweller says he hopes the challengers for their seats will “at a minimum” cause the justices to “pause and reflect.”
  • State executives: Nine state executive offices are up for election, including competitive races for lieutenant governor, secretary of state, auditor, and commissioner of public lands. Six-term incumbent Lt. Gov. Brad Owen (D) is not seeking a seventh term, leaving the office with an open election for only the third time in over 50 years. Secretary of State Kim Wyman, the sole Republican to hold statewide office, is defending her seat against challenger Tina Podlodowski (D), who has earned many key endorsements and leads Wyman in fundraising. Former Attorney General Rob McKenna (R) warned in an April 2016 GOP fundraising letter supporting her re-election that Wyman was in the "crosshairs" of "liberal national groups," a claim Fact Check by Ballotpedia later found to be false.
    • The race for auditor is also open, as incumbent Troy Kelley (D) declined to seek re-election following his indictment on 15 charges including perjury and possession of stolen property. In April 2016, a jury acquitted Kelley of the perjury charge and hung on the other 14; federal prosecutors plan to re-try the case next year. This is only the fourth open race for auditor since 1932; Kelley was elected in 2012's open race by just over 5 percent. Given Kelley's ongoing legal troubles, the 2016 election may be the Republican Party's best chance in decades to regain control of the office. State Sen. Mark Miloscia, a 15-year veteran state legislator, was the sole Republican to file for the office. Two Democrats and two independent candidates are also vying for the seat.
    • Seven candidates are competing for the open seat of commissioner of public lands, which controls a $1.6 billion annual revenue stream for the state. Incumbent Governor Jay Inslee (D) is also seeking re-election in a race rated Likely Democratic. The offices of insurance commissioner, superintendent of public instruction, attorney general, and treasurer are also up for election. Washington currently has a divided government.
  • Primary election: Michigan
    • State legislature: All 110 state House seats up for election. Republicans hold a 16-seat majority in the chamber. Twenty-three incumbents, 14 Democrats and nine Republicans, are facing primary competition. Eleven Democrats and 27 Republicans were ineligible to run due to term limits. Once again, Michigan has 100 percent of its legislative districts featuring two major party candidates in the general election. The national average sits at around just 60 percent of seats with general election competition. Michigan’s House is included in Ballotpedia’s list of top battlegrounds in 2016. There are no Senate seats up for election in 2016.

Special elections

Local

  • Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, and Washington will hold primary elections for local judicial offices.
    • Kansas: Partisan primary elections will be held for nine district court judgeships and 10 district magistrate judgeships in 14 of 31 Kansas District Court judicial districts. The candidate with the most votes from each party (Democratic or Republican) in the primary will represent that party in the general election on November 8, 2016. Judges in partisan districts serve four-year terms and run for re-election at the end of their terms. In the remaining 17 districts of the Kansas District Courts, judges are politically appointed. These judges stand for retention after their first year in office and serve four-year terms if retained.
    • Michigan: Nonpartisan primary elections will be held for 13 circuit court judgeships, two probate court judgeships, and eight district court judgeships across the state. The two candidates who receive the greatest number of votes in the primary election will advance to the general election on November 8, 2016. All judges in Michigan are elected to six-year terms.
    • Missouri: Partisan primary elections will be held for seven circuit court and associate circuit court judgeships across the state. The winner of each primary election will represent that party in the general election on November 8, 2016. An additional 11 circuit court judgeships are unopposed and will not appear on the ballot in the primary election. The 141 judges of the Missouri Circuit Courts are elected to six-year terms—except in the cities of Springfield, St. Louis, and Kansas City, where the circuit court judges are appointed by the governor and a judicial selection commission.
    • Washington: Nonpartisan primary elections will be held for six superior court seats. None of the primary elections feature incumbents. Primaries are held only if more than two candidates file for a position. The two candidates who receive the greatest number of votes in the primary will advance to the general election on November 8, 2016. If a candidate wins over 50 percent of the vote in the primary, he or she will run unopposed in the general election. Superior court judges serve four-year terms.



The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022.
March: 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
April: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30
May: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
June: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30
July: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
August: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
September: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30
October: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7• 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
November: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30
December: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 31
January: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
February: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17
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