The Tap: Tuesday, June 28, 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 #23 of The Tap, which was published on July 2, 2016. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

Federal

• The House Select Committee on Benghazi released its final 800-page report on the investigation into the 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, that resulted in the death of four Americans. The report concluded that President Barack Obama, then-Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, among others, failed to provide proper military support and protection to the Americans serving in Benghazi.
  • The report also criticized “both Clinton’s use of a private email account and what it called the administration’s ‘shameful’ stonewalling of the investigation,” according to Politico. The report stated, “What may appear at first blush to be a lack of competence on behalf of the State Department now appears fully intentional and coordinated. Delaying the production of documents sought by letter, informal request or subpoena has decided political advantages for those opposing the investigation.”
  • Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon released the following statement condemning the report: "The Republicans on the House Benghazi Committee are finishing their work in the same, partisan way that we've seen from them since the beginning. In refusing to issue its report on a bipartisan basis, the Committee is breaking from the precedent set by other Congressional inquiries into the Benghazi attacks. … After more than two years and more than $7 million in taxpayer funds, the Committee report has not found anything to contradict the conclusions of the multiple, earlier investigations.”

• In a prepared speech on American economic independence, Donald Trump discussed how he would change America’s “failed trade policy” by rejecting the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, appointing the best trade negotiators, renegotiating and potentially withdrawing from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and labeling China a currency manipulator. Trump warned his supporters that “Hillary Clinton, and her campaign of fear, will try to spread the lie that these actions will start a trade war. She has it completely backwards. Hillary Clinton unleashed a trade war against the American worker when she supported one terrible trade deal after another – from NAFTA to China to South Korea. A Trump Administration will end that war by getting a fair deal for the American people. The era of economic surrender will finally be over. A new era of prosperity will finally begin. America will be independent once more.”

• NBC News reported that Hillary Clinton and pro-Clinton groups have outspent Donald Trump and pro-Trump groups on battleground ads this month, $26 million to $0. The pro-Clinton ad reservations were made in eight states: Colorado, Florida, Iowa, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, and Virginia. Trump's main super PAC, Rebuilding America Now, did spend $1.2 million on advertising, but those ad buys were for national cable broadcasting.

• The Trump campaign announced three staff hires:
  • Jason Miller joined the campaign as a senior communications advisor. Miller previously worked as a communications advisor for Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign; he also spent time on Rudy Giuliani’s 2008 presidential campaign as well on the Senate campaigns of Tom Coburn (2004), Mel Martinez (2006), George Allen (2006), and Mark Sanford (2013). According to Bloomberg, Miller will "take the lead role over the Trump campaign’s message and interactions with the news media," duties that were formerly performed solely by Trump’s press secretary, Hope Hicks.
  • Michael Abboud, who previously worked in the communications department for the Republican National Committee, joined the campaign as a communications coordinator. Abboud will be in charge of daily messaging and rapid response.
  • Alan Cobb, who has been with the campaign since before Trump announced his candidacy, was promoted to director of coalitions. Cobb previously worked as the deputy state director in Kansas for Bob Dole’s 1996 presidential campaign and spent eight years working for Americans for Prosperity in that state.

• The Tampa Bay Times reported that Clint Reed, who served as Marco Rubio’s Iowa state director during Rubio’s presidential campaign, would serve as Rubio’s campaign manager in his U.S. Senate re-election effort. Reed is joined by other Rubio presidential campaign veterans, including communications consultant Alex Conant and media consultant Todd Harris. Rubio will also have the support of a super PAC, Florida First Project, which will be directed by J. Warren Tompkins.

• Politico reported that Donald Trump’s presidential campaign had hired former Rand Paul digital director Vincent Harris. The campaign later clarified that Harris had been hired for contract work but was not part of the campaign staff. Harris told Breitbart News, “All I know and all I’m going to say is we’ve been hired to do project work–we’ve been doing a good job at the work we’ve been doing and we hope to keep working with the campaign. That’s all. There really isn’t anything here.” The next day, Harris explained on Twitter that he had been hired for contract work and that the work had been completed in June 2016. He went on to say, "Harris Media was engaged as subcontractor to do various project work for Trump’s digital agency of record. Nothing more or less."

• The United States Supreme Court agreed to hear McCrory v. Harris, a redistricting case originating in North Carolina. Although the state's congressional district map was adopted in 2011, it has since been the source of ongoing controversy and litigation. In February 2016, a federal district court ruled that two of North Carolina's congressional districts constituted an illegal racial gerrymander. The court found that state lawmakers had placed disproportionately large numbers of black voters in these two districts, thereby diluting the impact of their votes. The district court ordered lawmakers to draft a new map within two weeks. The General Assembly of North Carolina, which is controlled by Republicans, approved a new map on February 19, 2016; the legislature also approved a bill delaying North Carolina's congressional primary to June 7. Both bills passed along largely partisan lines, with Democrats voting against the bills and Republicans voting in favor of them. In the meantime, state officials appealed the decision to the United States Supreme Court and petitioned the high court for a stay of the lower court's ruling. Although a stay was not granted, the appeal will be heard by the high court in the coming term.

• The U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining held an oversight hearing on federal plans aimed at protecting the sage grouse, a ground-dwelling bird that inhabits 11 Western states. In 2015, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declined to list the sage grouse as an endangered species, promising federal conservation plans aimed at protecting the species. Republicans on the committee were critical of the U.S. Department of the Interior’s approach to working with state governments, which have implemented their own plans to protect the species over the past several years. Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) said federal conservation plans so far constitute “one-size-fits-none” plans that do not take into account the varying needs of each state. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) criticized the federal government’s disregard for the suggestions of state governments in formulating federal conservation plans. Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) criticized the Interior Department’s delay in creating final agency plans for the species. An Interior Department official defended the department’s actions, citing the federal government’s continual work with state governments to finalize conservation plans. The official stated that federal conservation plans are not one-size-fits-all plans but are being formulated with each state’s needs in mind.

• Colorado held congressional primaries.
  • The U.S. Senate seat currently held by Michael Bennet (D) is up for election in 2016. Bennet faced no primary challenger. Darryl Glenn defeated four other Republican challengers to win the primary. The general election contest is currently rated as a race to watch.
  • Colorado has seven U.S. House districts. The Republican Party currently holds four seats to the Democratic Party’s three seats.
  • All seven House incumbents are seeking re-election in 2016. Those who faced a primary challenger easily advanced to the general election.
  • In Colorado’s 5th District Democratic primary, Misty Plowright defeated Donald Martinez in the Democratic primary. Plowright’s win makes her one of the first two transgender people to win the Democratic nomination for a federal office. The other occurred in Utah’s Senate race on the same night. Plowright will face incumbent Doug Lamborn (R) in the general election. The race is rated safely Republican.
  • Colorado’s 6th District is a battleground in 2016. Incumbent Mike Coffman (R) is seeking re-election and will face state Sen. Morgan Carroll (D) in November. Neither candidate faced a primary opponent.

• New York held congressional primaries.
  • The U.S. Senate seat currently held by Chuck Schumer (D) is up for election in 2016. Schumer will face Wendy Long (R) in the general election. Neither candidate faced a primary challenger. The race is rated safely Democratic.
  • New York has 27 U.S. House districts. The Democratic Party currently holds 18 seats to the Republican Party’s nine seats.
  • Of the 27 incumbents, 23 are seeking re-election in 2016. Only five incumbents (21.7 percent) faced a primary challenger on Tuesday. Those incumbents all advanced to the general election.
  • New York has five U.S. House battleground districts, more than any other state. They are Districts 1, 3, 18, 19, and 22. Districts 3, 19, and 22 are open seats.
  • In District 1, the Democratic primary remains too close to call at this time. With 100 percent reporting, Anna Throne-Holst led Dave Calone by 29 votes. Absentee ballots are still being counted. Should the race remain this close, a recount will likely follow. The winner of the Democratic primary will face incumbent Lee Zeldin (R) in the general election.
  • In District 3, Tom Suozzi defeated four other Democrats to win the primary. He will face Jack Martins (R) in the general election.
  • In District 18, Phil Oliva defeated Kenneth Del Vecchio in the Republican primary. Oliva will face incumbent Sean Maloney (D) in the general election.
  • In District 19, Zephyr Teachout defeated Will Yandik in the Democratic primary, and John Faso defeated Andrew Heaney to win the Republican nomination.
  • In District 22, Claudia Tenney won the Republican primary. She will face Kim Myers (D) in the general election.

• Oklahoma held congressional primaries.
  • The U.S. Senate seat currently held by James Lankford (R) is up for election in 2016. Lankford will face Mike Workman (D) in the general election. Neither candidate faced a primary opponent. The race is rated safely Republican.
  • Oklahoma has five U.S. House districts. The Republican Party currently holds all five seats, and all five races are rated safely Republican in November.
  • All five incumbents are seeking re-election in 2016, and each defeated at least one primary challenger to advance to the general election on Tuesday.

• Utah held congressional primaries.
  • The U.S. Senate seat currently held by Mike Lee (R) is up for election in 2016. Lee faced no primary challenger. Misty Snow defeated Jonathan Swinton to win the Democratic primary. Snow’s win makes her one of the first two transgender people to win the Democratic nomination for a federal office. The other occurred in Colorado’s 5th District. The general election contest is rated safely Republican.
  • Utah has four U.S. House districts. The Republican Party currently holds all four seats.
  • All four incumbents are seeking re-election in 2016, but only one, Jason Chaffetz, faced a primary challenger. Chaffetz easily defeated Chia-Chi Teng in the Republican primary.
  • Utah’s 4th District is a race to watch in 2016. Incumbent Mia Love (R) is seeking re-election and will face Doug Owens (D) in a rematch of the 2014 election. Neither candidate faced a primary opponent.

• Key vote: The Senate rejected legislation that proposed providing $1.1 billion to fight Zika, a mosquito-borne virus that can cause paralysis and severe birth defects, by a vote of 52-48. Sixty votes were needed to move forward with the legislation. Democrats opposed the legislation because it would have denied new funding to Planned Parenthood clinics in Puerto Rico for birth control, and it would have eased the requirements on spraying pesticides to kill mosquitoes. The House passed the legislation on June 23, 2016.

State

• Gov. Mark Dayton (D) appointed Judge Anne McKeig to the seat on the Minnesota Supreme Court that will be vacated by Justice Christopher Dietzen upon his retirement this summer. This is Gov. Dayton’s fifth appointment to the court. McKeig will be the first American Indian justice on the state’s high court. When she takes the bench, there will be a 4-3 majority of female justices and a 4-3 majority of justices appointed by Gov. Dayton. The remaining three justices were appointed by former Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R). One of Dayton’s appointments, Justice Natalie Hudson, is running for election this year. McKeig will serve through 2018 and must run for election in 2018 if she wishes to remain on the bench. Minnesota judicial elections are nonpartisan.

• The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court authorized the Massachusetts Question 1 for the November 8 ballot. The measure would allow the Gaming Commission to issue an additional slots-only gaming license in the state. The measure would amend a 2011 law that prohibits more than three casinos and one slots parlor. The harness race track at Plainridge already has slot machines. This initiative is the first statewide ballot measure to be certified in Massachusetts in 2016.

• The other potential 2016 measures are the Question 3, the Ending Common Core Education Standards Initiative, the Marijuana Legalization Initiative, and the “Fair Access to Public Charter Schools” Initiative. Supporters for these have submitted signatures awaiting review.

• The South Carolina State Ethics Commission ruled against Treasurer Curtis Loftis (R) in his motion to dismiss an ethics complaint filed against him in 2014. The complaint, filed by the former deputy executive director of the South Carolina Budget and Control Board, Samuel Griswold, alleges that Loftis failed to disclose a prior business association with an attorney he hired to represent the treasurer's office in a lawsuit against the Bank of New York Mellon. Michael Montgomery, the attorney in question, received $2 million in compensation upon completion of the lawsuit. Montgomery and Loftis serve together on the board of a nonprofit. The director of the commission stated that a public hearing would be scheduled imminently.

• Alaska Governor Bill Walker (Ind.) appointed Jahna Lindemuth (R) as the state's next attorney general, to take effect in early August. Lindemuth was one of four candidates under consideration for a seat on the Alaska Supreme Court earlier this year; the position ultimately went to Susan Carney. A private practice attorney, Lindemuth will permanently replace interim officeholder Jim Cantor, who served as deputy attorney general until Walker temporarily appointed him acting attorney general last week.

• The Pennsylvania House subcommittee responsible for the impeachment proceedings against Attorney General Kathleen Kane (D) voted to begin subpoena proceedings in the investigation, which was launched in February 2016. The vote gives the subcommittee chair, Rep. Todd Stephens (R), the power to issue subpoenas and the committee's special investigator, former federal prosecutor Joe Poluka, the power to subpoena Kane's official records and seek protective orders for potential witnesses. Kane has been the subject of multiple removal efforts following her indictment on criminal charges of perjury and obstruction; her trial is set to begin August 8. Though the decision was uncontested by both parties in the subcommittee, some House Democrats have questioned the cost of hiring outside investigators to continue impeachment proceedings given that Kane is not running for re-election in 2016. The decision to impeach must pass a vote in the subcommittee, the House Judiciary Committee, and the full House before being handed over to the Senate for a trial.

• North Carolina State Senator Fletcher Hartsell (R) was indicted on three low-level felony counts for allegedly signing false campaign finance reports. Hartsell addressed the chamber later that evening in a speech thanking his wife and colleagues for their support. Several other senators spoke about Hartsell, including Floyd McKissick (D), who said of Hartsell, “There is no better member of this chamber, no one who I respect more.” Hartsell did not announce plans to resign, but he is not seeking re-election in 2016.

• Primary election: Colorado
  • State legislature: There are 18 state Senate seats and 65 state House seats up for election in November 2016. Just five incumbents, all Republicans, faced primary competition. Two of those incumbents were defeated. Both chambers are included in Ballotpedia’s list of top battlegrounds in 2016. Republicans control the Senate with a one-seat majority, while the House is under a three-seat Democratic majority. Jim Smallwood and Benjamin Lyng each received around 5,800 votes, triggering a recount in the Colorado Senate District 4 Republican primary. Smallwood received more votes in the initial count. A recount will also be held for the state House District 7 Democratic primary, where James Coleman defeated Michele Wheeler by only 80 votes according to the first count. Challenger Larry Liston defeated incumbent Janak Joshi in the state House District 16 Republican primary. In the state House Republican primary for District 64, challenger Kimmi Lewis defeated incumbent Timothy Dore.
• Primary election: Oklahoma
  • State executives: Incumbent Corporation Commissioner Dana Murphy (R) is running for re-election and was unopposed in the primary election. After state Rep. Richard Morrissette (D) withdrew from the race last week, Murphy is left unopposed in the general election. Oklahoma is one of 23 Republican trifectas.
  • State legislature: There are 25 state Senate seats and 101 state House seats up for election in November 2016. Twenty-eight incumbents faced primary competition. Three of those incumbents were defeated. Republicans control both chambers with strong majorities. In the Republican primary for District 43 of the state Senate, challenger Paul Scott defeated incumbent Corey Brooks by 127 votes. In the state House, incumbent Donnie Condit defeated challenger Cord McCoy in the Democratic primary for District 18 by only 52 votes. In the District 50 Republican primary for the state House, challenger Marcus McEntire defeated incumbent Dennis Johnson. In the Republican District 52 primary, incumbent Charles Ortega defeated challenger John Thomas by 42 votes in an initial count. This victory was narrow enough to trigger a recount, whose results have not yet been released. In the Republican primary for District 70, challenger Carol Bush defeated incumbent Ken Walker. Dan Myers defeated his opponent in the Democratic primary for District 81 by only 37 votes. Collin Walke (D) and Donald Wentroth Jr. (D) won similarly close races in the primaries for Districts 87 and 100, respectively.
• Primary election: Utah
  • State executives: Major party candidates are chosen at the party conventions unless no candidate receives at least 60 percent of the vote, in which case a primary election is held. At the 2016 state Republican convention, incumbent Governor Gary Herbert (R) won only 45 to Jonathan Johnson's 55 percent of the delegate vote, forcing a primary election. It was the only state executive primary on the ballot. Despite the show of support from delegates for Johnson, Herbert won by a margin of 45 points. He and running mate Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox (R) will compete with businessman Mike Weinholtz (D) and attorney Kim Bowman (D) in the November general election, which is rated Safe Republican. Utah is one of 23 Republican trifectas.
  • State legislature: There are 15 state Senate seats and 75 state House seats up for election in November 2016. Twenty-three incumbents faced primary competition. Incumbent representatives Fred Cox (R-30) and Earl Tanner (R-43) were defeated in party conventions. Both chambers have significant GOP majorities. In the state House Republican primary for District 53, challenger Logan Wilde defeated incumbent Melvin Brown by only 64 votes.
• Primary runoff election: South Carolina
  • State legislature: Thirteen primary runoffs were held—six in the state Senate and seven in the state House. Five runoffs involved an incumbent. Both chambers are controlled by the Republican Party. All four incumbent state senators participating in the runoff elections were defeated by challengers. Larry Martin (R-2), Mike Fair (R-6), Lee Bright (R-12), and Creighton Coleman (D-17) were all defeated by primary challengers.

Local

• The mayor’s office and three Tulsa City Council seats were up for primary election. A candidate running for city council was able to win the seat outright in the primary election if he or she won 50 percent or more of the vote. A general election will be held on November 8, 2016, for races with two candidates or races where no candidate received 50 percent of the primary vote. Mayor Dewey Bartlett Jr. (R) was defeated by City Councilman G. T. Bynum (R) after a contentious campaign. The mayoral race focused on the city's economic fortunes and efforts to spur job growth, which generated conflict between the two candidates. Bynum criticized Bartlett for his lack of effort in promoting economic growth, citing Tulsa's lagging job growth compared to Oklahoma City. In response to Bynum’s criticism, Bartlett argued that he promoted development and business growth in downtown Tulsa during his tenure as mayor. Bartlett connected the downtown growth to a sales tax extension he supported and that was passed by a large margin of voters in April 2016.​ Bartlett and Bynum also clashed over an agreement with the Muscogee Nation to fund a dam on the city's south side. The project required $13 million for completion, and the Muscogee Nation agreement was not completed as of May 20, 2016. Bartlett suggested that Bynum and other city council members endangered the agreement by implying that the tribe would need to pay a higher amount than originally negotiated. Bynum countered that the agreement was on track and Bartlett was attempting to create a campaign issue out of the negotiations.
  • The Tulsa City Council seats in Districts 3, 4, and 6 were won by incumbents David Patrick, Blake Ewing, and Connie Dodson, respectively. Three additional seats would have appeared on the ballot but were automatically won by the incumbents due to lack of opposition after the candidate filing deadline passed on April 13, 2016. The remaining three city council seats up for election in 2016 are in Districts 1, 2, and 9. These races will appear on the ballot in the general election on November 8, 2016. Tulsa is the second-largest city in Oklahoma and the 47th-largest city in the U.S. by population.
• In Oregon, Harney County Court Judge Steve Grasty won his recall election. More than 70 percent of voters chose to retain Grasty. The recall effort began due to his refusal to allow Ammon Bundy and his supporters to use a county fairgrounds building during the 41-day occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. The armed occupation began as a protest of the federal government's policies on land use as well as arrests of two local residents. The recall petition criticized Grasty for suppressing the rights of citizens to freedom of speech and to peaceably assemble in public buildings. Grasty refused to resign in response to the recall effort, and approximately 100 county residents held a rally to support him in June 2016. The Oregonian stated that his position is not a traditional judgeship but instead akin to "chairman of the county commission." Grasty first took office in 1999, and his third term is set to expire at the end of 2016. Before the recall, Grasty said that he intended to retire instead of seeking re-election.
• FILING DEADLINE: Deadline passed to run for nine school board seats in two of Rhode Island’s largest school districts. All seven school board seats are up for election in Cranston Public Schools, which is the second-largest district in the state. It served 10,552 students during the 2013-2014 school year. There is no primary election, and the general election will be held on November 8, 2016. Two of five school board seats are up for election in Warwick Public Schools, which is the third-largest district in the state. It served 9,393 students during the 2013-2014 school year. There is no primary election, and the general election will be held on November 8, 2016.

Preview of the day

The excerpts below were compiled from issue #22 of The Tap, which was published on June 25, 2016. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

Federal

• Colorado will hold congressional primaries.
  • The U.S. Senate seat currently held by Michael Bennet (D) is up for election in 2016. Bennet will face no primary challenger. Five Republicans will compete for the chance to face Bennet in November. The general election contest is currently rated as a race to watch.
  • Colorado has seven U.S. House districts. The Republican Party currently holds four seats to the Democratic Party’s three seats.
  • All seven House incumbents are seeking re-election in 2016. Only three will face a primary challenger on Tuesday.
  • Colorado’s 6th District is a battleground in 2016. Incumbent Mike Coffman (R) is seeking re-election and will face state Sen. Morgan Carroll in November. Neither candidate will face a primary opponent.

• New York will hold congressional primaries.
  • The U.S. Senate seat currently held by Chuck Schumer (D) is up for election in 2016. Schumer will face Wendy Long in the general election. Neither candidate will face a primary challenger. The race is rated safely Democratic.
  • New York has 27 U.S. House districts. The Democratic Party currently holds 18 seats to the Republican Party’s nine seats.
  • Of the 27 incumbents, 23 are seeking re-election in 2016. Only five incumbents (21.7 percent) will face a primary challenger.
  • New York has five U.S. House battleground districts, more than any other state. They are Districts 1, 3, 18, 19, and 22. Districts 3, 19, and 22 are open seats.

• Oklahoma will hold congressional primaries.
  • The U.S. Senate seat currently held by James Lankford (R) is up for election in 2016. Lankford will face Mike Workman (D) in the general election. Neither candidate will face a primary opponent. The race is rated safely Republican.
  • Oklahoma has five U.S. House districts. The Republican Party currently holds all five seats, and all five races are rated safely Republican in November.
  • All five incumbents are seeking re-election in 2016, and each will face at least one primary challenger.

• Utah will hold congressional primaries.
  • The U.S. Senate seat currently held by Mike Lee (R) is up for election in 2016. Lee will face no primary challenger. Misty Snow and Jonathan Swinton will compete in the Democratic primary for the chance to face Lee in November. The general election contest is rated safely Republican.
  • Utah has four U.S. House districts. The Republican Party currently holds all four seats.
  • All four incumbents are seeking re-election in 2016, but only one, Jason Chaffetz, will face a primary challenger.
  • Utah’s 4th District is a race to watch in 2016. Incumbent Mia Love (R) is seeking re-election and will face Doug Owens (D) in a rematch of the 2014 election. Neither candidate will face a primary opponent.

State

ELECTION NIGHT PREVIEW: Three states will hold primaries; Colorado’s legislative primaries will set up November’s battleground elections; CEO will attempt to unseat Utah’s incumbent governor

• Primary election: Colorado
  • State legislature: There are 18 state Senate seats and 65 state House seats up for election. Just five incumbents, all Republicans, are facing primary competition. Both chambers are included in Ballotpedia’s list of top battlegrounds in 2016. Republicans control the Senate with a one-seat majority, while the House is under a three-seat Democratic majority.

• Primary election: Oklahoma
  • State executives: One seat is up for election on the Corporation Commission, the state's regulatory agency for utilities. Incumbent Dana Murphy (R) is running for re-election to a second full term and is unopposed in the Republican primary election. State Rep. Richard Morrissette (D) withdrew from the race on June 22, 2016, following the death of his father, leaving Murphy unopposed in the November general election.
  • State legislature: There are 25 state Senate seats and 101 state House seats up for election. Twenty-eight incumbents are facing primary competition. Republicans control both chambers with strong majorities. With Republican Governor Mary Fallin, Oklahoma is one of 23 Republican state government trifectas.

• Primary election: Utah
  • State executives: Five seats are up for election in 2016; however, only the Republican primary for governor will appear on the June 28 ballot. In Utah, state executive candidates are usually nominated at the parties’ state conventions without a primary election. But, if no candidate wins 60 percent or more of the delegate vote, a primary election is held. Former Overstock.com CEO Jonathan Johnson (R) has been campaigning hard to win the nomination away from incumbent Governor Gary Herbert (R) and was able to win 55 percent of the vote at the GOP convention. Despite the show of support from delegates, Johnson has consistently polled poorly against Herbert and trails him in fundraising by a large margin. Johnson, along with running mate and high school principal Robyn Bagley, needs to secure a simple majority in the primary to win the nomination away from Governor Herbert and Lt. Governor Spencer Cox. This race is currently rated "Safe Republican." Utah is one of 23 Republican trifectas.
  • State legislature: There are 15 state Senate seats and 75 state House seats up for election. Twenty-three incumbents are facing primary competition. Incumbent representatives Fred Cox (R-30) and Earl Tanner (R-43) were defeated in party conventions. Both chambers have significant GOP majorities.
• Primary runoff election: South Carolina
  • State legislature: Thirteen primary runoffs will be held—six in the state Senate and seven in the state House. Five runoffs involve an incumbent. Both chambers are controlled by the Republican Party.

Local

• The mayor’s office and all nine seats on the Tulsa City Council in Oklahoma are up for nonpartisan primary election. Mayor Dewey Bartlett Jr. (R) is running for re-election to a third term against four challengers, including Councilman G. T. Bynum. The mayor held a slim, three-point edge over Bynum in a poll conducted on June 20, 2016, with a 4 percent margin of error. Three of the city council seats will not appear on the ballot, since the incumbents who filed for re-election to those seats faced no challengers following the filing deadline. Five of the other six city council races feature an incumbent campaigning for re-election. Only Councilman Bynum’s District 9 seat is guaranteed to be won by a newcomer. Tulsa is the largest city in Oklahoma and the 47th-largest city in the U.S. by population.
  • The primary election will functionally serve as a general election because the general election on November 8, 2016, will only be held in races where no candidate won a majority of the vote in the primary. If the top two candidates do not receive more than 50 percent of the primary vote, a primary runoff election will be held on August 23, 2016.
• In Oregon, Harney County Court Judge Steve Grasty is facing a recall election. The recall effort began due to his refusal to allow Ammon Bundy and his supporters to use a county fairgrounds building during the 41-day occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. The armed occupation began as a protest of the federal government's policies on land use as well as arrests of two local residents. The recall petition criticized Grasty for suppressing the rights of citizens to freedom of speech and to peaceably assemble in public buildings. Grasty refused to resign in response to the recall effort, and approximately 100 county residents held a rally to support him in June 2016. The Oregonian stated that his position is not a traditional judgeship but instead akin to "chairman of the county commission." Grasty first took office in 1999, and his third term is set to expire at the end of 2016. If he survives the recall effort, he intends to retire instead of seeking re-election.