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Daily Brew: March 12, 2021
March 12, 2021
 Welcome to the Friday, March 12, Brew.Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
Politicians who were actors or musiciansIn February, before this year's Super Bowl, we shared a list of political figures who had played in the big game. With the GRAMMY Awards presentation this weekend and the announcement of this year’s Oscar nominees on Monday, I thought we'd look at some candidates and officeholders who were also actors and musicians. We sent our staff hunting the web to see what they could dig up.
These lists aren’t exhaustive. We focused mainly on recent officeholders and candidates whom we have covered on Ballotpedia, though there are a few additional names on the list. We reviewed a variety of sources in putting these lists together, including Backstage, Business Insider, Billboard, Rolling Stone, and IMDb. From Fred Thompson and Cynthia Nixon to Sonny Bono and Clay Aiken, it’s a star-studded report. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) is 5th senator to announce 2022 retirementSen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) announced on March 8 that he won't seek re-election in 2022. Blunt was first elected to the Senate in 2010 and won re-election in 2016 against Jason Kander (D), 49% to 46%. Blunt is the fifth U.S. senator to announce that he will not run for re-election in 2022, joining Republicans Richard Burr (N.C.), Rob Portman (Ohio), Pat Toomey (Penn.), and Richard Shelby (Ala.). Four U.S. senators—three Republicans and one Democrat—did not run for re-election in 2020. Three Republican senators did not run for re-election in 2018. The chart below shows how many months before the November general election senators have announced their retirement during the current and previous two election cycles. The chart begins with the October of the previous cycle, or two years before the general election. For example, a retirement announcement in Jan. 2021 would be 22 months before the Nov. 2022 election. Sen. Burr announced in July 2016 that he wouldn’t run for another term in 2022. For the purposes of this chart, he’s included in the earliest possible month—Month 25 for the 2022 cycle.
All senators who retired in the 2020 cycle announced their decisions by May 2019 (-18 in the chart above). All senators who retired in the 2018 cycle announced by January of that year (-10 above). Thirty-four U.S. Senate seats are up for election next year. Republicans currently hold 20 of those seats, and Democrats hold 14. The Senate is split 50-50, with 50 Republicans, 48 Democrats, and two independents who caucus with Democrats. Vice President Kamala Harris (D) has the tie-breaking vote, giving Democrats effective control of the chamber.  More than 70 people vying to be the next lieutenant governor of Rhode IslandDaniel McKee (D) was sworn in as governor of Rhode Island on March 2. The previous incumbent, Gina Raimondo (D), resigned after she was confirmed as the U.S. secretary of commerce in the Biden administration. McKee was Raimondo’s lieutenant governor. Under the Rhode Island Constitution, if the incumbent governor resigns, the lieutenant governor fills the office until the next election. Neither the constitution nor state law prescribes how the lieutenant governor's office is filled if the incumbent resigns. In 1997, when Lt. Gov. Robert Weygand resigned, Gov. Lincoln Almond appointed his replacement. McKee referred to that event when saying that he, as governor, would select the next lieutenant governor. According to WPRI-TV, more than 75 people have applied, including several state legislators. State Sen. Louis DiPalma (D) and state Reps. Robert Phillips (D), Grace Diaz (D), and Anastasia Williams (D) are among the candidates seeking the position. Several former lawmakers have applied as well. The initial application deadline—Feb. 2—was extended indefinitely, but The Boston Globe reported that McKee is expected to choose his successor sometime in the next few weeks. The Rhode Island state Senate must confirm McKee’s choice. The lieutenant governor is the second-ranking executive official in Rhode Island and the first in line to succeed the governor. The lieutenant governor's duties include emergency management, intergovernmental relations, and making appointments to boards and commissions. Forty-five states have a lieutenant governor. In Hawaii, the lieutenant governor also serves as the secretary of state. In Tennessee and West Virginia, the president of the Senate also serves as lieutenant governor and is elected from within the legislature. The five states without the office are Arizona, Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon, and Wyoming.
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