The State and Local Tap: Virginia Republicans to select statewide nominees at unassembled convention
From Ballotpedia
May 8, 2021Issue No. 253
THE WEEK IN REVIEW
State Politics: The Week in Review
Ballot Measures Update
- Fourteen statewide measures have been certified for the 2021 ballot in four states so far.
- No new measures were certified for the 2021 ballot last week.
- One additional 2021 initiative in Maine has been certified to the legislature, which means it will go on the November ballot if legislators do not enact it.
- Forty statewide measures have been certified for the 2022 ballot in 20 states so far.
- Three new measures were certified for the 2022 ballot last week:
- Signatures have been submitted and are pending verification for four additional 2022 initiatives in California and Michigan.
Saturday, May 1
Hawaii State Senate Majority Leader Jamie Kalani English resigns
- Hawaii State Senate Majority Leader Jamie Kalani English (D-7) resigned on May 1, citing long-term health effects of a past COVID-19 infection.
- English said he contracted COVID-19 in November 2020. “Having been deemed a long hauler, I was diagnosed with long-term effects of COVID-19. My new normal will require me to address some of the challenges left to my short and long-term memory and other cognitive issues derived from the virus. These challenges have placed a number of things into perspective for me, including the need to take better care of my health,” said English in a statement announcing his retirement.
- English had represented Hawaii's 7th state senate district since 2000. He ran unopposed in the 2014 and 2018 general elections. He served as the Hawaii Senate majority leader since 2015. The state Senate appointed Sen. Dru Kanuha (D-3) as the new majority leader on May 5.
Annette Ziegler becomes chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court
- Annette Ziegler became chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court on May 1, beginning a two-year term in that role. Ziegler succeeds Patience Roggensack, who had served as chief justice since April 2015.
- Ziegler was first elected to the court in 2007. She previously served as a Washington County Circuit Court judge, becoming the first female judge in that county.
- Justices on the Wisconsin Supreme Court are officially nonpartisan. Ballotpedia’s State Court Partisanship Study identifies Ziegler as a mild Republican.
- Until 2015, the justice with the longest continuous service on the Wisconsin Supreme Court served as the chief justice, unless that justice declined (in which case the role passed to the next senior justice of the court). Voters passed a state constitutional amendment in April of that year that changed the selection method to a vote by current justices.
- Chief justices in Wisconsin and 22 other states are selected by chamber vote. Fourteen (14) states select justices by appointment, seven by popular vote, and six by seniority.
Maine drops quarantine requirement for all out-of-state travelers
- As of May 1, travelers from outside New England no longer need to quarantine or present a negative COVID-19 test to enter Maine.
- Governor Janet Mills (D) announced the change in travel restrictions on March 5 as part of her “Moving Maine Forward” reopening plan. Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Nirav Shah announced the changes had been approved on April 27.
- Governor Mills first implemented a quarantine requirement on out-of-state visitors on April 3, 2020.
- On May 6, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment updated its travel quarantine list to include people who've traveled to Colorado on or after May 6. The quarantine list applies to people who’ve traveled to Colorado, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Michigan, Rhode Island. It also applies to people who traveled to New York or New Jersey between March 26 and May 6.
- To read more about active state travel restrictions, click here.
Voters decide municipal elections across Texas
Municipal elections were held across Texas on May 1, and we followed battleground elections in four cities. Here’s a look at the results in those races:
- Arlington mayor: Jim Ross and Michael Glaspie were the top two finishers among seven candidates running for mayor of Arlington, Texas, with 47.9% and 21.3% of the vote, respectively. Although the election is officially nonpartisan, Glaspie has previously participated in Republican primaries, and Ross has participated in Democratic primaries. Incumbent Jeff Williams (R) was ineligible to run for re-election due to term limits. Glaspie and Ross will advance to a June 5 runoff election.
- Dallas City Council: Nonpartisan elections were held for all 14 seats on the Dallas City Council. Eleven incumbent city council members ran for re-election, while term limits prevented the other three from doing so. Eight members of the city council won re-election outright. The other six races advanced to June 5 runoffs.
- Fort Worth mayor: Deborah Peoples and Mattie Parker were the top two finishers among ten candidates running for mayor of Fort Worth, Texas, receiving 33.6% and 30.8% of the vote, respectively. Peoples is a former chairwoman of the county Democratic Party, while Parker has not previously held elected office. Parker was endorsed by incumbent Betsy Price (R), who did not run for re-election. The runoff between Peoples and Parker will take place June 5.
- San Antonio mayor: Mayor Ron Nirenberg won re-election among a 14-candidate field, receiving 62% of the vote. Greg Brockhouse, who lost a runoff election to Nirenberg in 2019, 51% to 49%, finished second with 31.5% of the vote. Nirenberg was first elected San Antonio’s mayor in 2017, defeating then-incumbent Ivy Taylor in a runoff. Media outlets have reported that Nirenberg identifies as an independent.
Monday, May 3
Pennsylvania Supreme Court appoints chair of state legislative redistricting commission
- The Pennsylvania Supreme Court announced the appointment of Mark Nordenberg as chair of the Pennsylvania Legislative Reapportionment Commission on May 3. Nordenberg, chair of the University of Pittsburgh’s Institute of Politics, joins Sen. Majority Leader Kim Ward (R), Sen. Minority Leader Jay Costa (D), House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R), and House Minority Leader Joanna McClinton (D). The state supreme court appointed Nordenberg as chair after the four other commission members failed to agree on an appointment. The commission has the sole authority to draft and implement new state legislative district maps.
Thursday, May 6
Minnesota, Pennsylvania announce plans to lift face-covering requirements
- Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) announced on May 6 that he would end the statewide mask mandate on July 1. Walz said the mask mandate could be lifted earlier if 70% of residents receive at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.
- Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf (D) said on May 4 he will end the statewide mask mandate when 70% of residents age 18 and older are fully vaccinated. Wolf did not announce a target date for ending the restrictions.
- In total, 39 states issued statewide public mask requirements during the pandemic. Twenty-five states currently have statewide mask orders, including 20 of the 23 states with Democratic governors and five out of the 27 states with Republican governors.
Special Elections
- Thirty-eight state legislative special elections have been scheduled in 16 states so far this year, with 21 elections having taken place already. Heading into those races, Democrats had previously controlled 10 of the seats, and Republicans previously controlled 11. No seats have changed in partisan control as a result of the special elections.
- In special elections between 2011 and 2020, one party (either Republicans or Democrats) saw an average net gain of four seats nationally each year.
- An average of 57 seats were filled through special elections in each of the past six even years (2010: 30, 2012: 46, 2014: 40, 2016: 65, 2018: 99, 2020: 59).
- An average of 88 seats were filled through special elections in each of the past five odd years (2011: 94, 2013: 84, 2015: 89, 2017: 98, 2019: 77).
- Upcoming special elections include:
Local Politics: The Week in Review
- In 2021, Ballotpedia is providing comprehensive coverage of elections in America's 100 largest cities by population and all state capitals. 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 also covers all local recall elections, as well as all local ballot measures in California and a selection of notable local ballot measures about elections and police-related policies. Recent and upcoming local ballot measure elections are listed below:
- May 1 in Texas: Voters in Austin, Dallas, Lubbock, and San Antonio decided 16 local ballot measures on May 1, 2021. Below are some highlights:
- Austin voters decided eight ballot measures related to ranked-choice voting, a sit-lie ordinance, police oversight, local governance, and a public campaign finance program. Voters approved five measures and defeated three.
- Voters in San Antonio rejected a ballot measure concerning collective bargaining for police officers.
- In Lubbock, an initiative designed to make abortion illegal within city limits and declare Lubbock a "Sanctuary City for the Unborn" was on the ballot. It was approved, making Lubbock the largest city with an abortion ban and the only city with an active abortion clinic to pass such a ban.
- The Dallas City Council asked voters to approve a city charter amendment to eliminate the requirement that members of boards or commissions created by the city charter be registered or qualified voters. It was defeated.
- May 4 in Ohio: Voters in Cincinnati and a school district that overlaps with Columbus decided four local ballot measures on May 4, 2021. Cincinnati voters defeated an initiative—Issue 3—to create a new fund and governing board dedicated to providing housing affordable to households with income below certain thresholds.
- May 11 in Oklahoma: Voters in the Edmond Public Schools District will decide two bond propositions.
- May 1 in Texas: Voters in Austin, Dallas, Lubbock, and San Antonio decided 16 local ballot measures on May 1, 2021. Below are some highlights:
WHAT'S ON TAP NEXT WEEK
State Politics: What's On Tap Next Week
Saturday, May 8
Virginia Republicans to select statewide nominees at unassembled convention
- Republicans in Virginia will select statewide nominees for governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general on May 8. Over 53,000 delegates registered to participate. Delegate votes will be weighted by voting unit, and ranked-choice voting will be used to determine the nominees. Counting will begin on Sunday, and party leaders expect it to be finished by Tuesday but are prepared to count until Thursday.
- Republicans have not won a statewide election in Virginia since 2009 when voters elected Bob McDonnell, Bill Bolling, and Ken Cuccinelli governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general, respectively.
Governor
- Seven candidates are running for the gubernatorial nomination: Amanda Chase, Kirk Cox, Peter Doran, Octavia L. Johnson, Pete Snyder, Glenn Youngkin, and Sergio de la Pena. This is an open-seat race. In Virginia, governors may only serve one term and cannot seek re-election.
- Commentary on the convention has focused on four candidates: Chase, Cox, Snyder, and Youngkin. The Richmond Times-Dispatch’s Mel Leonor described the convention as “a bellwether of the GOP’s identity in the post-Trump era.” Virginia Scope’s Brandon Jarvis wrote, “Amanda Chase and Pete Snyder have fully embraced the Trump voters and their talking points while Kirk Cox and Glenn Youngkin have moved towards the establishment and moderate voters.”
States in session
Thirty-one states—Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, and Wisconsin—are in regular session.
Local Politics: What's On Tap Next Week
Tuesday, May 11
Voters to decide mayoral elections in Anchorage, Omaha
- Voters in Anchorage, Alaska, and Omaha, Nebraska, will decide mayoral elections on May 11.
- In Anchorage, David Bronson and Forrest Dunbar advanced to the runoff after neither candidate received more than 45% of the vote in the April 6 general election. Bronson received 33% of the vote to Dunbar's 31%, and no other candidate received more than 15%.
- Economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is a central issue in the race. Dunbar said he supported maintaining safety measures enacted by the Anchorage Assembly, such as a mask mandate and business restrictions, while Bronson said that he supported reconsidering or removing restrictions. Dunbar previously ran for the U.S. House as a Democrat in 2014. Former Lieutenant. Gov. Craig Campbell (R) has endorsed Bronson.
- In Omaha, incumbent Jean Stothert (R) and RJ Neary (D) are running in the nonpartisan general election. Both advanced to the general election after Stothert placed first with 57% of the vote, and Neary finished second with 16% in the April 6 primary.
- Stothert was first elected mayor in 2013 and was re-elected in 2017. Her endorsers include the Omaha World-Herald, investor Warren Buffett, and the Omaha Police Officers Association.
- Neary is a real estate developer who has been endorsed by the Omaha Federation of Labor, former U.S. Sen. Bob Kerrey (D), and three of Omaha’s previous Democratic mayors.
- Omaha is one of 25 cities with a Republican mayor out of the country’s largest 100 cities.
- In Anchorage, David Bronson and Forrest Dunbar advanced to the runoff after neither candidate received more than 45% of the vote in the April 6 general election. Bronson received 33% of the vote to Dunbar's 31%, and no other candidate received more than 15%.
About
The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022.
