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Florida state Rep. Omari Hardy (D-West Palm Beach) announced that he will enter the special Democratic primary to replace the late Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Delray Beach). Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has yet to schedule the replacement election, but that has not stopped now eleven Democrats from announcing their candidacies. Winning the Democratic primary is tantamount to election in this congressional district that occupies most of the territory between Ft. Lauderdale and Miami with a segment stretching into Palm Beach County.
Less than a week since the Census Bureau made official that Montana would gain a second congressional seat, former Interior Secretary and ex-US Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Whitefish) filed a 2022 Federal Election Commission committee for the state’s new CD. Since the new congressional map will likely divide the state into a western and eastern district, the way Montana used to look before the second district was lost in the 1990 census, it is clear that freshman at-large Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Glendive) will run in the eastern seat since his hometown lies so close to the North Dakota border. This means we will see a new open western district that will likely be the more Democratic of the two.
Ryan Zinke was elected to the House in 2014 and re-elected in 2016. Shortly after Donald Trump won the presidential election, he selected Rep. Zinke as his Interior Secretary. Mr. Zinke returned to Montana after serving two years in the Trump cabinet. Yesterday, state Sen. Randolph Bracy (D-Orlando) said he will challenge Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) next year unless US Rep. Val Demings (D-Orlando) decides to run. If she does, Sen. Bracy continued, he would enter the open seat race for her congressional district. Both state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried (D) and US Representative and former Governor Charlie Crist (D-St. Petersburg) are testing the waters for their own gubernatorial campaign. Gov. DeSantis is expected to seek a second term.
In an unusual move, and particularly so since the legislature is scheduled to adjourn this week, the state Senate Democratic conference voted unanimously to sack Minority Leader Gary Farmer (D-Ft. Lauderdale) and replace him with state Senator Lauren Book (D-Plantation), who also represents part of Broward County.
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr (R), who had been considered a potential US Senate candidate to oppose incumbent Raphael Warnock (D), announced yesterday that he will run for re-election to his current position. With ex-Rep. Doug Collins (R) also declining to run, the political stage is seemingly set for Georgia football legend Herschel Walker (R) to return to the state and become a Senatorial candidate. Should Mr. Walker decline, Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Pooler/Savannah) has indicated a desire to run.
Three-term western North Carolina Congressman Ted Budd (R-Advance) joined the growing number of open seat US Senate candidates yesterday as he declared his intention to enter the statewide contest. He will face at least former Gov. Pat McCrory and ex-US Rep. Mark Walker in the GOP primary.
North Carolina has a runoff law but it is only triggered if no contender receives at least 30% of the vote. With candidates of this caliber already in the race, it is highly probable that the nominee will claim an outright victory in the first election. Democrats also have a crowded field in which former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley and state Sen. Jeff Jackson (D-Charlotte) lead. Sen. Richard Burr (R) is not seeking a fourth term. Alaska at-large Rep. Don Young (R-Ft. Yukon), the Dean of the House who was first elected in a 1973 special election, announced that he will return to seek a 26th term next year. Rep. Young is 87 years of age and has spent well over half his life as a member of Congress. In 2020, overcoming strong opposition, Rep. Young was re-elected with a 54-45% victory margin.
Investment banker Frank Pallotta (R), who held Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Wyckoff) to a 53-46% re-election victory in November said yesterday that he will return for a re-match next year. Mr. Pallotta can count on heavy funds being spent against him because Rep. Gottheimer is one of the strongest fundraisers in the House. In 2020, he raised just under $8 million for his re-election effort and he’s already obtained close to a $1 million in the 2022 election cycle. This race has competitive potential, but Rep. Gottheimer remains the definitive favorite for re-election.
With Gov. Mike DeWine (R) earlier in the week announcing that he will schedule the special election to replace outgoing Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Columbus) for August 3rd and November 2nd, political hopefuls are beginning to announce their candidacies. Yesterday, state Rep. Jeff LeRe (R-Violet Township) and Fairfield County Commissioner Jeff Fix (R) joined state Sen. Bob Peterson (R-Fayette County) and state Rep. Brian Stewart (R-Circleville) as special election candidates. The only Democrat so far to announce is actor Daniel Kilgore.
As expected, former North Carolina state Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley (D), who lost her position in the 2020 election by just 401 votes statewide, announced yesterday that she will enter the open US Senate race. She becomes the tenth Democrat to enter the race, but the only one who has ever been elected statewide. At this point, Ms. Beasley’s top Democratic opposition appears to be state Sen. Jeff Jackson (D-Charlotte). The headlining Republicans look to be former Gov. Pat McCrory and ex-US Rep. Mark Walker. Sen. Richard Burr (R) is retiring.
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