Legislation to convert the Nevada primary to a top two jungle system similar to what Louisiana, California, and Washington use appears to be dead for this session. The bill failed to meet a mandatory legislative deadline, thus indicating that it will not be heard before the legislature adjourns this year.
After last week saying he was considering entering the open US Senate race, Lt. Governor Mark Robinson (R) said yesterday that he would not become a candidate. Former Governor Pat McCrory (R) last week announcing his own candidacy could well have influenced Mr. Robinson’s decision. Also in the GOP race is former US Rep. Mark Walker. Rep. Ted Budd (R-Advance) is a probable candidate who is likely to soon announce his statewide bid.
State Rep. Bobby DuBose (D-Ft. Lauderdale) became the tenth Democrat and second state legislator to enter the special election campaign to replace the late Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Delray Beach). Also in the race is state Senator Perry Thurston (D-Ft. Lauderdale). Two sitting Broward County Commissioners and one former Palm Beach County Commissioner have also announced their congressional candidacies. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has yet to set the special election calendar.
Tyler Kistner (R), the Marine Corps Reserve officer who held Rep. Angie Craig (D-Eagan) to a 48-46% tight win, filed a 2022 campaign committee with the Federal Election Commission yesterday signaling that the re-match between he and Rep. Craig will soon be underway. We can expect another highly competitive campaign here next year.
Two days ago, Ohio US Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Columbus) announced his resignation from the House, and yesterday we see the first special election candidate announcement. State Senator Bob Peterson (R-Fayette County), who represents all or parts of five of the 15th Congressional District’s twelve counties, said yesterday that he will enter the special election to fill the vacant seat once Gov. Mike DeWine (R) schedules the contest. It is likely that Sen. Peterson will be the first of many contenders to compete for the seat.
John B. King (D), former President Barack Obama’s final Education Secretary, announced yesterday that he will join the open 2022 Governor’s contest in seeking the Democratic nomination. So far, state Comptroller Peter Franchot, former Prince Georges County Executive and 2018 gubernatorial candidate Rushern Baker, non-profit corporation executive Ashwani Jain, and policy executive Jon Baron are the officially announced Democratic candidates. Republican Gov. Larry Hogan is ineligible to seek a third term.
Soon after his 1,522-vote loss to Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford/Bakersfield), defeated Rep. T.J. Cox (D-Fresno) indicated he would return in 2022 for a re-match. Such may not be the case, however. Yesterday, Mr. Cox announced that he is converting his campaign committee into a PAC to help the Democratic Party and would not be raising money for himself, at least in the short-term.
According to a Cox spokesman in an interview with the local Central California political blog GV Wire, the move does not necessarily mean Mr. Cox won’t again become a candidate. The spokesman said, “does this mean that TJ won’t be running in 2022? Not so fast. It’s too early to tell — It will depend on redistricting.” The current district supported Joe Biden 54-43% and Hillary Clinton 55-40% and is one of only nine congressional districts to support Mr. Biden along with a Republican for the House, so it is difficult to see how the seat could get much more Democratic. Ohio US Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Columbus) announced yesterday that he won’t run for the Senate, and he’s leaving the House, as well. Rep. Stivers said he is resigning from Congress on May 16th to become President and CEO of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. The Congressman had an impressive 1st quarter fundraising haul (almost $1.4 million) that suggested he was gearing up for a Senate contest, but now his plans have obviously changed.
Gov. Mike DeWine (R) will call a special election for the state’s 15th District once the seat is officially vacant. The 15th is a Republican seat (Trump ’20: 56-42%) that encompasses about 20% of the Columbus area in Franklin County and all or parts of eleven other counties west, southwest, and southeast of Columbus. It is likely the 15th District special election calendar will run concurrently with the vacant 11th CD schedule that includes a partisan primary on August 3rd and a general election November 2nd. Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley (D), who was for a short time a Democratic gubernatorial candidate in 2018 before withdrawing when Richard Cordray returned to the state to run, announced that she will enter the 2022 primary with the goal of challenging Gov. Mike DeWine (R) in the general election. Mayor Whaley was first elected in 2013 and re-elected in 2017. Previously, she had announced that she would not seek a third term in 2021. Prior to serving as Mayor, Ms. Whaley won two four-year terms on the Dayton City Commission (Council).
Other potential Democratic gubernatorial candidates are Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley and Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein. After the Whaley announcement, Mr. Cranley was quoted as saying her entry does not affect his plans and he will announce for Governor in the coming weeks. The University of Texas at Tyler recently conducted an extensive poll for the Dallas Morning News (4/6-13; 1,126 TX registered voters; 290 live interviews; 836 online responses) and among the many questions put before the respondents was a ballot test featuring Gov. Greg Abbott (R), who is preparing to run for a third term, and actor Matthew McConaughey (D). The latter man confirms he is considering running and describes his philosophy as “aggressively centric.”
According to the poll results, Mr. McConaughey would lead Gov. Abbott 45-33% while 22% said they would prefer another choice. While celebrities often perform better than politicians in early campaign polling, the fact that Gov. Abbott only records 33% in any poll suggests that he is losing some of the luster he enjoyed during most of his Governorship. It remains to be seen if Mr. McConaughey actually becomes a gubernatorial candidate, but the early numbers and demographic shifts in the state suggest that the 2022 Texas Governor’s campaign could be one of interest. |
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