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Your weekly review of the week in state and local politics is here! Check out the highlights below, and click the link for a more comprehensive review of last week and preview of the week to come.
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Karofsky, Kelly advance to Wisconsin Supreme Court general election April 7
Incumbent Daniel Kelly and Jill Karofsky were the top-two finishers in Tuesday's nonpartisan Wisconsin Supreme Court primary and will advance to the April 7 general election. Kelly received 50.1% of the vote to Karofsky's 37.2% and Ed Fallone's 12.7%.
- Although the race is officially nonpartisan, Kelly is a member of the court's conservative majority and received support from conservative groups. Karofsky and Fallone indicated they would join the liberal minority and received support from liberal groups.
- Turnout in the primary totaled 704,000 voters, the highest for a Wisconsin Supreme Court primary in decades. High turnout in the primary is generally associated with higher turnout in the general election.
- Recent election history suggested that either Karofsky or Fallone was likely to be eliminated in Tuesday's primary. Between 2005 and 2019, every contested Wisconsin Supreme Court election resulted in a conservative-backed candidate and a liberal-backed candidate advancing from the primary rather than two justices of the same ideological leaning.
- The April 7 general election will determine if and when ideological control of the court could change in the future. A Kelly win would preserve the current 5-2 conservative majority. Assuming that no justices leave the bench early, this would prevent liberals from winning a majority on the court any earlier than 2026. A Karofsky win would narrow the conservative majority to 4-3 and mean that the 2023 election would decide control of the court.
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McNamara sworn in as Massachusetts comptroller
Bill McNamara was sworn in as Comptroller of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on Feb. 21. McNamara's appointment comes after Comptroller Andrew Maylor resigned to accept a position as Vice President and Chief Business Officer of Merrimack College.
- Before being appointed comptroller, McNamara most recently served as Assistant Secretary for the Executive Office for Administration and Finance.
- The Comptroller of the Commonwealth in Massachusetts is a nonpartisan, governor-appointed position responsible for independent oversight of the state's finances.
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North Carolina state legislator dies
North Carolina Rep. Linda Johnson (R) died on February 18, according to a statement released by North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore (R). Johnson, who served as Chairwoman of the Senior House Appropriations Committee, represented District 82.
- Johnson was most recently re-elected to the House in 2018. She previously represented District 83, which became District 82 in the 2018 election due to redistricting. Johnson was first elected to the North Carolina House in 2000.
- This is the second vacancy in the General Assembly of North Carolina this year and the first in the state House. The current partisan composition of the North Carolina House of Representatives is 64 Republicans, 55 Democrats, and one vacancy. Vacancies in the North Carolina legislature are filled by gubernatorial appointment.
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Kentucky to hold two state legislative special elections
Two special elections are scheduled in Districts 67 and 99 of the Kentucky House of Representatives. Voters will have until 6 p.m. local time to cast their vote.
- Rachel Roberts (D) and Mary Jo Wedding (R) are running for the District 67 seat. The seat became vacant when Dennis Keene (D) resigned on December 16, 2019, to take a job as the commissioner of the Department for Local Government in Gov. Andy Beshear’s (D) administration. Keene had represented District 67 since 2005. He was re-elected in 2018 with 60% of the vote.
- Bill Redwine (D) and Richard White (R) are facing off in the election for District 99. The seat became vacant when Rocky Adkins (D) resigned on December 10, 2019, to take a job as a senior adviser in Beshear’s administration. Adkins had represented District 99 since 1987. He was unopposed in 2018 and won re-election in 2016 with 66% of the vote.
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Candidate filing period ends for incumbents in Nebraska
The filing deadline passed for incumbents to run for elected office in Nebraska on Feb. 18. The filing deadline for non-incumbents is on March 2.
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Special election to be held for seat in Pennsylvania House of Representatives
A special election is being held for the District 190 of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. G. Roni Green (D), a business agent for SEIU Local 668, is facing off against businesswoman Wanda Logan (R). Candidates running for special elections in Pennsylvania are selected by their respective political parties.
- The seat became vacant after Movita Johnson-Harrell (D) resigned on December 13, 2019, after being charged with theft, perjury, and tampering with public records. Johnson-Harrell was elected in a special election in March 2019.
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Gilbert City Council member resigns to become Maricopa County Assessor
Gilbert City Council member Eddie Cook (R) resigned to accept an appointment to become the Maricopa County Assessor. Cook replaces Paul Petersen (R), who resigned in January.
- A county assessor is a public official responsible for determining the value of properties for tax purposes. As county assessor, Cook will organize regular evaluations of properties throughout Maricopa County and use those evaluations to calculate property tax obligations for residents and businesses. County assessors also maintain property records, deeds, and other documents related to county properties.
- Cook’s appointment comes after former assessor Paul Petersen (R) resigned on January 7, 2020. Petersen resigned after being indicted in connection with an adoption fraud on October 8, 2019. The 32-count indictment alleged conspiracy, theft, forgery and 29 counts of fraudulent schemes, according to AZ Central. Petersen's attorneys released a statement asserting his innocence.
- A special election will be held to fill the vacancy created by Cook’s resignation. The winner of that election will serve out the remainder of Cook’s term on the Gilbert City Council, which is set to end in January 2021.
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Ostlie appointed to North Dakota House of Representatives
Mitch Ostlie (R) was appointed to the North Dakota House of Representatives to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of former North Dakota Rep. Jim Grueneich (R). Ostlie was selected by the district’s Republican Executive Committee. He will serve for the remainder of Grueneich’s term, set to end at the end of the year.
- Grueneich resigned from the state House on Feb. 11 after he moved outside of the district. Grueneich is running to represent North Dakota House of Representatives District 28, which encompasses his new home. Grueneich was first elected in 2016.
- Oslie’s appointment to the North Dakota House filled the Assembly’s only vacancy. Ostlie has said he will run in the district’s regular elections in 2020. The primary for that race is June 9 and the general election will take place Nov. 3.
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Candidate filing period ends for state executive, legislative candidates in Pennsylvania
The filing deadline to run for elected office in Pennsylvania passed on Feb. 18. Candidates filed to run for state auditor general, attorney general, treasurer, 25 seats in the Pennsylvania State Senate, and all 203 seats in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
- The primary is scheduled for April 28, and the general election is scheduled for November 3, 2020. Pennsylvania’s filing deadline was the 13th to take place in the 2020 election cycle. The next statewide filing deadline is on March 2 in Nebraska.
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Ballot measures update
Fifty-six statewide measures in 24 states have been certified for the 2020 ballot so far.
- Eighteen of the 56 certified measures are citizen-initiated measures. Thirty-seven are legislative referrals. One is an automatic constitutional revision commission question.
- One new measure was certified for the 2020 ballot last week:
- Proponents of four additional ballot initiatives or veto referendums in Alaska, Maine, and Michigan submitted signatures, which are pending verification by state officials.
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State legislative special elections update
So far this year, 33 state legislative special elections have been scheduled in 15 states. Special elections have been held for eight seats so far; heading into those races, Democrats had previously controlled two of the seats while Republicans previously controlled six.
Upcoming special elections
February 25
March 3
March 10
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States in session
Forty-two states—Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming—are in regular session.
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