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Welcome to the Monday, February 24, Brew. Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- Sanders wins Nevada Democratic caucus
- Five North Carolina Democrats competing in Super Tuesday primary to oppose Tillis
- Eight candidates apply for vacancy on Alaska Supreme Court
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Sanders wins Nevada Democratic caucus
Bernie Sanders won the Nevada caucuses on Saturday, which marked the third straight Democratic presidential nominating event where Sanders received the most initial votes. As of 5 p.m. ET Sunday, Sanders was the first choice of 33% of caucusgoers and is projected to receive 46% of the county convention delegates used to determine the number of pledged delegates allocated to each candidate.
Joe Biden was second with 20% of the county convention delegates. Pete Buttigieg was third with 15% and Elizabeth Warren was fourth with 10%. The final delegate count is pending as those results reflect 60% of precincts reporting.
The next Democratic presidential primary will be held in South Carolina on Feb. 29. The next presidential debate is on Feb. 25 in the Palmetto state’s largest city—Charleston.
On the Republican side, the Nevada Republican Party bound the state's 25 delegates to President Donald Trump on Saturday at its winter meeting. The party voted to cancel its caucus on Sept. 7, 2019. The South Carolina Republican Party also voted that day to cancel its presidential primary.
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Five North Carolina Democrats competing in Super Tuesday primary to oppose Tillis
Fifteen states and territories will hold presidential nominating events on what is known as Super Tuesday on March 3. But elections won’t just be happening that day in the presidential race. Five states—Alabama, Arkansas, California, North Carolina, and Texas—will also hold primaries for congressional and statewide races. Today we’re beginning a series of previews of some of the battleground primaries our elections team will also be covering. We’ll profile one race per day this week to help prepare you for next week. So, let’s get started in North Carolina.
Five candidates are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in North Carolina. Three elections ratings outlets rate the general election a Toss-up or Lean Republican. Incumbent Sen. Thom Tillis (R) defeated then-incumbent Kay Hagan (D)—48.8% to 47.3%—in 2014.
Cal Cunningham and Erica Smith have led in Democratic primary endorsements, polls, and media attention. Cunningham is a member of the Army Reserves and a former state senator (2000-2002). Smith has been a state senator since 2015. She also served on Northampton County’s Board of Education and as chairwoman of the Northampton County Democratic Party. Also running in the primary are Trevor Fuller, Atul Goel, and Steve Swenson.
Cunningham and Smith both said they would not accept money from corporate PACs. Cunningham ended 2019 having raised $3.3 million and with $1.7 million on hand. Smith raised $213,000 and had $95,000 on hand. Through mid-February, satellite spending toward the race topped $13 million. VoteVets Action Fund had spent $7.4 million and Carolina Blue had spent $3.2 million on ads supporting Cunningham. Faith and Power PAC spent $2.9 million on ads and other activities supporting Smith. Media outlets reported that the group had Republican connections, and Smith's campaign disavowed the group.
A candidate needs more than 30 percent of the vote to win the primary outright. Otherwise, a runoff for the top two finishers will be held May 12 if the second-place finisher requests one. Cunningham led Smith 22% to 12% in a Public Policy Polling poll from January and 29% to 10% in a February poll from the same firm. In both polls, a majority of respondents were undecided.
Ballotpedia has identified the North Carolina Senate race as a general election battleground, along with 16 other U.S Senate races. Of the 17 seats, five have Democratic incumbents and 12 have Republican incumbents heading into the election. The following map displays the 2020 Senate battlegrounds shaded by the incumbent's or most recent incumbent's political affiliation.
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Eight candidates apply for vacancy on Alaska Supreme Court
The Alaska Judicial Council (AJC) announced earlier this month—on Feb. 14—that eight candidates applied to fill a vacancy on the Alaska Supreme Court. The vacancy will occur when Justice Craig Stowers retires on June 1, 2020. Stowers was appointed to the court in 2009 by Gov. Sean Parnell (R).
Alaska Supreme Court justices are appointed by the governor from a list of two or more nominees compiled by the AJC. According to a press release, the AJC will conduct interviews and a public hearing in May. Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) has 45 days to make an appointment from the list of AJC’s nominees. New justices serve an initial term of at least three years, after which they must stand for retention in an uncontested yes-no election to remain on the bench. Subsequent terms last ten years.
The AJC is an independent state commission, established by the Alaska Constitution, that is responsible for screening applicants for judicial vacancies. The AJC has seven members--three lawyers, three nonlawyers, and the chief justice of the state supreme court. The three lawyers are selected by the governor and must be confirmed by the Alaska Legislature. The nonlawyer members are appointed by the board of governors of the Alaska Bar Association. The Alaska Constitution requires that appointments to the AJC must be made "with due consideration to area representation and without regard to political affiliation."
Twenty-two states fill vacancies on their state supreme courts using some form of what is known as assisted appointment. A nominating commission reviews the qualifications of judicial candidates and submits a list of names to the governor, who appoints a judge from the list.
Of the five current members of the Alaska Supreme Court, three were appointed by Parnell, one was appointed by Gov. Sarah Palin (R), and one was appointed by Gov. Bill Walker (I).
In 2020, there have been eight supreme court vacancies in seven states where replacement justices are appointed instead of elected. All eight vacancies were caused by retirements. Four vacancies are in states where a Democratic governor appoints the replacement. Three are in states where a Republican governor appoints the replacement. One vacancy is in a state where the state supreme court votes to appoint the replacement.
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