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Keep reading for this week's highlights in state and local politics. For a full review of the week, plus a look ahead, click the button below and launch the full edition.

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Cooper, Forest advance to general election in North Carolina governor’s race

• Incumbent Gov. Roy Cooper defeated Ernest Reeves in the Democratic gubernatorial primary 87.2% to 12.8%. On the Republican side, Dan Forest defeated Holly Grange 89.0% to 11.0%

• Cooper and Forest will face off in the Nov. 3, 2020, general election for a four-year term, along with Al Pisano (Constitution Party of North Carolina) and Steven DiFiore II (L). In the 2016 general, Cooper defeated then-incumbent Gov. Pat McCory (R) 49.0% to 48.8%.

• Eleven states are holding gubernatorial elections in 2020. Six states of those states currently have a Republican incumbent governor, compared to five Democratic incumbents.

Robinson wins Republican nomination, runoff possible for Democratic nod in North Carolina’s lieutenant governor election

• Mark Robinson won the Republican primary for lieutenant governor of North Carolina. In a field of nine candidates Robinson received 32.5% of the vote, followed by Andy Wells’ 14.6% and Mark Johnson’s 12.0%.

• Six candidates ran in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor of North Carolina. A primary runoff was set to occur if no candidate won more than 30% of the vote and the second-place finisher called for a runoff. Yvonne Lewis Holley received 26.6% of the vote and Terry Van Duyn had 20.4%. Van Duyn said she would decide whether to call a runoff on Mar. 10.

• Term-limited incumbent Lt. Gov. Dan Forest (R) is running for governor, leaving the office open.

• North Carolina is one of 17 states where the lieutenant governor is elected independently of the governor. Going into the 2020 election, North Carolina is one of three states where the governor and the lieutenant governor do not share the same party affiliation, along with Louisiana and Vermont. That status is at stake in the North Carolina general, as Democrats and Republicans are competing for both offices.

• In the 2016 general election, Forest (R) defeated Linda Coleman (D) 52% to 45%. In 2012, Forest defeated Coleman 50.1% to 49.9%. Walter Dalton (D) defeated Robert Pittenger (R) 51% to 46% in 2008.

Summarizing Super Tuesday’s state legislative primary results in four states

• Four states held a total of 248 contested state legislative primaries Tuesday: Arkansas, California, North Carolina, and Texas. 

• The four states will be electing 583 legislators in November. Every legislative seat in North Carolina will be up for election. In the other three states, every seat in the lower chamber and half the seats in the upper chamber will be up.

• The 248 contested primaries included 76 Republican primaries, 75 Democratic primaries, and one Libertarian primary, as well as 96 top-two primaries in California. Under California’s top-two primary system, every candidate for a particular office runs in the same primary and the top two finishers, regardless of partisan affiliation, advance to the general election.

• In the four Super Tuesday states holding state legislative primaries, 102 incumbent legislators faced primary challengers. With the results of 17 races too close to call as of this writing, 76 incumbents advanced to the general election, six advanced to runoffs, and three were defeated. 

• When compared to these states' legislative primaries in 2018 and 2016, the overall number of primary challenges has decreased. If California, where many state legislative primaries are currently too close to call, is excluded, the success rate of primary challengers has decreased relative to 2018 but is about even with 2016.

• In 2018, 130 legislators faced primary challenges across all four states. In 2016, that number was 110.

• Looking at the success rates for primary challenges outside of California, this year 53 incumbents (82%) advanced to the general election, eight (12%) advanced to runoffs, three (5%) were defeated and the results of one race are too close to call. 

• In 2018, 78 incumbents (81%) advanced directly to the general election, two (2%) advanced to runoffs, and 16 (17%) were defeated outright. In 2016, 76 incumbents (87%) advanced to the general election, three (3%) advanced to runoffs, and eight (9%) were defeated outright.

• In Arkansas, 104 incumbent legislators are running for re-election. Five House Republicans, two Senate Republicans, one House Democrat, and one Senate Democrat faced primary challengers. State Sen. John Cooper (R) was defeated in his primary, while one House Republican advanced to a runoff and six other incumbents advanced to the general election. As of this writing, the results of the race between state Rep. Marcus Richmond (R) and challenger Jim Reynolds (R) were too close to call, with Richmond leading Reynolds 50.8% to 49.2%.

• In California, 85 incumbent legislators are running for re-election. Twenty Assembly Democrats, seven Assembly Republicans, five Senate Democrats, four Senate Republicans, and one independent member of the Assembly ran in contested primaries this year. Eleven Assembly Democrats, all five Senate Democrats, four Assembly Republicans, and two Senate Republicans advanced to the general election. As of this writing, the results of the remaining 15 races were too close to call due to unreturned mail-in ballots.

• In North Carolina, 144 incumbent legislators are running for re-election. Eleven House Democrats, 10 House Republicans, two Senate Republicans, and one Senate Democrat faced primary challengers. State Sen. Eddie Gallimore (R) and state Rep. Elmer Floyd (D) were defeated in their primaries, while the other 22 incumbents advanced to the general election.

• In Texas, 19 House Democrats, 11 House Republicans, and two Senate Democrats faced primary challengers. Three House Democrats, one House Republican, and one Senate Democrat advanced to runoffs, while 26 more incumbents advanced to the general election. As of this writing, the results of the race between state Rep. J.D. Sheffield (R) and challengers Shelby Slawson (R) and Cody Johnson (R) were too close to call. Slawson led with 45.6% of the vote to Sheffield's 30.4% and Johnson's 24.1%. Should those results stand, Sheffield and Slawson would advance to a runoff. No incumbents were defeated outright.

• In 2020, 86 of the nation's 99 state legislative chambers will hold regularly scheduled elections. Heading into the 2020 elections, Republicans hold a majority in more chambers than Democrats. There is a Republican majority in 61 chambers and a Democratic majority in 37 chambers.

Voters reject statewide ballot measures in Alabama and Maine, results of California school bond measure pending

• Alabama Amendment 1 was rejected by 75% of voters. It would have renamed the State Board of Education as the Alabama Commission on Elementary and Secondary Education and changed the board from being elected by voters to being appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate.
   
• California Proposition 13, which would authorize $15 billion in general obligation bonds for school and college facilities, was behind with 55% (3,006,588 votes) opposed and 45% (2,418,725 votes) in favor according to results available on Friday. There were 3,282,981 ballots left to be processed.
   
• Maine voters rejected Question 1 with 73% of voters opposed and 27% in favor. By defeating Question 1, voters upheld Legislative Document 798 and voted to remove religious and philosophical exemptions for vaccination requirements for students to attend schools and colleges and for employees of healthcare facilities in September 2021. Question 1 was a veto referendum targeting the repeal of LD 798, which was passed by the legislature and signed by the governor in May 2019.

Wisconsin Elections Commission releases official results from spring primary, data shows most votes cast since 2000

• The Wisconsin Elections Commission released its official results report for the Feb. 18 state Supreme Court primary Tuesday, confirming reports based on unofficial preliminary results that had indicated that the 2020 primary had the highest turnout in decades. According to the official figures, 705,138 votes were cast in the primary.

• Since 2000, there have been 15 other elections for state Supreme Court, six of which had primaries (a Wisconsin Supreme Court primary is only held if more than two candidates file; the top two finishers in the primary advance to the general election). The next-highest primary turnout during this period was in 2016, when 566,000 voters participated in the primary.

• Higher primary turnout has typically been associated with higher general election turnout. The 2016 general election had the highest turnout of any during this time period, including the nine without primaries, at 1.95 million. Similarly, the record-low 278,000-voter turnout in the 2003 primary was followed by the lowest turnout in any general election where a primary was held.

• Other than the 2016 election, turnout has exceeded 1 million twice: in 2011 and 2019. The conservative candidate won in all three elections. The three lowest turnout figures for contested elections during this time were in the 2009, 2003, and 2015 elections, ranging between 794,000 and 813,000. The liberal candidate won in 2009 and 2015, while the conservative candidate won in 2003.

• Incumbent Daniel Kelly and challenger Jill Karofsky were the top two finishers in the Feb. 18 primary and will advance to the April 7 general election. Kelly received 50.0% of the primary vote. Of the six other primaries since 2000, there were three in which one candidate got more than 50% of the vote. In all three, that candidate went on to win the general election.

• The result of the general election stands to impact future control of the court. 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 win for Karofsky would narrow the conservative majority to 4-3 and would mean that the 2023 election will decide control of the court.

Candidate filing period for state executive, legislative, and judicial offices ended in Georgia

• The major-party filing deadline to run for elected office in Georgia was on March 6, 2020. In Georgia, prospective candidates could file for the following state offices:

  • Georgia Public Service Commission (2 seats)

  • Georgia State Senate (56 seats)

  • Georgia State House (180 seats)

  • Georgia Supreme Court (3 seats)

  • Georgia Court of Appeals (7 seats)

• The primary is scheduled for May 19, a primary runoff is scheduled for July 21, and the general election is scheduled for November 3, 2020. If needed, a general runoff election will be held on December 1, 2020, for state races and on January 5, 2021, for federal races.

• Georgia’s statewide filing deadline was the 15th to take place in the 2020 election cycle. The next statewide filing deadline is on March 9 in Montana. 

• Georgia has a Republican state government trifecta. A trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governor’s office and majorities in both state legislative chambers.

Candidate filing period for state offices to end in six states

• The major-party filing deadline to run for elected office in Montana is on March 9. That deadline is followed up on March 10 by filing deadlines in New Mexico and Oregon. Candidates running in Idaho, Iowa, and Nevada have filing deadlines on March 13. Prospective candidates can file for the following offices:

  • U.S. Senate seats in Idaho, Iowa, Montana, New Mexico, and Oregon

  • U.S. House seats in all six states

  • State executive offices in Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, and Oregon

  • State legislature seats in all six states

  • State supreme court seats in all six states

  • Intermediate appellate court seats in Idaho, Iowa, Nevada, New Mexico, and Oregon

  • Ballotpedia is also covering local elections in parts of Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, and Oregon

• Primaries in Idaho and Oregon are being held on May 19. Iowa, Montana, and New Mexico are holding primaries on June 2. Nevada has its primary on June 9.

• After these six filing deadlines, 21 states will have held statewide filing deadlines in the 2020 election cycle. The next statewide filing deadline is on March 16 in Maine.

Notable local ballot measure results

• In 2020, Ballotpedia is providing comprehensive coverage of elections in America's 100 largest cities by population. 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 is also covering all local recall elections as well as all local ballot measures in California.

  • 2020

    • March 3 - California:

      • On March 3, voters decided 289 local ballot measures. According to results available Friday, at least 74 were approved, at least 104 were defeated, and the remaining measures were too close to call because of the number of ballots left to be processed. 

      • Of the 289 total local measures, 231 (80%) were bond or tax measures:

        • 121 local school bond measures

          • In total, $17.24 billion in local school bonds was proposed.

        • 54 parcel tax measures

        • 46 sales tax measures

        • six hotel tax measures and one advisory vote about hotel tax revenue allocation

        • four city, county, or district bond measures.

      • Other topics included the following:

        • 10 measures on housing, zoning, land use, and development

        • nine measures on local elections and campaigns

        • five measures on the regulation of marijuana and three marijuana tax measures

      • The 289 local measures on the ballot was the largest number of local measures at a primary election since at least 2010. From 2010 through 2018, primary elections were held in June rather than March. There were an average of 139 local measures on primary ballots from 2010 through 2018.

    • March 3 - Oklahoma: 

      • Voters in Oklahoma City rejected a citizen initiative to levy an additional 0.125% sales tax with revenue dedicated to parks.

      • Voters in Tulsa County approved a measure allowing the sale of alcohol on Sundays.

    • March 3 - North Carolina: Voters in Forsyth County approved a 0.25% sales tax.

    • March 10 - Arizona: Voters in Chandler will decide a charter amendment to make the city’s charter compatible with state law governing local election dates.

    • March 17 - Ohio: Voters in Cleveland will decide three charter amendments concerning election procedures, city council salaries, and city council meetings. Voters in the Columbus State Community College will decide a $300 million bond issue.

Candidate filing period for state offices ended in Nebraska

• On March 2, the filing deadline passed for non-incumbents to run for elected office in Nebraska. The filing deadline for incumbents passed on February 18, 2020. Candidates filed for the following state-level offices: 

• Nebraska State Senate (25 seats)

  • The incumbent did not file to run for re-election in Districts 9, 11, 19, 29, 31, and 45.

• Public Service Commissioner

  • The incumbent filed for re-election.

• State Board of Education (4 seats)

  • The incumbent did not file to run for re-election for State Board of Education Districts 3 and 4.

• Ballotpedia is also covering retention elections for the following judicial offices:

  • Nebraska Supreme Court (2 seats)

  • Nebraska Court of Appeals (2 seats)

• Finally, Ballotpedia is covering local elections in the following areas:

  • Lancaster County

  • Omaha

  • Elkhorn Public Schools

  • Millard Public Schools

  • Norris School District 160

  • Omaha Public Schools

  • Ralston Public Schools

  • Waverly School District 145

  • Westside Community Schools

• The primary is scheduled for May 12, and the general election is scheduled for November 3, 2020.

• Nebraska’s statewide filing deadline was the 14th to take place in the 2020 election cycle. The next major party statewide filing deadline is on March 6 in Georgia. 

• Nebraska has a Republican state government trifecta. A trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governor’s office and majorities in both state legislative chambers, or in Nebraska's case, the unicameral Nebraska State Senate.

Ballot measures update

2020:

• Sixty statewide measures in 27 states have been certified for the 2020 ballot so far.

  • Eighteen of the 56 certified measures are citizen-initiated measures. Forty-one are legislative referrals. One is an automatic constitutional revision commission question.

  • Four new measures, all legislative referrals, were certified for the 2020 ballot last week:

    • The South Dakota Legislature referred an amendment to the November ballot that would legalize sports betting within the city limits of Deadwood, South Dakota, and dedicate tax revenues to the historic restoration and preservation of Deadwood.

    • The Virginia State Legislature referred an amendment to the November ballot that would exempt one automobile or pickup truck from state and local property taxes for veterans who have a 100 percent service-connected, permanent, and total disability.

    • The Idaho State Legislature referred an amendment to the November ballot that would constitutionally require 35 legislative districts. Currently, there are 35 legislative districts. The constitution allows between 30 and 35 as determined by statute.

    • The Washington State Legislature referred an amendment to the November ballot that would allow funds in the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Account and the Long-Term Care Services and Supports Trust Account to be invested as provided by law. Currently, the Washington Constitution prohibits the state from investing dedicated funds into stocks or other methods of investment and limits investment of funds by the state to government and corporate bonds and certificates of deposit unless an exception is provided.

  • Signatures for an indirect initiative in Maine were verified, sending the measure to the state legislature and then to the ballot if the legislature doesn’t approve it. The initiative would require the Maine Public Utilities Commission to reverse an order made on May 3, 2019, that provided the New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC) transmission project with a certificate of public convenience and necessity, which is required for the transmission line project.

    • Five other indirect citizen initiatives have been certified to the legislature in 2020: one in Alaska and four in Massachusetts.

  • Proponents of three additional ballot initiatives in Alaska, Colorado, and Michigan submitted signatures, which are pending verification by state officials.

State legislative special elections

• So far this year, 33 state legislative special elections have been scheduled in 15 states. Special elections have been held for 17 seats so far; heading into those races, Democrats had previously controlled nine of the seats while Republicans previously controlled eight. One seat has flipped from Democratic control to Republican control.

  • In special elections between 2011 and 2019, one party (either Republicans or Democrats) saw an average net gain of four seats nationally each year.

  • An average of 55 seats were filled through special elections in each of the past five even years (2010: 26, 2012: 45, 2014: 40, 2016: 65, 2018: 99).

  • An average of 88 seats were filled through special elections in each of the past five odd years (2011: 94, 2013: 84, 2015: 88, 2017: 98, 2019: 77).
     

Upcoming special elections include:

March 10

• Michigan House of Representatives District 34
• New Hampshire House of Representatives Merrimack 24 District

March 17

• Illinois State Senate District 11 (primary)
• Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 8
• Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 18
• Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 58

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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