Primary elections and COVID-19 updates make up this week's highlights of The State and Local Tap. As always, find a complete review of the week and preview of the week ahead by launching the full edition.

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Missouri becomes second state to expand Medicaid this year

Missouri voters approved Medicaid expansion initiative Amendment 2 by a vote of 53% to 47%. Amendment 2 was a citizen initiative to expand Medicaid eligibility in Missouri to adults between the ages of 19 and 65 whose income is at or below 138% of the federal poverty level. In 2020, this amounted to an annual income of $17,608 for an individual and $36,156 for a household of four. The amendment prohibited any additional restrictions or requirements for the expanded population to qualify for Medicaid coverage.

• Missouri was the sixth state to expand Medicaid through a ballot initiative. In 2017, voters in Maine approved a ballot measure to expand Medicaid. The measure was the first citizen initiative to implement an optional provision of Obamacare. In November 2018, voters in Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, and Utah decided ballot initiatives concerning Medicaid expansion and the funding of expanded Medicaid coverage. They were approved in Idaho, Nebraska, and Utah.
• Oklahoma was the most recent state to approve Medicaid expansion in June. Oklahoma State Question 802 passed with 50.5% of the vote.

Six states issue mask mandates for K-12 public schools

Indiana, Maine, Mississippi, New Jersey, Ohio, and South Carolina announced this week that most students and staff will have to wear masks while on campus at K-12 public schools. Some exceptions in those states exist for students with specific medical conditions or under certain ages (usually 5 years old or younger).

• So far, seven states—Alabama, Indiana, Iowa, Montana, North Dakota, Nevada, and Wyoming—have reopened their campuses for students and staff.
  • Sixteen states have released reopening guidance and also announced a scheduled reopening and one state has announced schools will reopen in the fall but has not released reopening guidance.
  • Officials in 21 other states have released guidance for reopening schools to in-person instruction, but have not indicated when or whether they plan to do so. 
• In March and April, 48 states—all except Montana and Wyoming— closed schools to in-person instruction for the remainder of the 2019-2020 academic year. Montana schools were allowed to reopen on May 7 and Wyoming schools were allowed to reopen on May 15.

Voters decide statewide primaries in Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, and Washington

Five states—Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, and Washington—held primaries for various state-level offices on Aug. 4. There were 690 state executive and legislative seats up for election. These included 22 state executive seats, 112 state Senate seats, and 556 state House seats.

• Across all five states, 549 incumbents filed for re-election to the 690 seats. Preliminary results indicate at least 16 incumbents were defeated.
• Eighteen state executive incumbents filed for re-election. Of those, 15 advanced to the general election. The results for three of the seats were not yet known.
• In the state Senate elections, 90 incumbents filed for re-election to 112 seats. At least seven did not advance to the general election. In the state House elections, 441 incumbents competed for re-election to 556 seats. Nine were defeated, but that number may grow as results are finalized.

Connecticut, New Jersey, New York expand states under quarantine requirement; Massachusetts issues travel restrictions

• Governors Ned Lamont (D-Conn.), Phil Murphy (D-N.J.), and Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) announced the addition of Rhode Island to the joint travel advisory, requiring visitors from that state to quarantine for 14 days upon entering the tristate area. The governors removed Delaware and Washington D.C. from the list, which now includes 34 states plus the territory of Puerto Rico.
• On Aug. 5, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) rescinded the executive order requiring travelers from Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival. 
• On August 1, Massachusetts enacted enforceable travel restrictions requiring all non-exempt travelers to the state to fill out a travel form and either self-quarantine for 14 days or produce a negative COVID-19 test administered no later than 72 hours prior to arrival. Travelers from states classified as lower-risk, which included Connecticut, Vermont, and Hawaii, among others, were exempt from the requirements.
  • The restrictions were coupled with a fine of up to $500 per day for failure to comply.  
  • Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) previously asked most travelers to self-quarantine for 14 days. The advisory had not included an enforcement mechanism.

Incumbent wins Democratic primary for St. Louis circuit attorney

Democratic Voters in St. Louis cast ballots in the primary for city circuit attorney on Aug. 4. Incumbent Kimberly Gardner defeated primary challenger Mary Pat Carl, receiving 61% of the vote to Carl’s 39%. Gardner also defeated Carl in the position’s four-candidate 2016 primary, where Gardner received 47% of the vote and Carl was second with 24%.

• This year, Gardner received endorsements from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Real Justice PAC. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch and ten local Democratic Party wards endorsed Carl.
• Ahead of the primary, The Appeal’s Rachel M. Cohen wrote, “[L]ocal activists view this race as a referendum on the fierce pushback that Gardner has faced since she took office. The primary … may be any early window into whether this sort of pushback will prove successful in other jurisdictions where reform-minded prosecutors soon face re-election.”

Gubernatorial candidates to face off in Vermont primaries

Voters in Vermont will cast ballots in statewide and state legislative primaries on Aug. 11. Ballotpedia identified the Democratic primaries for governor and lieutenant governor as battleground primaries. Here’s a closer look at those two races:

• Democratic primary for governor
  • Four candidates—Ralph Corbo, Rebecca Holcombe, Patrick Winburn, and David Zuckerman—are running in the Democratic primary for governor. The winner will face incumbent Gov. Phil Scott (R) in the general election.
  • Holcombe and Zuckerman lead in fundraising, reporting $546,000 and $349,000, respectively. Holcombe previously served as Vermont’s secretary of education from 2014 to 2018. Zuckerman is Vermont’s current lieutenant governor. He was elected in 2016 with 58% of the vote after winning both the Democratic and Vermont Progressive Party nominations.
  • Vermont Public Radio wrote, “When it comes to policy at least, there isn’t much distance between the four Democrats seeking their party’s nomination,” adding that both Holcombe and Zuckerman “favor universal health care, a $15 minimum wage and a paid family and medical leave program for all Vermont workers.”
  • Holcombe received endorsements from EMILY’s List, Democratic National Committeeman Tim Jerman, and former Gov. Madeleine Kunin (D). Zuckerman received endorsements from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Our Revolution, and the Vermont AFL-CIO.
• Democratic primary for lieutenant governor:
  • With incumbent Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman running in the gubernatorial primary, the position is open in 2020. Four candidates—Timothy Ashe, Molly Gray, Debbie Ingram, and Brenda Siegel—are running in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor. 
  • Ashe, Gray, and Siegel lead in noteworthy primary endorsements. VTDigger’s Xander Landen wrote, “Ashe and … Siegel have been splitting the endorsements on the progressive left,” while “Gray … has touted the support she has received from Vermont’s Democratic establishment.”
  • Ashe received endorsements from the Sierra Club and sixteen state legislators. Siegel was endorsed by Progressives for Democracy in America and the Champlain Valley branch of the Democratic Socialists of America. Gray lists former Govs. Peter Shumlin (D) and Madeleine Kunin (D) along with former Lt. Gov. Doug Racine (D) as endorsers.
  • VPR News’ Peter Hirschfeld, commenting about the office of lieutenant governor, writes, “Aside from presiding over the state senate … [the] job doesn’t carry much in the way of constitutional powers. But the statewide post has been an important stepping stone for many ambitious politicians.” Three of Vermont’s six governors since 1980 served as lieutenant governor before ascending to the top state executive office.

Tennessee voters decide state, local primaries

The statewide primary for Tennessee was held on August 6. Candidates competed to advance to the general election scheduled for November 3, 2020. Candidates ran in elections for the following offices: 

• State Senate: The chamber has five Democrats and 28 Republicans. Sixteen of 33 seats are up for election. Fifteen incumbents filed for re-election and all of them advanced, according to unofficial results.
• State House: The chamber has 26 Democrats and 73 Republicans. All 99 seats are up for election. 
  • Ninety-three incumbents filed for re-election. Three incumbents—James Van Huss (R-6), Matthew Hill (R-7), and Thomas R. Tillis (R-92)—lost their bids for re-election, according to unofficial results. The District 15 race remains too close to call.
• One seat on the Tennessee Court of Appeals, currently held by incumbent Carma Dennis McGee, was up for retention election. According to unofficial results, McGee won her retention election. She will serve the remainder of an eight-year term, which is set to expire in 2024.
• Ballotpedia also covered general local municipal and school board elections in the following areas: 
  • Shelby County
  • Nashville
  • Clarksville-Montgomery County School System
  • Hamilton County School District
  • Knox County School District
  • Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools
  • Rutherford County Schools
  • Shelby County Schools
  • Williamson County Schools

Two state legislators test positive for coronavirus

• Michigan state Sen. Tom Barrett (R), who represents District 24, announced on Aug. 2  he had tested positive for coronavirus. He assumed office in 2019.
• Pennsylvania state Rep. John Galloway (D), who has represented District 140 since 2007, announced on Aug. 3 that he would be self-quarantining after coming into contact with someone who tested positive for coronavirus.

Voters to decide state executive and legislative primaries in four states

Statewide primary elections in Connecticut, Minnesota, Vermont, and Wisconsin are on August 11, 2020. A total of 689 seats across the four states are up for election, including six state executive seats and 683 state legislative seats. Candidates are running in elections for the following offices: 

• Connecticut
  • State Senate (all 36 seats)
  • State House (all 151 seats)
• Minnesota
  • State Senate (16 out of 33 seats)
  • State Assembly (all 99 seats)
• Vermont
  • Governor
  • Lieutenant Governor
  • Secretary of State
  • Auditor
  • Attorney General
  • Treasurer
  • State Senate (all 30 seats)
  • State House (all 150 seats)
• Wisconsin
  • State Senate (all 67 seats)
  • State House (all 134 seats)

The next statewide primary will be held on August 18 in Alaska, Florida, and Wyoming.

Serafini resigns from Maryland state Senate

Maryland Sen. Andrew Serafini (R) resigned from the state legislature on Aug. 1. He represented District 2A in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2009 to 2015 and assumed office in the Maryland State Senate in 2015. 

• Before he resigned, Serafini was one of 15 Republican senators in the 47-seat chamber. Democrats have held a majority in the chamber since at least 1990.
• Governor Larry Hogan (R) will appoint Serafini’s replacement from a list of candidates recommended by Republican committee officials in the district. The appointee will serve the remainder of Serafini’s unexpired term, which is set to end on January 10, 2023.

Hawaii voters to decide state executive, legislative primaries

The statewide primary election for Hawaii is on August 8. Candidates are running in elections for the following state offices:

• Office of Hawaiian Affairs (four seats)
• State Senate (13 seats)
• State House (51 seats)
• Ballotpedia will also be covering local elections in the city of Honolulu. Honolulu is a consolidated city-county and is the 11th largest city by population in the United States.

Ballot measures update

To date, 111 statewide measures in 33 states have been certified for the 2020 ballot.

• Thirty-three of the certified measures are citizen-initiated measures. Seventy-seven are legislative referrals. One is an automatic constitutional revision commission question. 
• One new measure was certified for the November ballot in Nebraska last week.
  • The Nebraska Secretary of State certified an initiative for the ballot that would limit the annual interest charged for delayed deposit services—also known as payday lending—to 36%.
• Seven statewide measures have been on the ballot so far this year. One more is on the ballot on August 4, and the remaining 102 are on the November ballot.
  • On August 4, Missouri voters approved Amendment 2, an initiative to expand Medicaid coverage. The vote was 53% to 47%.
  • On July 14, Maine voters approved two bond issues:
    • Maine Question 1, High-Speed Internet Infrastructure Bond Issue (July 2020) - $15 million
    • Maine Question 2, Transportation Infrastructure Bond Issue (July 2020) - $105 million
  • On June 30, voters in Oklahoma approved State Question 802, an initiative to expand Medicaid coverage. The vote was 50.5% to 49.5%.
• Proponents of 17 additional ballot initiatives and veto referendums in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, and North Dakota submitted signatures for verification by state officials.

Special elections update

Fifty-two state legislative special elections have been scheduled in 25 states so far this year, with 35 seats having taken place already. Heading into those races, Democrats had previously controlled 14 of the seats, while Republicans previously controlled 21. One seat flipped from Democratic control to Republican control, and five seats flipped from Republican control to Democratic control.

Upcoming special elections include:

• August 11
  • Georgia State Senate District 4 (general election runoff)
  • South Carolina House of Representatives District 115
• August 18
  • Alaska State Senate District M (primary)
  • Florida State Senate District 20 (primary)
  • South Carolina House of Representatives District 107 (primary)

States in session

Eight states—California, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania—are in regular session.

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