Welcome to the Monday, Aug. 24, Brew. Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:

1. Looking at one-party general elections in CA and WA
2. Montana voters to decide pair of ballot initiatives that would legalize recreational marijuana
3. Previewing the Republican primary runoff in Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional District

Looking at one-party general elections in CA and WA 

On Aug. 4, Marilyn Strickland (D) and Beth Doglio (D) advanced from the top-two primary for Washington's 10th Congressional District. This marked the first race in the state and the eighth this year so far where two members of the same party advanced from a top-two primary.

A top-two primary is a type of primary election in which all candidates are listed on the same ballot. The top two vote-getters, regardless of their partisan affiliations, advance to the general election. California and Washington are the only two states that use top-two primaries for congressional elections.

• In 2004, Washington became the first state to adopt a top-two primary system for congressional and state-level elections. California followed suit in 2010.

• Between 2014 and 2018, there were 22 U.S. House elections featuring candidates from the same party.

  • Eighteen were in California, and four were in Washington.

• So far this year, California will have seven general elections with two candidates from the same party. Washington will have one. Some races remain uncalled, so those numbers could change.

• Between 2014 and 2020, 25 of the 30 general elections with candidates from the same party had Democratic candidates. Five had Republican candidates.

• Three top-four and one top-two primary initiatives will be on the ballot this year in Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, and North Dakota.

Learn more

       

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Montana voters to decide pair of ballot initiatives that would legalize recreational marijuana

Last week, we told you about Arizona Proposition 207, which would legalize recreational marijuana in the state. On Nov. 3, Montana voters will decide an initiated constitutional amendment, CI-118, and an initiated state statute, I-190, that, together, would legalize recreational marijuana in the state. 

This will be the first time Montanans will vote on recreational marijuana. In 2004, Montana voters approved I-148, a medical marijuana initiative, with 61.81% of the vote. In 2011, the state legislature voted to enact regulations limiting the number of patients a provider could service. The law was repealed in 2016 with the approval of I-182.

• CI-118 would amend the state constitution to allow for the legislature or a citizen initiative to establish minimum legal ages for the possession, use, and purchase of marijuana. 

• I-190 would legalize the possession and use of marijuana for adults over the age of 21, impose a 20% tax on marijuana sales, require the Department of Revenue to develop rules to regulate marijuana businesses, and allow for the resentencing or expungement of marijuana-related crimes. CI-118 must be approved in order for I-190 to be fully enacted. 

Eleven states and Washington, D.C., have legalized the possession and use of recreational marijuana. Nine states legalized marijuana through the ballot initiative process. Vermont and Illinois legalized marijuana through the legislative process.

Recreational marijuana measures are also certified for November 2020 ballots in Arizona, New Jersey, and South Dakota. South Dakota and Mississippi voters will also decide medical marijuana measures. Nebraskans for Sensible Marijuana Laws submitted signatures for a 2020 medical marijuana initiative.

CI-118 and I-190 will be the only initiatives on the Montana ballot. Three other legislatively referred ballot measures will also appear on the ballot. From 1996 to 2018, an average of between four and five measures appeared on the ballot during even-numbered years in Montana, 62% of which were approved.

Previewing the Republican primary runoff in Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional District

Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional District is holding a Republican primary runoff on Tuesday, Aug. 25. No candidate passed a threshold of 50% of the vote in the June 30 primary. Terry Neese and Stephanie Bice were the top-two finishers out of nine candidates, garnering 36.5% and 25.4% of the vote, respectively. The winner of the runoff will face incumbent Kendra Horn (D) in the general election.

In 2018, Horn defeated Rep. Steve Russell (R), becoming the first Democrat to hold the office since 1975. The district is one of the 31 Democratic-held House districts that Donald Trump won in 2016, with Trump defeating Hillary Clinton by a margin of 13.4 percentage points.

According to the Federal Election Commission, Bice outraised her opponent with $273,052 in campaign contributions to Neese’s $196,522 between July 1 and Aug. 5. On July 14th, David Hill, who was the third-place runner-up in the primary with 19% of the vote, endorsed Neese. Bice’s endorsements include former Sen. Rick Santorum. 

Three independent outlets rate the general election as a Toss-up. In February 2019, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee identified Oklahoma’s 5th as a Frontline district and the Republican National Congressional Committee identified the district as an offensive target for the 2020 election cycle.

Also on Aug. 25, California voters will decide local ballot measures.

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