On tap this week ad spending in Kentucky governor’s race tops $10 million

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Whether you are headed to the polls in Louisiana today or reading this at home, we're happy that you're joining us. Scroll down for the week's top state and local news.

Read the full Tap online ([link removed]’s_Election_Day_in_Louisiana)

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** LOUISIANA HOLDS PRIMARY ELECTIONS SATURDAY FOR GOVERNOR, STATE EXECUTIVES, STATE LEGISLATURE 
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* Six candidates are running in Louisiana’s gubernatorial primary ([link removed]) Saturday. Louisiana uses what’s known as a blanket primary, where all candidates in any race appear on the ballot—regardless of party. A candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50 percent of the primary vote. If not, then a general election for the top two finishers will be held Nov. 16. 

* Media outlets and polling have identified three top gubernatorial candidates—incumbent John Bel Edwards (D), U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham (R), and businessman Eddie Rispone (R). Several polls leading up to the primary have shown Edwards leading with 45-47 percent support and either Abraham and Rispone tied within the margin of error for second place or Rispone with a small advantage over Abraham.

* President Donald Trump, along with the Louisiana Republican Party, have endorsed both Abraham and Rispone, and the state Democratic Party backed Edwards. Trump held a rally for both Abraham and Rispone in Lake Charles Friday. Vice President Mike Pence (R) also held a rally in the New Orleans area for the two Republicans on Oct. 5.

* Edwards is the only Democratic governor in the Deep South and the only Democrat holding statewide office in Louisiana. Donald Trump won the state by 20 percentage points in 2016.

* In addition to the gubernatorial primary, Louisiana voters will also decide the offices of lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, state treasurer, insurance commissioner, agriculture and forestry commissioner, and eight seats on the state board of elementary and secondary education. The six statewide offices other than governor are all currently held by Republicans and all six are running for re-election. The state board of education presently consists of six Republican and two Democratic members.  Five incumbents on that board—four Republicans and one Democrat—are running for another term.

* All 39 seats in the state Senate and 105 seats in the state House will also be on the ballot in the primary. Republicans hold a 25-14 majority in the Senate and a 60-39 majority in the House, with five independents and one vacancy. 

* Louisiana voters will also decide four constitutional amendments:

* Amendment 1 ([link removed]) would explicitly extend an ad valorem tax exemption to property being stored in Louisiana but destined for the Outer Continental Shelf. 
* Amendment 2 ([link removed]) would allow for appropriations from the Education Excellence Fund (EEF) to the Louisiana Educational Television Authority (LETA), Thrive Academy, and laboratory schools operated by public colleges. 
* Amendment 3 ([link removed]) would do the following:

* allow the legislature through a two-thirds vote to give the Louisiana Board of Tax Appeals jurisdiction over the constitutionality of taxes, fees, and related matters;
* require prompt recovery by taxpayers of any unconstitutional tax paid;
* establish authority for the board in the state constitution, subject to changes made by laws passed by a two-thirds vote in the legislature;
* state in the constitution that the Louisiana Board of Tax Appeals has jurisdiction over any disputes concerning state and local taxes, fees, or other claims against the state.

* Amendment 4 ([link removed]) would allow New Orleans, Louisiana, to exempt properties with no more than 15 residential units from property taxes “for the purpose of promoting and encouraging affordable housing,” according to the text of the constitutional amendment.

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** AD SPENDING IN KENTUCKY GUBERNATORIAL RACE SURPASSES $10 MILLION
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* Total television and radio ad spending on the Kentucky gubernatorial election ([link removed]) reached the $10 million mark this week. Gov. Matt Bevin ([link removed]) (R) and Putting Kentucky First have spent $6.04 million and Andy Beshear ([link removed]) (D) and Bluegrass Values have spent $4.51 million. The two satellite groups are affiliated with the Republican Governors Association and Democratic Governors Association, respectively.
 
* Six new ads were released this week—one in support of Beshear, one in opposition to Beshear, one in support of Bevin, and three in opposition to Bevin.
 
* Bevin, Beshear, and John Hicks (L) are running in the gubernatorial election on November 5. This race will decide the state's trifecta status until at least the 2020 state legislative elections. If Bevin wins, Republicans will maintain their trifecta control of the state, while a Beshear or Hicks victory would result in divided government. Before Bevin was elected governor in 2015, Democrats held the governorship for 16 of the previous 20 years. Beshear is the son of former Gov. Steve Beshear (D), who served from 2007 to 2015.

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** FORMER COUNCILWOMAN BALDWIN WINS MAYORAL ELECTION IN RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA
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* Former at-large councilwoman Mary-Ann Baldwin is the mayor-elect of Raleigh, North Carolina, after attorney Charles Francis announced ([link removed]) October 11 that he would not ask for a runoff after the city’s mayoral election ([link removed]) October 8. Baldwin finished first with 38% of the vote and Francis finished second with 31%. Since no candidate received a majority of the vote in the six-candidate field, a runoff would have been held on November 5 if Francis requested it. Mayor Nancy McFarlane—who was first elected in 2011—did not run for re-election in 2019.

* Raleigh also held elections for all seven seats on its city council—two at-large and five district seats. Six of seven incumbents ran for re-election. Three incumbents won outright in the general election and three were defeated, which means there will be four new members on the Raleigh City Council.

* Raleigh is the second-largest city in North Carolina and the 43rd-largest city ([link removed]) in the U.S by population.

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** MISSISSIPPI GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATES DEBATE MEDICAID EXPANSION, INFRASTRUCTURE SPENDING
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* Mississippi gubernatorial candidates Jim Hood ([link removed]) (D) and Tate Reeves ([link removed]) (R) met for their first debate Thursday at the University of Southern Mississippi. The two debated Medicaid expansion, infrastructure spending, and background check requirements for firearms purchases. Both Hood and Reeves said they would increase teacher pay if elected. Hood and Reeves will meet for a second debate in Columbus October 14.
 
* Hood and Reeves also submitted campaign finance reports covering fundraising and spending between July 1 and September 30. Reeves reported raising $5.8 million and spending $5.2 million and Hood reported raising $2.2 million and spending $2.3 million during this period. So far this year, Hood has raised $3.4 million to Reeves' $9.5 million. As of September 30, Reeves had $3.2 million on hand to Hood's $1.1 million. 
 
* Hood, Reeves, Bob Hickingbottom (Constitution), and David Singletary (I) are the four candidates running for governor on November 5 ([link removed]) . Term limits prevent incumbent Phil Bryant (R) from seeking a third term. 
 
* In order to win election to statewide office in Mississippi, the state constitution requires that a candidate win a majority of the statewide vote as well as carry a majority of the 122 state House districts. If no candidate does both, the state House will decide the winner. A federal district court judge heard ([link removed]) arguments Friday in a lawsuit challenging the state’s method for electing statewide officeholders.

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** HOUSTON MAYORAL CANDIDATES REPORT TOTAL CASH ON HAND EXCEEDING $6 MILLION AHEAD OF NOVEMBER 5 ELECTION
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* Tony Buzbee ([link removed]) led the field of candidates in Houston’s mayoral race ([link removed]) in total campaign receipts during the most recent reporting period from July 1 through October 6. Buzbee contributed $2.5 million to his campaign. Campaign finance reports released this week showed the following amounts received by other candidates as follows:

* Incumbent Sylvester Turner ([link removed]) raised $733,324
* Bill King ([link removed]) raised $281,829 and loaned his campaign $200,000
* Dwight Boykins ([link removed]) raised $130,105
* Kendall Baker ([link removed]) contributed $20,000 to his campaign

* Those five candidates finished the period with the following cash on hand as of October 6:

* Buzbee—$4,167,503
* Turner—$1,618,015
* King—$263,448
* Boykins—$58,103
* Baker—$3,919

* Houston does not require candidates to file electronic finance reports if their total receipts in a calendar year total less than $20,000 at the time of the filing deadline. Candidates Derrick Broze ([link removed]) , Naoufal Houjami ([link removed]) , Sue Lovell ([link removed]) , Victoria Romero ([link removed]) , Demetria Smith ([link removed]) , Johnny Taylor ([link removed]) , and Roy Vasquez ([link removed]) did not file electronic reports with the city. The final campaign finance reporting deadline before the general election is on October 28, 2019.

* Eleven candidates are challenging Turner in the November 5 general election for mayor of Houston. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the top two general election candidates will participate in a runoff election on December 14.

* Houston ([link removed]) is the fourth-largest ([link removed]) city in the United States by population. Of the 100 largest cities in the U.S., 31 are holding mayoral elections in 2019 ([link removed]) .

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** TWO SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL ELECTIONS DECIDED IN BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, AS ONE RACE ADVANCES TO RUNOFF
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* Special elections ([link removed]) were held in three city council districts in Birmingham, Alabama. The seats in Districts 1 and 6 were vacated after the former occupants were elected to the Jefferson County Commission in 2018. District 7 was vacant because the former officeholder resigned when he moved outside of the district. There are nine seats on the city council.

* In District 1, appointed incumbent Clinton Woods won the election outright with 71.3% of the vote, defeating two challengers. 

* In District 6, appointed incumbent Crystal Smitherman won election to the seat outright, receiving 51.5% of the vote. She defeated six challengers.

* Appointed District 7 incumbent Wardine Alexander and challenger Ray Brooks advanced to a general runoff election after none of the three candidates received over 50% of the vote. Alexander received 42.4% and Brooks received 30.9%. The runoff election is scheduled for November 19.

* Birmingham voters also approved three measures ([link removed]) to renew property tax rates to fund public schools.

* Birmingham ([link removed]) is the largest city in Alabama and the 99th-largest city in the U.S. by population.

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** BALLOT MEASURES UPDATE
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** 2019:
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* Thirty-six statewide measures ([link removed]) will be on 2019 ballots in Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington. 

* Besides the 24 binding statewide measures, Washington voters will see 12 non-binding advisory votes ([link removed]) concerning revenue-increasing bills recently passed by the legislature that were automatically added to the ballot.
* Four Louisiana measures are on the Oct. 12 ballot. The rest will be on the Nov. 5 ballot.
* Last week Ballotpedia released its analysis of the readability of the ballot language of the 2019 statewide measures ([link removed]) . The readability formula used showed an average grade level requirement of 15 years of U.S. education for 2019 ballot language. In 2018 and 2017, the averages were about 20 years.

 
** [link removed]
2020:
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* Forty-one statewide measures ([link removed]) in 19 states have been certified for the 2020 ballot so far.

* One measure, a $15 billion bond issue for school and college facilities, was certified for the March 2020 ballot in California last week.
* Six of the 41 certified 2020 measures are citizen-initiated measures. Thirty-four are legislative referrals. One is an automatic constitutional revision commission question.

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** SPECIAL ELECTIONS
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* So far this year, 77 state legislative special elections ([link removed]) have been scheduled in 24 states. Special elections have been held for 55 seats so far; heading into those races, Democrats had previously controlled 30 of the seats while Republicans previously controlled 25. Four seats have flipped from Democratic control to Republican control. One seat has flipped from Republican control to Democratic control. One seat has flipped from Republican control to an independent officeholder. 

* In special elections between 2011 and 2018, one party (either Republicans or Democrats) saw an average net gain of four seats nationally each year.
* An average of 91 seats were filled through special elections in each of the past four odd years (2011 ([link removed]) : 94, 2013 ([link removed]) : 84, 2015 ([link removed]) : 88, 2017 ([link removed]) : 98).
* An average of 55 seats were filled through special elections in each of the past five even years (2010 ([link removed]) : 26, 2012 ([link removed]) : 45, 2014 ([link removed]) : 40, 2016 ([link removed]) : 65, 2018 ([link removed]) : 99).

 
** UPCOMING SPECIAL ELECTIONS INCLUDE:
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November 5

* Alabama House of Representatives District 42 ([link removed])
* Arkansas House of Representatives District 36 ([link removed])
* California State Assembly District 1 ([link removed])
* Georgia House of Representatives District 152 ([link removed])
* Kentucky House of Representatives District 18 ([link removed])
* Kentucky House of Representatives District 63 ([link removed])
* Mississippi State Senate District 50 ([link removed])
* Missouri House of Representatives District 22 ([link removed])
* Missouri House of Representatives District 36 ([link removed])
* Missouri House of Representatives District 74 ([link removed])
* Missouri House of Representatives District 78 ([link removed])
* Missouri House of Representatives District 99 ([link removed])
* Missouri House of Representatives District 158 ([link removed])
* New Jersey State Senate District 1 ([link removed])
* New York State Senate District 57 ([link removed])
* Tennessee House of Representatives District 77 (primary) ([link removed])
* Texas House of Representatives District 28 ([link removed])
* Texas House of Representatives District 100 ([link removed])
* Texas House of Representatives District 148 ([link removed])
* Washington State Senate District 40 ([link removed])
* Washington House of Representatives District 13-Position 2 ([link removed])

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** STATES IN SESSION
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Five states—Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, and Wisconsin—are in regular session ([link removed]) . New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia are in recess. Forty-two states have adjourned their 2019 legislative sessions.

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** BALLOTPEDIA IN THE NEWS
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* Ballot Measures expert Josh Altic was interviewed ([link removed]) for a _Vice_ piece on Oregon's Psilocybin Program Initiative ([link removed]) which may appear on 2020 ballots. "Compared to other liberal states with ballot measures, 'you are not going to have to spend as much on your campaign in Oregon,' said Josh Altic, Ballot Measures Project Director for Ballotpedia. Data from the non-partisan organization shows that among left-leaning states, Oregon has among the lowest average cost for getting enough signatures to qualify for the ballot and for running a persuasion campaign, he said. This has historically made Oregon a point of interest for national organizations and groups across a wide range of issues who are looking to test new policies or trying to start national trends."

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