Houston mayoral candidates debate spending priorities, city finances

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Upcoming elections pack 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.

Read the full Tap online ([link removed])

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** AD SPENDING IN KENTUCKY GUBERNATORIAL RACE TOPS $15 MILLION
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This week, radio and television ad spending between the two major party candidates and governors associations broke $15 million in the Kentucky gubernatorial election. On the Democratic side, Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear ([link removed]) and the group Bluegrass Values reached $6.91 million in total spending. On the Republican side, Gov. Matt Bevin ([link removed]) and the group Putting Kentucky First reached $8.56 million in total spending.

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Bluegrass Values is affiliated with the Democratic Governors Association, while Putting Kentucky First is affiliated with the Republican Governors Association. Each group has released several ads over the course of the campaign both in support of their party’s candidate and in opposition to the other party’s candidate.

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Bevin (R), Beshear (D), and John Hicks (L) are running in Kentucky's gubernatorial election on November 5, 2019. This election follows nearly four years of conflict between Bevin and Beshear, which began when each was elected to his current position. The main issues in the race are healthcare and education funding. 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 neither party having trifecta control. Kentucky is currently a Republican trifecta. 

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** HOUSTON MAYORAL CANDIDATES DEBATE SPENDING PRIORITIES, CITY FINANCES AHEAD OF NOV. 5 ELECTION
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Houston mayoral ([link removed])#Timeline) candidates Kendall Baker ([link removed]) , Dwight Boykins ([link removed]) , Tony Buzbee ([link removed]) , Bill King ([link removed]) , and incumbent Sylvester Turner ([link removed]) participated in a televised debate ([link removed]) on Monday. The conversation focused on the candidates’ spending priorities regarding issues such as the environment, public transportation, infrastructure, parity pay for firefighters, and zero-based budgeting. 

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The candidates emphasized the following points during the night:

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Baker emphasized his experience working for Houston’s government, saying he knows the city well and has the experience to manage the city more effectively than Turner’s administration.

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Boykins said he would implement zero-based budgeting to make the city more efficient and make room for the spending priorities of his administration, including parity pay for firefighters. 

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Buzbee said he is a political outsider in the race. He contrasted himself to Mayor Turner, who he called a career politician, saying Turner would not keep his campaign promises. 

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Turner said his administration accomplished a lot in four years, including reducing the city’s pension debt by over $4 billion, adding over 200 police officers to the force, and passing four balanced budgets.

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King said the city’s budget is the top issue in the race, stating that, unless the city’s finances are reformed, Houston will not be able to approach fixing roads, improving drainage, or hiring more police officers.

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Buzbee and Turner released negative ads ([link removed])#Campaign_ads) against each other last week, titled “Destruction,” and, “Fake,” respectively.

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Incumbent Sylvester Turner ([link removed]) and 11 challengers will compete in the November 5, 2019, general election for mayor of Houston, Texas ([link removed]) . 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, 2019.

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

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** PRESIDENT TRUMP TO HEADLINE RALLY FOR REPUBLICAN GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE IN MISSISSIPPI
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On November 1, President Donald Trump (R) will headline a rally in support of his endorsed Mississippi gubernatorial candidate Tate Reeves ([link removed]) (R) in Tupelo next Friday. The rally follows an October 24 fundraiser Donald Trump Jr. held on Reeves' behalf just outside Hattiesburg. President Trump's last rally in Mississippi, which was also held in Tupelo, took place last November during the U.S. Senate special election.

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Meanwhile, Tupelo Mayor Jason Shelton (D) endorsed Reeves' opponent Jim Hood ([link removed]) (D) on October 21.

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A Mason-Dixon poll released October 23 showed Hood and Reeves about even; 46% said they would vote for Reeves while 43% said they would vote for Hood and 9% were undecided. The poll had a margin of error of 4 percentage points.

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Hood, Reeves, Bob Hickingbottom (Constitution), and David Singletary (I) are the four candidates running for governor ([link removed]) on November 5. Term limits prevent incumbent Phil Bryant (R) from seeking a third term. 

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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 lawsuit challenging the requirement is currently before a federal district judge.

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** SANDERS (I), WARREN (D) ISSUE STATEMENTS ABOUT AMAZON'S CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS FOR SEATTLE COUNCIL ELECTIONS
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Seven of nine Seattle City Council seats are up for election ([link removed])) on November 5, a year and a half following the council's approval and subsequent repeal of a head tax opposed by the business community, including the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Seattle-based company Amazon. Senators and Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) have commented on Amazon's spending toward the race.

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On October 14, Amazon contributed $1 million to Civic Alliance for a Sound Economy (CASE)—the local Chamber of Commerce's political action committee (PAC)—bringing Amazon's contribution total during the 2019 election cycle to $1.45 million. 

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Sanders tweeted the following on Oct. 21: "In a city struggling with homelessness, Amazon is dropping an outrageous amount of money to defeat progressive candidates fighting for working people. The way Amazon conducts itself in its hometown is a perfect example of the out-of-control corporate greed we are going to end."

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Warren tweeted the following on Oct. 19: "Surprise: Amazon is trying to tilt the Seattle City Council elections in their favor. I'm with the Seattle council members and activists who continue standing up to Amazon. Corporations aren't people, and I have a plan to get big money out of politics."

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In response to the above statements, Amazon spokesman Aaron Toso said, "We are engaging in this election because we want Seattle to have a city government that works. Seattle deserves a council that delivers results for all of its residents on issues that matter, like homelessness, transportation, climate change and public safety."

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As of Oct. 21, 2019, the city council elections had seen $3.1 million in spending from satellite groups including CASE and the Civic Alliance for a Progressive Economy (CAPE), a PAC affiliated with the labor group Working Washington. In 2015, the last time the seven district seats were up for election, satellite spending totaled $785,000.

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** VIRGINIA VOTERS MUST REQUEST ABSENTEE BALLOTS FOR STATE LEGISLATIVE RACES BY OCT. 29
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October 29 is the last day to register as an absentee voter by mail in Virginia for the November 5 general election ([link removed]) . This year, all the seats in the Virginia General Assembly are up for election in races that will decide which party controls the chamber during the 2020 redistricting cycle.

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Republicans hold both chambers in the Virginia General Assembly with two-seat majorities. If Democrats win majorities in both chambers, they will hold a Democratic trifecta during redistricting. If Republicans retain a majority in at least one chamber, Virginia will remain under divided government. Gov. Ralph Northam (D) is a Democrat.

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In the Virginia State Senate, Republicans hold a 21-19 majority. Ballotpedia identified seven districts as battlegrounds in 2019, of which Democrats hold one and Republicans hold six. In the Virginia House of Delegates, Republicans hold a 51-49 majority. Ballotpedia identified 27 battleground races in the chamber: 11 Democratic seats and 16 Republican seats. Democrats won 15 seats in the House in 2017, their largest gain in the chamber since 1899.

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** LOUISIANA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATES BOOK $3 MILLION IN AD SPENDING AHEAD OF NOV. 16 ELECTION
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Two weeks into the general election cycle, Louisiana gubernatorial candidates have sharpened their criticisms of one another in opposition ads. Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) and businessman Eddie Rispone (R) advanced from the six-candidate primary field as the top two finishers on October 12. The general election ([link removed]) is November 16.

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As of October 23, Edwards' campaign had spent $1.6 million on TV and radio ads to air between October 13 and November 9. Rispone had spent $1.3 million.

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Edwards is the only Democratic governor in the Deep South and the only Democrat holding statewide office in Louisiana. Three race ratings outlets rate this election a "Toss-up."

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

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Four Louisiana measures were on the Oct. 12 ballot. Two were approved, and two were defeated.

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Besides the 24 binding 2019 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.

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Support and opposition committees for 2019 statewide measures have reported a combined total of $21.6 million in campaign contributions so far. Campaigns surrounding eight of the 36 2019 measures have reported contributions. In 2017, there was a total of $107.8 million in contributions to campaigns in support of and opposition to statewide ballot measures. Click here ([link removed]) to review Ballotpedia’s analysis of campaign contributions for 2019 statewide ballot measures.

 
** 2020:
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Forty-two statewide measures ([link removed]) in 20 states have been certified for the 2020 ballot so far.

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Seven of the 42 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. 

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In special elections between 2011 and 2018, one party (either Republicans or Democrats) saw an average net gain of four seats nationally each year.

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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).

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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

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Alabama House of Representatives District 42 ([link removed])

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Arkansas House of Representatives District 36 ([link removed])

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California State Assembly District 1 ([link removed])

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Georgia House of Representatives District 152 ([link removed])

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Kentucky House of Representatives District 18 ([link removed])

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Kentucky House of Representatives District 63 ([link removed])

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Mississippi State Senate District 50 ([link removed])

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Missouri House of Representatives District 22 ([link removed])

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Missouri House of Representatives District 36 ([link removed])

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Missouri House of Representatives District 74 ([link removed])

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Missouri House of Representatives District 78 ([link removed])

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Missouri House of Representatives District 99 ([link removed])

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Missouri House of Representatives District 158 ([link removed])

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New Jersey State Senate District 1 ([link removed])

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New York State Senate District 57 ([link removed])

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Tennessee House of Representatives District 77 (primary) ([link removed])

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Texas House of Representatives District 28 ([link removed])

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Texas House of Representatives District 100 ([link removed])

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Texas House of Representatives District 148 ([link removed])

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Washington State Senate District 40 ([link removed])

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Washington House of Representatives District 13-Position 2 ([link removed])

November 12

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Alabama House of Representatives District 74 ([link removed])

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** STATES IN SESSION
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