Early voting begins in August 1 Nashville mayoral race

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REEVES (R), HOOD (D) LEAD MISSISSIPPI GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATES IN CASH ON HAND AT END OF JUNE
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* Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves ([link removed]) (R) and Attorney General Jim Hood ([link removed]) (D) led their primary opponents in fundraising for Mississippi's gubernatorial race according to campaign finance reports covering June 2019. 
* Reeves reported raising just under $1.1 million and spending $1.6 million across his three campaign committees during the month of June, bringing his overall fundraising for the year to $3.7 million. He was followed by former state Supreme Court Justice Bill Waller Jr. (R) with $230,000 in fundraising and $390,000 in spending for June. State Rep. Robert Foster (R) reported raising $23,000 and spending $32,000 in June. As of June 30, Reeves had $5.8 million cash on hand to Waller's $370,000 and Foster's $7,100.
* On the Democratic side, Hood reported raising $330,000 and spending $110,000 in June, with $1.3 million in overall fundraising for the year. Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith (D) reported raising $3,200 and spending $4,000. Velesha P. Williams (D) reported raising $2,400 and spending $1,400. Two other candidates reported no fundraising or spending for June, while three others had not filed reports as of July 11. As of June 30, Hood had $1.5 million in cash on hand to Williams' $1,300 and Smith's $900.
* The Democratic ([link removed]) and Republican ([link removed]) primaries will take place on August 6. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote, the top two finishers will advance to an August 27 runoff. The winners will appear on the November 5 general election ballot. If no candidate wins both a majority of the statewide vote and a majority of the 122 state House districts, the election will go to the state House. Incumbent Phil Bryant (R) is prevented by term limits from seeking election to a third term.

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EARLY VOTING BEGINS IN NASHVILLE’S AUGUST 1 MAYORAL RACE
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Early voting began for the August 1 municipal elections in Nashville, Tennessee, and ends July 27. The offices of mayor ([link removed]) and vice mayor—in addition to all 40 seats on the metro council ([link removed]) —are on the ballot. 

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One location—the Howard Office Building at 700 2nd Avenue South—will be open during the entire early voting period. Ten other locations will be open starting July 19. Click here ([link removed]) for addresses, days, and times for early voting. 

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Ten candidates are running for mayor, including incumbent David Briley. Briley, who previously served as vice mayor, took office in March 2018 following former Mayor Megan Barry's resignation, and he won a special election in May 2018 to complete her term. His leading challengers are state Rep. John Clemmons (D), At-Large City Councilman John Cooper, and former Vanderbilt professor Carol Swain.

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A runoff election will be held September 12 for all races in which no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote on August 1.

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** BESHEAR (D) TURNS DOWN INVITATION TO APPEAR AT KENTUCKY CANDIDATE FORUM ALONGSIDE GOV. BEVIN (R)
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Kentucky Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Andy Beshear ([link removed]) turned down an invitation from the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce to speak at a forum alongside Gov. Matt Bevin ([link removed]) (R). Beshear said that he declined to attend because of the chamber’s support of Bevin’s policies. The July 12 forum would have been the first event with both candidates on the same stage of the campaign.

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Beshear, Bevin, and John Hicks ([link removed]) (L) are running in Kentucky's gubernatorial election on November 5, 2019. 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.

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Beshear and Bevin are both scheduled to attend the Fancy Farm picnic in early August. The annual picnic hosted by St. Jerome Roman Catholic parish is considered Kentucky’s premier political event and typically features several political speakers.

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LOUISIANA GOV. EDWARDS (D) RELEASES FIRST TV AD OF RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN
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Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) became the first major-party candidate to release a TV ad ahead of the state's October 12 top-two gubernatorial primary ([link removed]) . The next day, the Republican Governors Association's (RGA) political action committee aired its first TV ad of the race, which criticized Edwards.

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Edwards—the only Democratic governor among the southernmost states—faces state Rep. Ralph Abraham (R), businessman Eddie Rispone (R), and independent Gary Landrieu. The filing deadline for candidates is August 8. A candidate can win the top-two primary outright by receiving more than 50% of the vote; if no candidate does, a general election will be held on November 16.

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Edwards' ad, entitled "Surplus," seeks to contrast Edwards' record with that of his predecessor, Gov. Bobby Jindal (R). The ad states that Jindal left the state in a budget crisis and that the state achieved a surplus under Edwards, mentioning teacher pay raises and fully-funded higher education as achievements during his tenure.

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The RGA's Right Direction PAC aired "Left Behind" Tuesday. That ad praises President Donald Trump (R) for cutting taxes and creating jobs while stating that Edwards raised taxes and that Louisiana ranks last for jobs.

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Landrieu (independent) released two TV ads in June expressing opposition to illegal immigration and the removal of Confederate statues. Republicans Abraham and Rispone have each released several digital ads.

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SATELLITE SPENDING GROUPS INCREASE ATTENTION ON SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL ELECTIONS 
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* The group People for Affordable Livable Seattle (PALS) formed ([link removed]) a political action committee "to support candidates that embody goals of affordability and livability for all Seattleites," according to its website. The PAC is supporting six policy positions, including developer impact fees, tree protections, and small business protections. 
* As of July 11, the group had not yet made endorsements in Seattle's city council races ([link removed]) or reported expenditures toward them. PALS co-founder John Fox expressed concern about the influence of PACs like the Civic Alliance for a Sound Economy (CASE)—affiliated with the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce—on the elections, according ([link removed]) to International Examiner.
* A primary election for seven of nine city council seats will be held August 6, with a general election on November 5. CASE endorsed nine candidates across the seven council seats. It had spent more than $300,000 in support of endorsed council candidates as of July 1, mostly toward efforts in support of candidates in Districts 1, 2, and 3. Three incumbents are seeking re-election, and CASE endorsed challengers to incumbents Lisa Herbold (District 1) and Kshama Sawant (District 3). The group endorsed District 5 Councilwoman Debora Juarez.
* In 2018, Herbold co-authored a head tax proposal which would have required businesses grossing at least $20 million to pay $275 per employee in order to fund affordable housing programs for the homeless. The city council voted to pass the head tax 9-0 in May 2018 but then repealed it in June 2018 after running into opposition from the city’s business community, including online retailer Amazon. Herbold and Juarez voted for the repeal, and Sawant voted against it. Amazon has contributed at least $200,000 to CASE in 2019.
* Also this week, the Washington Technology Industry Association—which represents tech companies in the state including Amazon, Expedia, and Microsoft—made ([link removed]) its first-ever political endorsements, Geek Wire reported. The group endorsed eight candidates across the seven council races. Each of those eight candidates was endorsed by CASE as well.

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**
BALLOT MEASURES UPDATE
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** 2019:
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* Twenty-two statewide measures ([link removed]) are certified for the 2019 ballot so far in Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington.

* No new measures were certified for the ballot last week.

* Four of the 26 states ([link removed]) with a process for citizen-initiated measures allow for ballot initiatives or veto referendums on ballots in any odd-numbered years: Colorado ([link removed]) , Maine ([link removed]) , Ohio ([link removed]) , and Washington ([link removed]) .
 

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** 2020:
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* Thirty-seven statewide measures ([link removed]) in 18 states have been certified for the 2020 ballot so far.

* One new measure ([link removed]) was certified for 2020 ballots last week: a legislatively referred constitutional amendment in Oregon allowing state and local governments to pass certain campaign finance laws.
* Four of the 36 certified 2020 measures are citizen-initiated measures. Thirty-two are legislative referrals. One is an automatic constitutional revision commission question.

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**
STATE LEGISLATIVE SPECIAL ELECTIONS
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So far this year, 65 state legislative special elections ([link removed]) have been scheduled in 24 states. Special elections have been held for 49 seats so far; heading into those races, Democrats had previously controlled 29 of the seats while Republicans previously controlled 20. 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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July 30

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South Carolina House of Representatives District 84 (primary) ([link removed])

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

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