Special state legislative elections thread (see OP for results/upcoming races)

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Rather than filling up the forum with "DEMOCRATS TAKE KENTUCKY STATE SENATE SEAT!!!!!111" threads that last about two pages, how about we all congregate the various and sundry "other" elections here?

2012 special elections (see also for results)

Upcoming elections

[JohnnyLongtorso]

There'll be another special in California, as Assemblyman Michael Duvall of the OC resigned following the surfacing of some... colorful remarks of his:

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/gop_lawmakers_graphic_sex-bragging_caught_on_tape.php

[JohnnyLongtorso]

The Delaware special election for the 37th House district is tomorrow. The candidates are Democrat Rob Robinson, a public defender, and Republican Ruth Briggs King, a realtor. The district was won by McCain 50.4 - 48.8 last year. I haven't been hearing anything about this election, so I'm curious to see how it turns out.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Just looked at the campaign finance reports... Robinson has raised $29k, King has raised $25k and given herself a $30k loan. King is banking on TV ads to win this, apparently, as she's spent $33k on WBOC.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Also, Robinson got the all-important Cape Gazette endorsement:

http://capegazette.com/pages/editoral.html

[JohnnyLongtorso]

And Ruth Briggs King wins. Final results:

Ruth Briggs King - 2,429 (53.6%)
Rob Robinson - 2,105 (46.4%)

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Small turnout. Where is this seat?

Sussex County, Delaware - Lewes, Georgetown and some surrounding unincorporated area.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Apparently there was a special election for the 38th Assembly district in New York during Tuesday's primary. Here are the results:

Michael Miller (D) - 2,730 (64.55%)
Donna Marie Caltabiano (R) - 1,499 (35.45%)

Here's hoping Mr. Miller's career doesn't end as ignominiously as his predecessor's:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/25/nyregion/25fraud.html

[JohnnyLongtorso]

By Carl's logic, the 7-point victory in the Delaware election should be DOOOOOOOM for the Republicans, since Booth won 64-36 in 2008.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

I believe Mark Schauer's state senate seat in Michigan is going to be filled in the general election in November. No, I don't know why they've waited so long to fill it.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Not much of an effort, it would seem.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

There was a Ty Cobb who ran for Congress in North Carolina last year.

I can't believe that the best Democratic candidate is apparently a UPS driver. Shows how much Tennessee has changed politically in the last decade.

Also, the county has a mayor? Huh?

[JohnnyLongtorso]

These appear to be the final results:

Pat Marsh (R): 4931
Ty Cobb II (D): 3663
Christopher T. Brown (I): 255

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Also, there was a special election for a Dem-held State House seat in Oklahoma. Unsurprisingly, the Republican won.

http://www.ok.gov/~elections/sh55gen.html

32/35 precincts:

TODD RUSS                             REP     2,640   55.45%
LARRY W. PECK                         DEM     2,121   44.55%

[JohnnyLongtorso]

There are a bunch of special elections occurring on November 3. So far I've found:

Alabama HD65 - D Mark Keahey was elected to the State Senate, candidates are D Elaine Beech and R Jerry Reed.

Georgia SD1 - Open R seat, two Rs running: Buddy Carter and Billy Hair.
Georgia SD35 - Open D seat, there are nine (!) Democrats running and no Republicans. The Georgia races will require a runoff if nobody gets 50%+1.
Georgia HD58 - Open D seat, four Ds and an I running.
Georgia HD75 - Open D seat; candidates are D Ron Dodson and R Shawn James.
Georgia HD129 - Open R seat, 4 Rs running.
Georgia HD141 - Open D seat; candidates are D Darrell Black, Rs Angela Gheesling-McCommon and Casey Tucker, and I "Rusty" Kidd. This is probably the only one that will be interesting.
Georgia HD159 - Open R seat, two Rs running: Ann Purcell and Jesse Tyler.

Michigan SD19 - Mark Schauer's Senate seat, don't know why it took them a year to fill it, but the candidates are D State Rep. Martin Griffin and R ex-State Rep. Mike Nofs.

Missouri SD4 - D Jeff Smith can't get to Washington, but he is going to jail. D Joe Keaveney is unopposed.
Missouri HD73 - Same as above but without a clever joke; D Steve Brown is out. Candidates are D Stacey Newman and R Daniel O'Sullivan.

New Hampshire HD Merrimack-11 - Open D seat. Candidates are D Jim MacKay and R Lynne Blankenbeker. Funnily enough, both unsuccessfully ran as Republicans in 2008 (it's normally a 5-member district). MacKay used to be in the legislature, in fact.

South Carolina HD48 - Open R seat; candidates are D Kathy Cantrell and R Ralph Norman (who used to represent this district; you may remember from his 2006 run for John Spratt's seat).

Washington HD9 - R seat, race between two Rs, Susan Fagan and Pat Hailey. Yawn.
Washington HD15 - Appointed R David Taylor is running for the rest of his term; candidates are he and Dem John Gotts.
Washington HD16 - Same with appointed D Laura Grant; her opponent is R Terry Nealey.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

It's weird to see multiple former Reps running for these seats. In Virginia, I can only think of one former State Rep who returned to the House of Delegates (Al Pollard).

Anyway, thanks for the detailed look at these races.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Steve Beshear worked his voodoo again, and now there's another open Republican State Senate seat in Kentucky (the incumbent was appointed to a circuit court judgeship). It'll be decided on 12/8, the same day as an election to replace State Rep. Robin Webb who won the last state senate special election. The likely candidates are a Republican State Rep. and a former Democratic State Rep.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Beech held this one 53-47.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

D won 60-40.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Runoff between "Rusty" Kidd and either Darrell Black or Angela yadda yadda.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Dems didn't even try to hold this one; Nofs won with over 60%.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Easy Dem hold, 61.5 - 38.5.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Blankenbeker by 20 votes (858 - 838); recount probable.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Norman won 72-28.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Grant is getting shellacked 57-43 currently.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

And with the landslide victory in Virginia, there will be two state senate special elections, probably in January:

Senate District 8 (part of Virginia Beach) - Republican Ken Stolle was elected Sheriff, and his district is GOP-leaning in the best of Democratic times. Kaine got 47% here in 2005, and it went 54-44 for McCain last year. Virginia Beach City Council member Rosemary Wilson and Stolle pal/ex-Amerigroup CEO Jeff McWaters are duking it out for the Republican nomination; it's unclear whether there will even be a Democrat running. There's a possible independent, some guy named Omar Pickron. I guess I could vote for him if the Democrats don't field anyone.

Senate District 37 (part of Fairfax County) - Republican Ken Cuccinelli was elected Attorney General. Generally a Dem-leaning seat, although obviously not tonight; it went 55-43 for Kaine and 55-44 Obama. Potential Democratic candidates include Dels. David Bulova and Dave Marsden (although perhaps not Marsden, given his narrow win tonight); Republicans might field Sully District Supervisor Michael Frey.

There's also the possibility of McDonnell appointing a Democrat in a vulnerable seat to his administration as a show of bipartisanship/easy seat pickup; Kaine did it in 2006.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

37th update - Looks like Marsden is the front-runner for the Democrats, while three Republicans (two generic business types and a former school board member) are running.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

37th update - Looks like Marsden is the front-runner for the Democrats, while three Republicans (two generic business types and a former school board member) are running.

Democrats should be able to pick up the 37th.  Im sure they are hungry for a win after last Tuesday. 

Never underestimate the laziness of Democratic voters. They nearly lost the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors chairmanship and Brian Moran's House of Delegates seat (and *did* lose Sharon Bulova's BoS seat) back in January.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Special for a House seat in Rhode Island. Dem hold... and the Republican came in third:

Scott Slater (D) - 661
Wilbur Jennings (I) - 232
Maurice Green (R) - 116

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Well, father Slater got 87% in 2008, so obviously Slater the Younger's 66% result is a horrible sign for the Democrats.

Maybe the Republicans in Rhode Island should just disband and join that new Moderate Party. They might have more electoral success.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

State House. 75 House districts into 1,050,000 people in the state comes out to about 14,000 citizens per district.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Two elections tonight. First, in Mississippi, Republicans held an open Republican seat 53-47:

http://www.wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=11525428

Special elections in MS are nonpartisan, but DeLano is a Republican.

In California, the Assembly seat held by the guy who was in bed with lobbyists is advancing to a runoff:

http://www.ocvote.com/live/72ndpri/results.htm

First round results:

CHRIS NORBY (REP)    14,038    37.2%
JOHN MACMURRAY (DEM)    10,201    27.1%
LINDA ACKERMAN (REP)    7,416    19.7%
RICHARD FAHER (REP)    4,986    13.2%
JANE RANDS (GRN)    1,067    2.8%

Norby, MacMurray and Rands advance to round 2.