PSW Weekly Round-Up - 4/18

Political Update

In light of the Congressional recess we will forego the usual legislative update. However, the next two months will be filled with primaries and a few special elections. Here’s the schedule for May and June, with some notable races highlighted.

• May 3 – Indiana and Ohio
  • Notable – In the race to replace retiring Ohio Senator Rob Portman (R), the frontrunners in the Republican primary are Josh Mandel, Mike Gibbons, and J.D. Vance. Rep. Tim Ryan (D) is expected to win the Democratic nomination.

• May 10 – Nebraska and West Virginia
  • Notable – In Nebraska’s 1^st Congressional District, voters will choose party candidates on May 10 to run in the November general election, but there will also be a special election on June 28 to replace Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R), who resigned March 31 after his conviction for lying to the FBI about campaign contributions. The executive committee of each party will select candidates for the special election. In West Virginia, redistricting means that two incumbent House Republicans are facing each other in the redrawn 2^nd Congressional District – Reps. David McKinley and Alex Mooney.

• May 17 – Idaho, Kentucky, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania
  • Notable – In Pennsylvania, the race to replace retiring Senator Pat Toomey (R) has sparked spirited contests in both the Republican and Democratic primaries. On the Republican side, candidates Mehmet Oz and David McCormick are the frontrunners, while Lt. Gov. John Fetterman is leading Rep. Conor Lamb on the Democratic side.

• May 24 – Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia. Primary runoff in Texas. Special primary in Minnesota.
  • Notable – In Texas, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D) will face challenger Jessica Cisneros (D) for his 28^th Congressional District seat. In Minnesota, 20 candidates are vying to replace Rep. Jim Hagedorn (R), who died Feb. 17. Among the 10 candidates on the Republican side is Jennifer Carnahan, Hagedorn’s widow. In the Georgia Senate race, attention has focused on Republican candidate Herschel Walker, the former football star. Walker is expected to finish first in the primary but his opponents hope he will be forced into a June runoff. The Republican candidate will likely face Senator Raphael Warnock (D) in November.

• June 4 – Special election in Texas
  • Two Democrats and two Republicans have filed to fill the seat of Texas Rep. Filemon Vela (D), who resigned March 31.

• June 7 – California, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, South Dakota. Runoff in special primary to replace Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), who resigned Jan. 3

• June 11 – Special primary election in Alaska
  • Notable – The special primary to replace Rep. Don Young (R), who died March 18, will be a vote-by-mail election, and all 51 candidates will be on the ballot. Voters will cast their ballot for one person, and the top four candidates will be on the special general election ballot on Aug. 16, the same date as the regular statewide primary election. The race has drawn national attention due to the candidacy of Sarah Palin.

• June 14 – Maine, Nevada, North Dakota, South Carolina
  • Notable – In Nevada, former Attorney General Adam Laxalt is favored in the Republican Senate primary, with the winner facing Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D).

• June 21 – Virginia

• June 28 – Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, New York, Oklahoma, Utah. Special election in Nebraska for Rep. Fortenberry’s seat.
  • Notable – In Oklahoma, the Republican primary to replace retiring Senator Jim Inhofe (R) includes former EPA chief Scott Pruitt, Rep. Markwayne Mullin, and Inhofe’s chief of staff, Luke Holland. Former Rep. Kendra Horn has entered the race on the Democratic side.

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