Live Results: February 15 Special Elections and Primaries

On Tuesday, we are following five special elections. Voters will fill vacancies in two New York State Assembly districts. Across the country, there are two contests for vacancies in the California State Assembly. These are technically primaries, although at least one of them will not require a general election. Finally, Milwaukee voters will begin the process of electing a new mayor via a nonpartisan primary.

New York State Assembly Districts 60 and 72

The lower chamber of the New York Legislature is dominated by Democrats, who currently hold 104 of 150 seats. There are 43 Republicans and 1 Independence Party member. The two vacancies will be filled in Tuesday's special election. Both are safely Democratic seats in New York City.

Assembly members serve two year terms. The next regularly scheduled elections are in November. Those will be contested under redistricted boundaries.

Polls close at 9:00 PM Eastern Time.

District 60 is located in Brooklyn. The prior incumbent, Democrat Charles Barron, was elected to the New York City Council in November. Barron ran unopposed in 2020; in 2018 he received 96% of the vote; Republican and Conservative nominees split the other 4%. There are three candidates on the ballot. 

District 72 is located in Upper Manhattan. Democrat Carmen N. De LaRosa was elected to the New York City Council in November. De LaRosa was unopposed in 2020; in 2018 she received 94% of the vote while her Republican opponent saw 6% support. There are three candidates on the ballot.

California State Assembly Districts 17 and 49

Democrats hold 55 of 80 seats in the California Assembly. There are 19 Republicans and one independent. Five seats are vacant, all were previously held by Democrats.

Assembly members serve two year terms. The next regularly scheduled elections are in November. Those will be contested under redistricted boundaries.

Vacancies in Districts 11, 62, and 80 will hold primaries on April 5. Those general elections, as necessary, will be June 7, the same date as the statewide primary.

In California, candidates from all parties are included on a single primary ballot, with the top two advancing to the general election. However, in the case of a special election, as these are, if one candidate gets a majority of the vote in the primary, they are elected and no special general election will be held.

Polls close at 11:00 PM Eastern Time

District 17 is located in San Francisco. The seat became vacant when Democrat David Chiu was sworn in as San Francisco City Attorney in November. Chiu defeated Libertarian nominee Starchild 89% to 11% in 2020.

No Republican has contested this districts since 2016, and none are participating in the primary. There are four candidates, all Democrats, on the ballot. The general election, if no candidate gets a majority of the vote, will be April 19.

District 49 is located entirely within Los Angeles County, with much of the area immediately east of the City of Los Angeles. Democrat Edwin Chau resigned in December after being appointed to the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Chau defeated Republican Burton Brink by a 68%-32% margin in 2020.

Brink is again the nominee; he will face Democrat Mike Fong. As there are only two candidates on the primary ballot, the first place finisher will be the winner of the election.

Milwaukee Mayor 

Milwaukee is the 31st largest city in the United States,^{1 1}City rankings are based on July 1, 2020 Census Bureau population estimates. They are for the city itself, not the associated metropolitan area. with a population of just over 577,000. 

The acting mayor is Democrat Cavalier Johnson, who also serves as the City's Common Council President. Johnson became acting mayor when five-term incumbent Tom Barrett resigned in December after being unanimously confirmed as the new U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg. 

The top two finishers in this nonpartisan (NPA in the results table) primary will advance to the April 5 general election. The winner will complete Barrett's term, which ends April 16, 2024.

There are seven candidates on the ballot. Johnson appears to be in a good position to advance. Limited polling suggests the other slot is likely to go to former Alderman Bob Donovan^{2 2}Common Council members, other than the president, are given the alderman title. or state Senator Lena Taylor. Both Donovan (in 2016) and Taylor (2020) previously ran for mayor. They each finished second to Barrett in the primary before losing to him in the general election.

Polls close at 9:00 PM Eastern Time.

Upcoming

• February 22
  • Connecticut State House District 71 Special Election
  • Kentucky State House District 42 Special Election
• March 1
  • Texas Primary (first statewide primary for 2022:  Election Calendar)
  • Connecticut State House District 5 Special Election
  • Michigan State House Districts 15, 36, 43, and 74 Special Primaries
• March 5
  • Delaware State House District 4 Special Election
• March 8
  • Florida State House District 88 Special Election
  • Florida State Senate District 33 Special Election
  • South Carolina State House District 97 Special Primary
• March 22
  • South Carolina State House District 18 Special Primary
    • Runoff April 5, if necessary
• March 26
  • Louisiana State House District 101 Special Primary
• March 29
  • South Carolina State Senate District 31 Special Election
• April 5
  • California U.S. House District 22 Special Primary
  • California State Assembly Districts 11 and 80 Special Primary
  • Milwaukee Mayor Special Election
  • Pennsylvania State House Districts 19, 24, and 116 Special Election