Election News

New Jersey and Virginia are the only states with gubernatorial and legislative^{1 1}Both chambers in New Jersey, state house only in Virginia. elections this year. Both states are holding their primaries Tuesday, June 8. Additionally, there is a special election to fill a vacancy in New Hampshire's state house.

New Hampshire State House Merrimack District 23 Special Election

The 400 member New Hampshire House is the largest one in the United States. There are currently 212 Republicans, 186 Democrats, with the GOP gaining a majority this past November. There are two vacancies, one of which will be filled in today's election. The other is in Hillsborough District 7, where Republican David Danielson died on May 22.

The 23rd Merrimack District is a multi-member district with 3 representatives. Both incumbents are Democrats. The vacancy was previously held by Democrat Samantha Fox. She resigned on January 12. 

While three Democrats prevailed in November, it was a close election, with all six candidates on the ballot getting between 15% and 18% of the vote. As such, the race is getting attention from both parties. 

Two Texas cities will elect a mayor Saturday. These runoff elections were necessitated when no candidate received a majority of the vote in the all-party primaries held on May 1. 

Polls close at 8:00 PM Eastern Time.

City rankings are based on July 1, 2020 Census Bureau population estimates. They are for the city itself, not the associated metropolitan area.

Democratic State Rep. Melanie Stansbury has won the special election in New Mexico's First Congressional District. She will complete the term of Deb Haaland, who resigned in March to become Secretary of the Interior.

From the Washington Post: "Stansbury defeated state Sen. Mark Moores, who worked to make the race a referendum on Albuquerque’s rising crime rate. Republicans, hopeful that suburban voters might abandon Democrats over their embrace of police reform, were stymied by a Stansbury campaign that emphasized her own support for law enforcement funding."

Voters in New Mexico's first congressional district will choose a new representative Tuesday. The district includes much of Albuquerque and has been vacant since March when former Rep. Deb Haaland (D) joined the Biden Cabinet as Secretary of the Interior.

The major party nominees were chosen by their respective party committees. They are Democratic State Rep. Melanie Stansbury and Republican State Sen. Mark Moores. Also on the ballot are the Libertarian nominee, Chris Manning and independent Aubrey Dunn.

Polls close at 9:00 PM Eastern Time.

Former Sanitation Department Commissioner Kathryn Garcia has taken a small lead in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor, a new poll finds. In the PIX11 News/Emerson College poll of 570 likely voters, Garcia received 21% support. Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams is statistically tied at 20%, with entrepreneur Andrew Yang close behind at 16%.

Garcia's support has grown significantly since she received the endorsement of The New York Times earlier this month. In a May 15 survey released by the same pollster, she placed 4th, with just 8% of the vote. It appears her gains largely came from previously undecided voters. Their ranks fell from 23% to 9%, while Adams and Yang saw very little change in support. 

The poll also simulated Ranked Choice Voting, which will be used for the first time in a NYC mayoral race. Garcia comes out on top there, defeating Adams by 55% to 45% in the 11th round.

In a quiet pre-holiday week, the only race we're following is a Democratic primary in Alabama. Next Tuesday, all eyes will be on the special election in New Mexico's first congressional district.  

Alabama State House District 78 Primary (Democratic)

There are 105 State House districts in Alabama. The chamber is dominated by Republicans, who hold a 76-27 advantage. There are vacancies in Districts 73 and 78. The District 73 general special election will be on July 13.

A new poll for next Tuesday's special election in New Mexico's first congressional district gives Democratic nominee State Rep. Melanie Stansbury a 16-point lead over her Republican opponent, State Sen. Mark Moores. The poll was funded through a crowdsourcing effort led by RRH Elections and Elections Daily; it is the only poll of the race we've seen thus far. 

District 1 is in the central part of the state, including much of the Albuquerque area. The seat has been vacant since March, when former Rep. Deb Haaland (D) was confirmed as Secretary of the Interior. Haaland was reelected 58% to 42% in November, while Joe Biden won the district by 60% to 37% over Donald Trump.

On Tuesday, Democratic primary voters in Philadelphia will select a nominee for District Attorney, while those in Pittsburgh will choose a nominee for mayor. Both winners will be heavy favorites in the November general election. There are also four special elections Tuesday to fill vacancies in the Pennsylvania state legislature. In addition, there is an all-party primary for a vacancy in the California Assembly.

Pennsylvania polls close at 8:00 PM ET, California 11:00 PM ET - follow along below for live results.

Philadelphia District Attorney Primary Election

We don't normally follow elections for district attorney, but this one stands out.  How will voters respond to two opposing visions of the office, especially in the context of the prominence of these issues in the national discussion?

The incumbent, Larry Krasner was elected in 2017 on a progressive platform of criminal justice reform. During his term, he has worked to change both the incarceration rate and the length of supervision (parole and probation).

Krasner is being challenged by Carlos Vega, a long-time homicide prosecutor who was among three dozen fired by Krasner when he took office. Vega would like to return to a more traditional approach to prosecution and working with police, citing a notable uptick in violent crime during Krasner's tenure.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has set July 27 as the date for the special election to fill the vacancy in the state's 6th congressional district. The seat has been open since Republican Rep. Ron Wright died in February. 

This suburban Dallas district was decided by only nine points last November, opening up the possibility that Democrats could contest for the seat. However, two Republicans advanced in the May 1 all-party primary, ensuring a GOP hold.

Democrat Troy Carter was sworn into office Tuesday as the new representative of Louisiana's 2nd congressional district. Carter won a special election to succeed former Rep. Cedric Richmond (D) who resigned in January to join the Biden Administration.

The U.S. House now has 219 Democrats, 212 Republicans and four vacancies. However, the number of vacancies will return to five later this week when GOP Rep. Steve Stivers (OH-15) steps down. 

Dates have been scheduled for special elections in four of these seats. Although the candidates aren't yet known in all cases, all of these seats are expected to stay with the incumbent party. As a result, once the House returns to full strength (assuming no other changes along the way), the composition should match the results of the 2020 House elections:  222 Democrats, 213 Republicans.