Election News

California Gov. Gavin Newsom appears to be gaining momentum heading into Tuesday's recall election. In a UC Berkeley poll released Friday, likely voters oppose recall by 60% to 38.5%. Newsom has been steadily gaining support since mid-August, when the keep/recall vote was nearly tied. Keep has led remove by double-digits in every poll released this month; the fivethirtyeight average is 56% to 41%.

In addition to the recall question, the ballot includes 46 candidates to take Newsom's spot should he be recalled. The UC Berkeley poll found conservative radio host Larry Elder well ahead of the field, with 38% support. However, the actual result for of this vote is moot should Newsom not be recalled.

Voting has been underway for several weeks, as all registered voters in the state were sent a ballot by mail. In-person early voting began September 4. On Election Day, polls close at 8:00 PM Pacific Time (11:00 PM Eastern). Visit 270toWin Tuesday night for live results.

There are two state house special elections and one special primary Tuesday.

Alabama

State House District 78

There are 105 State House districts in Alabama. The chamber is dominated by Republicans, who hold a 76-26 advantage. There are three vacancies. The state is one of a handful where Representatives are elected for four-year terms; the next regularly scheduled election is in 2022.

The District 78 vacancy was created by the resignation of Democrat Kirk Hatcher after he won a March 2 special election for an open State Senate seat. 

We've added a 2022 election calendar to the site. 

Texas kicks off the primary season on Tuesday, March 1, with North Carolina up the following week. There's a lull after that until May, when 11 states hold their primaries. June and August are the busiest months.

The calendar includes each state's primary date, as well as the date for runoff elections, for those states that require them when certain thresholds are not met.

There are two state house special elections Tuesday.

California

State Assembly District 18

There are 80 seats in the California State Assembly. The body is dominated by Democrats, who control 60 seats. This includes the vacancy that will be filled in Tuesday's special election.

The open District 18 seat is in the Oakland area, entirely within Alameda County. The vacancy was created in April when Democrat Rob Bonta resigned after being confirmed as California Attorney General.

St. Petersburg, Florida is the 85th 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 under 260,000.  Tuesday's all-party mayoral primary will select the two candidates that will meet in the November 2 general election, unless one candidate receives a majority of the vote. In that case, that person is elected mayor.

The current mayor is Democrat Rick Kriseman, who is completing his second four year term. He is unable to run due to term limits. There are eight candidates on the ballot. While officially nonpartisan (NPA label in the results table below), five of the candidates are Democrats, two Republican and one is an independent.

St. Pete Polls has conducted a number of polls on the race for FloridaPolitics.com; the most recent of which was released on August 21. Two months ago, four candidates seemed viable. However, subsequent surveys have seen support gravitate toward two of them.

Democrat Kathy Hochul was sworn in as New York's 57th governor shortly after midnight Tuesday. While continuing a legacy dating back to George Clinton in 1777, she has made history by becoming the state's first female governor.

Hochul succeeds Andrew Cuomo who resigned after nearly 11 years in the position. Cuomo had announced his departure two weeks ago, after a report detailing his sexual harassment of multiple women was released by the state attorney general's office.

California has published a voter's guide for the September 14 gubernatorial recall election.  It includes arguments from the recall proponents as well as one from Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom. There are also statements from many of the 46 candidates hoping to replace Newsom if he is recalled.

See the Guide >>

A vote-by-mail ballot will be sent to all active registered voters in California. There will also be in-person early voting.  Polls are open on Election Day from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM Pacific Time.

There is one 'yes or no' question on the ballot: "Shall GAVIN NEWSOM be recalled (removed) from the office of Governor?"

Below that question is a list of the candidates to replace Newsom if he is recalled. Voters can select one of those names or write in someone else. Voters can select 'no' on the recall question and still choose a replacement.

We're following one election this week.

Connecticut Senate District 36

Special General Election

There are 36 seats in the Connecticut Senate. At present, there are 23 Democrats and 12 Republicans. Connecticut is one of 12 states where Senators serve two-year terms; the next regularly scheduled elections are in 2022. 

District 36 is located in the southwestern corner of the state. It is a highly affluent area, with median household income of twice the state average. The State Senate seat was vacated on June 22, when Democrat Alex Kasser resigned for personal reasons. 

Democratic Rep. Ron Kind, the senior member of the Wisconsin congressional delegation, won't seek reelection next year. Kind narrowly won a 13th term in 2020, beating Republican Derrick Van Orden by less than 3%.  This represented quite a shift:  Kind had won by 20% in 2018, and actually ran unopposed in 2016.

The Wisconsin 3rd district was one of just seven nationally that voted for Donald Trump in 2020, while electing a Democratic representative.  Trump won here by about 5%. 

Absent the incumbent and with Van Orden running again, the district becomes an even stronger pick-up opportunity for the GOP next year.

Days after a report detailing his sexual harassment of eleven women was released, Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced his resignation as governor of New York Wednesday. The resignation will be effective in 14 days. 

Cuomo's discussion about his pending departure begins at about 12:00 in the video from an address he made late Wednesday morning.