Election News

2022 Senate Elections

34 Senate seats are up for election in the 2022 midterms, including 20 Republicans and 14 Democrats. With the chamber evenly split at 50-50, the GOP needs a gain of one seat to take control. The party's best prospects are in four battleground states with first-term Democratic incumbents: Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and New Hampshire. All those are currently rated Leans Democratic.

Of course, flipping one of these seats doesn't get the job done for the GOP if they lose one under their control. While Grassley's decision shores up Iowa, there are other seats at risk for the party, particularly in states where the incumbent is not running.

Five Republicans have announced their retirements, including Richard Shelby (Alabama), Roy Blunt (Missouri), Richard Burr (North Carolina), Rob Portman (Ohio) and Patrick Toomey (Pennsylvania). All but Alabama are on the competitive radar, with North Carolina and Pennsylvania currently seen as toss-ups. Republicans are favored in Missouri and Ohio, although that could evolve depending on who the party nominates.

Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Ron Johnson (Wisconsin) have not made their 2022 plans known as of yet.

Ohio lost a House seat with the 2020 Census apportionment earlier this year. Upcoming redistricting will determine the new boundaries of the district that will be contested in the 2022 midterms. 

Gonzalez is the 2nd member of Ohio's delegation to retire. Democrat Tim Ryan (OH-13) is running for U.S. Senate. Overall, 17 current House members - 9 Republicans, 8 Democrats - have announced they are retiring or running for another office in 2022.

Former governor Terry McAuliffe (D) holds a five point lead over businessman Glenn Youngkin (R) in the RealClearPolitics polling average. The consensus analyst rating is Leans Democratic. 

McAuliffe was previously elected governor in 2013, winning by 2.5% over Republican Ken Cuccinelli. Virginia is the only state that doesn't allow governors to serve consecutive terms. In 2017, Gov. Ralph Northam (D) won by about 9% over Ed Gillespie (R).

At the presidential level, Republicans won every election from 1968 through 2004. Democrats have won the last four, with Joe Biden defeating Donald Trump by 10% in 2020. That was the largest Democratic margin of victory since Franklin Delano Roosevelt won by 25% in 1944.  

New Jersey is the other state holding a gubernatorial election this year. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy is favored to win a 2nd term. 36 more states will elect governors next year.

Live results will appear below after 11:00 PM Eastern Time.

Question 1

There is one 'yes or no' question on the ballot that asks "Shall Gavin Newsom be recalled (removed) from the office of Governor." If a majority (50%+1) of the votes cast on this recall question are 'Yes', Newsom will be removed from office and replaced with the replacement candidate receiving the highest number of votes. 

The election has been colorful at times and appeared competitive for a period earlier this summer, but appears to be heading for an anticlimactic finish. Democrats mobilized aggressively in recent weeks, culminating with a visit by President Biden on Monday. 

Recent polling has moved sharply in Newsom's favor.  The FiveThirtyEight average shows the referendum being defeated by double-digits. 

Question 2

There are 46 candidates who hope to succeed Newsom; voters can choose one. The candidate receiving the most votes will become governor if Newsom is recalled. 

Support has coalesced around conservative talk show host Larry Elder, who is averaging 28%. However, he has exceeded that number in five of the six most recent polls, including two where he was at 38% or higher. There are no notable Democrats on the ballot, as those with political experience stayed out of the race at the urging of Newsom's campaign. 

Keep in mind:

• We may know the winner of Question 2 before we know the result of Question 1. 
• The Question 2 results are moot unless 'Yes' wins Question 1.

The District 37 vacancy was created when Republican John Landon died on July 29. Landon was first elected in 2012, and was reelected four times.

Despite the GOP winning streak, this district, which includes suburban and rural areas north of Des Moines, is competitive. It was one of the most expensive contests in 2020, when Landon won by about 6.5% over Democrat Andrea Phillips. 

The nominees for this special election were selected by the political parties.  Phillips was renominated by the Democrats. The Republican nominee is Mike Bousselot. Both parties are again competing aggressively, with over $600,000 spent on the race thus far. 

Polls close at 9:00 PM ET.

Tennessee District 29

The 99 seat Tennessee State House is solidly in Republican control; the party holds a 73-26 edge over Democrats. 

This special election is in District 29, a largely rural district east of Chattanooga. GOP State Rep. Mike Carter died on May 15. His widow, Joan, was appointed on an interim basis to fill the seat. She did not file to run in the special election.

The nominees are Republican Greg Vital and Democrat DeAngelo Jelks. Both ran unopposed in the July 27 primary.

This is a solidly Republican district. Carter ran unopposed in the general election from 2012 through 2020, with the exception of 2018. That year, he defeated the Democratic nominee by 68% to 32%.

Polls close at 8:00 PM ET.

Boston, Massachusetts

Boston is the 24th largest city in the United States, with a population of about 675,000. The acting mayor is Democrat Kim Janey, who is also president of the City Council. Janey took office on March 22, when Democrat Marty Walsh resigned after being confirmed as Secretary of Labor. She is the first woman and first person of color to hold the position.

All five major candidates on the nonpartisan ballot are Democrats; the city has not had a Republican mayor in nearly 100 years. Four of them are women of color, two of whom are expected to advance to the general election. As a result, Boston voters will likely elect the first woman and first person of color as mayor this November. 

Recent polling has been pretty consistent with Michelle Wu leading the field with support in the low 30% range. The other three notable candidates are tightly bunched at around 20%.  In addition to Janey, this includes Andrea Campbell and Annissa Essaibi George. Campbell, Essaibi George, and Wu all are members of the City Council.

Polls close at 8:00 PM Eastern Time.

Tuesday's other mayoral primaries take place in Ohio. Polls close at 7:30 PM.

Cleveland

Cleveland is the 54th largest city in the United States, with a population of about 373,000. The current mayor is Democrat Frank Jackson, who was first elected in 2005. He is not seeking a fifth term. 

There are seven candidates on the ballot; all are Democrats. The last Republican mayor was George Voinovich who served in the 1980s.

Interestingly, Voinovich defeated Dennis Kucinich, who served a single two-year term.^{2 2}Mayoral terms were changed from two to four years during Voinovich's first term. He would go on to be reelected to four year terms in 1981 and 1985. Some 42 years later, the "Boy Mayor", now 74, is attempting to win back the office.

Kucinich led the only recent poll with 20%. However, the race is wide open with five other candidates seeing between 8% and 13% support. 21% were undecided.

• Kevin Kelley, City Council President (13% in poll)
• Justin Bibb, nonprofit business executive (12%)
• Zach Reed, former City Councilman (12%)
• Basheer Jones, City Councilman (11%)
• Sandra Williams, State Senator (8%)

Toledo

Toledo is the 79th largest city in the United States, with a population of about 270,000. The current mayor is Democrat Wade Kapszukiewicz. He is seeking a 2nd four-year term. In 2017, Kapszukiewicz was elected with about 55% of the vote.

Also on the three-person ballot is former mayor Carty Finkbeiner (D) and former city councilman Jan Scotland (R). 

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.

Background on the recall election >>

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. 

The Democratic nominee is Kenyatte Hassell. She won a runoff primary election against Donald Williams on June 22. The Republican nominee is Loretta Grant, who was the only qualifier from her party.

This Montgomery area district is heavily Democratic: Hatcher won with 83% of the vote over an independent in 2018. The last time the GOP fielded a candidate, in 2014, the nominee lost 73% to 27%.

Polls close at 8:00 PM ET.

New Hampshire

The 400 member New Hampshire House is the largest one in the United States. There are currently 208 Republicans and 186 Democrats, with six vacancies. Five of these open seats were previously held by Republicans. The next regularly scheduled elections are in 2022.

Polls close at 7:00 PM ET.

State House District Hillsborough 7

Hillsborough 7 is a multi-member district with 6 representatives. Four of the current incumbents are Republicans, one is Democratic. The seat has been vacant since May 22, when Republican David Danielson died.

There were no primaries, as only one candidate filed from each party. The nominees are Democrat Catherine Rombeau and Republican Linda Camarota. Rombeau was on the ballot last November, finishing outside the top 6. Camarota previously served here - she was elected in 2018 but did not seek reelection in 2020.

UPDATE:  While Rombeau looks to have narrowly won - flipping the seat to the Democrats - it is expected that Camarota is going to file for a recount. 

State House District Cheshire 9 (GOP Primary)

Of the six vacancies, this is the one previously held by a Democrat. The remaining Representative of the two-member District Cheshire 9 is also a Democrat. The vacancy occurred when Douglas Ley died on June 10.

Republicans Lucille Decker and Rita Mattson meet in Tuesday's GOP primary. Mattson was on the ballot this past November, finishing 3rd. The winner will face off against Democrat Andrew Maneval in the October 26 special general election. Maneval does not have any intraparty opposition for the nomination.

Upcoming

• September 14:
  • California Gubernatorial Recall Election
  • Mayoral Primaries in Ohio: Cleveland and Toledo
  • Boston Mayoral Primary
  • Iowa State House District 37 Special Election
  • Tennessee State House District 29 Special Election
• October 5
  • Rhode Island State Senate District 3 Primary
  • Durham, NC Mayoral Primary
• October 26
  • New Hampshire State House Cheshire District 9 Special Election

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 433 days until the November 8, 2022 midterm elections; grab a countdown clock here.

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.

Advancing from the June 29 all-party primary were Democrats Mia Bonta and Janani Ramachandran. Bonta, wife of the former incumbent, received 38% of the vote; Ramachandran saw 24% support.

Polls close at 11:00 PM Eastern Time.

Texas

State House District 10

There are 150 seats in the Texas House of Representatives. Republicans hold an 82 to 66 margin over Democrats. There are two vacancies, including the resignation of Democrat Leo Pacheco (TX-118) on August 19.

Tuesday's special election is to fill the vacancy in District 10, located between Dallas and Waco. The former incumbent, Republican Jake Ellzey, resigned after winning a July 27 special election runoff in the Texas 6th congressional district. 

This has been a solidly GOP district over the past decade, with no Democrats challenging for the seat until 2018. Ellzey won in 2020 with about 76% of the vote.

Under Texas special election law, there were no primaries. All eight candidates, including five Republicans, are competing on a single ballot.

Consistent with the lean of the district, two of those Republicans appear to be the frontrunners.  John Wray served three terms as this district's representative before Ellzey; he did not run in 2020. Brian Harrison ran in the 6th congressional district special election; he did not make the runoff.

If no candidate gets a majority of the vote, a runoff will be held on a date to be announced.

Polls close at 8:00 PM Eastern Time.

Upcoming

• September 7:
  • Alabama State House District 78 Special Election
  • New Hampshire State House Hillsborough District 7 Special Election
  • New Hampshire State House Cheshire District 9 Special Primary
• September 14:
  • California Gubernatorial Recall Election
  • Mayoral Primaries in Ohio: Cleveland and Toledo
  • Iowa State House District 37 Special Election
  • Tennessee State House District 29 Special Election
• September 21:
  • Boston Mayoral Primary