Democrats have chosen Chicago to host their 2024 national convention. The scheduled dates are August 19 to August 22. The city beat out New York and Atlanta.
This will be the 12th time Chicago has hosted the Democrats. The first of those was in 1864, when Gen. George McClellan was nominated to challenge President Abraham Lincoln. The most recent was in 1996, when Bill Clinton was renominated for a second term.
Since 1956, the party that does not hold the presidency has held its convention first. This tradition will continue next year, as Republicans gather in Milwaukee on July 15 to July 18 for their 2024 convention. Wisconsin went to Joe Biden by less than 1% in 2020, and the state is expected to be a hotly contested battleground again in 2024.
Two of the most important elections of 2023 will reach their conclusion Tuesday. In Wisconsin, the ideological lean of the Supreme Court is on the line. Meanwhile, residents of Chicago will choose between two Democrats on either side of that party's political spectrum.
Several other cities are holding mayoral elections or primaries. There is also a competitive State Senate special election in Wisconsin. Additionally, toward the bottom of this article, we've included links to results for some Wisconsin ballot measures as well as a high profile City Council Special Election in Los Angeles.
Wisconsin Supreme Court
Conservative justice Patience Roggensack did not stand for reelection. She is completing her second ten-year term, during which she served six years (ending in 2021) as the Chief Justice. The other six members of the court are split evenly between progressives and conservatives. As a result, this election has drawn national attention (and spending), with some calling it the most important election of the year.
Milwaukee County Court Judge Janet Protasiewicz and former State Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly were the top two finishers in the February 18 primary which featured two liberal and two conservative candidates. Protasiewicz, a liberal, received 46% of the vote, while the conservative Kelly got 24%. However, the aggregate vote hewed more closely to the narrow partisan split in the state, with progressive votes totaling 54% to 46% for the conservatives.
The outcome may foreshadow how the Court will rule on issues that could come before it over the next couple years. These include abortion rights, legislative gerrymandering and challenges around the 2024 presidential election.
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Sunday he will run for president in 2024. Hutchinson made his intentions known during an interview on ABC's "This Week". A formal announcement will come later this month.
Hutchinson joins a still developing field of candidates looking to challenge former president Donald Trump for the Republican nomination. Other announced candidates include former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is widely expected to enter the race at some point. While others may join the race as well, national polling for the nomination to this point has Trump and DeSantis running well ahead of the field, all of whom are seeing single-digit support. The caveat to this, of course, is that there is no national primary, so all these candidates will hope to break through in one of the early voting states.
While we have a couple legislative special elections on the calendar this Tuesday, attention will quickly turn to next Tuesday, April 4. That day brings an election to determine the ideological edge going forward on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The general election for Chicago mayor will also take place, featuring two Democrats with strongly different views on the city's crime problem. The latest poll showed the race to be within the margin of error.
Legislative Special Elections
Virginia State Senate District 9
Democrats hold a narrow 21-18 margin over Republicans in the Virginia State Senate. There is one vacancy. Members serve four-year terms; the next regularly scheduled elections are in November.
The open seat is in the Richmond-area District 9. Democrat Jennifer McClellan resigned prior to being sworn in to the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this month. She won a special election last month to complete the term of the late Donald McEachin (D).
Louisiana will fill a vacancy in the State House Saturday. Polls close at 9:00 PM Eastern.
Legislative Special Election
Louisiana State House District 93
Republicans hold a sizeable 70-32 edge over Democrats in the Louisiana House of Representatives. There are two independents and a single vacancy. Members serve four-year terms; the next regularly scheduled elections are in October, with general election runoffs, where needed, in November.
The open seat is in District 93, centered in New Orleans. Democrat Royce Duplessis resigned in December after winning a special election for State Senate District 5.
There is one year until the Super Tuesday presidential primaries on March 5, 2024.
In addition to the elections below, there is a statewide ballot initiative in Oklahoma on the legalization of recreational marijuana. Live Results >
Returning to the here and now, it's a quiet week on the election front. We'll have results for two Florida elections on Tuesday. Polls close at 7:00 PM Eastern Time.
This Tuesday, we're following the mayoral election in Chicago. There are also three State House special elections in Connecticut, and a State House special runoff election in Georgia.
Chicago Mayor
Mayor Lori Lightfoot faces a large field of challengers Tuesday as she seeks a second term running the nation's third largest city. Given the size of the field, and the number of credible candidates, an April 4 runoff is all but certain. What isn't certain is whether the incumbent will make it out of the first round.
Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan announced Monday that she is running for U.S. Senate in 2024. Slotkin is looking to succeed her fellow Democrat, Sen. Debbie Stabenow who is retiring after four terms in office.
Slotkin was first elected to the 8th congressional district in 2018, defeating incumbent Republican Mike Bishop by about 4%. Narrow reelection wins followed again in 2020 and 2022. Her 2022 run was in the 7th district, the best fit after redistricting. This competitive district, in the southcentral part of the state, includes Lansing, the state capital.
