Races We’re Tracking in State Capitols and City Halls
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, right, helps North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory on stage during a campaign rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Saturday. John Bazemore / AP Photo
Connecting state and local government leaders
Don’t forget about top gubernatorial, state legislative and mayoral contests across the nation.
The 2016 election season isn’t just about the White House and Congress. There are important races for governor, state legislature and in city government. Here’s a list of races worth watching in state capitols and city halls ...
GOVERNORS
Indiana: John Gregg (D) vs. Eric Holcomb (R)
There’s a tight race in the Hoosier State to replace Gov. Mike Pence, Donald Trump’s vice-presidential running mate. Vying for Pence’s job are Lt. Gov. Eric Holcomb, a Republican, and Democrat John Gregg, a former member of the Indiana House of Representatives, who lost against Pence in the state’s 2012 gubernatorial race.
Missouri: Eric Greitens (R) vs. Chris Koster (D)
In the toss-up contest to replace term-limited Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon, there are two candidates: Republican Eric Greitens, a former Navy SEAL and one-time Democrat; and Attorney General Chris Koster, a Democrat, who used to belong to the GOP.
North Carolina: Attorney General Roy Cooper (D) vs. Pat McCrory (R)
Republican Pat McCrory is running for re-election against Democratic Attorney General Roy Cooper in a hotly contested race. Casting a shadow on McCrory’s bid: the donnybrook over North Carolina’s House Bill 2. Among other things, the law calls for transgender individuals to use bathrooms in public buildings and schools that match their gender at birth. Meanwhile, historic flooding from Hurricane Matthew swamped North Carolina in October.
New Hampshire: Chris Sununu (R) vs. Colin Van Ostern (D)
Gov. Maggie Hassan, a Democrat, is running for U.S. Senate. There’s been a competitive race to replace her between Democrat Colin Van Ostern and Republican Chris Sununu, son of former New Hampshire governor John Sununu. Both candidates currently serve on the state’s Executive Council. Sununu has had an edge in a number of polls.
Vermont: Sue Minter (D) vs. Phil Scott (R)
Vermont’s Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin is not running for a fourth term. A poll in late October found a statistical tie between the two candidates seeking to replace him—Republican Lt. Governor Phil Scott and Democrat Sue Minter, who is a former state transportation secretary.
West Virginia: Bill Cole (R) vs. Jim Justice (D)
Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin is term-limited. Billionaire coal tycoon Jim Justice, a Democrat, is in a race with Bill Cole, a Republican who is state Senate president. Polls have found mixed results in terms of who has the advantage in the contest.
STATE LEGISLATURES
Republicans currently have majorities in a record number of state legislative chambers—67 out of 98 partisan chambers. (Nebraska’s legislature has a non-partisan unicameral chamber.) Democrats, who currently control only 31 chambers, are looking to expand their footprint in state legislatures. As National Public Radio recently reported, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee thinks Democrats could end up winning eight to 12 legislative chambers. Overall, there are 18 chambers in 12 states that the National Conference of State Legislatures thinks could switch party control, Reuters reported.
MAYORS
Richmond, Virginia: Voters in the Old Dominion’s capital city have been dealing with a mayoral race that’s drawing attention due to sex scandals and other allegations involving frontrunner Joe Morrissey. The mayoral candidate won re-election to the Virginia House of Delegates last year while serving nights in jail after pleading guilty to contributing to the delinquency of a 17-year-old minor. Although eight mayoral candidates qualified for the November ballot in Richmond, there are now only five in contention. City Councilman Jon Baliles, dropped out of the race last week out of concerns he would split the vote against Morrissey. “I can no longer risk splitting votes with other candidates if it means electing someone who so plainly cares only about himself,” he said, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Miami-Dade County, Florida: In Florida’s most populous jurisdiction, there’s a heated runoff election between Raquel Regalado and incumbent Mayor Carlos Gimenez. Regalado tried to have Gimenez removed from the ballot due to a technicality, but was rebuffed by a local judge.
Honolulu, Hawaii: In the City and County of Honolulu, which covers all of the island of Oahu, current Mayor Kirk Caldwell is in a runoff election with former U.S. Rep. Charles Djou.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Twelve candidates qualified to run for mayor-president in Louisiana’s capital city. Five are considered to be top contenders. The term-limited mayor-president, Kip Holden, is not among them. If none of the candidates running to take Holden’s spot end up with a majority of the votes on Election Day, the two with the most votes will advance to a Dec. 10 runoff. In the backdrop of the mayoral race: severe flooding that devastated areas in and around Baton Rouge in August, a controversial fatal shooting of a black man by police in July, and the deaths of three law enforcement officers later that month, who were killed by a gunman.
Cheyenne, Wyoming: In Wyoming’s state capital and largest city, there’s a competitive race for mayor between Marian Orr and Amy Surdam. The winner would be first woman elected mayor in the city.
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