Bevy of state special elections last week and next week

[View this email in your browser]( [Ballotpedia](   [Facebook](   [Twitter](   [The Tap](   Good morning! This week was all about the special elections as voters headed to the polls in Florida, Minnesota, and Oklahoma. On tap for next week? You guessed it. More special elections. Read this 100th edition of The Tap to catch up on the election outcomes and their impact, and click through for the extended edition on our website. [Launch the full Tap]( Open Wisconsin Supreme Court seat heads to primary election - Three candidates filed for an [open seat]( on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, prompting a primary election to be called to reduce the candidate field. Sitting Justice Michael Gableman did not file for re-election. Attorney Tim Burns, Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Rebecca Dallet, and Sauk County Circuit Judge Michael Screnock will face off in the primary election on February 20, with two winners advancing to the general election on April 3, 2018. - Although the election is nonpartisan, all three candidates have received endorsements and contributions from groups associated with the Democratic and Republican Parties. Burns has received endorsements from Bernie Sanders-aligned group Our Revolution, former Supreme Court candidate JoAnne Kloppenburg, and Rep. Mark Pocan (D). Dallet has received endorsements from former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Louis Butler, former Gov. Tony Earl (D), Wisconsin Court of Appeals Judge Lisa Stark, and Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm (D). Screnock has received endorsements from Wisconsin Supreme Court Justices Daniel Kelly, Michael Gableman, and Rebecca Bradley, as well as former Justices David Prosser and Jon Wilcox. - The [Wisconsin Supreme Court]( is made up of seven justices elected in nonpartisan elections. Justices serve 10-year terms. According to the [Wisconsin State Journal]( the Wisconsin Supreme Court has a conservative majority of 5-2, so the outcome of the election would not change control of the court. Other seats on the ballot include Court of Appeals judges, Circuit Court judges, and county and school board local elections. Widow of Rep. Dan Johnson facing former Dem. incumbent in Kentucky House special election - The [special election]( will take place to fill [Dan Johnson’s]( (R) District 49 seat in the Kentucky House of Representatives on February 20. Johnson committed suicide on December 13. On December 11, allegations that Johnson had molested a 17-year old girl were reported. Johnson denied the accusations against him in a Facebook post on December 13. [Rebecca Johnson]( Johnson’s widow, is the Republican candidate in the special election. She faces Democratic candidate [Linda Belcher](. Belcher held the District 49 seat from 2009 to 2013 and from 2015 to 2017. She was defeated by Dan Johnson 50.4 to 49.6 percent in the 2016 general election.   [Map of state government trifectas]   Democrats flip state house seat in Florida - Democratic candidate [Margaret Good]( won the [special election]( for the Florida state house District 72, flipping the seat that had been held by Republicans since 2010. She defeated Republican [James Buchanan]( and Libertarian [Alison Foxall](. The election became necessary after former Rep. [Alexandra Miller]( (R) resigned in September 2017. - The race gained national attention in the months leading up to the election and both Good and Buchanan received support from prominent activists in both parties. Good was endorsed in the race by former Vice President [Joe Biden]( and former Maryland Gov. [Martin O'Malley]( while Buchanan was backed by President Trump's former campaign manager [Corey Lewandowski]( and Florida Gov. [Rick Scott](. Bigham wins Minnesota Senate special election, retaining seat for DFL - Former state Rep. Karla Bigham (D) [was elected]( to represent District 54 in the Minnesota state Senate Monday by a 3.6 percent margin, defeating former state Rep. Denny McNamara (R) and nurse Emily Mellingen (L). Bigham received 50.7 percent of the vote to McNamara's 47.1 percent and Mellingen's 2.2 percent. - The election was called to fill the unexpired term of former state Sen. Dan Schoen (D), who resigned in December 2017 following [allegations of sexual misconduct](. - Bigham's victory returns the previously-vacant seat to DFL control, returning the state Senate to the 34-33 GOP majority that was elected in the 2016 legislative elections. The election opens the possibility that the GOP could lose its majority in the chamber as a result of an ongoing legal dispute regarding state Senate President Michelle Fischbach’s (R) stated intention to serve simultaneously in the legislature and the lieutenant governorship. A lawsuit challenging Fischbach was filed by a constituent, but was dismissed without prejudice earlier Monday on the grounds that until the state Legislature returns to session on February 20, it is not possible to determine whether Fischbach is serving in both roles. - Should the courts rule that Fischbach could not serve in both roles, control of the state Senate would be split 33-33 until a special election could be held to replace Fischbach. In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump carried Fischbach's district, receiving 63.7 percent of the vote to Hillary Clinton's 29.6 percent. - A [special election]( for Minnesota House of Representatives District 23B was also called after Representative Tony Cornish (R) resigned following sexual misconduct allegations. Three candidates filed for the seat: Republican candidates Jeremy Munson and Scott Sanders and Democratic-Farmer-Labor candidate Melissa Wagner. Munson defeated Sanders in a Republican primary and Wagner in the general election. Republicans maintain control of Oklahoma Senate seat in special election - In a [special election]( [Casey Murdock]( (R) defeated [Amber Jensen]( (D) by a 36 percentage point margin to represent District 27 in the Oklahoma State Senate. The seat became vacant when Bryce Marlatt (R) resigned from the state Senate last September in the midst of sexual assault allegations. Murdock currently represents District 61 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. If he is sworn in as state senator before March 1, a special election will be called to fill his House seat. Otherwise, the seat will remain vacant until the next regular election on November 6, 2018.   [States in session]   Washington State Senate votes to repeal death penalty - [The Washington State Senate]( voted 26-22 in favor of SB 6052, which would abolish the death penalty as the sentence for aggravated first degree murder and replace it with life imprisonment without possibility of release or parole. SB 6052 now heads to the state House for consideration. - Washington is one of eight states with a Democratic [trifecta](. Gov. [Jay Inslee]( is a member of the Democratic Party. The Washington House of Representatives has a 50-48 majority and the Washington State Senate has a 26-23 majority. Democrats gained control of the Senate after Manka Dhingra (D) defeated Jinyoung Lee Englund (R) for the District 45 seat in a special election on November 7, 2017. Democratic control of the Senate in 2018 has lead to a number of bills being passed that may not have gotten approval during the previous session when Republicans held control. - Gov. Inslee placed a moratorium on the death penalty in 2014. Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Oregon have laws allowing the death penalty but also have governor-imposed moratoriums. As of December 2017, capital punishment was [legal in 31 states](. It was illegal in 19 states plus the District of Columbia. Connie Pillich withdraws from Ohio gubernatorial race, endorses Cordray - Former state Rep. [Connie Pillich]( (D) withdrew from the race to succeed term-limited Gov. John Kasich (R-OH) Wednesday. At a campaign event, Pillich announced her endorsement of former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director [Richard Cordray]( (D). Pillich stated that she had made her decision after the Republican Party of Ohio issued its endorsement of Attorney General Mike DeWine (R) last weekend: "As the GOP rallies around Mike DeWine and promises more of the destructive policies that have put our state into the careless situation it is now, it is time to come together." - Pillich's withdrawal leaves seven candidates remaining on [the May 8 primary ballot]( to seek the Democratic nomination. The winner will face the winner of the Republican nomination—which is being contested between Attorney General Mike DeWine (R) and Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor (R)—in the November 6 general election. - Because the governor is a Republican and the Republican Party holds majorities in both houses of the state Legislature, Ohio is one of 26 Republican trifectas. It has held this status since the 2010 elections, when Gov. John Kasich (R) was elected and the Republican Party gained a majority in the state House. Similarly, since the governor, attorney general, and secretary of state are all Republicans, Ohio is one of 22 Republican triplexes. Tracey Mann (R) sworn in as lieutenant governor of Kansas - Kansas [Gov. Jeff Colyer]( (R) appointed [Tracey Mann]( (R) as lieutenant governor of Kansas on Tuesday, and Mann was sworn in the next day. Mann replaced Colyer, who was elevated to governor after former Gov. [Sam Brownback]( (R) was confirmed as ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom in the Trump administration. - Kansas is one of 26 states currently operating under a Republican [trifecta](. Gov. Colyer and Lt. Gov. Mann are members of the Republican Party. The Kansas State Senate has a 31-9 majority and the Kansas House of Representatives has an 85-40 majority. - [According to the Wichita Eagle]( Mann will also be Colyer's running mate in the state's [2018 gubernatorial election](. So far, two other Republican state officials have announced bids against Colyer: Secretary of State Kris Kobach and Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer. Pennsylvania governor rejects proposed remedial congressional map - Governor Tom Wolf (D) announced that he would not submit the remedial congressional district plan drafted by Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R) and House Speaker Mike Turzai (R) to the state supreme court, which in January [ruled]( that the original district plan constituted an illegal [partisan gerrymander]( in violation of the state constitution. In a press release, Wolf said, "The analysis by my team shows that, like the 2011 map, the map submitted to my office by Republican leaders is still a gerrymander.” Wolf's rejection of the Republican leaders' plan makes it likely that the state supreme court will adopt and implement its own. - Pennsylvania is home to 18 congressional districts, each of which will elect Representatives in [2018](. In 2016, 13 Republicans and five Democrats were elected to seats in the United States House of Representatives. As of February 13, 2018, the Pennsylvania Department of State had not made candidate filing forms for congressional candidates available. The state department website also noted that the filing deadlines noted in the 2018 election calendar did not apply to U.S. House candidates. The primary is scheduled to take place on May 15, 2018, with the general election to follow on November 6, 2018. Gov. Hogan signs bill revoking parental rights of rapists - Gov. [Larry Hogan]( (R) signed the [Rape Survivor Family Protection Act]( into law. The law, effective immediately, allows women who become pregnant as a result of sexual assault to petition to terminate the parental rights of their assailants. Similar legislation was introduced in the state Legislature in the 2015, 2014, 2013, 2009, 2008, and 2007 sessions. - According to the [National Conference of State Legislatures]( 45 states and the District of Columbia had enacted laws as of April 2017 relating to parental rights of sexual assault perpetrators. Thirty states had legislation allowing rape victims who became pregnant to terminate the parental rights of their perpetrators. Twenty states had laws restricting in some form parental rights of sexual assault perpetrators. The Tap has thousands of loyal readers each week. Want to reach them? Advertise in this email! Contact ads@ballotpedia.org for details. The Lucy Burns Institute, publisher of Ballotpedia, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All donations are tax deductible to the extent of the law. Donations to the Lucy Burns Institute or Ballotpedia do not support any candidates or campaigns. [Donate Securely Online]( Decide which emails you want from Ballotpedia. [Unsubscribe]( or [adjust your preferences]( →   Ballotpedia The Encyclopedia of American Politics 8383 Greenway Blvd., Suite 600 Middleton, WI 53562   [Facebook](   [Twitter](