Democrats regained the governorship of Kentucky and held the office in Louisiana, despite strong campaign efforts by PresidentDonald Trump for the Republican candidates. Democrats also took control of the state legislature in Virginia. Republicans held the governor's mansion in Mississippi and expanded their control of the Louisiana state legislature and gained seats in the New Jersey state legislature. A major theme in the election results was a suburban revolt against Trump and the Republican Party in general, as these areas swung heavily towards Democratic candidates in local, state, and federal elections.[1][2]
Also during 2019, changes in partisan balance in the House of Representatives happened as the result of members of Congressswitching their party affiliation. On July 4, 2019, Rep.Justin Amash declared he would leave the Republican Party but continue to serve in Congress as an independent, turning an evenly split Michigan delegation into a Democratic majority delegation.[17] Following a week of speculation, on December 19, the day after voting against theimpeachment of Donald Trump, Rep.Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey officially left the Democratic Party to become a Republican.[18]
Three states held gubernatorial elections in 2019:
Kentucky: In the May 21 primaries, one-term incumbent RepublicanMatt Bevin faced a strong challenge from three opponents in the Republican primary but managed to win with 52.4%; Democratic attorney generalAndy Beshear also faced a strong competition from two other challengers in the Democratic primary but managed to win with 37.9%.[19] In the November 5 general election,Andy Beshear defeatedMatt Bevin by just 0.4 percent of the vote; however, theAssociated Press declared the race too close to call, and Bevin refused to concede on election night, requesting a recanvass.[20] The recanvass showed little change in the vote totals, and Bevin conceded the election on November 14.[21]
Louisiana: One-term DemocratJohn Bel Edwards defeated Eddie Rispone in a run-off election, securing a second term. In the state's Octoberblanket primary, Edwards faced Republicans U.S. Rep.Ralph Abraham[22] and businessman Eddie Rispone, along with three minor candidates. While Edwards received 46.6% of the vote, he did not win a majority and therefore faced a Saturday, November 16runoff election against Rispone, who received 27.4% of the vote.[23] The runoff election was held on November 16. Despite Republican Donald Trump winning the state by 20 points in 2016, John Bel Edwards was able to narrowly win re-election with 51.3% of the vote against Eddie Rispone's 48.7%.[24]
Mississippi: Two-term RepublicanPhil Bryant wasterm-limited in 2019 and therefore ineligible to seek re-election. In the August 6 primary elections,Attorney GeneralJim Hood won the Democratic primary,[25] and on August 27, Lt. Gov.Tate Reeves defeatedMississippi Supreme Court Chief JusticeBill Waller Jr. to win the Republican nomination.[26] Though the Associated Press described Hood as the "best-funded Democratic nominee for Mississippi governor since 2003," Reeves won the Mississippi gubernatorial race by a comfortable 51.9% to 46.8% margin.[27]
Regularly scheduled elections were held in 3 of 43 states that elect attorneys general. The previousAttorney General elections for this group of states took place in 2015. One state attorney general ran for reelection and won, whileDemocratJim Hood ofMississippi andAndy Beshear ofKentucky did not run for re-election to run forGovernor.[28]
Republicans won every seat in this election, with a net gain of two.[29]
Special elections were also held during the year to fill state legislative seats vacated due to retirement, death, resignation, election to another office, or other reasons. During 2019, special elections were set or run for 77 vacated seats — 39 held by Democrats and 38 held by Republicans. Of the 74 special elections held by year-end, five seats flipped from Democratic to Republican, two flipped from Republican to Democratic, and one flipped from Republican to Independent. None of these changes impacted partisan control of the state legislature.[34]
Louisiana held a special election for theLouisiana Supreme Court to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of JusticeGreg G. Guidry, for a term to expire in 2029. AttorneyWilliam J. Crain defeated Hans J. Liljeberg in the November general election.
In the 2019 elections, Republicans successfully defended theirtrifecta (unified control of the governorship and the state legislature) in Mississippi, while Democrats defended their trifecta in New Jersey and prevented Republicans from gaining a trifecta in Louisiana. Republicans lost their trifecta in Kentucky, while Democrats gained a trifecta in Virginia.[35] These state elections were to impact theredistricting that followed the2020 United States census, as many states task governors and state legislators with drawing new boundaries for state legislative and congressional districts.
24 binding ballot measures were voted on in seven states.[36]
InPennsylvania, voters were to consider a constitutional amendment to adoptMarsy's Law protections for crime victims.[37] Just days before the election, however, an injunction was issued blocking the commonwealth from tallying votes on the amendment.[38][39] TheSupreme Court of Pennsylvania affirmed the injunction on the eve of the election.[40][41]
InTexas, voters approved nine of ten proposed amendments to the Lone Star State's constitution, most notably Proposition 4, intended to ban a state income tax. Texas is one of only nine U.S. states without a state income tax.[42]
In theU.S. Virgin Islands, aballot initiative to change how seats in theLegislature of the Virgin Islands are apportioned was defeated due to low voter turnout. A majority of voters approved of the reapportionment plan during the March 30, 2019, special election; however, only about 9 percent of registered voters participated in the election, and a majority of all registered voters was required for the initiative to pass.[46]
Although most mayorships and other local offices are non-partisan, when looking at party identification of the officeholders, registered Democrats gained three mayorships during 2019 (Phoenix, Arizona;Raleigh, North Carolina; andWichita, Kansas) and Republicans picked up one (Aurora, Colorado). Following the November elections, registered Democrats had held 62 mayorships (+2) in the 100 largest cities in the United States, registered Republicans hold 29 (+1), and independents hold 4 (−3). The remaining five had been nonpartisan or were undetermined.[47]
Special mayoral election inPort Richey, Florida, attorney Scott Tremblay was elected mayor[104] to replace Vice Mayor Terrence Rowe who was arrested on conspiracy charges 20 days after being elevated to mayor following the arrest of Mayor Dale Massad for practicing medicine without a license.[105]
Special mayoral election inScranton, Pennsylvania, won by Independent Paige Cognetti following the resignation of MayorBill Courtright, who pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges;[106] Cognetti is the first female mayor of the city.[107]
Nationwide, 90 city council members and 45 mayors or vice-mayors were subject to recall efforts, along with 44 school board members and 51 other city, county, or state officials. In total, 87 of these efforts made it to the ballot and slightly more than half were successful in recalling the official; an additional 16 officials resigned before a recall election could be held.[108][109] Mayors were successfully recalled inWickenburg, Arizona;Brighton, Colorado;Bovill andDalton Gardens, Idaho;Albion, Michigan;York, Nebraska;Metolius, Oregon; andRio Bravo, Texas. Mayors inElk River,Kooskia, andSugar City, Idaho, and inArnegard andTower City, North Dakota, were retained in office.[110] InHuntington, Oregon, voters recalled Mayor Richard Cummings who'd survived a 2018 recall attempt when he served on the city council.[111]
InFall River, Massachusetts, voters successfully recalled MayorJasiel Correia and re-elected him in the same election. Correia faced recall after being charged with wire fraud and filing false tax returns in 2018. Five candidates, including Correia, qualified to run in the event of a successful recall, and a plurality of voters voted for Correia.[112] In September, Correia was charged with extortingcannabis dispensaries looking to do business in the city; the city council vote to remove him from office, but Correia rejected their authority to do so.[113][114] Correia stood for re-election to a third term, coming in second during the September 17 preliminary election. On October 15, 2019, Correia suspended his campaign,[115] and, ultimately, came in third, behind write-in votes with school board member Paul Coogan winning the election.[116]
Democrats took control ofColumbus, Indiana, hometown of Vice PresidentMike Pence, winning a majority of seats on the city council for the first time since 1981.[117]
InPolk County, Iowa, although most local and municipal races are nonpartisan, candidates running on progressive platforms won 13 city county and school board seats previously held by more conservative officials. Among the winners were Suresh Reddy, the first Indian American, and Scott Syroka, the first Latino, elected to theJohnston, Iowa, city council, as well as Lonnette Dafney and Deshara Bohanna, the first African American members of theWest Des Moines andAnkeny school boards, respectively.[123]
InSeattle, an attempt backed by e-commerce giantAmazon to install a more business-friendly city council failed.[124]
In Virginia, Democrats won five of eight seats to flip control of thePrince William County Board of County Supervisors, which has had a Republican majority for more than 20 years.[125] Also, inLoudoun County, Democrats won three seats on the county's Board of Supervisors, giving them a majority for the first time since 2012.[126]
In Denver, voters narrowly approved a citizen-initiated ordinance to effectivelydecriminalizepsilocybin mushrooms for personal use and possession by adults.[127] The city's voters also defeated an initiative to overturn Denver'sban on urban camping.[128] In the June runoff election, voters passed an ordinance barring city officials from spending tax money on futureOlympic bids without first seeking voter approval.[53] In the November general election, Denver voters approved the establishment of a Department of Transportation & Infrastructure for the city.[129]
Jersey City, New Jersey, voters approved strict regulations on short-term rentals, in a major blow toAirbnb and other short-term rental companies.[133]
New York City'sCharter Revision Commission placed five questions on the 2019 ballot for voters to decide, including a proposal to adoptranked choice voting for city elections.[135] Ranked-choice voting was approved by 73.5% of voters,[136] and the four other revisions all passed as well.[137]
Voters inOklahoma City approved a charter amendment allowing city council members to work for the state or federal government.[138] The bill allows state or federal employees, such as school teachers or park rangers, to serve on the city council.[139]
Phoenix, Arizona, voters rejected ballot initiatives to halt expansion of theValley Metro Rail light rail system and to cap city spending to help pay down pension debt.[141]
San Juan County, Utah, voters rejected Proposition 10, which would have looked to change the structure of the county government; the proposition was characterized by opponents as an effort to undermine the county's first electedNavajo-majority county commission.[145]
Voters inTucson, Arizona, narrowly rejected becoming asanctuary city, which would have limited municipal cooperation with federal immigration law enforcement.[146]
Choctaw Nation incumbent ChiefGary Batton was unopposed in seeking a second term,[162] andChickasaw Nation Gov.Bill Anoatubby was unopposed in seeking a ninth consecutive four-year term.[163] Dr. John Creel was unopposed in the election for chief of the Edisto Natchez-Kusso Tribe.[164]
A special election triggered by the resignation ofJicarilla Apache Nation President Levi Pesata in February[176] was won by Legislative Council member Darrell Paiz in a runoff,[177] and Rynalea Whiteman Pena was elected president of theNorthern Cheyenne Tribal Council in a special election following the resignation of prior president L. Jace Killsback.[178] Beth Drost was elected as the first female Tribal Chair of theGrand Portage Band ofLake Superior Chippewa in a special election following the death of long-time Tribal Chair Norman Deschampe.[179] Michael Fairbanks was elected Tribal Chairman of theWhite Earth Nation in Minnesota in a special election following the death of prior chairman Terry Tibbetts.[180]
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council ChairCedric Cromwell faced a September 15 recall election over questions about his management of tribal funds; however, the election was called off on September 12 due to questions about the recall petition process.[183][184]
Spirit Lake Tribe voters in North Dakota approved alcohol sales at the Spirit Lake Casino & Resort, overturning a decades-old ban on alcohol sales on the reservation.[185]
Republican CongressmanPaul Ryan, theSpeaker of the United States House of Representatives during the115th United States Congress, declined to seek re-election in 2018. After Democrats gained a majority in the House of Representatives in the 2018 elections, House Minority Leader and former SpeakerNancy Pelosi sought election to a new term as Speaker of the House. She won the election with 220 votes, all of which came from members of the Democratic Party. Most Republican members of the House voted forKevin McCarthy, who, through a separate election, succeeded Pelosi as House Minority Leader. The remaining votes for Speaker went to several different individuals, including Republican CongressmanJim Jordan and Democratic CongresswomanCheri Bustos.[188]
Several state Democratic and Republican parties also selected new leaders for their organizations during 2019 at party conventions or through other closed processes.
In Alabama, which was the location of many pivotal moments in theAmerican civil rights movement, several cities elected their first African American mayor in 2019. In the capital city ofMontgomery, Probate JudgeSteven Reed was elected mayor in a run-off,[189] and inTalladega Timothy Ragland defeated incumbent mayor Jerry Cooper in a run-off.[190] Also, voters inEastpointe, Michigan, elected council member Monique Owens mayor, making her the city's first African American mayor.[191]
Two large cities elected their firstout LGBT+ mayors in 2019. InChicago,Lori Lightfoot was elected as the city's first female African American mayor and first lesbian mayor[192] in what was only the second-ever mayoral runoff election in the city's history.[193] InTampa, Florida,Jane Castor also won a run-off election to become the first gay woman to lead a major Florida city.[194]
InTucson, Arizona, DemocratRegina Romero was elected the city's first female and first Latina mayor.[195] InBoise, Idaho, City Council PresidentLauren McLean defeated incumbentDave Bieter to become the first woman elected as mayor in the city and winner of the city's first-ever mayoral run-off election.[196][197][198] Similarly, inBelton, South Carolina, Tiffany Ownbey defeated incumbent Wendell Page, making her the first woman to be elected mayor of the city.[199] InSalt Lake City, Utah, CouncilwomanErin Mendenhall became the city's third female mayor after defeating state senatorLuz Escamilla;[200] it was the first time two women had faced each other in a mayoral runoff in the city.[201]
City councilman Dr. An Minh Truong won an open seat for mayor ofHaltom City, Texas, making him the first Vietnamese-American mayor inTarrant County and possibly the first in Texas.[202]
Two Republicans were charged with electoral fraud inMarion County, Ohio. The GOP candidate for Marion city auditor, Robert Landon, and Marion County Republican Party official John Matthews were charged with distributing phony sample ballots, a misdemeanor.[203]
Without providing any evidence, Republican incumbentMatt Bevin said there were "significant irregularities" in the vote count process for Kentucky governor. He refused to concede and asked for a recanvass, which took place on November 14.[204] DemocratAndy Beshear won by only 5,000 votes, and some feared Bevin was trying to steal the election.[205] However, the recanvass did not change the election outcome, and Bevin subsequently conceded.[206]
The following tables show the partisan results of the congressional, gubernatorial, and state legislative election races, as well as party switchers, in 2019. Only the affected congressional districts and states in 2019 are shown. Governorships/legislatures in these affected states that were not up for election in 2019 were already filled in for the "after 2019 elections" section.Bold indicates a change in control.
^abThe seat for North Carolina's 9th congressional district is counted as vacant due to the voided 2018 election. It was previously held by a Republican.
^Scherer, Jasper; Downen, Robert (December 15, 2019)."Turner Coasts to Second Term".Houston Chronicle. Houston, Texas. Archived fromthe original on December 15, 2019. RetrievedDecember 15, 2019.
^"Tribal election could go to recount".Martha's Vineyard Times. Vineyard Haven, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. November 20, 2019. RetrievedNovember 20, 2019.
