This week was dominated by election-related news coverage across the country, where democrats fared much better than anticipated. As a result, the legislatures in Michigan and Minnesota have flipped control from R to D (DFL Party in MN) and the Pennsylvania state House is on the verge of flipping from R to D as well. However, control of the U.S. Senate and U.S. House is still not officially decided, and some races have yet to be called particularly in Arizona (Governor and U.S. Senate).
Alabama
Republican Governor Kay Ivey won her second full term as Governor this week.
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Alaska
Governor Mike Dunleavy is set to win re-election for another term, projecting over 50% of the vote needed to win the race outright due to Alaska’s ranked choice voting system.
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Arizona
Heading into Friday, the Governor’s race in Arizona between Republican Kari Lake and Democrat Katie Hobbs was still too close to call.
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Arkansas
Republican candidate Sarah Huckabee Sanders won the race for Governor, succeeding term-limited Governor Asa Hutchinson, and becoming the state’s first female governor.
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California
Voters in California approved a ballot measure to guarantee reproductive rights in state constitution.
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Colorado
Governor Jared Polis defeated Republican challenger Heidi Ganahl, winning a second term. Colorado Democratic Senator Michael Bennett also won re-election.
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Connecticut
Governor Lamont defeated Republican challenger Ed Stefanowski, winning his second term.
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Florida
Governor Ron DeSantis (R) easily defeated challenger Charlie Crist (D), by almost 20 points. Senator Marco Rubio also won another term, defeating Democratic Congresswoman Val Demings by over 16 points. Republicans also won three statewide races for Agriculture Commissioner, Attorney General, and CFO.
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Georgia
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R) won re-election, defeating Democrat Stacey Abrams (D) in a rematch of the 2018 midterms. In Georgia’s Senate race, Herschel Walker (R) and Senator Raphael Warnock (D) will head to a December runoff election after neither candidate achieved a 50% majority.
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Hawaii
Lt. Governor Josh Green (D) was overwhelmingly elected the ninth Governor of Hawaii, defeating Republican Duke Aiona.
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Idaho
Governor Brad Little (R) won his second term Tuesday, defeating Democratic candidate Stephen Heidt.
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Illinois
Incumbent Governor J.B. Pritzker (D) easily defeated State Senator Darren Bailey to win his second term as Governor.
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Indiana
Indiana Republicans kept control of the state legislature.
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Iowa
Governor Kim Reynolds (R) won re-election to her second full term in office, defeating Deidre DeJear (D).
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Kansas
Democratic Governor Laura Kelly defeated the state’s Attorney General Derek Schmidt (R) to win her second term as Governor.
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Kentucky
Kentucky voters rejected a ballot measure that would have amended the state constitution to give the legislature the authority to call itself into a special session.
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Maine
Governor Janet Mills (D) defeated former governor and Republican Paul LePage to win her second term.
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Maryland
Democrat Wes Moore defeated Republican Dan Cox, flipping the Governor’s mansion in the race to succeed term-limited incumbent Governor Larry Hogan (R).
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Massachusetts
Democrat Maura Healey defeated Republican Geoff Diehl, flipping the Governor’s mansion to the Democrats in the race to succeed Charlie Baker (R), who decided not to run for re-election this year. She becomes the first female Governor in Massachusetts, and becomes the nation’s first openly lesbian governor (in addition to Oregon’s new governor).
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Michigan
Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) defeated Republican challenger Tudor Dixon, securing her second term in office. Additionally, democrats took control over both chambers in the legislature for the first time in nearly 40 years.
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Minnesota
Governor Tim Walz (D) defeated Republican Scott Jensen, securing his second term in office. Additionally, the DFL party maintained control of the state House and took control of the state Senate.
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Mississippi
Governor Tate Reeves responded to a congressional investigation regarding 150,000 people in Jackson.
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Missouri
Voters in Missouri approved a ballot referendum to allow those 21 and older to approve recreational marijuana.
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Montana
Republicans Ryan Zinke and incumbent Matt Rosendale won both congressional races in Montana.
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Nebraska
Voters in Nebraska approved a ballot referendum that implemented a $15 minimum wage for workers, increasing from $9 per hour to $15 by 2026.
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New Hampshire
Governor Chris Sununu (R) won his fourth term as Governor, while Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan won her second term in the U.S. Senate.
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New Jersey
Governor Murphy announced new proposed legislation to combat the rising number of auto thefts in the state.
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New Mexico
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) defeated Republican challenger Mark Ronchetti, 52% to 45%.
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New York
Governor Kathy Hochul (D) defeated Republican challenger and Congressman Lee Zeldin, winning her first full term since she took over from former Governor Andrew Cuomo.
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North Carolina
Congressman Ted Budd (R) won the North Carolina Senate race, defeating Democrat Cheri Beasley to succeed retiring Senator Richard Burr (R).
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North Dakota
Voters in North Dakota rejected a measure to legalize marijuana in the state.
Ohio
Republicans J.D. Vance and Governor Mike DeWine won their respective races for U.S Senate and Governor.
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Oklahoma
Governor Kevin Stitt (R) won reelection, defeating Democrat Joy Hofmeister to earn his second term.
Oregon
Democrat Tina Kotek won the race to become the state’s next Governor, defeating Republican Christine Drazan.
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Pennsylvania
Democrat Josh Shapiro defeated Republican state Senator Doug Mastriano for Governor, retaining the Governor’s mansion for Democrats with incumbent Governor Tom Wolf (D) term-limited.
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Rhode Island
Governor Dan McKee (D) won a full term in office, defeating Republican Ashley Kalus.
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South Carolina
Governor Henry McMaster (R) defeated Democrat Joe Cunningham, earning his second four-year term as Governor.
South Dakota
Governor Kristi Noem (R) defeated Democrat Jamie Smith, winning her second term as Governor.
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Tennesse
Governor Bill Lee (R) defeated Democrat Jason Martin, continuing over a decade of Republican control of the Governor’s mansion.
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Texas
Governor Greg Abbott (R) defeated Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke, a former Congressman and 2020 Presidential candidate.
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Vermont
Governor Phil Scott (R) won his fourth term as Governor, defeating Democrat Brenda Siegel.
Wisconsin
Governor Tony Evers (D) defeated Republican Tim Michels, earning his second term as Governor.
Learn more here.
DMGS Posts This Week
Capital and Capitol Happenings: New Positions, Promotions, and More
- Katie Donnell: new Associate Director of Government Affairs, Palo Alto Networks
- Caroline Hegeman: new Director of Public Affairs – State & Local, McKinsey
- Emily Maher: new Project Manager, National Conference of State Legislatures
- Matthew Russell: new Director of Government Relations, Texas Computer Education Association
- Bijan Mehryar: new Global Public Policy Lead, Block
- Christopher Brown: new Legislative Affairs Specialist, AFSCME
- Frank Mazza: new Director of Government Relations, County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania
- Jamie Barker: new Legislative Director, Arkansas Governor-Elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders
- Henry Mahler: new Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs, Florida Department of Management Services
- Scott Stringer: new Regional Director – Government Affairs, Brightspeed
- Morgan Judge: new Director of Compliance, Regulation, and Policy, EverDriven
- Grace Michienzi: new Senior Director of Policy, Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council
Happy Birthdays This Week
- Patty Mackavage: Harrisburg Executive Director, Duane Morris Government Strategies
- Jared Asch: Managing Partner, Capstone Government Affairs
- Andrew Barnhill: Head of Public Policy, Global Legal IQVIA
- Leigh Maltby: Associate Director, Americans for Patient Access
- Chase Everton: Partner, Lincoln Hill Partners
Email future suggestions to rjstevens@dmgs.com.
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