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.
Learn more here.
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.
Learn more here.
Arizona
Heading into Friday, the Governor’s race in Arizona between Republican Kari Lake and Democrat Katie Hobbs was still too close to call.
Learn more here.
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.
Learn more here.
California
Voters in California approved a ballot measure to guarantee reproductive rights in state constitution.
Learn more here.
Colorado
Governor Jared Polis defeated Republican challenger Heidi Ganahl, winning a second term. Colorado Democratic Senator Michael Bennett also won re-election.
Learn more here.
Connecticut
Governor Lamont defeated Republican challenger Ed Stefanowski, winning his second term.
Learn more here.
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.
Learn more here.
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.
Learn more here.
Hawaii
Lt. Governor Josh Green (D) was overwhelmingly elected the ninth Governor of Hawaii, defeating Republican Duke Aiona.
Learn more here.
Idaho
Governor Brad Little (R) won his second term Tuesday, defeating Democratic candidate Stephen Heidt.
Learn more here.
Illinois
Incumbent Governor J.B. Pritzker (D) easily defeated State Senator Darren Bailey to win his second term as Governor.
Learn more here.
Indiana
Indiana Republicans kept control of the state legislature.
Learn more here.
Iowa
Governor Kim Reynolds (R) won re-election to her second full term in office, defeating Deidre DeJear (D).
Learn more here.
Kansas
Democratic Governor Laura Kelly defeated the state’s Attorney General Derek Schmidt (R) to win her second term as Governor.
Learn more here.
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.
Learn more here.
Maine
Governor Janet Mills (D) defeated former governor and Republican Paul LePage to win her second term.
Learn more here.
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).
Learn more here.
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).
Learn more here.
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.
Learn more here.
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.
Learn more here.
Mississippi
Governor Tate Reeves responded to a congressional investigation regarding 150,000 people in Jackson.
Learn more here.
Missouri
Voters in Missouri approved a ballot referendum to allow those 21 and older to approve recreational marijuana.
Learn more here.
Montana
Republicans Ryan Zinke and incumbent Matt Rosendale won both congressional races in Montana.
Learn more here.
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.
Learn more here.
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.
Learn more here.
New Jersey
Governor Murphy announced new proposed legislation to combat the rising number of auto thefts in the state.
Learn more here.
New Mexico
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) defeated Republican challenger Mark Ronchetti, 52% to 45%.
Learn more here.
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.
Learn more here.
North Carolina
Congressman Ted Budd (R) won the North Carolina Senate race, defeating Democrat Cheri Beasley to succeed retiring Senator Richard Burr (R).
Learn more here.
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.
Learn more here.
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.
Learn more here.
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.
Learn more here.
Rhode Island
Governor Dan McKee (D) won a full term in office, defeating Republican Ashley Kalus.
Learn more here.
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.
Learn more here.
Tennesse
Governor Bill Lee (R) defeated Democrat Jason Martin, continuing over a decade of Republican control of the Governor’s mansion.
Learn more here.
Texas
Governor Greg Abbott (R) defeated Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke, a former Congressman and 2020 Presidential candidate.
Learn more here.
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.
Latest News
This week’s legislative developments across the U.S. feature efforts addressing key policy areas in response to state-specific challenges. Pennsylvania passed a bipartisan bill clarifying digital asset regulations, while North Carolina allocated substantial relief funds for [...]
In this week's "State of the States,” we highlight critical legislative developments and policy decisions from across the U.S. From Alaska's legal battle over a gas pipeline to California's new law addressing fuel price volatility, [...]
In this week's "State of the States" update for October 4, 2024, we take a closer look at key policy decisions and legislative developments across the country. Alabama's Governor Kay Ivey is considering a transformative [...]
As states continue to address pressing issues, legislatures have made significant strides this week on a variety of topics. From Alabama’s renewed efforts to regulate library content to California’s push for undocumented immigrant homeownership, state [...]
Stay In Touch