What to track until November 2020? A general election cheat sheet
Here are 325 (and growing!) things I’m watching in the Nov. 2020 elections!
Congress, state governments, and powerful county and municipal officials like DAs and sheriffs are on the ballot, besides the presidential race. This cheat sheet contains races I find noteworthy for political or ideological stakes, with details. All states and D.C. represented for at least one non-federal election.
Expect list to grow, and stay tuned for a PDF version for Election Night.
You can follow me on Twitter @taniel for more. Also visit The Appeal’s Political Report, a project I founded, for coverage of local elections on criminal justice. Big hat-tip to, and visit, Ballotpedia, Daily Kos Elections.
STATEWIDE
Senate
Dem-held | |
| Alabama | |
| Michigan | |
| Minnesota | |
| New Hampshire | |
GOP-held | |
| Alaska | |
| Arizona | |
| Colorado | |
| Georgia | |
| Georgia | special | |
| Iowa | |
| Kansas | |
| Kentucky | |
| North Carolina | |
| Maine | |
| Montana | |
| South Carolina | |
| Tennessee | |
| Texas |
Governors
DEM-HELD | |
| Montana | |
| North Carolina | |
GOP-HELD | |
| Missouri | |
| New Hampshire | |
| Vermont |
26 R, 24 D
Attorneys general
DEM-HELD | |
| North Carolina | |
| Pennsylvania | |
GOP-HELD | |
| Indiana (open) | |
| Montana (open) |
MO, UT, and WV (GOP-held) OR , VT, and WA (Dem-held)
Secretaries of state (important for voting rights!)
DEM-HELD | |
| North Carolina | |
GOP-HELD | |
| Montana (open) | |
| Oregon (open) | |
| Washington | |
| West Virginia |
Other statewide officials
| NC: Lieut. Gov (D vs R) | |
| WA: Lieut. Gov. (all-Dem runoff) | |
| WA: Super. of public instruction | |
| AZ: Corporate Commision (powerful body Dems may flip) | |
| LA: Public service commission | |
| TX: Railroad Commission is very important for climate politics and energy policy |
Other statewide stakes
| NY: Will WFP keep its NY ballot line, i.e. will enough NYers vote for Biden on the WFP line? Context. | ||
| MI: Will Michigan Supreme Court flip? (See right for details) | ||
| OH: Will Ohio Supreme Court flip? (See right for details) |
Oh, and there’s the presidential election too!
U.S. HOUSE
GOP-held
Districts won by Clinton (all) | |
| CA-25 | |
| NC-02 | |
| NC-06 | |
| NY-24 | |
| PA-01 | |
| TX-23 | |
Districts won by Trump ’16 (if competitive) | |
| AK-AL (incumbent since 1973!) | |
| AR-02 | |
| AZ-06 | |
| CA-50 | |
| CO-03 (now open) | |
| FL-15 | |
| GA-07 | |
| IL-13 | |
| IN-05 | |
| MI-03 | |
| MI-06 | |
| MN-01 | |
| MO-02 | |
| MT-AL | |
| NC-08 | |
| NC-11 | |
| NE-02 (Omaha) | |
| NJ-02 | |
| NY-01 | |
| NY-02 | |
| OH-01 | |
| PA-10 | |
| TX-03 | |
| TX-10 | |
| TX-21 | |
| TX-22 | |
| TX-24 | |
| VA-05 |
Dem-held
Districts won by Trump ’16 (all 30) | |
| AZ-01 | |
| GA-06 | |
| IL-14 | |
| IL-17 | |
| IA-01 | |
| IA-02 | |
| IA-03 | |
| ME-02 | |
| MI-08 | |
| MI-11 | |
| MN-02 | |
| MN-07 | |
| NV-03 | |
| NH-01 | |
| NJ-03 | |
| NJ-05 | |
| NJ-11 | |
| NM-02 | |
| NY-11 | |
| NY-18 | |
| NY-19 | |
| NY-22 | |
| OK-05 | |
| PA-08 | |
| PA-17 | |
| SC-01 | |
| UT-04 | |
| VA-02 | |
| VA-07 | |
| WI-03 | |
Districts won by Clinton ’16 (competitive) | |
| CA-10 | |
| CA-21 | |
| CA-48 | |
| FL-26 | |
| WA-08 |
See DKE’s resources for how each district votes.
All-Dem runoffs
| CA has seven: —Only open one: CA-53 —Inc. challenged: CA-12, CA-18, CA-29, CA-34, CA-38, CA-44 | |
| WA has one: —WA-10, Doglio vs. Strickland |
REFERENDA
Expand voter eligibility
| CA: Voting rights for people on parole (#17) | |
| CA: Enable 17-year olds to vote in primaries (#18) | |
| San Francisco: Lower voting age to 16 for city elections (#G) | |
| Oakland: Lower age to 16 for races for school board |
Drug policy
| OR: Decriminalize drugs (#110) | |
| Legalize marijuana: —AZ (#207) —MT —NJ —SD (#A) | |
| Legalize medical marijuana: —MS —NE [OFF?] —SD (#26) | |
| OR: Legalize psilocybin (#109) | |
| DC: Deprioritize psilocybin |
Criminal justice
| CA: Roll back sentencing reform (#20) | |
| CA: Restore cash bail (#25) | |
| OK: Sentencing reform (#805) | |
| KY: Marsy’s law (context) |
Policing
| Portland, ME: Ban facial recognition | |
| Set up civilian oversight boards with subpoena power: —Philadelphia —San Diego —Portland, OR —Columbus, OH —San Francisco (#D) | |
| Pittsburgh: Strengthens civilian oversight board | |
| San Francisco: End mandate for minimal size of police force (#E) | |
| Los Angeles: Boost funding for housing, health, jobs, not L.E. (#J) | |
| King County, WA: May shrink sheriff powers (and make sheriff appointed) |
Labor
| FL: $15 minimum wage (#2) | |
| CA: End mandate that gig economy workers be employees (#22) | |
| CO: Paid medical & family leave (#118) | |
| AZ: Min. wage for hospital workers | Off ballot |
Housing
| CA: Expand rent control (#21) | |
| Burbank, CA: Rent control measure | |
| Boulder, CO: “No eviction without representation“ | |
| San Francisco: Enable 10K units of affordable housing (#K) |
Election rules
| Initiatives to make ballot initiatives harder: —AR (#3) —FL (#4) —ND (#4001) | |
| CO: Stay in popular vote compact | |
| Enable ranked-choice voting: —MA (statewide) —AK (mixed system) —Albany, CA —Eureka, CA —Bloomington, MN —Minnetonka, MN —Boulder, CO | |
| ME: End RCV (pres. race). OFF BALLOT? | |
| Redistricting reform: —MO: Overturn it —VA: Approve it | |
| Create Top 2/Top 4 systems: —FL: “Top 2” —AK: “Top 4” (and ranked choice) | |
| St. Louis, MO: Mix of approval voting & runoff | |
| Inscribe in state constitutions that only U.S. citizens can vote (would preempt enabling bigger electorate in local races): —AL —CO —FL | |
| MS: End “electoral college”-like system in statewide races |
Governance rules
| MO: New term limits | |
| MD: Transfer budgetary authority from Gov to legislature | |
| San Francisco: Allows noncitizens on local advisory boards (#C) |
Reproductive rights
| CO: 22-week abortion ban | |
| LA: Anti-abortion declaration (#1) |
Taxation
| AZ: Tax hike for high incomes (#208) | |
| CA: Changes property tax structure, undoing part of Prop 13 (#15) | |
| CO: lowers income tax | |
| IL: Enable a progressive income tax | |
| NM: Various bond initiatives | |
| San Francisco: —$489 mill. bond measure (parks, health, homelessness) —Hike property tax on “big sales” | |
| Nashville, TN: Koch-funded initiative to roll back property tax hike. May be on Dec. 5 ballot. |
Transportation
| Arkansas: Sales tax to fund transportation | |
| Austin, TX: A tax plan for new light rail lines, BRT, and more | |
| Gwinnett Co, GA: Sales tax to fund transit expansion | |
| Portland, OR: Tax plan to expand public transit | |
| SF, Santa Clara, San Mateo: Hike sales tax for Caltrain (#RR) |
Education
| CA: Lifts ban on affirmative action in universities (and gov. contracts) (#16) | |
| WA: Blocks law requiring sex ed (#90) | |
| Multnomah Co., OR: Preschool for all |
Other topics
| Removes slavery as punishment from state law [past coverage of issue]: —NE —UT | |
| MT: Makes local gun control harder | |
| MS: Approves new state flag | |
| Puerto Rico: Vote on statehood | |
| WY: Lifts constitutional “debt ceiling” on sewer projects. |
STATE GOV.
Legislatures
Dem-held chambers | |
| MN | House | |
| NH | House | |
| NH | Senate | |
| NV | Senate | |
| WA | Senate | |
| AK | House (sort of) | |
GOP-HELD CHAMBERS | |
| AZ | House* | |
| AZ | Senate* | |
| FL | Senate | |
| GA | Senate | |
| GA | House | |
| IA | House | |
| MI | House* | |
| MN | Senate* | |
| NC | Senate | |
| NC | House | |
| PA | House | |
| PA | Senate | |
| TX | House* | |
Can GOP gain supermajority? | |
| WI | House | |
| WI | Senate | |
| NE | Senate | |
Can Dems break GOP supermajority? | |
| KS | House | |
| KS | Senate |
Trifectas: Every state listed
Now under Dem control: 15 | |
| California | |
| Colorado | |
| Connecticut | |
| Delaware | |
| Illinois | |
| Hawaii | |
| Maine | |
| New Jersey | DEM |
| New Mexico | |
| Nevada | |
| New York | |
| Oregon | |
| Rhode Island | |
| Virginia | DEM |
| Washington | |
Now under GOP control: 21 | |
| Alabama | GOP |
| Arkansas | |
| Arizona | |
| Florida | |
| Georgia | |
| Idaho | |
| Indiana | |
| Iowa | |
| Mississippi | GOP |
| Missouri | |
| Nebraska | |
| North Dakota | |
| Oklahoma | |
| Ohio | |
| South Carolina | |
| South Dakota | |
| Tennessee | |
| Texas | |
| Utah | |
| West Virginia | |
| Wyoming | |
Currently split: 13) | |
| Alaska | |
| Kansas* | |
| Kentucky | |
| Louisiana | Split |
| Maryland* | Split |
| Massach.* | Split* |
| Michigan | Split |
| Minnesota | |
| Montana | |
| North Carolina | |
| New Hampshire | |
| Pennsylvania | |
| Vermont* | |
| Wisconsin |
Bolded if worth watching most closely.
Noteworthy legislative races
| AZ | H & S Dems aiming for majorities (need +3 in Sen, +2 in House). AZ Central flags key targets. In Senate, LD6, LD28, LD17. In House, LD6, LD20, LD21 LD23. (GOP targeting LD4, LD17, LD18.) | |
| CA | Senate AD64 (LA) & SD11 (SF): Dem incumbents face challenges from their left. | |
| CT | H & S Watch GOP-held HD17/132 & Dem-held HD48. Also SD26: Sen. Haskell (D), who’s led on progressive CJ bills, vs. Kim Healy (R). | |
| DE | H & S Can Dems grow majority facilitate change? Watch Dem-held SD14 and GOP-held SD5, SD7, HD21. | |
| FL | Senate The Nation reports on SD20 & its Dem challenger. | |
| IA | House Dems need 4 to break GOP trifecta. Laura Belin flags: HD-16, 37, 55, 67, 73, 82, 91, 95, | |
| MA | Senate After scandal, GOP Sen. Tran vs. Dem Cronin. | |
| MN | Senate Dems need +2 to gain full trifecta. MinnPost lists targets: SD44, 56, 14, 25, 26, 45. But Dems defending Trump-won SD58, 27, 37, 54. | |
| NH | Senate Watch SD1 as Dems best shot to grow narrow majority. | |
| NM | Senate Progressives beat 5 cons. incumbents in Dem primary. Watch their generals in SD30, SD28, SD35 | |
| NY | Senate Police unions endorsed GOP challengers to Dem Sens in SD3, SD5, SD6, SD40, SD42. Also GOP candidates in open SD1. (This comes after unions’ push against pretrial reform.) | |
| RI | Legislature Progressives targeting GOP-held SD34 & HD39. Also: Conserv. Dem Speaker vulnerable in Trump-won HD15. | |
| TN | House Rep. Deberry (I, was D) backed law criminalizing protests. Now faces Torrey Harris (D). | |
| TX | House Watch HD28, where Rep. Gates is up after evicting dozens during pandemic. More broadly, Dems need 9 of these 22 seats. | |
| WA | House Watch HD23, ft. Tarra Simmons (D), a formerly incarcerated advocate. | |
| WI | Legislature GOP hopes to flip 3 seats in each chamber for veto-proof majority. Preview in Wisconsin State-Journal flags: SD10, SD30, SD32, AD14, AD73, AD74, AD94. |
LOCAL & JUDICIAL
Prosecutors
| CA: Los Angeles | Criminal justice is on the line in clash between DA Lacey and George Gascon. (My pre-primary preview.) | |
| AZ: Maricopa | In a county with punitive policies, a Dem gain would be a boon for criminal justice reform. | |
| CO: District 1 (Jefferson Co.) | Preview: Dems could flip. Big contrasts on drug policy. | |
| CO: District 18 (Arapahoe Co., Douglas Co.) | Preview: Reform-touting Dem vs. deputy DA under retiring punitive GOP incumbent. | |
| FL: Orlando | Progressive Monique Worrell is favored in the general after winning a high-stakes primary. | |
| HI: Honolulu | Runoff: S. Alm (some reform language) vs. M. Kau (who’s rejected reform premises). Context. | |
| IL: DeKalb | Dem challenger campaigning on reform vs GOP incumbent. Preview | |
| IL: Lake | Dem challenger campaigning on reform vs GOP incumbent. Context. | |
| LA: NoLa | One of the nation’s most anti-reform DAs is retiring. What’s next? [May go to Dec. runoff.] | |
| KS: Johnson Co | In state’s biggest county, Dem challenger with some reform language against GOP DA. | |
| MI: Oakland Co. | A challenger ousted a punitive Dem DA in primary, now faces GOP in blue-leaning county. | |
| NH: Hillsborough, Merrimack | 2 first-term Dems got major pushback for some reform, face GOP challengers. | |
| NY: Westchester | Mimi Rocah ousted the Dem incumbent in primary, now faces Bruce Bendish (R). | |
| OH: Hamilton | Cincinnati’s punitive GOP prosecutor faces Dem challenger. Preview. | |
| SC: Berkeley & Charleston | Under-radar bid by a progressive challenger. Q&A/context. | |
| TX: Travis (Austin) | A progressive won the Dem nomination & is now heavily favored in the fall. | |
| TX: Nueces | Dem DA won on reform in 2016. | |
| Wisconsin | DA races from WI should be on the list, but landscape is staggeringly desolate even by low national standards of contestation. |
Also see: List of candidates running for DA.
Supreme Courts
| North Carolina | THREE huge elections. Dems now up 6-1 (can’t lose majority). | |
| Ohio | One of 2020’s main flip prospect: Dems could flip court if they beat both GOP incumbents on the ballot. (They did in 2018!) | |
| Kentucky | A Dem vs an arch-conservative. Incumbent already ousted. | |
| Michigan | Dems need to flip one seat to flip this one. | |
| Minnesota | P. Thissen (Dem-appointed inc) vs M. MacDonald (conservative with eventuful past bid) | |
| Mississippi | GOP-backed incumbent Kenny Griffis faces Dem-backed Latrice Westbrooks, who’d be the first African American woman to be a MS Justice. | |
| Nevada | Open race between a former prosecutor (Herndon) & a former Dem lawmaker (Fumo) | |
| Texas | On 2 highest courts, 7 GOP incumbents face Dem challengers. | |
| Washington | Two new Inslee appointees face opponents. Some context. |
Sheriffs
| AZ: Maricopa | Joe Arpaio’s former deputy (GOP) challenges Sheriff Penzone (D). Preview. | |
| AZ: Pima | Former Dem sheriff is talking of bail reform while challenging GOP successor. | |
| FL: Pinellas | A GOP sheriff who’s led the state in cooperating with ICE and has a conservative record faces a Dem challenger. | |
| GA: Athens | Progressive challenger ousted the incumbent Dem, in part on ICE; now favored in general. | |
| GA: Cobb | GOP sheriff faces a Dem challenger. On the line: membership in ICE’s prized 287(g) program. Preview. | |
| GA: Gwinnett | Open race in a hotspot for cooperation with ICE. Dem nominee has pledged to quit ICE’s 287(g) program. Preview. | |
| MA: Norfolk | GOP Sheriff vs. Dem challenger. One contrast: whether sheriffs should be allowed to honor ICE detainers. Preview. | |
| MI: Oakland | Prominent Republican sheriff faces re-election in a populous suburban jurisdiction. | |
| OH: Hamilton | Dem nominee ousted the Dem sheriff in primary, ran on curbing detention & ICE ties. Sheriff then endorsed the GOP nominee. | |
| SC: Charleston | GOP sheriff faces Dem challenger. At stake: Jail conditions; will county stay in ICE’s 287(g) program? | |
| TX: Harris (Houston) | Dem incumbent, who’s pushed some reforms, faces GOP challenger. | |
| TX: Tarrant (Fort Worth) | GOP-held. At stake: Horrid jail conditions; will county stay in ICE’s 287(g) program? | |
| TX: Williamson | GOP-held .At stake: Will county stay in ICE’s 287(g) program? |
Mayors and county executives
| CA: San Diego | An all-Dem runoff (Todd Gloria vs. comparatively moderate Barbara Bry). Stakes for transit. | |
| CA: Irvine | Mayor Christina Shea (R) versus Councilmember Farrah Khan (D) | |
| FL: Miami-Dade Co. | Steve Bovo (R) vs. Daniella Levine Cava (D). Context. | |
| HI: Honolulu | R. Blangiardi (running more as a moderate, endorsed by police union) vs K. Amemiya. | |
| NY: Erie Co. (Buffalo) | The GOP is hoping to gain back a foothold. | |
| OR: Portland | Mayor Ted Wheeler, faces a challenger (Sarah Iannarone) from the left. | |
| VA: Richmond | Mayor Levar Stoney faces re-election. More soon. | |
| UT: Salt Lake Co. | More coming up |
Other judges
| NC: Appeals | More coming | |
| New Orleans | More coming up |
Other local officials
| Los Angeles: Council | Incumbent David Ryu versus progressive challenger Nithya Raman. Preview. | |
| San Jose: Council | Incumbent Dev Davis (formerly in GOP) now faces Green challenger Jake Tonkel | |
| Washington D.C.: Council | Crowded field for at-large seat meant for a non-Dem, amid efforts to push council left. | |
| Maricopa Co., AZ | Can Dems flip the county board in the 4th biggest county in the nation? Preview of races. | |
| San Diego, CA: Board | Dems can flip board, with stakes for planning, if they flip the 3rd District. (Would go along gains at city-level.) | |
| Arapahoe Co., CO: Commission | Could board in this populous county flip to Dems? | |
| Douglas Co., CO: Commission | COVID-19 & health regulations major issue as Dems hope to break unanimous GOP board. | |
| Ada County, ID: Commission | Dems flipped this (2-1) in 2018; now defending D2 (Diana Lachiondo) & targeting D3. | |
| Oklahoma County, OK: Commission | County commission could flip to Dems if Spencer Hicks were to unseat Brian Maughan. | |
| San Francisco‘s BART board & AC transit board | Policing and equity at heart of these elections. More soon. | |
| VT: High bailiffs | Numerous candidates are running to promote criminal justice reform via the high bailiff’s office. |