Voters Largely Reject Election Deniers as Secretaries of State – but the Partisan Battle for Election Administration Will Continue by Thom Reilly
November 6, 2022
Introduction:
(The Conversation) Midterm voters in six states – Arizona, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico and Vermont – appear to have rejected extremist secretary of state candidates who denied the validity of the 2020 presidential election.
Secretaries of state serve key roles as chief election administrators who oversee elections at the state level. Most people holding these jobs are selected through explicitly partisan processes, such as elections or political appointments.
There were 27 secretary of state seats up for election on Nov. 8, 2022. This roster included nine Republican candidates who rejected the 2020 election results and proposed overhauls to how states should oversee elections. These potential changes include eliminating mail voting, ballot drop boxes and even the use of electronic voting machines, while giving more power to partisan election observers.
Conclusion:
Looking ahead
It appears that voters have largely rejected the vast majority of chief election official candidates who ran their campaigns as election deniers. But this election season raises questions, and exposes flaws, about how senior election officials are selected in the U.S. The platforms of these election deniers who appeared on the 2022 midterm ballot illustrate the risk that this dynamic poses to ongoing voter trust and future election results.
Republican Senator Kennedy Is Considering a Run for Louisiana Governor Next Year
Source: Bloomberg
Republican Senator John Kennedy is weighing a run for Louisiana governor next year and plans to make a decision soon, he said in a statement Monday.
Kennedy, who was elected last week to a second term with more than 61% of the vote, said he has been asked “time and time again to come home to serve as governor” and is giving serious consideration to the bid.
“I’ve spent my life and career serving the people of Louisiana. Becky and I raised our family here and are so proud to call it home,” Kennedy, who previously served as state treasurer, said. “But we can’t deny that our great state is facing serious challenges. To meet those challenges, Louisiana families deserve a governor who can lead our state and help solve our toughest problems.”
The state’s Republican Party leadership has already endorsed Attorney General Jeff Landry in the 2023 governor’s race, The Baton Rouge Advocate reported Nov. 7.
