By: Samuel Wonacott
Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- One month until the next statewide filing deadline
- Texas Attorney General Democratic primary runoff election preview
- Nebraska legislature sends constitutional amendment to voters to authorize local governments to develop commercial air travel
One month until the next statewide filing deadline
The flurry of March/April filing deadlines concluded Tuesday, when the deadline passed in Michigan. In total, 28 states had filing deadlines in March and April and 35 have passed so far in this election cycle. The next statewide filing deadline is on May 20 in Washington.
Fifteen statewide filing deadlines are in May, June, and July.
Statewide filing season may be winding down, but primary season is getting started—30 states are holding primaries in the next two months! Ohio and Indiana are up first on May 3.
Click the link below to keep track of which states are holding filing deadlines and primaries in the next few months.
Election preview: Texas Attorney General election Democratic primary runoff
As we mentioned above, May will be a busy month for primaries. Today, we’re skipping ahead a few weeks to May 24, when Texas will hold its primary runoffs. Here’s a look at the Democratic primary runoff for Texas attorney general.
Rochelle Garza and Joe Jaworski are running in the election. Both candidates completed our Candidate Connection survey.
Garza is a former attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union. Jaworski is an attorney and the former mayor of Galveston.
In the March 1 primary, Garza received 43.0% of the vote and Jaworski received 19.7%. Both candidates advanced to a runoff because no candidate received more than 50% of the vote. Three other candidates ran in the Democratic primary: civil rights attorney Lee Merritt finished third with 19.4%, Mike Fields was fourth with 12.3% and S. T-Bone Raynor finished fifth with 5.5%. Merritt endorsed Garza on March 10.
Texas Monthly’s Michael Hardy called the two candidates “a study in contrasts.” Hardy wrote, “Garza is a 37-year-old Brownsville native and daughter of two public school teachers who, as an ACLU staff attorney, successfully sued the Trump administration on behalf of a seventeen-year-old ICE detainee seeking an abortion. Her run for attorney general is her first political race. Jaworski, 60, is a third-generation trial lawyer and the grandson of Watergate special prosecutor Leon Jaworski. He is a seasoned politician, having served three terms on the Galveston City Council and one term as mayor.”
Here’s how Garza and Jaworski answered the following question from our Candidate Connection survey: “What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?”
Garza: “Voting Rights – I will use the power of the TX AG office to ensure that voting rights are protected in the courts if there are further attempts to make it harder for any Texan, especially people of color, to cast a ballot.
Reproductive Rights – Abortion care is health care, and health care is a human right. Reproductive choice is a moral imperative and an issue of racial, economic, and gender justice. I’m committed to restoring abortion access in Texas and defending the rights of women and pregnant people whenever they’re threatened.
Consumer protection – As Texas Attorney General, I will make consumer protection a top priority during my administration and investigate what went wrong with our power grid and ensure it never happens again.”
Jaworski: “Legalize adult-use Cannabis in Texas.
Enhance, not suppress, legal voting for all Texans.
Promote and support local officials’ decision-making authority.”
You can learn more about our survey here. Ask the candidates in your area to fill out the survey.
The incumbent attorney general is Ken Paxton, who face George P. Bush in the Republican primary runoff election on the same day. We’ll take a look at that race in an upcoming edition of the Brew.
Nebraska Legislature sends constitutional amendment to voters to authorize local governments to develop commercial air travel
On April 12, the Nebraska Legislature voted to send a constitutional amendment to the ballot authorizing any city, county, or other political subdivision that operates an airport to spend revenue to develop commercial air travel at the local airport.
To put a legislatively referred constitutional amendment before voters, a 60% vote is required in the Nebraska Senate. This amendment was introduced as Legislative Resolution 283CA (LR283CA) on Jan. 22. On March 2, the Senate voted 42-1 to send the measure to review. On April 12, the Senate voted 47-0 to put the amendment on the ballot.
Amendment sponsor Sen. Eliot Bosar (D-Lincoln) said: “Especially for small to medium-sized airports across the country, this is essentially the tool that is used to attract and expand passenger air service. I know of no other state where this cannot be utilized or isn’t being utilized.”
The amendment is the first measure to be placed on the November ballot. Between 1996 and 2020, an average of six measures appeared on Nebraska’s general election ballot. Voters approved 56.96% (45 of 79) and rejected 43.04% (34 of 79) of the ballot measures appearing on statewide ballots during that time.
The Nebraska Legislature is set to adjourn on April 20.
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