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Why the 2019 Elections Are Important Social Education 83(5), p. 296–296 ©2019 National Council for the Social Studies State Legislatures, the Census, and Redistricting: Why the 2019 Elections are Important Social Education Staff As a rule, off-year elections don’t garner much attention. But Louisiana the 2019 state-level elections are important because they impact Louisiana currently has a divided government. the redistricting that will follow the 2020 U.S. Census. The Race: Incumbent Democrat John Bel Edwards vs. In a majority of U.S. states, the legislature influences the Republican U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham and businessman Eddie post-Census congressional map. In other words, the legislatures Rispone. will draw the borders of congressional districts for the 2022 Election Issues: Whether the state’s Medicaid expansion that midterm elections. The new boundaries will, to a certain extent, Edwards implemented with an executive order has been well decide which party controls Congress for the following 10 years, managed is one election issue, as well as criminal justice reform, until a new Census and a new congressional map. jobs and the economy. Republican Ralph Abraham says he’s On Tuesday, November 5, 2019, gubernatorial elections will running against “waste, fraud, and abuse.” be held in Kentucky and Mississippi and on November 16, This race—between an incumbent Democratic governor 2019, in Louisiana. Legislative elections are slated for both elected in 2015 and a Republican challenger, in a state that houses in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Virginia (in addition to voted for Donald Trump in 2016—will be closely watched. New Jersey’s lower house). In Kentucky and Mississippi, Republicans currently con- Mississippi trol both the governorship and the legislature. In New Jersey, Republicans currently control the governorship and the state Democrats control the trifecta. The other two states holding legislature. elections, Louisiana and Virginia, both have a divided govern- The Race: Republican Lt.Gov. Tate Reeves is running against ment (each party controls either the governorship or at least one Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood. legislative chamber). Election Issues: Whether recent tax cuts helped the state over- all or only the corporations is a key election issue. Additionally, Democrats would like to expand access to Medicaid, while GUBERNATORIAL RACES Republicans are against doing so. Improving infrastructure and schools, as well as gun owner rights and abortion rights, are The three states holding gubernatorial elections in 2019: important voter concerns in Mississippi. Kentucky LEGISLATIVE RACES Republicans currently control the governorship and the state legislature. Currently, Republicans control 61 of 99 legislative chambers The Race: Republican Matt Bevin is seeking re-election across the country—or 3,863 of 7,383 seats (52.3%). Democrats against Democratic challenger Attorney General Andy Beshear. control 37 chambers and 3,467 seats (47%). The seven cham- Election Issues: Healthcare is an important issue in this bers in four states holding elections next month represent 538 race. Republican Bevin calls his opponent’s support for the legislative seats. Six of the seven chambers in contention are Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion “radical” and currently held by Republicans. Democrats control only one. analogous to a “Washington takeover” of healthcare. Democrat In the 2018 and 2017 state elections, Democrats flipped 349 Beshear says healthcare is a human right. legislative seats and picked up control of 6 chambers, upending some Republican gains from 2010 to 2016. Social Education 296 Louisiana Legislature (State Senate and State House), November 16, 2019. Republicans are the majority in both legislative chambers. Number of senators in Louisiana State Senate: 39 NJ Republicans have a 25–14 majority. VA KY Number of representatives in Louisiana House: 105 Republicans have a 62–39 majority. MS LA All 39 state Senate seats, and all 105 state House seats are in contention. Election Issues: (see Louisiana Gubernatorial Race) Mississippi Legislature (State Senate and State House), RESOURCES November 5, 2019. Ballotpedia, State Legislative Elections, 2019, https://bal- Republicans are the majority in both legislative chambers. lotpedia.org/State_legislative_elections,_2019 Number of senators in Mississippi State Senate: 52 Alex Isenstadt, “Republicans Fear Drubbing in Next Round Republicans have a 33–19 majority. of Redistricting,” Politico (09/05/2019), www.politico. Number of representatives in Mississippi House: 122 com/story/2019/09/05/republicans-redistricting- Republicans have a 74–46 majority. democrats-1481833 Election Issues: (see Mississippi Gubernatorial Race) Rachana Pradhan, “Democrats Bet Big on Obamacare to Win Virginia Statehouse,” Politico (09/04/2019), www. New Jersey Legislature (Only the State House is having elec- politico.com/story/2019/09/04/democrats-obamacare- tions), November 5, 2019. virginia-statehouse-1680207 Democrats control the governorship and the state legislature. Michael Aron, “NJ Decides 2019: What’s to Come in Number of representatives in the New Jersey House: 80 the Fight for Assembly Seats,” NJTV News (September Democrats have a 54–26 majority. 5, 2019), www.njtvonline.org/news/video/nj-decides- Election Issues: Democrats are running on minimum wage, gun 2019-whats-to-come-in-the-fight-for-assembly-seats/ control measures, and women’s health. Republicans are focused on fiscal responsibility—cutting taxes and reducing government Ashton Pittman and Seyma Bayram, “Jim Hood, Tate spending. Reeves: Real Issues on Center Stage in Governor’s Race,” Jackson Free Press (September 4, 2019), www. jacksonfreepress.com/news/2019/sep/04/jim-hood- Virginia General Assembly (State Senate and State House) tate-reeves-real-issues-center-stage-gove/ Republicans have a narrow majority in both chambers. Emma Austin, “Kentucky Governor’s Race: GOP Ad Number of senators in the Virginia State Senate: 40 Takes on Beshear on Health Care Issue” Louisville Courier Republicans have a 21–19 majority. Journal (September 7, 2019), www.msn.com/en-us/news/ Number of delegates in the Virginia House of Delegates: 100 politics/kentucky-governors-race-gop-ad-takes-on- beshear-on-health-care-issue/ar-AAGWYlf Republicans have a 51–49 majority. Election Issues: These races will be closely watched to see if Jeff Matthews, “For Abraham, Governor’s Election Democrats can replace the Republicans as the majority in both all about Economy,” Town Talk (Aug. 1, 2019), www. chambers. Polling data show that a top issue for Virginians thetowntalk.com/story/news/local/2019/08/01/ralph- is healthcare, including the preservation of Virginia’s recent abraham-louisiana-governor-election-john-bel- expansion of Medicaid, which passed despite a long history of edwards/1880436001 Republican opposition. Gun laws are also an issue in this state, which has suffered recent mass shootings. October 2019 297.
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