If you value articles like this, sign up for our daily email newsletter and support us with a donation.
HOUSE
FL-6: Special Election Schedule Announced
Though Florida US Rep. Michael Waltz (R-St. Augustine Beach) has not yet resigned his seat in the House, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has already announced the schedule for the special replacement election in his district. President-Elect Trump has chosen Rep. Waltz to become the National Security Advisor, and he will assume his new duties at the beginning of the new Administration.
Because there is a date certain as to when the 6th District seat will be vacant, Gov. DeSantis is able to use the same schedule that he announced late last week to replace resigned Rep. Matt Gaetz in the state's 1st District. Like in District 1, the special primary will be held on Jan. 28, with the special general tagged for April 1. Candidate filing will close on Dec. 6. Before becoming Governor, the District 6 constituency three times elected Mr. DeSantis as their Representative.
NY-21: First Special Election Candidate Announces
New York US Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-Schuylerville) has been appointed US Ambassador to the United Nations and will leave Congress upon her confirmation to the new post. Anticipating an impending replacement congressional special election, businessman Anthony Constantino (R) has announced his candidacy and says he will put $2.6 million into his campaign account.
A crowded Republican field is expected to form but, under New York election procedure, there are no special election primaries. In this case, the district's 15 county chairs from both parties will decide who becomes their prospective nominees. Therefore, a big campaign budget at this stage is largely irrelevant.
The FiveThirtyEight data organization rates NY-21, which covers most of the land mass in northeast New York, as R+21 and the Dave's Redistricting App statisticians calculate a 58.5R – 40.2D partisan lean. The Down Ballot political blog data experts project NY-21 as the 66th safest seat in the House Republican Conference.
GOVERNOR
Georgia: 2026 Open Race Already Taking Shape
Georgia two-term Attorney General Chris Carr (R) announced late last week that he will be a candidate in the state's open Governor's race in 2026. Incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp (R) is term-limited, but likely to challenge Sen. Jon Ossoff (D) as the latter man runs for a second term.
Expect both parties to have spirited nomination fights. AG Carr is coming under attack from conservatives for not challenging the life sentence for Laken Riley killer Jose Ibarra. Those criticizing believe Mr. Carr could petition the state Supreme Court to overrule the sentence and impose the death penalty for Ibarra.
Some of the names mentioned as potential Republican gubernatorial candidates are Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, former US Sen. Kelly Loeffler, and US Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Savannah). The most prominent Democratic names are former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, US Rep. Lucy McBath (D-Marietta), and ex-state Sen. Jason Carter, the grandson of former President Jimmy Carter.
Jim Ellis is a 35-year veteran of politics at the state and national levels. He has served ss executive director for two national political action committees, as well as a consultant to the three national Republican Party organizations in DC, the National Federation of Independent Business, and various national conservative groups.
Born and raised in Sacramento, California, he earned a B. A. in Political Science from the University of California at Davis in 1979. Jim raised his daughter, Jacqueline, alone after his wife died following a tragic car accident. He helped establish the Joan Ellis Victims Assistance Network in Rochester, NH. Jim also is a member of the Northern Virginia Football Officials Association, which officiates high school games throughout the region.