United States elections, 2017

2017 United States elections

Off-year elections
Election day	November 7
Congressional special elections
Seats contested	6 House seats and 1 Senate seat
Net change	0
Map of 2017 special congressional elections      Democratic hold      Democratic gain      Republican hold      Republican gain      Not yet held
Gubernatorial elections
Seats contested	2
Map of the 2017 gubernatorial races Light blue: Term-limited Democrat Light red: Term-limited Republican Gray: No election

The 2017 United States elections will be held (for the most part) on Tuesday, November 7, 2017. This off-year election will feature gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey, as well as state legislative elections in both houses of the New Jersey Legislature and in the lower house of the Virginia legislature. Numerous citizen initiatives, mayoral races, and a variety of other local elections will also occur. Special elections to the United States Congress may take place if vacancies arise.

Federal elections

The following special elections will be held to replace Senators or Representatives who resigned in the 115th U.S. Congress:

Senate

• Alabama Class 2: Incumbent Senator Jeff Sessions was confirmed by the Senate to serve as United States Attorney General on February 8, 2017, and subsequently resigned from the Senate. Governor Robert J. Bentley chose Luther Strange, the Attorney General of Alabama, to succeed Sessions, filling the seat until the special election takes place. Although he had the power to schedule an election in 2017, Bentley decided to align it with the 2018 general election. Following Bentley's resignation in April, 2017, Governor Kay Ivey decided to reschedule the elections. The primary election is scheduled for August 15, with a runoff (if necessary) scheduled for September 26. The general election is scheduled for December 12.^[1]

House of Representatives

• California's 34th congressional district: Democrat Xavier Becerra resigned to become the Attorney General of California.^[2] The primary election was held on April 4, 2017. With no candidate receiving 50% of the vote^[3], a runoff between the top two candidates, Democrats Jimmy Gomez and Robert Lee Ahn, was held June 6. Gomez defeated Ahn 60.1% to 39.9% to become the new representative.
• Georgia's 6th congressional district: Tom Price resigned February 10, 2017, to become the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services.^[4] A special election was held on April 18, 2017. A runoff was held on June 20, 2017 and was won by Republican Karen Handel.^[5]
• Kansas's 4th congressional district: Republican Mike Pompeo resigned January 23, 2017, to become Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.^[6] A special election was held on April 11, 2017, and won by Ron Estes, the Republican Kansas State Treasurer.^[7]
• Montana's at-large congressional district: Ryan Zinke resigned March 1, 2017, to become the United States Secretary of the Interior.^[8] Republican Greg Gianforte, a businessman and nominee for the previous year's Gubernatorial race, defeated Democrat Rob Quist and Libertarian Mark Wicks 50.2% to 44.1% and 5.7%^[9].
• South Carolina's 5th congressional district: Mick Mulvaney resigned February 16, 2017, to become the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. A special election was held on June 20, 2017, and was won by Republican Ralph Norman.
• Utah's 3rd congressional district: Jason Chaffetz resigned June 30, 2017. Governor Gary Herbert scheduled a special election, with the primary to be held on August 15 and the general election to be held on November 7.^[10]

State/territorial elections

Gubernatorial

Two states will hold gubernatorial elections in 2017:

• New Jersey: Two-term Republican Chris Christie is term-limited in 2017. Christie campaigned for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, but withdrew from the race February 10, 2016.^[11]
• Virginia: One-term Democrat Terry McAuliffe is term-limited in 2017.

Legislative

The two states holding gubernatorial elections are also holding legislative elections:

• New Jersey: New Jersey General Assembly and New Jersey Senate
• Virginia: Virginia House of Delegates

As part of a federal court ruling that invalidated its state legislative districts, the North Carolina General Assembly was ordered to hold special elections in the fall of 2017 with updated district lines. However, the US Supreme Court has put a hold on the 2017 election until it rules on the matter.^[12][13]

Special elections

A February 25 special election for the Delaware Senate seat left vacant by Bethany Hall-Long when she became the state's lieutenant governor was won by Democrat Stephanie Hansen. The race attracted national attention not only because control of the state senate turned on it, but because Democrats nationwide, eager to see their opposition to Donald Trump count at the ballot box, donated to Hansen in great numbers, to the point that she and a friendly political action committee spent over a million dollars on the contest, a record both for a special election in Delaware and any race for that state's legislature.^[14]

An April 18 special election^[15] for the Georgia Senate seat left vacated by Judson Hill^[16] when he decided to run for US Congress 6th district seat vacated by Tom Price who was appointed Health and Human Services Secretary.^[17] Democratic candidate Christine Triebsch^[18] and Republican Candidate Kay Kirkpatrick^[19] are running for the now vacated Georgia State Senate seat.

There was a special election in the heavily Republican New York Assembly District 9 on May 23, which was won by Democrat Christine Pellegrino 58-42. Trump had won the district with 60% of the vote.^[20]

Puerto Rican status referendum

A referendum regarding the political status of Puerto Rico was held on June 11. Puerto Rican voters were asked whether they prefer statehood, independence/free association, or maintain the current U.S. territorial status. This was the fifth such plebiscite overall, and the first one since 2012.^[21] Because there were almost 500,000 blank ballots in that 2012 referendum, creating confusion as to the voters' true desire, Congress decided to ignore that vote and then subsequently allocated funds for holding this 2017 one.^[22][23] 97% of the voters chose statehood in the referendum, though turnout was only at 23%.^[24]

New York Constitutional Convention

Every 20 years, New York state is required to place before the voters a proposal to hold a constitutional convention the following year. This will take place in November 2017.

Local elections

Various elections will be held for officeholders in numerous cities, counties, school boards, special districts and others around the country.

Mayoral elections:

Completed mayoral elections include:

• Detroit: incumbent Democrat Mike Duggan won re-election to a second term in office.
• Jackson, Mississippi: incumbent Democrat Tony Yarber ran for re-election but was defeated by fellow Democrat Chokwe Antar Lumumba, son of former mayor Chokwe Lumumba.
• Los Angeles: incumbent Democrat Eric Garcetti won re-election to a second term in office.
• Omaha, Nebraska: incumbent Republican Jean Stothert won re-election to a second term in office.
• St. Louis, Missouri: incumbent Democrat Francis Slay decided not to run for re-election.^[25] Democrat Lyda Krewson was elected to succeed Slay.
• San Antonio, Texas: incumbent Independent Ivy Taylor was defeated for re-election by Independent Ron Nirenberg.
• Springfield, Missouri: incumbent Libertarian Robert Stephens decided not to run for re-election. Ken McClure was elected to succeed Stephens.^[26]

Upcoming mayoral elections in 2017 include:

• Albuquerque, New Mexico: incumbent Republican Richard J. Berry is not term-limited, but has announced that he will not run for re-election to a third term in office.
• Atlanta, Georgia: incumbent Democrat Kasim Reed is term-limited and cannot run for re-election to a third term in office.
• Atlantic City: Incumbent Republican Mayor Don Guardian is running for reelection against Democratic City council member Frank Gilliam.
• Boston, Massachusetts: incumbent Democrat Marty Walsh is running for re-election to a second term in office.
• Buffalo, New York: incumbent Democrat Byron Brown is running for re-election to a fourth term in office.
• Charlotte, North Carolina: incumbent Democrat Jennifer Roberts is running for re-election to a second term in office.^[27]
• Cincinnati, Ohio: incumbent Democrat John Cranley is running for re-election to a second term in office.
• Cleveland, Ohio: incumbent Democrat Frank G. Jackson is running for re-election to a fourth term in office.^[28]
• Jersey City, New Jersey: incumbent Democrat Steven Fulop is running for a second term.
• Miami: incumbent Republican Tomás Regalado is term limited and cannot run for a third term in office.
• Minneapolis: incumbent Democrat Betsy Hodges is running for re-election to a second term in office.
• New York City: incumbent Democrat Bill de Blasio is running for re-election to a second term in office.
• New Orleans: incumbent Democrat Mitch Landrieu is term limited and cannot run for a third term in office.
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: incumbent Democrat Bill Peduto is running for re-election to a second term in office.
• Rochester, New York: incumbent Democrat Lovely Warren is running for re-election to a second term.
• St. Paul, Minnesota: incumbent Democrat Chris Coleman decided not to run for re-election.^[29]
• St. Petersburg, Florida: incumbent Democrat Rick Kriseman is running for re-election to a second term in office.^[30]
• San Bernardino, California: incumbent Republican R. Carey Davis is running for re-election to a second term in office.
• Seattle, Washington: incumbent Democrat Ed Murray will not run for re-election.^[31]
• Syracuse, New York: incumbent Democrat Stephanie Miner is term limited and cannot run for a third term in office.

References