Tuesday brings us not only another spate of presidential primaries, but eight, count ‘em, eight special elections in three states.
The crucial four are in Kentucky, where Democrats currently hold a tenuous 50-46 majority in the state House. If Republicans hold their two seats and pick up the two previously-Democratic seats, it will result in a 50-50 tie.
Also on tap are the two state House seats in Michigan formerly held by Todd Courser and Cindy Gamrat, who had an affair that they tried to cover up with a bizarre fake gay sex scandal. In a display of pure chutzpah, both tried to reclaim their seats in the primaries for the special elections, and were (unsurprisingly) resoundingly defeated. There’s also a third, mercifully drama-free, seat up in Grand Rapids.
Finally, what kind of month would it be without a special in New Hampshire? It’s hard to say because it never seems to happen.
Here are the details on all eight seats:
-
Kentucky HD-08: This is an open Democratic seat located in and around Hopkinsville, in the southwestern part of the state. The candidates are Democrat Jeff Taylor, a retired realtor, and Republican Walker Thomas, a businessman. This seat went 54-45 for Mitt Romney in 2012 and 54-44 for Mitch McConnell in 2014.
-
Kentucky HD-54: This is an open Republican seat southwest of Lexington. The candidates in this one are Democrat William Noelker and Republican Daniel Elliott; both are attorneys. This seat went 68-30 for Mitt Romney in 2012 and 62-35 for Mitch McConnell in 2014.
-
Kentucky HD-62: This is an open Republican seat north of Frankfort. The candidates here are Democrat Chuck Tackett, a farmer, and Republican Phillip Pratt, a businessman. This seat went 61-37 for Mitt Romney in 2012 and 56-40 for Mitch McConnell in 2014.
-
Kentucky HD-98: This is an open Democratic seat located in the northeast of the state, just across the river from Portsmouth, Ohio (or west of Huntington, West Virginia, if you prefer). The candidates are Democrat Lewis Nicholls, a former Greenup County judge, and Republican Tony Quillen, a commissioner on Greenup County's fiscal court. This seat went 59-40 for Mitt Romney in 2012 and 51-45 for Mitch McConnell in 2014.
-
Michigan HD-75: This is an open Democratic seat in Grand Rapids. The Democratic nominee is David LaGrand, a member of the Grand Rapids school board. LaGrand previously ran for the state Senate in 2010, losing 52-46. The Republican nominee is Blake Edmonds, a college student. This seat went 75-24 for President Obama in 2012.
-
Michigan HD-80: This is an open Republican seat located on Lake Michigan, southwest of Grand Rapids; it was formerly held by Cindy Gamrat, who was expelled following the sordid affair between her and fellow state Rep. Todd Courser. The candidates are Democrat David Gernant, a retired judge; Republican Mary Whiteford, a nurse; and Libertarian Arnie Davidsons, a General Motors employee. This seat went 58-41 for Mitt Romney in 2012.
-
Michigan HD-82: And here's the seat that Todd Courser held until he resigned (instead of getting expelled). This is an open Republican seat east of Flint. The candidates in this race are Democrat Margaret Guerrero DeLuca, a former mayor of Imlay City who ran for this seat in 2014 and lost 55-45; Republican Gary Howell, an attorney; and Libertarian Tracy Spilker, a case manager in the mental health field (and, ironically enough, a former state employee). This seat went 55-44 for Mitt Romney in 2012.
-
New Hampshire House, Rockingham-21: This is an open Republican seat in Hampton, on New Hampshire's tiny slice of coastline. The candidates are Democrat Mike Edgar, a civil engineer; Republican Ken Sheffert, a former state representative elected in 2010 and defeated in 2012; and independent Phil Bean, a Hampton selectman. Edgar previously ran for this seat in 2012 and 2014; with eight candidates for four seats, he came in sixth in 2012 and seventh in 2014. Sheffert also tried to make a comeback in 2014, just barely losing the 4th place seat to Democrat Robert Cushing by five votes. This seat went 50-49 for President Obama in 2012, and in 2014 went 52-48 for Maggie Hassan and 54-46 for Scott Brown.