Latest news with #specialelection
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Two Democrats will compete for House District 97 seat during a special election
Voters in northeast Oklahoma City will decide between two Democratic candidates to serve in the state House during a special election after the former representative resigned. Legislative assistant JeKia Harrison and former District Judge Aletia Haynes Timmons will compete in the special primary election on Tuesday, June 10, for House District 97. No Republican or independent candidate filed for the seat, meaning the winner of the June 10 race will become the district's next representative. The district encompasses a large swath of northeast Oklahoma City, Spencer, Forest Park and parts of Jones and Midwest City. The seat became vacant after the district's former representative, Jason Lowe, D-Oklahoma City, resigned in April after his election as an Oklahoma County commissioner. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Harrison, 35, works in the Oklahoma state Capitol as a legislative assistant for Rep. Meloyde Blancett, D-Tulsa. She also owns a campaign consulting and management firm called Pen 2 Paper Consulting. Previously, Harrison worked as a child welfare specialist for the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. She's a graduate of Millwood High School in House District 97 and earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. Timmons, 64, previously served as a district judge in Oklahoma County before she retired in March. Before her 2014 judicial election, she worked in the Oklahoma County District Attorney's office, as well as two separate firms working in civil rights and employment law. Timmons graduated from John Marshall High School in north Oklahoma City before earning a bachelor's degree in political science from Oklahoma State University. She obtained her law degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law. Here's what Harrison and Timmons had to say about why voters should choose them on the ballot: Harrison told The Oklahoman that one of her top priorities is education, especially public education. She said the state hasn't done enough to properly fund public schools, and instead, has chosen to spend millions on private education through tax credits. "We have to go back and adjust our priorities and where we are, especially when 92% of the private school vouchers that were given out went to students who are currently in private schools or were beforehand," she said. "I think that does a disservice because what was being sold to Oklahomans was that a lot more people would get the opportunity to actually be a part of the private school system with the voucher." According to a report from the Oklahoma Tax Commission, more than 40% of the tax credits issued as part of Oklahoma's Parental Choice Tax Credit program for the 2025-26 school year went to families with an annual income of $150,000 or more. Of the recipients, about 8.2% were previously public school students. Harrison added that the Legislature needs to ensure teachers are adequately paid, and that classrooms are equipped with proper infrastructure, books and technology. Folks in Harrison's district, along with Oklahomans across the state, need more access to affordable housing, she said. Specifically, the state needs more single-family dwellings to sustain families long-term, Harrison added. "In order to have grocery stores and shopping and retail and all of the things we really want in our area, the restaurants to come in, all of that, we can't do that without having the rooftops in the area to actually show that we can sustain it," she said. Oklahoma City will host the canoeing and softball competitions during the 2028 Olympics, putting the city on the world stage, Harrison said. This means House District 97 needs more development to happen faster, as softball players will compete at Devon Park, she added. "I am dedicating the time and effort into making sure I have those relationships with people within the Adventure District and within the development community, whether that be business retail, housing or whatever we need in our community," Harrison said. Harrison said she's worked alongside legislators for almost four years as an assistant to Blancett, so she knows how to build relationships with lawmakers to achieve common goals. She said she looks forward to continuing to be part of the community through service. "I'm ready to work with others," Harrison said. "I'm ready to get the job done and use all of the tools that I have." During a debate on June 3, Timmons said one of the biggest issues facing Oklahoma and House District 97 is the lack of affordable housing. She attributed part of the state's growing homeless population to the number of out-of-state people moving to Oklahoma. "That has increased the rents of the places that people normally were able to live in," Timmons said during the debate hosted by NonDoc and News 9. She did not immediately respond to an interview request from The Oklahoman. Older constituents in House District 97 are worried about property taxes, Timmons said during the debate. When legislators talk about funding public schools, that tax burden will be on seniors, she added. "They're concerned about losing their houses," she said. "We're going to have to find another way to fund the schools. Not through property taxes, but another way to fund them so that we don't have seniors, especially in House District 97, whose demographic is older, losing those homes they fought their whole life to keep." Timmons said during the debate that the quarter-point income tax cut signed by Gov. Kevin Stitt didn't go far enough. She added that the tax cut should have provided more targeted relief for low-income Oklahomans. "The bill I would file would be one that dealt with the income tax burden on middle-class Americans and middle-class folks in House District 97, the older folks who are seeing increasing costs," Timmons said. "The governor has instituted a tax decrease for folks who are at the lower echelon. I don't think it's enough. I don't think it's enough to do any real good when we're looking at inflation, the cost of housing, the cost of food, gas and those things." Through her professional career, Timmons said she's navigated difficult situations and spoken truth to power. She added that people who know her know she's been doing that her whole life. "I'm ready on Day One," she said. "I ask for your vote, the honor of your vote, on June 10 for state representative for House District 97." This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma elections: What to know about House District 97 candidates
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
VA-11 Congressional District Special Election
Washington (DC News Now) — In Virginia, we now know when the special election will be held to fill Congressman Gerry Connolly's seat. The longtime lawmaker died last month from cancer. The special election will be held on September 8, 2025. The deadline to file as a candidate is July 11, 2025. Political Science Professor from Randolph-Macon College, Richard Meagher, joins Capitol Review this week. Meagher talks about which candidates are the frontrunners, so far. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Washington Post
7 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
Special election to fill Rep. Connolly's seat in Congress officially set
In what is already a banner year for political campaigns in Virginia, voters in the 11th Congressional District will make an extra trip to the polls in early September to choose a successor to the late Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly. Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) announced on Tuesday that a special election for the congressional seat will be held Sept. 9, formally opening another competitive race in a state that will also pick a new governor and elect two more statewide officials and 100 state delegates.
Fox News
03-06-2025
- General
- Fox News
Youngkin sets date for special election to fill deep-blue House seat
Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia on Tuesday set the date for a special election to fill a vacant heavily-blue congressional seat in the commonwealth. Virginians in the state's 11th Congressional District will vote on Sept. 9 in a special election to fill the seat held by the late Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly, who died on May 21 after battling esophageal cancer. Connolly, a longtime House member, announced in late April that he wouldn't seek re-election in 2026 in the Democrat-dominated Northern Virginia district in suburban Washington, D.C. Six Democrats and two Republican candidates have already jumped into the race to fill Connolly's seat. The Republicans will be defending their razor-thin House majority in next year's midterm elections. The GOP currently controls the chamber 220-212, with three heavily blue districts vacant. The special election in Virginia will be the third to be held so far this year to fill vacant seats, with two more to follow. The first two special elections, both in Florida congressional districts, replaced Republicans who resigned their terms, Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz. Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs of Arizona set Sept. 23 as the date for a special election to fill the seat left vacant after the death in March of Rep. Raúl Grijalva, a fellow Democrat. And Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas set Nov. 4 as the date of a special election to fill the seat left vacant following the death of Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner in March. Texas Democrats were angered over what they said was a month-long delay by Abbott in setting the special election date.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
GOP fights to flip NY Senate seat in Tuesday special election after Trump won big in blue territory
Republicans are looking to pick up a state Senate seat in a Tuesday special election in a southern Brooklyn district that President Trump carried last year with 77% of the vote. GOP candidate Nachman Caller and Democrat Sam Sutton are running for a vacant seat after former state Sen. Simcha Felder recently won a special election to fill a vacancy in the City Council. The 22nd district encampases heavy Jewish neightborhoods including Midwood, Flatbush, Borough Park, Madison, Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach, Gravesend and Sheepshead Bay. Democrats greatly outnumber Republicans but many are moderate-to-conservative voters who will cross party lines. Felder, a conservative Democrat who once caucused with Republicans, has not endorsed in the race. Democrat Sutton has deep ties to the Sephardic community. He is a co-leader of the Sephardic Community Federation. Caller, a Republican district leader, is a real estate lawyer who previously ran for the state Assembly. Sutton has the support of the Democratic Party establishment, including Bronx Rep. Ritchie Torres, a staunch supporter of Israel who is eying a run for governor. Caller has the backing of upstate Rep. Elise Stefanik, the House Republican chairwoman, and Rep. Mike Lawyer, whose lower Hudson Valley district includes a large orthodox Jewish population. A former Felder campaign strategist, O'Brien 'O.B.' Murray, is working for Caller. Both sides said it's a competitive race and voter turnout will likely determine the outcome. Murray emphasized a Caller victory will leave Democrats two votes shy of a veto proof majority in the Senate. 'This is an opportunity for every voter in the district to say 'enough is enough' to the radical liberal agenda in Albany,' Murray said.
