Auditor elections, 2016

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Eight states held elections for auditor on November 8, 2016.

HIGHLIGHTS

* Only four of the auditor elections featured an incumbent running for re-election.

* West Virginia Auditor Glen Gainer (D) declined to run for a seventh term, leaving the office open and more vulnerable to challengers for the first time since 1993.

* Washington Auditor Troy Kelley (D) declined to run for re-election after being charged with fraud. The seat, which has been held by Democrats since 1928, was considered vulnerable at the time; however, Democrats retained control of the office.

* Montana
* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* Pennsylvania

* Utah
* Vermont
* Washington
* West Virginia

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## Contents

* 1 Partisan analysis
* 1.1 Partisan strongholds and political dynasties
* 1.2 Influence of voter turnout
* 2 2016 elections
* 2.1 Montana
* 2.2 North Carolina
* 2.3 North Dakota
* 2.4 Pennsylvania
* 2.5 Utah
* 2.6 Vermont
* 2.7 Washington
* 2.8 Other candidates
* 2.9 West Virginia
* 2.10 Defeated in the primary contests
* 3 About the office
* 4 Elected or appointed
* 4.1 States
* 5 Past elections
* 5.1 2015
* 6 Recent news
* 6.1 See also
* 6.2 External links
* 6.3 Footnotes

## Partisan analysis[edit]

The following table contains the partisan breakdown of executive auditors in the country prior to the 2016 elections:

Office  |  Democratic  |  Republican  |  Nonpartisan  | Total seats

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Auditor | 9  | 14  | 10*  | 33
*West Virginia had a nonpartisan interim auditor, who was appointed on a nonpartisan basis after longtime Democratic Auditor Glen Gainer resigned.

The partisan breakdown of auditors remained largely unchanged after the 2014 elections, with Republicans gaining only one seat previously held by a Democrat. Heading into the 2016 elections, Democrats held nine executive auditor seats and Republicans held 14 executive auditor seats. Ten of the executive auditor seats were held by nonpartisan appointees. Of the eight seats up for election in 2016, six were held by Democrats. This meant that a disproportionate number of Democratic-held seats were contested compared to the overall partisan balance. Democrats therefore entered the November 2016 elections in a position of greater relative risk than Republicans.

### Partisan strongholds and political dynasties[edit]

In some states, the office of auditor had been controlled by one political party for generations, resulting in limited competition. In a few cases, the office of auditor actually stays within the same family for decades. In 2016, family control of two auditor seats ended, leaving the offices open for the first time in years.

In North Dakota, Republican Robert Peterson had held the office of auditor since 1997, winning election each time by a wide margin. Prior to Peterson's 20-year tenure, his father (also named Robert Peterson), served as auditor from 1973 to 1997.[1][2] In 2016, Peterson decided to retire, leaving the office open to someone outside the Peterson family for the first time in 44 years. The Republican Party's unbroken control of the auditor's office goes back even further, to 1894. In 2016, no Democrats filed to run for auditor in North Dakota, ensuring that the seat would stay in Republican hands.

In West Virginia, Democrat Glen Gainer held the office of auditor from 1993 to 2016, when he resigned to take a position in the private sector. Gainer had succeeded his father (also named Glen Gainer) as auditor after the elder Gainer had served from 1977 to 1993. Gainer's cousin, Denzil Gainer, also served as state auditor from 1961 to 1973, meaning that the auditor's office had remained in the same family's hands for over 50 years.[3] In 2016, Gainer retired in order to pursue a career in the private sector, leaving the office open to someone outside the Gainer family. A Republican candidate with significant resources, combined with Republican success in other elections in West Virginia, created the possibility that Democrats would lose the offic to a Republican for the first time since 1928. Indeed, Republican state Rep. John B. McCuskey (R) won the November 8, 2016, general election.

### Influence of voter turnout[edit]

Auditor elections across the country coincided with what was a highly competitive presidential election, which drives up voter turnout down the ballot.[4] This increased turnout during presidential election years can significantly affect the partisan balance of state governments. In particular, offices elected during mid-presidential term elections disadvantage the party of the current president, a trend that has remained relatively constant since the Civil War. Presidential election years see aggregate gains for the party of the winning presidential candidate.[5][4]

Fifteen states held auditor elections in 2014, equal to 63 percent of the 24 states in which it is an elected position. That same year, voter turnout was the lowest recorded since 1942.[6] Indeed, voter turnout had been dropping during mid-presidential term elections since the 1840s.[5] This means a large majority of publicly elected auditors are elected during these midterm cycles that see significantly lower turnout.

## 2016 elections[edit]

Eight states held auditor elections in 2016. Browse candidates, key deadlines, and results by state:

### Montana[edit]

Click show to see election details.|

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| Montana held a regularly scheduled election for auditor in 2016.

Jesse Laslovich (D)
Chief counsel to Monica Lindeen, former state senator

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Matthew Rosendale (R)
State senator since 2013

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### North Carolina[edit]

Click show to see election details.|

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| North Carolina held a regularly scheduled election for auditor in 2016.

Beth Wood (D)
Incumbent state auditor since 2009

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Charles Stuber (R)
Former chief investigator, State Board of Elections

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### North Dakota[edit]

Click show to see election details.|

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| North Dakota held a regularly scheduled election for auditor in 2016.

Josh Gallion (R)
Accounting manager for the Public Service Commission

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Roland Riemers (Lib.)
Independent property manager, investor

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### Pennsylvania[edit]

Click show to see election details.|

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| Pennsylvania held a regularly scheduled election for auditor in 2016.

Eugene DePasquale (D)
Auditor general of Pennsylvania since 2013

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John A. Brown (R)
Northampton County executive since 2014

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Jay Sweeney (Green)
Former chair of the state Green Party

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Roy Minet (Lib.)
Businessman

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### Utah[edit]

Click show to see election details.|

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| Utah held a regularly scheduled election for auditor in 2016.

Mike Mitchell (D)
Accountant

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John Dougall (R)
Incumbent State auditor since 2013

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Jared Green (IAP)
Employee; Fedex Express, Napa Auto Parts

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### Vermont[edit]

Click show to see election details.|

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| Vermont held a regularly scheduled election for auditor in 2016.

Doug Hoffer (D)
Incumbent auditor of accounts since 2013

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Dan Feliciano (R)
Strategic policy consultant

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Marina Brown (Liberty Union Party)
Unknown

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### Washington[edit]

Click show to see election details.|

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| Washington held a regularly scheduled election for auditor in 2016.

Pat McCarthy (D)
Most recent position: Pierce County Supervisor, 2008-2016
Past experience: Pierce County Auditor[7]

Mark Miloscia (R)
Most recent position: Washington State Senator (2015-present)
Past experience: Washington State Representative (D), 1999-2013

Click [show] to the right to view candidates who were defeated in the primary election.|

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Jeff Sprung (D)
Most recent position: Attorney
Past experience: Assistant U.S. Attorney[8]

### Other candidates

Ballotpedia uses a variety of standards to determine which candidates will feature prominently in a given race.

David Golden (Unaffiliated)
Mark Wilson (Ind.)\- Certified Professional Accountant

### West Virginia[edit]

Click show to see election details.|

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| West Virginia held a regularly scheduled election for auditor in 2016.

Mary Ann Claytor (D)
Freelance financial and compliance auditor

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John B. McCuskey (R)
State representative since 2012

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Brenton Ricketts (Lib.)
Project manager, small business owner

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| Click [show] to view candidates who were defeated in the primary elections.|

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### Defeated in the primary contests

Jason Pizatella (D)
West Virginia secretary of administration

* * *

Robin Righter (D)
Self-employed insurance agent

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## About the office[edit]

The auditor is a state-level position in 48 states that supervises and has administrative rights over the accounting and financial functions of the state. Additionally, auditors act as watchdogs over other state agencies, performing internal government audits and investigating fraud allegations.

The state auditor belongs to either the executive or legislative branch, depending on state. While both offices are similar in function, a legislative auditor functions primarily under the state legislature and is not considered a state executive office.

The auditor may be elected or appointed, depending on the state. Terms of office range from four to 10 years and may be indefinite, served at the pleasure of the appointing body. In instances where the auditor is an appointee, appointment is usually done through some form of nomination in a subcommittee of the legislature and a confirmatory vote before the General Assembly.

Among appointed auditors, it is common for a dedicated legislative committee to nominate an auditor, who is then confirmed by a simple majority vote of both legislative chambers. Many appointed auditors serve at the pleasure of the legislature or a specific committee charged with audits. In these states, an auditor may be removed with either a simple majority or a three-fifths vote at any time.

Appointed auditors serve as nonpartisan officials, with the exception of Connecticut, where Democrats and Republicans each have one nomination, resulting in two partisan auditors who share the office.

In each of the 24 states where the auditor is elected, it is a partisan position.

Elected auditors are overwhelmingly constitutional offices, with 20 of 24 states providing for the office in the state's constitution.

Some states assign the same portfolio to another state level financial officer, such as the treasurer or the comptroller.

There are a total of 23 legislative auditor offices and 33 state executive auditor offices. A total of eight states have both auditor offices.

Quick facts about Auditors

* Auditor is a partisan position in all 24 states where it is publicly elected.
* Appointed auditors serve as nonpartisan officials, with the exception of Connecticut, where Democrats and Republicans each have one nomination, resulting in two partisan auditors who share the office.
* In 2013, the annual salaries for state auditors ranged from $54,305 (Arkansas) to $198,000 (Texas).

# Elected or appointed[edit]

While most states that do have a statewide governmental auditor position authorize the governor to appoint an individual to the office, there are at least 24 others who have opted to have public voters select these officeholders. These states include: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Two states—New York and Tennessee—do not have an official auditor. Audit functions in these states mostly fall to the state comptroller.

#### States[edit]

Thirty-three states have state executive auditor offices, 23 have legislative auditor offices, and eight have both.

States with legislative auditors include: Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • Colorado • Connecticut • Florida • Idaho • Kansas • Louisiana • Maryland • Minnesota • Montana • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Virginia • West Virginia • Wisconsin

States with state executive auditors include:

Alabama • Arkansas • California • Delaware • Georgia • Hawaii • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kentucky • Maine • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • New Mexico • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • South Carolina • South Dakota • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Washington • West Virginia • Wyoming - state auditor • Wyoming - audit director

States with both legislative and state executive auditors:

Alabama • Arkansas • Minnesota • Montana • Pennsylvania • South Carolina • South Dakota • West Virginia

# Past elections[edit]

### 2015[edit]

See also: State executive official elections, 2015

Two states held elections for auditor in 2015: Kentucky and Mississippi.

To view the full electoral history for auditors, click [show] to expand the full section.

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2014

See also: State executive official elections, 2014

Fifteen states held regularly scheduled auditor elections in the 2014 electoral cycle:

* Alabama
* Arkansas
* Delaware
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Massachusetts
* Minnesota
* Missouri
* Nebraska
* New Mexico
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* South Dakota
* Vermont
* Wyoming

2013
There were no auditor elections in 2013.

2012

See also: State executive official elections, 2012

Eight states held auditor elections in the 2012 electoral cycle: Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia.

Going into the November 6 elections, Democrats held five of the seats up and Republicans held three. Democrats gained one seat in Vermont where Doug Hoffer (D) defeated Vince Illuzzi (R). Incumbent Thomas Salmon (R) did not seek re-election.

# Recent news[edit]

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'State auditor election' OR 'State auditor elections' 2016. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Auditor elections, 2016 - Google News

## See also[edit]

Auditor | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis

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Auditors State Executive Offices State Executive Officials |  2014 • 2015 • 2016 |  Responses to Obergefell v. Hodges State of the state addresses State Executives Compensation

## External links[edit]

| Suggest a link

|

* National Association of State Auditors, "Comptrollers and Treasurers (NASACT)"

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ Wikipedia, "Robert W. Peterson," accessed Sept. 23, 2016
2. ↑ Wikipedia, "North Dakota State Auditor," accessed Sept. 23, 2016
3. ↑ Metro News, "Auditor Glen Gainer will not seek re-election," December 7, 2015
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Campbell, J. E. (1987) "The revised theory of surge and decline." American Journal of Political Science, 965-979.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Pew Research Center, “Voter turnout always drops off for midterm elections, but why?” July 24, 2014
6. ↑ TIME, "Voter Turnout in Midterm Elections Hits 72-Year Low," November 10, 2014
7. ↑ Elect Pat McCarthy State Auditor, "About," accessed July 15, 2016
8. ↑ Jeff Sprung, "Meet Jeff," accessed July 15, 2016

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