October 9, 2018

Welcome to the Tuesday, October 9 Brew. Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:

1. Indiana state spotlight
2. Ohio state spotlight
3. Kavanaugh has been sworn in. Now what? 

Indiana: The Crossroads of America

Indiana is holding elections for one U.S. Senate seat, nine U.S. House seats, three state executive offices, one retention election for the state supreme court, one retention election for the state appellate court, 25 of 50 state senate seats, and all 100 state house seats. One statewide ballot measure will also appear on the ballot.  Ballotpedia is also covering local elections in Marion and Allen counties and 13 public school districts.

What is the partisan balance in the state?

Congress: Democrats and Republicans each hold one U.S. Senate seat and Republicans hold a 7-2 U.S. House majority.

Governor: Republican.

Lt. Governor: Republican.

Attorney General: Republican.

State Senate: 41-9 Republican majority.

State House: 70-30 Republican majority.

Race to watch

• United States Senate: U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly (D) faces former state Rep. Mike Braun (R) and business consultant Lucy Brenton (L). Donnelly is running for re-election after he defeated State Auditor Richard Mourdock (R) in 2012 for his first term. In 2016, U.S. Rep. Todd Young (R) won Indiana’s other U.S. Senate seat by 9.7 percentage points and Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in the state by 18.9 percentage points. Donnelly is one of 10 Senate Democrats defending a seat in a state won by Trump.

What you need to know if you’re an Indiana voter

Early voting dates: October 10 to November 5.

Polls open/close: 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Voter ID: Photo ID is required. Voters must present one of the following forms of identification at the polls: driver's license, military ID, passport, or state-issued voter ID card.

Bookmark your sample ballot.

Learn more

       

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Ohio: So Much to Discover

Ohio is holding elections for one U.S. Senate seat, 16 U.S. House seats, governor and six other state executive offices, two state supreme court seats, 23 appellate court seats, 17 of 33 state senate seats, and all 99 state house seats. Ballotpedia is also covering one statewide ballot measure and local elections in Cuyahoga, Fairfield, Franklin, Hamilton, and Lucas counties.

What is the partisan balance in the state?

Congress: Democrats hold one U.S. Senate seat and four U.S. House seats. Republicans hold one U.S. Senate seat and 12 U.S. House seats.

Governor: Republican.

Lt. Governor: Republican.

Attorney General: Republican.

State Senate: 23-9 Republican majority with one vacancy.

State House: 66-33 Republican majority.

Races to watch

• United States Senate election in Ohio: Incumbent Sherrod Brown (D) faces Rep. Jim Renacci (R) and independent write-in candidate Stephen Faris in his bid for a third term. Election forecasters give Brown an edge in the election and public polls have shown him with a lead. However, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Republican internal polling showed a more competitive race and that the country's economic performance and President Donald Trump's popularity could help Renacci unseat Brown.

• Ohio’s 1st Congressional District: Incumbent Steve Chabot (R) faces Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Aftab Pureval (D), Dirk Kubala (L), and Mike Goldschmidt (I) as he seeks election to a 12th term. The seat was placed on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s list of 2018 targets.

• Ohio’s 7th Congressional District: Four-term incumbent Bob Gibbs (R) faces U.S. Navy veteran Ken Harbaugh (D). Ohio's 7th District was listed as one of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's initial targets in 2018.

• Ohio’s 12th Congressional District: Rep. Troy Balderson (R) was first elected to the seat in a special election in August. He faces Franklin County Recorder Danny O’Connor (D) and Joe Manchik (G), who were also his opponents in the August election, in his bid for a full term.

• Ohio Governor: Former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray (D), state Attorney General Mike DeWine (R), Constance Gadell-Newton (G), and Travis Irvine (L) are running for Ohio’s open gubernatorial seat.

• Ohio Attorney General: Former U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach (D) and state Auditor Dave Yost (R) are running for the attorney general seat currently held by Mike DeWine (R). According to U.S. News and World Report, "Dettelbach represents perhaps Democrats' best chance of regaining a statewide office."

• Ohio Secretary of State: State Rep. Kathleen Clyde (D), state Sen. Frank LaRose (R), and Dustin Nanna (L) are running for the open secretary of state seat. The Ohio Secretary of State serves on the commission that draws district lines for the Ohio General Assembly, so the winner of this election will play a role in the state's upcoming state legislative redistricting.

• Ohio Auditor: State Rep. Keith Faber (R), former U.S. Rep. Zack Space (D), and accountant Robert Coogan (L) are running for the open auditor seat. The auditor is one of five members of a state commission responsible for redrawing state legislative boundaries during redistricting.

What you need to know if you’re an Ohio voter

Early voting dates: October 10 to November 5.

Polls open/close: 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Voter ID: A form of identification is required, but a photo ID is not required.

Bookmark your sample ballot.

Kavanaugh has been sworn in. Now what?

All eyes have been on SCOTUS. Now that Brett Kavanaugh has been confirmed and sworn in, let’s look at what’s in store for the Court this October.

Last week, SCOTUS heard six arguments in six cases. Today and tomorrow, they will hear arguments for another five cases. The Court has agreed to hear 42 cases this term. In the previous term, they heard arguments in 69 cases.

Here are this week’s cases with links to read more about each one:

• U.S. v. Stitt
• U.S. v. Sims
• Stokeling v. U.S.

• Nielsen v. Preap
• Air and Liquid Systems Corp. v. Devries

One noteworthy case that will be heard on Wednesday: Nielsen v. Preap.

The case challenges the government's interpretation of the mandatory detention provision of the Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA). Under this provision, the government is required to detain noncitizen U.S. residents who were convicted of certain crimes when they are released from criminal custody. The case questions whether noncitizen U.S. residents are exempt from this provision if they are not immediately taken into immigration custody after being released from criminal custody.

Read more→ 

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