Dem
47
GOP
53
Things are going to start heating up again next Tuesday, when five states—Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Virginia and Washington—hold primaries. But there were a couple of elections yesterday, and we're a full-service electoral site, so we should probably mention them.
First, Gov. Larry Rhoden (R-SD) was not elected to his current position; he got it when Kristi Noem resigned to become DHS Secretary. Politicians like that, whether they succeeded to their office or were appointed, don't have a great track record. So, it wasn't too much of a surprise that the Governor did poorly in the first round of primary voting this cycle, taking 25.2% of the vote to finish in second place behind corporate executive Toby Doeden, who had 30.2%.
In South Dakota, you don't have to get 50% to avoid a runoff (as is the case in many Southern states), but you do have to get 35%. So, Rhoden and Doeden went head-to-head yesterday, and this time Rhoden trounced Doeden, 70.8% to 29.2%. We're not quite sure what accounts for the disparate results, though the Governor's main focus since the first round of voting has been "Hey, I cut taxes!" while Doeden's focus has been "Let's invest public funds in bitcoin!", so maybe that explains it. Anyhow, now that Rhoden is his party's nominee, he will surely win a full term in his own right. South Dakota hasn't elected a Democratic governor in over a half-century.
The other election yesterday was over in Georgia, where the GOP is trying to keep GA-13, a D+21 seat left vacant by the death of Rep. David Scott (D), open as long as is possible. That quest was aided by the state's "you have to get 50% to be elected" rule, as five different candidates split yesterday's vote. Marcye Scott (D), who just so happens to be David's daughter, came close to the promised land, with 46% of the vote, but 46% is not 50%, so she'll face off against Everton Blair, who took 37.4%, in a runoff.
That runoff will take place in just under a month, on August 25. You have to figure, given her stronger performance and her familial connection, that Scott will win. That said, whether it's Scott or Blair, it's a short-term gig. The election for a full term, to commence on January 3 of next year, will feature neither of them, as that one is going to be state Rep. Jasmine Clark (D) squaring off against Air Force veteran Jonathan Chavez (R). You can bet large sums of money that Clark will win that one.
Onward and upward to next Tuesday and, in particular, the battle royale for the Democratic nomination in the Michigan U.S. Senate race. (Z)