Daily Brew: September 11, 2018

September 11, 2018

Find out which races during the first six months of 2018 were separated by one-, two-, and three-vote margins   Welcome to the Tuesday, September 11 Brew. Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: A rundown of the closest 10 primary contests from January to June Ron DeSantis says farewell to Washington to focus on his campaign in Florida What to watch for in New Hampshire's primaries tonight In the first six months, 2018’s closest primary was decided by one vote The closest primary election of 2018 was decided by one vote: the Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 193, where Torren Ecker defeated Vincent Cockley 1,784-1,783.  Ballotpedia’s review of all the primary results from January through June 2018 revealed the 10 closest contests across the country. Nine were Republican primaries, and the other was a nonpartisan, top-two race for a city council seat in California. Eight of the races were for state house seats, while two were for local-level offices. Three of the primaries involved incumbents, and all three incumbents won. In the rest of the top 10, three races finished with a two-vote margin, one with three votes, two with four votes, and one each with five, six, and seven votes separating the candidates. Learn more Ron DeSantis resigns from U.S. House to focus on gubernatorial bid On Monday, Ron DeSantis (R) announced that he was retroactively resigning from his seat in Congress, effective September 1, 2018, to focus on his gubernatorial campaign. He had represented Florida's 6th Congressional District since 2013. DeSantis faces Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum (D) in the gubernatorial election on November 6, 2018. Republicans have held the position since 1998, but election forecasters rate the race a “toss-up.” A Democratic victory in the race would change Florida’s trifecta status from a Republican trifecta to divided government. Learn more→ Check back tonight for coverage of the New Hampshire primaries Forty-six state primaries down, three to go (Louisiana uses a unique system) in September. The state with the largest legislative body in the country will be front-and center-tonight as it holds primaries. We’re keeping an eye on both sides of the contest for New Hampshire's First Congressional District, where incumbent Carol Shea-Porter’s (D) retirement has triggered competitive primaries. Eleven candidates are running in the Democratic primary. Shea-Porter's former chief of staff, Naomi Andrews, received her endorsement but ranks sixth in campaign receipts. Maura Sullivan, a former assistant secretary of Veterans Affairs under Pres. Barack Obama (D), has raised the most money. Other candidates to keep an eye on are Chris Pappas, who received endorsements from both of the state’s U.S. senators, and Mindi Messmer, who is backed by the New Hampshire House Progressive Caucus.   In the Republican primary, six candidates are running, and two have been endorsed by former presidential candidates. State Sen. Andy Sanborn has been endorsed by U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and Rand Paul. South Hampton police chief Eddie Edwards has received the backing of Rick Santorum and Rudy Giuliani. Both candidates have emphasized their own personal records as making them the better conservative candidate in this race. Learn more→