Updated 11/23/2015 with Louisiana Governor Results
Remember to get out and vote tomorrow on Tuesday, November 3, as Kentucky, Mississippi, Virginia, and New Jersey will be holding off-year elections for their state and local governments. Louisiana will be holding their elections on Saturday, November 21.
Gubernatorial Elections
Kentucky
Incumbent Democratic Governor Steve Beshear is not eligible to run for reelection due to term limits established in the State of Kentucky. Three candidates look to fill the governor seat:
- Jack Conway (D), current Attorney General of Kentucky and former candidate for U.S. Senate in 2010;
- Matt Bevin (R), businessman and former candidate for U.S. Senate in 2014;
- Drew Curtis (I), entrepreneur and founder/CEO of Fark.com
**Republican Matt Bevin has won the Kentucky Governor race. 52% of the voters backed Bevin, 44% voted for Democratic candidate Jack Conway, 4% voted for Independent candidate Drew Curtis**
Mississippi
- Phil Bryant (R), current Governor of Mississippi, seeking for reelection and his final term in office;
- Robert Gray (D), long-distance truck driver and former firefighter
**Republican Phil Bryant has been reelected for his 2nd term as Governor of Mississippi. 66% voted for Bryant, while 32% voted for Democratic candidate Robert Gray.**
Louisiana
Incumbent Republican Governor and presidential candidate Bobby Jindal is not eligible to run for reelection due to term limits established in the State of Louisiana. Two candidates are fighting for the seat:
- John Bel Edwards (D), current Minority Leader of the Louisiana House of Representatives;
- David Vitter (R), current U.S. Senator for Louisiana
Edwards and Vitter are also set to participate in a runoff debate on November 16. The debate will be broadcast statewide at 6:00 p.m. on WVLA-TV Baton Rouge. The debate will take place at The Dunham School in Baton Rouge. More information on the Louisiana gubernatorial race and upcoming debate can be found here.
**Democrat John Bel Edwards has won the Louisiana Governor’s race. Edwards beat out GOP Sen. Vitter 56% to 44%. Following his loss, Vitter also announced that he will retire from the Senate next year, leaving an open-seat race in 2016 in the State of Louisiana.**
State Legislatures
Virginia, New Jersey, Louisiana, and Mississippi, will also be holding elections for their state legislatures. You can visit USA.Gov to locate contact information for your state legislatures and other information pertinent for tomorrow’s election. Below you will find lists of candidates for each state legislature.
- List of Candidates for General Assembly of New Jersey
- List of Candidates for House of Delegates and State Senate of Virginia
- List of Candidates & Sample Ballot for Mississippi
- List of Candidates for State House of Representatives and State Senate of Louisiana
**Virginia’s State Senate remains unchanged, where Democrats failed to retake a seat in order to regain the majority. In New Jersey, Democrats gained three seats in the State Assembly.**
Ballot Initiatives
Mississippi
Mississippi voters will find two school funding ballot initiatives, Initiative Measure #42 and Alternative Measure No. 42A.
- A sample of both may be found here
**Mississippi voters voted against implementing either Initiative Measures**
Ronny Lau, Legislative Policy Advisor, Center for Advocacy, Policy, and Constituency Engagement, November 2, 2015. © National Association for Music Education (NAfME.org).
