2021 Election Updates

Critical and exciting political races are happening around the country. These elections could shift the current political makeup of Congress and shed light on what issues and positions are most important to voters right now. Here, Election Central takes a closer look at some important races to watch.

New York City

The New York City mayor’s race has been closely watched throughout the country, because it is the largest election to use ranked choice voting. While the Republican primary ballot had only two candidates, the Democratic primary ballot had thirteen, and voters were asked to rank up to five. Eric Adams, who currently serves as Brooklyn Borough president, won the party primary race. Adams is a moderate candidate who is also a former police captain. He will run against Republican Curtis Sliwa  in November. If he beats Sliwa, Adams will become the second African American mayor in the history of New York City.

All Eyes on Ohio?

Earlier this year, Republican Steve Stivers, who has long represented Ohio’s 15^th Congressional District, resigned to become CEO of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. Early voting to replace him began July 7. The general election will be held November 2. Eleven Republicans and two Democrats are competing for the seat, including several current state-level representatives.

Voting has also begun in Ohio for an open primary in the state’s 11^th Congressional District. This district leans strongly Democratic. The winner of this race will replace U.S. Representative Marcia Fudge. Fudge resigned her seat when President Biden appointed her to the role of U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Currently, thirteen Democrats are battling for the party’s nomination. The special election will take place on August 3. So far, it is the most expensive Congressional election of 2021. In the lead is Nina Turner, a former state senator. She has support from key progressives, including former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.

A Runoff Election in Texas

U.S. Representative Ron Wright of Texas’ 6^th Congressional District passed away earlier this year. Twenty-three candidates are running to fill his seat in a special election. The list of candidates includes eleven Republicans, ten Democrats, one Libertarian, and one independent. The two candidates who received the most votes were the congressman’s widow Susan Wright (19 percent) and state representative Jake Ellzey (almost 14 percent). Wright has been endorsed and supported by former president Donald Trump. Because no candidate received a majority of votes there will now be a runoff election to determine the winner. The runoff election has not yet been scheduled.

Dig Deeper Are important elections for candidates or issues happening in your state this year? If you don’t know, use Internet resources to learn more. Write a short paragraph about what you find.