Ballotpedia's 2018 Candidate Connection report
2018 statistics |
Survey respondents About the survey |
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Ballotpedia introduced a new initiative in 2018: Candidate Connection. We surveyed candidates at the federal, state, and local levels to help voters choose representatives who reflected their values and upheld their ideals.
A total of 1,957 candidates responded. This report digs into where those candidates lived, what offices they ran for, and how they did in their races. It also highlights a few notable candidates who completed the survey, features the respondents who won their elections, and lists all of the 1,957 candidates who sent in answers.
Texans made up the largest portion of candidate respondents in 2018 with 186 responding to Ballotpedia's candidate survey. A majority of respondents—56.06 percent—ran for state legislative office, and 24.37 percent of all respondents won their election bids.
Survey statistics
By state
Out of all 50 states, only two—Mississippi and North Dakota—did not have any candidates participate in Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection in 2018. The largest number of respondents (186) were from Texas. California and New Hampshire had the second-most and third-most respondents with 147 and 123, respectively.
A table of respondents by state may be viewed by clicking [show] at the right. | |
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By office
With 56.06 percent of respondents, those running for state legislative seats represented the largest portion of respondents in 2018. Congressional candidates made up the second-largest portion with 21.67 percent, while those running for a state court judgeship made up the smallest portion of respondents with 1.18 percent.
A table of respondents by office may be viewed by clicking [show] at the right. | |
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By election outcome
Out of the 1,957 candidates who responded to Ballotpedia's candidate survey, 477 won their elections and 1,459 lost. A total of 20 respondents withdrew or were disqualified from their races, and one respondent's race was retroactively canceled.
Survey respondents
Notable respondents
The following six candidates completed the Candidate Connection survey in 2018. We have highlighted their stories, as well as their responses to one of the survey questions, as a small sampling of the 1,957 respondents.
Kate Brown 
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) completed Ballotpedia's candidate survey during her 2018 bid for re-election. She advanced from the Democratic primary on May 15, 2018, with 83.8 percent of the vote. Brown won re-election in the general election on November 6, 2018, receiving 50.1 percent of the vote and defeating Knute Buehler (R), Nick Chen (L), Independent Party of Oregon candidate Patrick Starnes, Constitution Party candidate Aaron Auer, and Progressive Party candidate Chris Henry. Brown first assumed office on February 18, 2015, after John Kitzhaber (D) resigned amidst an ethics investigation.[1] Prior to being elected governor, Brown served as the Oregon Secretary of State. Brown is the first openly bisexual governor in the nation's history.[2]
When asked what areas of public policy she was personally passionate about, Brown answered:
| “ | I'm especially passionate about policies that support hardworking Oregonians. Under my leadership, we've worked successfully to raise the state's minimum wage, ensure a fair work schedule, and guarantee paid sick leave. We need to invest in education so that all of our children can graduate from high school with a plan for their future and the tools to compete in a global economy. We need to make sure that everyone in Oregon has access to health care, especially our children. Now is not the time to go backwards -- we have to keep Oregon moving forward.[3] | ” |
| —Gov. Kate Brown (2018)[4] | ||
Mike DeWine 
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) completed Ballotpedia's candidate survey during his first bid for the office. He advanced from the Republican primary on May 8, 2018, with 59.8 percent of the vote. DeWine won the general election on November 6, 2018, with 50.4 percent of the vote. He defeated Richard Cordray (D), Travis Irvine (L), and Constance Gadell-Newton (G). Prior to his gubernatorial run, DeWine was a U.S. Representative from 1983 to 1991, lieutenant governor from 1991 to 1994, a U.S. Senator from 1995 to 2007, and the state's attorney general from 2011 to 2019.
When asked what areas of public policy he was personally passionate about, DeWine answered:
| “ | My number one mission is protecting Ohio families and children. The two biggest challenges Ohio is facing are the opioid epidemic and the skills/education gap. How we deal with these two challenges will fundamentally shape the future Ohio we leave to our children and grandchildren.[3] | ” |
| —Gov. Mike DeWine (2018)[5] | ||
Dianne Feinstein
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) completed Ballotpedia's candidate survey during her bid for re-election in 2018. Feinstein advanced from California's top-two primary on June 5, 2018, with 44.2 percent of the vote. She defeated Democratic challenger Kevin de León with 54.2 percent of the vote in the general election on November 6, 2018. Feinstein was first elected to the office on November 3, 1992.
When asked what areas of public policy she was personally passionate about, Feinstein answered:
| “ | I look forward to working every day to solve problems for Californians. If reelected I will continue to fight to protect immigrants, end the targeted attacks on California by Donald Trump and his Republican allies in Congress, and stand up for our progressive values including job creation, civil rights, voting rights, women's reproductive freedom, respect for immigrants and comprehensive immigration reform, education, health care, and environmental protections.[3] | ” |
| —Sen. Dianne Feinstein (2018)[6] | ||
Kim Reynolds
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) completed Ballotpedia's candidate survey during her 2018 bid for a full term in the position. She ran unopposed in the Republican primary on June 5, 2018, and she won the general election on November 6, 2018, with 50.3 percent of the vote. She defeated Fred Hubbell (D), Jake Porter (L), and Clear Water Party of Iowa candidate Gary Siegwarth. Reynolds first took office on May 24, 2017, after Terry E. Branstad (R) resigned to serve as U.S. ambassador to China. She previously served as Iowa's lieutenant governor.
When asked what areas of public policy she was personally passionate about, Reynolds answered:
| “ | Every day, I’m working to build a better Iowa. It’s the first thing I think about in the morning and the last thing on my mind at night. I take this job seriously because Iowans trust me to do what’s right. I also believe there is no better place to live, work, and raise a family than Iowa. It’s a place where a small-town girl can run for county office, State Senate and serve as Lieutenant Governor. It’s a place where a fifth generation Iowan can become the first woman governor. And, it’s a place where core values matter, and promises are kept. My vision for Iowa focuses on growing jobs, strengthening education, improving healthcare and protecting Iowans. We’ve achieved a $127 million surplus in the state budget, Iowa’s unemployment rate is second lowest in the country, and Iowans’ incomes are on the rise. We’re definitely on the right track. With your vote in November, we can continue focusing on jobs, education, healthcare, and public safety. My story is the Iowa story. I love this state, our people, and this job.[3] | ” |
| —Gov. Kim Reynolds (2018)[7] | ||
Kevin Stitt
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) completed Ballotpedia's candidate survey during his first bid to represent the office. He advanced from the Republican primary on June 26, 2018, with 24.4 percent of the vote, and he advanced from the primary runoff on August 28, 2018, with 54.6 percent of the vote. Stitt won the general election on November 6, 2018, receiving 54.3 percent of the vote and defeating Drew Edmondson (D) and Chris Powell (L). Stitt is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. He was the first Native American to be elected governor in the United States.[8]
When asked what areas of public policy he was personally passionate about, Stitt answered:
| “ | I am interested in any state policy that is going to help grow and improve Oklahoma, whether it be around education, infrastructure, healthcare, etc. One policy area that has become an increasing passion of mine throughout this campaign is criminal justice reform. Oklahoma has the highest incarceration rates in the country. It is clear that we need to continue to pursue criminal justice reform. It's not just about changing our ranking though. It's about ensuring we are using our resources correctly to incarcerate those that prove a danger to our society and to deliver better outcomes for non-violent offenders. We need to free up prison beds for those who need to really be there and deliver better results for those that are early in their criminal career so we can stop the cycle and put them on the path to being a contributor in society. In order to accomplish this, I believe we must re-evaluate how we handle fines, fees, and court costs, ensure that consistent sentencing is taking place across all counties, and partnering with programs that focus on rehabilitation efforts.[3] | ” |
| —Gov. Kevin Stitt (2018)[9] | ||
William Tong
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong (D) completed Ballotpedia's candidate survey during his first bid to represent the office. He advanced from the Democratic primary on August 14, 2018, with 57.4 percent of the vote. Tong went on to win the general election on November 6, 2018, receiving 52.5 percent of the vote and defeating Republican Susan Hatfield and Green Party candidate Peter Goselin. In addition to running as a Democratic Party candidate, Tong cross-filed to run with the Working Families Party in 2018.[10] Tong had previously represented District 147 in the Connecticut House of Representatives from 2007 to 2019.
When asked what areas of public policy he was personally passionate about, Tong answered:
| “ | This is a very personal campaign for me. As the son of immigrants who came to this country with almost nothing, I feel like my family and I have a target on our backs. The President has announced that he has formed a task force to de-naturalize American citizens, like my parents. And if you are like us, if you come from immigrants, or if you are a woman, or a member of a labor union, or a Connecticut taxpayer, it is clear that the President has declared war on your and your family. That is why I am running for Attorney General. The Attorney General is the first and the last line of defense to protect our way of life -- he or she is the firewall to protect Connecticut families.[3] | ” |
| —Attorney General William Tong (2018)[11] | ||
List of winners
The following spreadsheet has a full list of 2018 election winners who completed the Candidate Connection survey. Click on the spreadsheet and use arrow keys to scroll vertically and horizontally through the list.
List of all respondents
The following spreadsheet has a full list of 2018 candidates who completed the Candidate Connection survey. Click on the spreadsheet and use arrow keys to scroll vertically and horizontally through the list.
About the survey
- See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Ballotpedia surveyed candidates at the federal, state, and local levels in 2018 to find out what motivated them on political and personal levels. These surveys did not contain simple issue questions. They were designed to elicit insightful and thoughtful responses from candidates on what they cared about, what they stood for, and what they hoped to achieve. With these surveys, we aimed to both enlighten voters on the core components of candidates' political philosophy and provide candidates with the chance to show who they really were as people.
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ The Oregonian, "Live updates: Kate Brown becomes Oregon governor," February 18, 2015
- ↑ Political Wire, "Oregon Will Have First Openly Bisexual Governor," February 13, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "Kate Brown's responses," October 24, 2018
- ↑ Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "Mike DeWine's responses," April 9, 2018
- ↑ Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "Dianne Feinstein's responses," October 23, 2018
- ↑ Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "Kim Reynolds' responses," October 19, 2018
- ↑ Indianz.com, "Only one state makes history with election of first Native governor," November 7, 2018
- ↑ Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "Kevin Stitt's responses," October 24, 2018
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State, "2018 List of Candidates," accessed October 29, 2018
- ↑ Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "William Tong's responses," October 23, 2018