Ballotpedia's 2019 Candidate Connection report
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2019 statistics |
Survey respondents About the survey |
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For the second year in a row, Ballotpedia invited candidates to take part in our Candidate Connection initiative. 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 872 candidates responded to the survey. This number represents 10.4% of the 8,386 candidates Ballotpedia covered in 2019—a 3.5 percentage point increase over 2018 when 6.9% of candidates responded to the survey. This 2019 report further compares 2019 respondents to 2018 respondents and examines where those respondents lived, what offices they ran for, and how they did in their races. It also highlights several notable candidates who completed the survey, features the respondents who won their elections, and lists all of the 872 candidates who sent in answers.
The greatest number of respondents came from Virginia, with 114 candidates answering Ballotpedia's survey. Incumbents accounted for 10.2% of respondents, with challengers making up the remaining 89.2%. Candidates running for city offices were the largest group at 48.7% of all respondents, and 27.2% of respondents won their election bids.
Survey statistics
By year
Respondents compared to total candidates
In 2018, 1,957 candidates responded to Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection out of 28,315 total candidates covered by Ballotpedia in that year, equaling a 6.9% response rate. In 2019, 872 candidates responded to the survey out of 8,386 total candidates, equaling a 10.4% response rate. This equates to a 3.5 percentage point increase in the candidate response rate from 2018 to 2019.
Midterm election compared to off-year election
Comparing survey respondents from 2018 and 2019 serves to illustrate the different offices up for election during a midterm election cycle (2018) versus an off-year election cycle (2019). In 2018, 21.7% of survey respondents ran for a federal office, contrasted with 0.6% of respondents in 2019. The majority of 2018 respondents—63.3%—ran for a state office, compared to 33.3% of 2019 respondents. Candidates running for local offices comprised the smallest group of 2018 respondents at 15.1%, but they made up the largest group of 2019 respondents at 66.2%.
By state
Candidates from 33 states responded to Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection in 2019. Virginia had the most respondents with 114, followed by North Carolina at 96 respondents and Texas at 92.
A table of respondents by state may be viewed by clicking [show] at the right. | |
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By office
Nearly half of respondents (48.7%) ran for a city office. Those running for state legislative seats were the second-largest group (28.7%), followed by candidates running for school board seats (13%).
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 872 candidates who responded to Ballotpedia's candidate survey, 237 won and 616 lost their elections. A total of nine respondents withdrew or were disqualified from their races.
Survey respondents
Notable respondents
The following four candidates completed the Candidate Connection survey in 2019. We have highlighted their stories, as well as their responses to one of the survey questions, as a small sampling of the 872 respondents.
Allison Ball
Kentucky Treasurer Allison Ball (R) completed Ballotpedia's candidate survey during her re-election bid for Kentucky state treasurer in 2019. She ran uncontested in the Republican primary election on May 21, 2019. Ball won re-election over Democratic challenger Michael Bowman in the general election on November 5, 2019, winning with 60.7% of the vote. She was first elected to the office on November 3, 2015.
When asked what areas of public policy she was personally passionate about, Ball answered:
| “ | I am passionate about fiscal responsibility, strengthening the economy, improving the financial health of the middle-class and lower income populations, and improving government transparency.[1] | ” |
| —Treasurer Allison Ball (2019)[2] | ||
John Cooper
Nashville Mayor John Cooper completed Ballotpedia's candidate survey during his first bid for election as mayor of Nashville, Tennessee, in 2019. Though he holds a nonpartisan office, he has identified himself as a Democrat.[3] Out of a field of six candidates, Cooper was one of two candidates to advance from the August 1, 2019, general election to a run-off after no candidate received a majority of the vote. He defeated incumbent Mayor David Briley with 69.1% of the vote in the general run-off election on September 12, 2019. Prior to his election as mayor, Cooper served as an at-large member of the Nashville Metro Council.
When asked what areas of public policy he was personally passionate about, Cooper answered:
| “ | I am most passionate about responsible public finance. It may not be the most exciting part of governing, but that the decisions that leaders make about how the government spends money determine the level of services they are able to provide for their constituents. As the saying goes, 'You show me your budget, I'll show you your priorities.' Fixing almost all of Nashville's present issues- affordable housing, police officer retention, teacher salaries- begins with better managing our finances.[1] | ” |
| —Mayor John Cooper (2019)[4] | ||
Delbert Hosemann
Mississippi Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann (R) completed Ballotpedia's candidate survey during his first bid to become lieutenant governor of Mississippi in 2019. Hosemann advanced from the Republican primary election on August 6, 2019. He won the general election on November 5, 2019, with 60.2% of the vote, beating Democratic candidate J. P. Hughes, Jr. Hosemann previously served as the Mississippi secretary of state.
When asked what areas of public policy he was personally passionate about, Hosemann answered:
| “ | I was a businessman and business lawyer for years before being elected in 2007 as Secretary of State. Because of this background, I have a natural interest in policy impacting businesses and economic growth in the State. During my tenure as Secretary of State, we revised Mississippi’s archaic business laws, lowered filing fees, and moved the process of starting a business online.
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” |
| —Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann (2019)[5] | ||
Lauren McLean
Boise Mayor Lauren McLean completed Ballotpedia's candidate survey during her first bid to become mayor of Boise, Idaho, in 2019. Though she holds a nonpartisan office, she has identified herself as a Democrat.[6] Out of a field of seven candidates, McLean was one of two candidates to advance from the November 5, 2019, general election to a run-off after no candidate received a majority of the vote. She defeated incumbent Mayor David Bieter with 65.5% of the vote in the general run-off election on December 3, 2019. McLean served on the Boise city council before her election as mayor.
When asked what areas of public policy she was personally passionate about, McLean answered:
| “ | Conservation is a core value and has been a central theme throughout my career. In 2001, I helped lead the historic Boise Foothills Open Space Campaign, successfully protecting the Boise Foothills for future generations. This experience tied me deeply to our community, was an incredible honor, and shaped my beliefs about the power of organizing passionate people, helping them impact the communities and places they care about. As Boise City Council President, I sponsored the Clean Energy Plan and advocated to accelerate our citywide goal of 100% clean energy to 2035 and, as Mayor, I will beat that goal.
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” |
| —Mayor Lauren McLean (2019)[7] | ||
List of winners
The following spreadsheet has a full list of 2019 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 2019 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 2019 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
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "Allison Ball's responses," May 15, 2019
- ↑ Nashville Public Radio, "Mayor's Race 2019: Contrasting Philosophies About The Job Of Being Mayor," September 6, 2019
- ↑ Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "John Cooper's responses," June 12, 2019
- ↑ Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "Delbert Hosemann's responses," June 23, 2019
- ↑ Boise State Public Radio, "Boise Mayoral Candidate Conversations 2019: Lauren McLean," October 31, 2019
- ↑ Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "Lauren McLean's responses," October 23, 2019