In the Sterling Heights, Michigan nonpartisan mayoral primary election incumbent Mayor Michael C. Taylor received the most votes and will face Ken Nelson in the Nov. 2 general election.

The City Council will also be elected on Nov. 2 when voters will choose from the 12 candidates receiving the most votes in the primary.

In Detroit’s nonpartisan mayoral primary election, incumbent Mayor Mike Duggan, seeking his third term, overwhelmingly won the day with Anthony Adams coming in second.

Duggan and Adams will vie for Mayor in the Nov. 2 general election.

Incumbent Janice M. Winfrey received the most votes and will face off against Denzel Anton McCampbell for City Clerk in the Nov. 2 election.

And Proposal P which would have added 47 new elected positions and 102 new appointed positions to the city’s government, was overwhelmingly rejected by voters.

A Texas House bill relating to restrictions on accepting political contributions has passed.

House Bill 2283 provides the joint elections commission, county election commission, and county election board may not accept a contribution of $1,000 or more, including the value of in-kind donations, offered by a private individual or a business entity, including a corporation, partnership, or trust, or another third party.

Under the bill, the joint elections commission, county election commission, and county election board may accept a contribution of less than $1,000 only with written consent from the relevant political subdivision.

The bill will take effect September 1.

Two special primaries were held yesterday to determine who would be on the ballot for the Nov. 2 special election to fill two vacant state senate seats.

For Michigan State Senate District 8, Democrat Martin Genter and Republican Douglas Wozniak won their respective special primary elections to fill the seat vacated by Sen. Pete Lucido.

They advance to the Nov. 2 special election with Andrew Kamal, who is running as an independent.

For Michigan State Senate District 28, Democrat Keith Courtade and Republican state Rep. Mark Huizenga won their respective special primary elections to fill the seat vacated by Sen. Peter MacGregor.

Republicans currently have a 20-16 majority in the Michigan State Senate.

Mike Carey, a coal lobbyist backed by former President Donald Trump, won the Republican primary to succeed former Rep. Steve Stivers over 10 other candidates for the Ohio Congressional District 15 seat.

Carey will face Democratic state Rep. Allison Russo, a health policy consultant who won the Democratic nomination, on Nov. 2.

Cuyahoga County Council member Shontel Brown defeated former state Sen. Nina Turner in Tuesday’s Democratic primary for Ohio Congressional District 11 to succeed former Rep. Marcia Fudge.

Brown will be on the ballot on Nov. 2 with Laverne Gore, the business owner, consultant, trainer and community activist who won the Republican nomination.

Campaign Finance

Florida: “Miami Beach Candidate Asks Voters to Donate to Her Campaign. And Eat at Her Restaurant” by Martin Vassolo (Miami Herald) for MSN

Michigan: “Donor Bernstein Funds Whitmer’s Recall Fight That Brother Could Rule On” by Craig Mauger (Detroit News) for Yahoo News

Washington DC: “More People Ran for Office and Donated to Campaigns Because of D.C’s New Public Financing Program” by Martin Austermuhle for Dcist.com

Elections

Ohio: “Trump-Backed Carey, Centrist Brown Win Ohio US House Races” by Julie Carr Smyth (Associated Press) for Yahoo News

Ethics

Idaho: “Idaho House Ethics Committee Denounces an Absent Rep. Giddings, Recommends Punishment” by Hayat Norimine (Idaho Statesman) for Yahoo News

New York: “AG: Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, broke state and federal law” by Anna Gromwold and Shannon Young (Washington Post) for MSN

Ohio: “Mayoral Hopeful State Sen. Sandra Williams Identified by Pseudonym in FirstEnergy Deferred Prosecution Agreement” by Seth Richardson (Cleveland Plain Dealer) for MSN

Lobbying

Colorado: “Aurora Lobbyist Registration Law Takes Effect; No Penalties Until 2022” by Kara Mason for Sentinel Colorado

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has announced a special primary election for House District 63 will be held on October 19 with runoff elections held on November 16, if necessary.

The special general election will be held on February 1, 2022.

The House District 63 seat has been vacant since former Rep. Bill Poole took over as state finance director on August 1.

Campaign Finance

National: “His Campaign Is Over. But Trump’s Political Groups Are Still Spending Donor Money at His Properties.” by Isaac Stanley-Becker and David Fahrenthold (Washington Post) for MSN

Alaska: “Federal Court Ruling Likely Allows Unlimited Cash in Alaska Political Campaigns” by James Brooks (Anchorage Daily News) for Yahoo News

Maine: “State Ethics Panel Launches Probe into Company That Donated to Democrats” by Scott Thistle for Portland Press Herald

Nebraska: “Nebraska Legislative Races Keep Breaking Spending Records, and There’s No End in Sight” by Martha Stoddard (Omaha World-Herald) for Lincoln Journal Star

Elections

National: “The Justice Department Puts States on Notice About Election Audits and Voting Changes” by Carrie Johnson for National Public Radio

Florida: “Key Figures in ‘Ghost’ Candidate Scandal Had Business Relationship, Records Show” by Jason Garcia and Annie Martin (Orlando Sentinel) for MSN

Ethics

Missouri: “Anti-Mask Protesters Swarmed a St. Louis County Council Meeting. Then, an Attendee Tested Positive for Covid.” by Katie Shepherd (Washington Post) for MSN

Lobbying

California: “A Lobbyist’s Secret Gift to a Councilwoman Prompts El Monte to Consider New Ethics Rules” by Adam Elmahrek (Los Angeles Times) for MSN

The Pennsylvania Speaker of the House announced a special election for House District 164 on November 2, the same day as the general election.

The district seat became vacant when Rep. Margo Davidson resigned after being charged with theft and election code violations related to her improper use of state funds and improper campaign finance reporting.

The winner of the special election will serve the remainder of Davidson’s term ending November 30, 2022.

The Board of County Commissioners have adopted Ordinance 21-73 adding additional requirements to the registration and reporting of lobbyists communication with the Miami-Dade County.

The new requirements include requiring lobbyists to disclose the specific issues they are lobbying, lobbyist registration to be amended within 15 days to ensure accuracy, and requiring lobbyist expenditure reports to be filed even if there were no expenditures.

The 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down three provisions of Alaska’s campaign finance law.

In Thompson Vs. Hebdon the plaintiffs challenged four of the state’s finance contribution restrictions.

After being remanded back to the 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals Court from the United States Supreme Court, the 2-1 panel rejected the $500 per-year limit on the amount of money an Alaskan can contribute to a particular candidate, the $500 per-year limit on contributions to a particular political group, and the $3,000 limit on the amount of money a candidate can accept from all out-of-state donors combined in a given year.

Until the legislature passes a new restriction, individuals may give unlimited amounts to Alaskan politicians.

Campaign Finance

Arizona: “Arizona Lawmakers Invest More in Private Prisons After Record-High Campaign Contributions” by Jimmy Jenkins (WJZZ), Joseph Darius Jaafari and Justin Price (Arizona Republic) for MSN

California: “Recall Money Wars: What do Newsom’s million-dollar donors want?” by Ben Christopher for CalMatters

Connecticut: “Connecticut Drawn into Fight Over Conservative ALEC’s Tax-Exempt Status” by Mark Pazniokas for Connecticut Mirror

Elections

National: “Trump Pressed Justice Dept. to Declare Election Results Corrupt, Notes Show” by Katie Benner (New York Times) for Yahoo News

Arizona: “Republican-Led Arizona Ballot Review Grinds to Rocky Conclusion, with Results Expected Next Month” by Rosalind Helderman (Washington Post) for MSN

Ethics

National: “Trump’s Tax Returns Can Be Released to Congress, DOJ Tells IRS” by David Yaffe-Bellamy and Laura Davison (Bloomberg) for MSN

Legislative Issues

National: “What the Latest Numbers Show on Hill Staff Diversity” by Jim Saska (Roll Call) for MSN

Lobbying

Ohio: “JobsOhio $21 Million PPE Contract Prompts Political Consultant’s Lawsuit Over Finder’s Fee” by Andrew Tobias (Cleveland Plain Dealer) for MSN

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson reinstated the states’ general health emergency July 29 and called for a special legislative session to convene in the first week of August.

Hutchinson cited staffing shortages at hospitals along with the rising number of COVID cases.

His emergency directs the state to seek help from other states and to ease licensure rules for health care professionals. Huthcinson also contacted the White House for possible assistance.

The special session will amend Act 1002, which prohibits the state government from requiring face masks for most entities, including schools.

The Arkansas Legislature is currently in extended recess and is still considered to be in session for purposes of lobbyist activity reports. Lobbyists who are registered to lobby the General Assembly are required to file a monthly report for any month the General Assembly is in session.