On August 26, Madison County, Iowa, held a special election for County Auditor. Independent candidate Michele Brant defeated her Republican opponent. See this story.
It is very rare for independent candidates to win Iowa elections. No independent candidate has been elected to Congress from Iowa, nor has Iowa ever had an independent governor. No independent has been elected to the legislature since 1922.
Madison County has a population of 16,548, and is located in south central Iowa.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer has this article about the Ohio Libertarian Party and its plans to recruit many candidates in 2026.
On August 25, a Utah state district court struck down the boundaries of Utah’s U.S. House seats. The decision is based on the State Constitution. League of Women Voters v Utah State Legislature, 220901712, Third District. Judge Dianna Gibson gave the state legislature 30 days to draw new districts. An appeal is likely.
The current map divides Salt Lake County so that a part of the county is in each of the state’s four districts. Republicans hold all four seats.
On August 25, Brian Vincent announced that he has joined the Forward Party. He is Mayor of Farmville, Virginia, the county seat of Prince Edward County. Virginia does not have registration by party, so except at election time, party membership is entirely the product of what an individual says. See this news story. Farmville has non-partisan elections for city office. Thanks to Daniel Sachs for this news.
On August 25, a New Jersey voter filed a challenge to the petition of the New Jersey Green Party for Governor and Lieutenant Governor. It needed 2.000 signatures and contained 2,434. A state court will adjudicate whether the petition has enough valid signatures.
This is the second petition the party submitted this year for New Jersey governor and lieutenant governor. The first petition was not challenged. But then the gubernatorial candidate withdrew for health reasons, so under a unique New Jersey law, the party had to file an entirely new petition.
