This article describes a meeting that Maine Governor Paul LePage held with the three independent members of the Maine legislature who do not caucus with either major party. Although the thrust of the article is that the meeting did not go very cordially, a more important point is that the Governor at least met with the independents. Also it is significant that three of the four independents in the Maine legislature have their own caucus, and do not caucus with either major party. Thanks to Thomas MacMillan for the link.

This Los Angeles Times story explains that almost 4,000,000 Californians live in areas with no State Senate representation, due to redistricting and the fact that California, like most states with four-year State Senate terms, doesn’t elect the entire State Senate in years following redistricting.

A few states that don’t normally elect more than half their State Senators in any given year make exceptions for years after redistricting, and elect the entire State Senate. And many states have two-year State Senate terms.

On March 12, California will be holding special elections to fill two vacant State Senate seats. Filing has now closed. In the 32nd State Senate district, four Democrats and two Republicans are running. In the 40th State Senate district seat, three Democrats and two Republicans are running.

Here is a story about the 32nd district race. The story quotes California Assemblywoman Norma Torres as saying that she is not worried about the fact that her race has four Democrats and two Republicans, which opens the possibility that the four Democrats will split the Democratic vote so that the two Republicans place first and second. She says she is not worried because, she says, she ran in a race like that in November 2012 and “did fine.” But her race in November 2012 was not the same kind of race. When she was re-elected to the Assembly in 2012, in the 52nd Assembly district, there were three Democrats but only one Republican (and no other candidates). So the 2012 race in her Assembly district was unlike the upcoming election. With only one Republican in the race in 2012, it was impossible for two Republicans to place first and second and eliminate all the Democrats.

Here is a link to the list of candidates in the March 2013 election for the 32nd State Senate district, and here is a link for the 40th district.