People and Politics: December 2012 | STATE LEGISLATURES MAGAZINE

IT’S A FAMILY AFFAIR IN DELAWARE. ANDRIA BENNETT, a legislative aide to the Democratic Caucus, won the House seat vacated by her husband in April, and joins her father, Representative John Viola (D), as the only father-daughter duo in the state legislature. Her husband, former Representative Brad Bennett, withdrew from the race after his second drunken driving arrest, a stint in jail and rehab. He was first elected in 2008 to the same seat his father, Ed Bennett, held for 18 years. The newly elected Bennett is the former representative’s second wife. His first was Senator Brian Bushweller’s daughter. Andria Bennett denies allegations that she is a place-holder for her husband. She says she’ll take him on in the primary if he decides to run again.

IT’S BEEN A FOUL FEST IN THE RACE FOR AN ARKANSAS HOUSE SEAT. FORMER HARLEM GLOVETROTTER FRED SMITH made the winning basket to gain back the seat he resigned from in 2011 following a conviction on theft of property delivered by mistake. The conviction was overturned, allowing him to run again. But he was barred from running in the Democratic primary by party rules because the conviction still showed up on his record. So he joined the Green Party. The key to his comeback was a winning ruling from the court that disqualified any votes for the Democratic incumbent Representative Hudson Hallum. He was convicted of felony conspiracy to commit voter fraud by manipulating absentee ballots in 2011 when he won a special election to the House.  He resigned but his name was still on the ballot. 

DAVID WILLIAMS (R), THE POWERFUL KENTUCKY SENATE PRESIDENT who was the bane of Democrats and governors, has resigned his seat to accept a judgeship offered by the governor whom he ran against. Williams spent 27 years in the General Assembly, the last 13 as Senate president. While Democrats dubbed Williams the “Bully from Burkesville,” his fellow Republicans called him a brilliant strategist who effectively advanced Republican policies in the state and obstructed many of the governor’s priorities. Williams ran against current Governor Steve Beshear, who crushed him in the election, in November 2011. Beshear appointed Williams circuit judge for three counties, a job Williams said he intended to run for in the future. U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell said Williams’ service in the legislature is “one of the most accomplished tenures in the history of the commonwealth.”

MARYLAND SENATOR TIFFANY ALSTON (D), CONVICTED of paying $800 to an employee of her law firm with state funds, cannot reclaim her seat, according to the legal counsel to the General Assembly. In a letter to Speaker Michael Busch (D), the counsel said he considers her “permanently removed from elective office.” Prince Georges County Democrats selected businessman Greg Hall to fill out the remainder of Alston’s term through 2014. Governor Martin O’Malley must approve the selection. Hall ran unsuccessfully for the seat in 2010. Alston had hoped to regain her seat after she paid back the General Assembly and completed 300 hours of community service.

TEXAS SENATOR MARIO GALLEGOS (D), A 22-YEAR VETERAN OF THE STATE LEGISLATURE, died in October from liver disease. He was 62. Gallegos was a strong voice for Hispanics and the working class. In 2006, he announced he was seeking treatment for alcoholism and was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver. With about a month to live, he received a liver transplant in 2007. Later that year he was elected president pro tem. Senator Leticia Van de Putte (D) called him a man of “matchless generosity,” adding she has “never known anyone who fought harder for the underdog—for the most vulnerable in the state.”

TWO LOUISIANA HOUSE MEMBERS, OUSTED from the powerful Appropriations Committee, say their dismissal by Speaker Chuck Kleckley (R) is a result of their opposition to some of Governor Bobby Jindahl’s fiscal policies. Republican Representatives Joe Harrison and Cameron Henry have broken ranks with the governor on fiscal issues and other matters and claim he will not tolerate an independent Legislature. Part of a group called the “hawks,” Harrison and Cameron wanted a special session to roll back cuts made by the administration. Their effort failed. The administration denies it had anything to do with the two men’s dismissal.

ON NOV. 6, THE NUMBER OF STATE LEGISLATORS in the nation increased by one—from 7,382 lawmakers to 7,383. The new seat, in a district just north of Albany, N.Y., was created by Senate Republicans during redistricting in an effort to shore up their majority and eliminate any possibility of a tie vote by increasing the 62-member body to 63 members. But the race between Democrat Cecilia Tkaczyk and Republican Assemblyman George Amedore was too close to call at press time.