Cabinet Confirmations Mean New Faces in Congress

As the Trump Cabinet takes shape, vacancies in the Senate and House must be filled for those members who are nominated and confirmed. In the Senate, former Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange (R-AL) was appointed by Gov. Robert Bentley (R-AL) and sworn in on February 9 as the junior senator replacing new U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The House will see vacancies in four seats to be filed by special elections. A special election will be held on April 11 in Kansas’s 4th congressional district to fill the seat formerly held by Mike Pompeo, the new director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Kansas State Treasurer Ron Estes is the Republican nominee and James Thompson is the Democratic nominee. Both were selected at conventions of their respective parties. In the 4th district of Georgia, a special election is scheduled for April 18 for the seat recently held by Tom Price, the new Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). There will be one ballot with all candidates from all parties running together. If no candidate receives 50 percent of the vote, a runoff election will be held between the top two vote-getters. A special election will be scheduled in the 5th District of South Carolina for the seat held by Mick Mulvaney (R-SC), the new Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). There will be a statewide special election in Montana for the at-large seat of Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT), nominated to be the new Secretary of the Interior.