2017 Alcenian Senate special election in Sidanevi

2017 Alcenian Senate special election in Sidanevi

November 7, 2017
Turnout	469,392 55.6% voting eligible
Nominee Jordan Peterson Aaron Hernandez Party Conservative Democratic Social Republican Popular vote 241,736 227,655 Percentage 51.5% 48.5%
Senator before election Martin Rossonovi Conservative Democratic Elected Senator Jordan Peterson Conservative Democratic

The 2017 Alcenian Senate special election in Sidanevi was held on November 7, 2017 in order to the fill the Class A seat for the remainder of the term through January 3, 2021.

The prior incumbent, Martin Rossonovi, resigned from the Alcenian Senate on May 5, 2017, four months into his 5th term, over allegations of campaign finance regulation violations. Governor Sean Neil declined to appoint an interim senator and opted to issue a writ of election to fill the vacancy. The nature of Rossonovi's resignation hurt the Conservative Democrats in the polls, well before a nominee was chosen. Jordan Peterson, a clinical psychologist and professor at the University of Sidanevi, Cornerville, announced his candidacy in June 2017, garnering attention as an unusual candidate. Peterson had little political experience and was prompted to run by fans of his Professor Against Political Correctness. Aaron Herandez, a member of the Sidanevi Public Assembly representing the Shepard area, announced his candidacy shortly after, quickly becoming the presumptive nominee for the Social Republicans.

The Conservative Democratic primary was held on September 5, 2017 with Peterson finishing second place with 35.5% of the vote. State representative Cameron Baldwin took first place with 37.9% of the vote. A run off primary was held a week later on September 12 with Peterson defeating Baldwin with 55.8% of the vote, securing the nomination.

The Social Republican Primary was held on October 3, 2017 with Hernandez winning 53.1% of the vote, securing the nomination.

Peterson trailed Hernandez in polling consistently before and after their parties' respective primaries and it was considered likely Hernandez would win. Although Sidanevi is considered to be a Conservative Democratic stronghold, Senate elections in the state, as in many others, are often competitive. Peterson defeated Hernandez in a surprise outcome, with 51.5% of the vote.

Background

The vacancy was caused by the resignation of Martin Rossonovi, the senior Senator from Sidanevi, over accusations that he solicited and accepted donations beyond the contribution limit of $2,500, used funds from illegal sources, and employed staffers who also worked at political action committees at the same time, a violation of the Fair Campaigning Act of 2001. The National Police Bureau and the Federal Election Administration each announced investigations into these allegations. Rossonovi opted to resign on May 5, 2017, saying "The trust the Alcenian people had in me has been irreparably damaged. I deny these charges against me, but I do not believe I can adequately represent the state of Sidanevi with this hanging over my head."

The revelations instantly harmed the Conservative Democrats in generic polling, even in Sidanevi, which is widely regarded as a safe blue state. Even before both parties selected their candidates, political pundits and election analysts forecasted a Social Republican victory.

Conservative Democratic primary

Candidates

• Cameron Baldwin, state representative
• Jordan Peterson, clinical psychologist
• Matt Spitznogle, Mayor of Big Rapids
• Kevin Wagner, entrepreneur
• Isabel Ott, former Mayor of Julian

Social Republican primary

Candidates

• Aaron Hernandez, state representative
• Morgan Beckenbauer, member of the Shepard City Council

Results

2017 Alcenian Senate special election in Sidanevi

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative Democratic	Jordan Peterson	241,736	51.5%
	Social Republican	Aaron Hernandez	227,655	48.5%
Total votes			469,392	100.0%
	Conservative Democratic hold