Elections

Maine's closely watched U.S. Senate race entered its final days with Republican incumbent Susan Collins and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson delivering sharply contrasting closing pitches. Jackson cast the contest as a referendum on Donald Trump and a chance to flip a seat Democrats need to retake the Senate majority, leaning into class-based attacks on Collins. Collins, seeking a sixth term, emphasized her seniority and record of bipartisan dealmaking while distancing herself from Trump. The race, which drew over $137 million in outside spending and turned personal in its final stretch, saw heavy early turnout, with more than 250,000 ballots cast ahead of Election Day.

Voters in seven states, including Florida, Wyoming and Oklahoma, will decide Election Day ballot measures to cap, shrink or phase out property taxes, marking the largest such revolt since the 1970s. Florida's measure would raise homestead exemptions and open a path to eliminating nonschool property taxes; Wyoming's would cut assessed home values by half.

Critics point to California's 1978 Proposition 13 as a cautionary precedent: it slashed local property tax revenue, led to higher impact fees and other taxes, and is linked to worsening housing shortages and rising home-price-to-income ratios. Economists across the political spectrum, including Milton Friedman and Joseph Stiglitz, have defended property taxes as efficient and hard to avoid, complicating the push for sweeping cuts.

In Petersburg, Alaska, retired teacher Dan J. Sullivan's campaign against Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, once dismissed as a prank dubbed "Decoy Dan," has become a federal investigation. FBI agents have visited and interviewed about a dozen local donors who gave roughly $7,150 combined, asking whether they felt deceived and whether they meant to donate to the incumbent instead. Dan J. Sullivan has not been seen publicly for weeks, and reporters have been unable to reach him. The Trump administration is weighing "ballot stacking" charges, and a Justice Department lawsuit seeking to block certification of the race was dismissed, then appealed. Democrat Mary Peltola denies any role after reports linked allies to decoy-candidate recruitment in the tight Senate race.

A tour of Michigan early-voting sites along I-96 found many voters motivated by frustration with Washington and the Trump administration, citing gas and grocery prices, the Iran conflict, and immigration enforcement. Of voters interviewed, a clear majority backed Democrats, though Republican turnout was also evident in GOP-leaning areas like Novi, Livonia, and Ionia County. Michigan's open U.S. Senate race, pitting Democrat Abdul El-Sayed against Republican Mike Rogers following Gary Peters' retirement, drew frequent mention, alongside the governor's race and down-ballot contests. Republican voters defended Trump's record and warned against progressive and socialist-aligned candidates, while Democratic voters emphasized health care access and opposition to the administration's agenda.

Texas voters choose a new attorney general on Nov. 3, the first open race for the office in more than a decade as Ken Paxton departs to run for U.S. Senate. Republican state Sen. Mayes Middleton, Democratic state Sen. Nathan Johnson and Libertarian Tom Oxford are competing for the post, which oversees state lawsuits, consumer protection enforcement, child support collection and legal opinions on Texas law.

Middleton favors expanding the office's prosecutorial authority and aggressive immigration enforcement, while Johnson emphasizes working with local prosecutors, consumer protection and checking unlawful federal actions. A recent University of Houston poll showed Middleton ahead, though analysts note the outcome may hinge on turnout. The winner will serve a four-year term shaping Texas's role in major legal and policy disputes.

Cuyahoga County's Board of Elections closed its four-week early in-person voting period Sunday with a final four-hour window, drawing long lines that wrapped around the Cleveland office. Early voting turnout had already surpassed the entire 2022 midterm total by late October, with about 32,000 ballots cast in person by Oct. 27 compared with roughly 22,000 in all of 2022; officials projected a final count near 50,000. The surge comes ahead of Tuesday's general election, which includes races for Ohio governor and U.S. Senate. Voters who skipped early voting must cast ballots at assigned polling places Tuesday, when Ohio polls run from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Rep. Haley Stevens, who lost this year's Democratic Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed, publicly endorsed Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers, drawing sharp criticism from Michigan Democratic Party leaders. Party Chair Curtis Hertel accused Stevens of abandoning her values, while Vice Chair Portia Roberson reaffirmed the party's backing of El-Sayed. The rift stemmed partly from Stevens' demand that El-Sayed condemn a left-wing PAC ad tying grocery prices to U.S. military aid to Israel, exposing deeper party divisions over Israel policy. A planned joint campaign appearance between Stevens and El-Sayed was scrapped after Rep. Debbie Dingell intervened, calling the feud a "total distraction," though she maintained Stevens remains a loyal Democrat who will vote the party ticket.