Elections

A group called Nonnegotiable Michigan, started by rabbis in the state, pressed Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed to publicly affirm support for Israel's existence and the safety of Zionist Jews before Election Day. El-Sayed did not address the demands, and the campaign's final days were instead dominated by Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens' endorsement of his Republican opponent, Mike Rogers. The movement has since gathered thousands of signatures nationally, including from out-of-state rabbis and University of Michigan students, with organizers framing it as a template for future elections.

Critics on the left, including rabbis allied with El-Sayed, argue the campaign alienated his supporters and indirectly benefited Rogers, while J Street raised concerns about possible coordination with AIPAC-aligned figures, which organizers deny.

An October grid emergency at Golden Valley Electric Association, which warned Interior Alaska customers of possible rolling blackouts, has sharpened debate over the long-delayed Alaska LNG pipeline. Recent investment pledges from South Korea and Taiwan have advanced the project, but as planned the mainline could bypass Fairbanks without a spur line delivering gas locally. A group of Interior community leaders published an op-ed backing gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins and running mate Zac Johnson, citing Kreiss-Tomkins's pledge to secure a Fairbanks spur and interim plans for an energy bond, utility reform, and cross-party cooperation.

The episode underscores how high heating and electricity costs in the Interior are becoming a central issue ahead of Alaska's November gubernatorial election.

A Connecticut law passed this year will require homeschooling families to register and undergo a DCF background check starting in 2027, after lawmakers cited several abuse cases involving children withdrawn from school. The bill advanced despite overwhelming written and in-person testimony against it. Angered families say legislators, including Education Committee co-chairs Jennifer Leeper and Doug McCrory, ignored their objections.

Several homeschooling parents, a grandfather, and a recent homeschool graduate are now running for state legislative seats, mostly as Republicans in Democratic-leaning districts, aiming to repeal or revise the law. Candidates frame the race as a broader fight over parental rights and government accountability rather than homeschooling alone.

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.