Elections

As Florida voters headed to the polls Tuesday, Democrat David Jolly and Republican Byron Donalds made final stops in Polk County, with Jolly in Haines City stressing housing, healthcare, education and a data center moratorium, and Donalds in Lakeland pledging to continue DeSantis-era conservative policies, lower insurance costs and cut property taxes. A Jolly win would end nearly three decades of GOP control of the governor's mansion, while a Donalds win would make him Florida's first Black governor.

Some Republicans, including DeSantis, had voiced concern over sluggish GOP turnout, and a New York Times/Siena poll found Donalds with only a slim lead despite outraising Jolly and having Trump's and DeSantis's backing, making the race unexpectedly competitive in a state that hasn't elected a Democratic governor since 1994.

Texas voters head to the polls Nov. 3 to decide a slate of statewide and local races. The marquee contest pits Republican Ken Paxton against Democrat James Talarico for U.S. Senate, while Gov. Greg Abbott faces Democrat Gina Hinojosa in what is being called his most competitive reelection bid yet. Voters will also choose a lieutenant governor and U.S. House members.

In Tarrant County, Republican incumbent Tim O'Hare and Democratic commissioner Alisa Simmons are competing for county judge, a race watched as a possible signal of whether the historically red county is trending Democratic. Polling places require photo ID, and Tarrant County has fewer vote centers available than in the prior midterm election.

North Carolina's US Senate race, once seen as among the nation's most competitive, has shifted toward Democrat Roy Cooper, who polling shows leading Republican Michael Whatley by a wide margin. In western North Carolina's 11th Congressional District, analysts have moved the race toward Democrats after GOP incumbent Chuck Edwards dropped his reelection bid; Democrat Jamie Ager faces Republican replacement Jennifer Balkcom.

In South Carolina, the Senate seat previously held by the late Lindsey Graham has become unexpectedly competitive, with appointed Senator Darline Graham holding a narrow lead over Democratic challenger Annie Andrews. Outcomes in these races could influence which party controls Congress.

Voters in Minnehaha County, South Dakota, the state's most populous county, head to the polls Tuesday to fill three county commission seats and the auditor's office. Commission candidates include Republicans Brent Hoffman, Jen Bleyenberg and Rick Bonader, Democrat Kenny Anderson Jr. and independent Curt Soehl; incumbents Joe Kippley and Gerald Beninga are not seeking re-election. In the auditor's race, Republican incumbent Leah Anderson faces Democratic challenger Curt Diedrich, who has emphasized modernizing the county's website and election information access. Separately, Captain Josh Phillips, who ran unopposed after winning the Republican primary, will become sheriff, succeeding longtime Sheriff Mike Milstead, who is retiring after nearly 30 years.

Illinois' 4th Congressional District will elect a new U.S. House member after Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, who had initially filed to seek reelection, withdrew late citing family health issues. That left Democrat Patty Garcia, his former chief of staff and no relation, as the sole Democratic primary candidate in March. She faces Republican Lupe Castillo, along with independent Lyons Mayor Chris Getty and Working Class Party candidate Ed Hershey, a science teacher. Rep. Garcia's last-minute exit drew criticism from both major-party rivals, who called it untrustworthy, while Garcia said it left her with a difficult transition. The majority-Hispanic Chicago-area district was created under a federal court order.

Alaska Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan used his final day of campaigning to accuse Democratic challenger Mary Peltola's camp of helping place a second candidate also named Dan Sullivan on the ballot, calling it a deliberate attempt to confuse voters. The incumbent raised the allegation during stops including Eagle River, framing it as evidence of dirty tactics in a close race. Peltola, who previously held Alaska's U.S. House seat, is challenging Sullivan for his Senate seat. The dispute adds a late twist to a contest already drawing national attention as one of the more competitive Senate races, with control implications for the chamber's partisan balance.

Michigan's 13th Congressional District, a Detroit-based seat Democrats have held almost continuously since 1949, will get a new representative following Rep. Shri Thanedar's primary defeat. Democratic state Rep. Donavan McKinney, who beat Thanedar in August with backing from Bernie Sanders, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, faces Republican T.P. Nykoriak, along with third-party candidates from the Green, U.S. Taxpayers and Working Class parties. McKinney's win would likely restore Detroit's first Black representative in Congress since 2022. His platform emphasizes workers' rights, Medicare for All and clean energy; Nykoriak focuses on oversight and health care access. The race is one of three Michigan seats guaranteed to send a new member to Washington.