Delaware

Delaware voters head to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, with registration and absentee ballot deadlines already passed or approaching. Polls run 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and despite closed primaries, all registered voters may choose any candidate in the general election. Top races include U.S. Senate, where Democratic incumbent Chris Coons seeks reelection against Republican challenger Michael Katz, a physician and former Democratic state senator who later ran as an independent before switching parties. In the attorney general race, Democratic incumbent Kathy Jennings, in office since 2019, faces Republican challenger David Graham, a Delaware National Guard veteran and certified public accountant. Results will factor into national control of Congress.

Early in-person voting opened in Grand Rapids, Michigan, giving residents 13 days to cast ballots before the Nov. 3 general election—beyond the nine days required by state law. Voters can cast ballots at any of four sites—St. Peter and Paul School, GRPS University, Ottawa Hills High School, and New Hope Baptist Church—rather than being limited to a home precinct, as on Election Day. The city is also offering live wait-time tracking online. City Clerk Joel Hondorp said absentee voting remains the most popular early option, and voters can bring absentee ballots to any early voting site or their precinct to run through the tabulator in person. The early voting window closes the Sunday before Election Day.

Videos circulating from the Portland, Oregon area show local activists, including bar co-owner Kiley Delgado and her husband Karim, using personal vehicles to blockade and surround U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers during field operations. The footage, recorded by Delgado herself, shows cars maneuvered to box in federal vehicles while bystanders are recruited in real time to help trap the agents, who in one instance reportedly had to drive through a residential hedge to leave the scene.

The incidents come as the Department of Homeland Security has expanded immigration enforcement activity in sanctuary jurisdictions across several states, including Oregon, prompting increased counter-surveillance and direct-action tactics from local activist networks tracking ICE vehicles near Portland. Critics note that similar vehicle-blockade incidents involving other residents have previously drawn arrests and political attention, including commentary from Oregon's congressional delegation, raising questions about uneven enforcement. No charges against the Delgados have been publicly reported. The episodes highlight escalating friction between federal immigration authorities and sanctuary-city activists as enforcement operations intensify nationwide.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed Assembly Bill 2164, which would have barred California governors from honoring extradition requests from states seeking to prosecute people for performing or assisting with abortions or gender transition procedures banned elsewhere. The bill passed the Democratic-controlled Legislature largely along party lines. Newsom said he supports the underlying goal but objected to the Legislature binding a future governor's executive authority over extradition, calling it "an entirely executive function" that should remain discretionary.

California is among roughly 20 states with shield laws protecting abortion or gender-affirming care providers. Reproductive Freedom for All criticized the veto, warning that a potential win by Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton could leave providers vulnerable, though polling shows Democrat Xavier Becerra with a substantial lead in the race. Newsom, seen as a likely 2028 Democratic presidential contender and currently polling second behind Kamala Harris in early primary surveys, touted his broader record on reproductive rights protections despite the veto.

Delaware state Rep. Josue Ortega has pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor offensive touching charge stemming from an alleged May domestic incident. He was charged in August after Kaywren Phelps, a woman he had been in a relationship with, alleged he punched her in the face and took her phone during an argument near a Wilmington shopping center. Police documented swelling and discoloration on her face when she reported the incident. Ortega entered his plea on September 22, ahead of a scheduled arraignment, and a trial has been set for December.

Phelps' allegations, made public earlier this summer, prompted a Delaware House Ethics Committee investigation whose findings have not been disclosed. Both Ortega and Phelps previously filed competing protection-from-abuse petitions against each other. Ortega, whose district covers parts of Wilmington, lost his reelection bid in a three-way Democratic primary this month. His attorney has declined to comment on the case.

The deaths of Anthony Mitchell Sr. and his son Justin, who had cerebral palsy, in the January 2025 Altadena fires while waiting for evacuation help renewed scrutiny of how emergency officials track residents who need extra assistance. Of the 31 people killed in the Palisades and Eaton fires, 27 were over 65 and at least six had mobility issues. A California Commission on Aging report and a Los Angeles County study both examined creating "disaster registries" to identify vulnerable residents in advance, but neither effort has advanced; the county study was paused during a broader review of emergency operations.

California's Office of Emergency Services actively discourages registries, citing unreliable, hard-to-maintain data and a false sense of security for registrants. Only three of the state's 58 counties maintain one. By contrast, Florida operates a statewide Special Needs Registry linking health and emergency agencies across all 67 counties, and several other states—including Texas, Utah, New Jersey and Delaware—have adopted similar systems. Butte County, California, credits its registry, built after the deadly 2018 Camp Fire, with helping identify residents needing evacuation assistance, though it remains voluntary and incomplete.

Joe Arminio, the Republican nominee challenging Democratic Rep. Sarah McBride for Delaware's House seat, issued a statement defending his conduct after a misgendering controversy at a recent event. Arminio repeatedly referred to McBride, who is openly transgender, as "he" and "gentleman," prompting organizers to cut his speaking time short. McBride, notably, did not ask for him to be removed from the event.

In his statement, Arminio said he appreciated McBride's defense of his freedom of speech and reaffirmed his support for the Constitution. He argued that this support extends to an individual's right to assert their own gender identity, as well as his own right to state the facts as he sees them. The incident has drawn attention to the tone of the Delaware House race, in which McBride, the first openly transgender member of Congress, is seeking reelection.