Monroe County, Florida

Election officials in several Florida counties, including Seminole, Broward, and Monroe, are investigating delays in vote-by-mail ballots moving through the U.S. Postal Service. Seminole County has issued more than 500 replacement ballots, with one local delivery taking seven days; a Broward official's son waited 12 days for a ballot sent from Orlando. USPS says it has found no delivery issues in Broward or Monroe. Central Florida counties outside Seminole report no similar problems. With Florida's 7 p.m. Nov. 3 return deadline approaching, officials are urging voters who haven't mailed ballots to instead vote early in person or drop ballots at secure intake stations.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrapped up a four-day Southern swing with a Labor Day weekend rally in Union County, North Carolina, a stronghold for Donald Trump in 2024. The stop capped his "Take It Back" tour, which also took him through six Trump-won South Carolina counties, including a Friday event in Lancaster, and a day of campaigning with Mecklenburg County Democrats around Charlotte.

Newsom framed the tour as an effort to support down-ballot Democrats in areas he says national party leaders often ignore, positioning himself as willing to campaign in conservative-leaning territory ahead of upcoming elections. The trip adds to speculation about his national ambitions, as Newsom is widely viewed as a potential frontrunner for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination. His visible campaigning in red-leaning Southern counties is being watched as an early signal of his strategy and appeal beyond California's base.