Texas

Austin city staff outlined a two-phase plan to regulate data centers, following an August council resolution directing use of the land development code. The first phase would define data centers under Title 4 of city code; the second would address zoning and land use through further research and community engagement. Council member Mike Siegel compared potential restrictions to rules on "adult-oriented" businesses and expects a ban on large-scale data centers to advance by December, with a full framework possibly finalized by 2027.

The Data Center Coalition pushed back, warning that excluding data centers from zoning districts would discourage investment, while council member Marc Duchen voiced support for faster oversight amid concerns over water, energy, and noise impacts. Austin Energy has fielded 13 inquiries, none reaching hyperscale size.

Harris County, Texas, has settled a lawsuit filed by the state attorney general's office over "Get Out the Vote" ads that used Meta ad-targeting tags tied to groups such as African-American literature, Latin music and Hispanic kitchen content. The office, led by Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth, spent roughly $43,000 on the ads over 30 days and has agreed to remove the demographic targeting and not reinstate it for the rest of the election. Hudspeth said the tags were dropped to avoid distraction while defending the outreach as lawful; the county attorney's office called the suit a political distraction. The dispute comes as Harris County has already topped 1 million early votes ahead of the November 3 election.

More than 6.4 million Texans cast ballots during early voting, surpassing the state's previous non-presidential-year record of 5.5 million set in 2018. The figures exclude mail-in ballots. Analysts point to the closely watched Senate race between Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico, now the most expensive Senate contest in history with over $560 million in combined ad spending, as the main driver of turnout. The governor's race between Greg Abbott and Gina Hinojosa, plus growth in suburban counties like Collin County, also contributed. Some experts project total turnout could reach 10 million votes, which would break the state's all-time midterm record.

Election Day voting runs Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Iowa's U.S. Senate race recorded the largest nationwide jump in ad spending between Sept. 28-Oct. 11 and Oct. 12-25, rising by about $22.77 million to roughly $64.59 million, according to the Wesleyan Media Project. That put Iowa fourth nationally in Senate ad spending for the period, behind Ohio, Texas, and Michigan, with outside groups funding about three-quarters of the total and spending tilting toward Democrats. The Cook Political Report has shifted Iowa's gubernatorial and Senate races, along with three of its four U.S. House races, further left this cycle. Analysts say the spending shift signals the battleground map moving from states like Georgia and North Carolina into redder territory as races near their close.

Texas voters go to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, to decide a slate of federal, state and local races. The ballot includes contests for the U.S. Senate and U.S. House, statewide executive and judicial offices, the Texas Legislature, and county-level positions such as county judge, sheriff, district attorney and various court seats. Depending on location, voters may also weigh in on local bond measures, tax proposals and charter amendments.

Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with early voting running Oct. 19 through Oct. 30. Results across these races will shape prediction markets tracking Senate control and statewide leadership in Texas.

A group of 15 Texas Republican House members, led by Rep. August Pfluger, is threatening to derail the more than $1 trillion farm bill over a Senate provision expanding ethanol blending requirements. The lawmakers argue the measure, backed by Midwestern senators and corn-state interests, would raise costs for Texas oil refineries and push fuel prices higher. The dispute revives a long-running fight between the agriculture and oil industries over federal ethanol mandates dating to 2005. The House already passed its version of the farm bill in April; the Senate has yet to act before the current congressional session ends in January, and Texas farm groups worry the ethanol dispute could further delay final passage.

Michigan's open Senate race between Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul el Sayed, vying to succeed retiring Sen. Gary Peters, has become a focal point in the fight for Senate control. Rogers is running a well-funded, high-intensity campaign—over $133 million in advertising and millions of door knocks—marking the most serious GOP statewide operation since 2014. Michigan hasn't elected a Republican senator since 1994, but polling shows a competitive race amid broader uncertainty about midterm turnout and Democratic advantages nationally.

If Republicans lose seats elsewhere, Michigan could determine whether the GOP retains a narrow Senate majority via the vice president's tiebreaking vote, making it one of the cycle's most consequential contests.

Gov. Tina Kotek and state Sen. Christine Drazan, facing off again for Oregon governor, are offering competing visions for the state's struggling schools. Kotek points to a cell phone ban, increased school funding, and a new accountability system, saying progress is underway but will take more than one term. Drazan wants to replace Department of Education and state board leadership, end social promotion by third grade, and reinstate graduation skills requirements.

The candidates also split on a new federal school-choice tax credit program: Drazan would opt Oregon in, while Kotek remains skeptical of the Trump administration's rules. Both want more instructional time and reforms to funding formulas, as districts face budget cuts, closures, and a higher education system under financial strain.