Union County, New Jersey

A campaign sign for Alexis Stadler, a candidate for the Union County Public Schools Board of Education in Waxhaw, N.C., was defaced with a black swastika, prompting the Union County Sheriff's Office to open an investigation as a possible case of ethnic intimidation. Stadler, who is raising her children in both Catholic and Jewish traditions with her Jewish husband, says she has faced repeated antisemitic harassment during her campaign, including slurs and offensive memes. Despite the incident, she says she will stay in the race while taking added precautions for her family's safety.

Sharon Goldman of the American Jewish Committee called the vandalism an attack on American democratic values, citing the organization's recent findings that most American Jews feel less safe than a year ago. Stadler's opponent, Linda Robinson, condemned criminal acts generally but declined to specifically denounce the incident, accusing Stadler of using it to distract from political disagreements. Authorities say such incidents are not common in Union County.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom campaigned with North Carolina Democrats in Charlotte and Monroe over Labor Day weekend, part of a four-day "Take It Back" tour through Alabama, South Carolina and North Carolina focused on voting rights, redistricting and civil rights. In Charlotte, Newsom joined volunteers canvassing for U.S. Senate candidate Roy Cooper, state Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls and other Democratic candidates. He then traveled to Monroe, more heavily Republican territory, for a rally with state party chair Anderson Clayton and other candidates.

Monroe's Republican mayor, Robert Burns, publicly framed the visit as proof the town and state have become politically significant, warning Democrats they "should be worried." The tour follows an earlier Newsom stop in Rock Hill, South Carolina, tied to his memoir, which fueled ongoing speculation about a potential 2028 Democratic presidential bid. His visits add a prominent national figure to a competitive midterm cycle in the Carolinas.