Non-partisan democracy

Voters in Wyoming, Michigan, filled four nonpartisan city council seats in Tuesday's general election, each carrying a four-year term. Sheldon DeKryger, currently an at-large council member, ran unopposed and won the mayor's seat. Amy Jo Duzan defeated Kyle Brethauer for the open 1st Ward seat. In the two at-large races, Daniel Rivera and incumbent Renee Hill won over Cassandra Kawka-Vlahos and incumbent Rob Arnoys, who lost his seat. Results from the Kent County Clerk's Office are unofficial pending certification. The seven-member council, made up of the mayor, three at-large members, and three ward representatives, sets city ordinances, appoints board members, and approves the annual budget.

Pennsylvania has become a focal point in the battle for the U.S. House, with four GOP-held seats — held by Reps. Scott Perry, Brian Fitzpatrick, Rob Bresnahan and Ryan Mackenzie — rated as toss-ups or lean Democrat by nonpartisan forecasters. Democrats need a net gain of three seats nationally to retake the majority, and party leaders say the state is central to that path. Trump held a tele-rally for several Pennsylvania Republicans but notably skipped Fitzpatrick, a centrist who has broken with the party on key votes. Democrats, scarred by a narrow 2024 shortfall, say enthusiasm and turnout look stronger this cycle, though challengers are cautious about overconfidence heading into Tuesday's vote.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Burt Jackson said he's worried rural Georgia voters may not turn out strongly for him, as early voting shows high turnout among Black voters, a key bloc for Democrats. Jackson faces former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) in a close contest; a recent Atlanta Journal-Constitution/University of Georgia poll gave Jackson a narrow one-point lead. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D) leads his reelection race by a wider margin, and Democrats hope strong Ossoff turnout lifts Bottoms. Jackson, a billionaire healthcare executive, has self-funded over $100 million of his campaign, far outpacing Bottoms, though Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker donated $1 million to her effort. Decision Desk HQ gives Bottoms a 56 percent win probability.

Incumbent Mayor Craig Greenberg and Metro Councilwoman Shameka Parrish-Wright met Sept. 30 in their first debate since advancing from a nine-candidate May primary, where Greenberg took 53% of the vote to Parrish-Wright's 26%. Greenberg also holds a large fundraising lead heading into the nonpartisan general election, the first under a 2024 state law removing party labels from Louisville mayoral and Metro Council ballots.

Data centers dominated the opening exchange, with Parrish-Wright criticizing a large southwest Louisville project approved before the city's recent 180-day moratorium and calling for stricter rules than those Metro Council is weighing. Greenberg defended his administration's proposed regulations, including a size cap and ratepayer protections, and backed the moratorium.

On public safety, Greenberg pointed to continued gun violence despite declining shootings and homicides, while Parrish-Wright called for balancing policing with mental health and housing investments. On transit, Parrish-Wright backed raising TARC's decades-old tax rate; Greenberg touted TARC's improved finances while acknowledging funding needs a broader community discussion. Three write-in candidates are also on the race but didn't participate.

Democrat Ben McAdams and Republican Riley Owen debated Tuesday at Salt Lake Community College in a contest for Utah's newly redrawn First Congressional District, hosted by the Utah Debate Commission with PBS Utah as media partner.

The race follows a lengthy redistricting fight. A Utah judge threw out the congressional map drawn by GOP state legislators, ruling it violated nonpartisan standards established by a 2018 voter-approved ballot measure. The judge instead adopted a map proposed by plaintiffs, including the League of Women Voters of Utah and Mormon Women for Ethical Government. The new First District now includes Salt Lake City, a Democratic-leaning area, making the seat more competitive than under the previous map. Current Republican incumbent Rep. Blake Moore is instead running in the newly drawn Second District.

McAdams, who represented Utah in Congress from 2019 to 2021, is seeking a return to the House. Owen, a former Trump White House staffer, would be among the chamber's youngest members if elected.

The Cook Political Report moved its ratings for two Senate races on Sept. 23, shifting Kansas from Likely Republican to Lean Republican and South Carolina from Solid Republican to Likely Republican, while still favoring the GOP in both. Cook cited economic pressures in Kansas—fuel, fertilizer and trade-war concerns—and questions over Sen. Roger Marshall's medical billing practices in his race against Democrat Adam Hamilton. In South Carolina, Sen. Lindsey Graham's uneven debate performances and a write-in campaign for primary rival Ralph Norman have raised doubts, though Democrat Annie Andrews remains an underdog. Cook also moved Georgia's race, between Sen. Jon Ossoff and Rep. Mike Collins, from Lean Democrat to Likely Democrat, citing Ossoff's fundraising edge.

Cook now rates overall Senate control a Toss Up, projecting Democrats could net one to five seats; they need four for the majority. Analysts noted a favorable Democratic environment but stressed Republicans' financial advantage and the number of heavily red seats Democrats must still flip.

Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) released a new campaign ad, filmed in D.C. and running in South Florida, accusing President Trump of going "too far" with immigration enforcement, warning that Hispanic voters who helped elect him in 2024 now "feel betrayed." Citing ICE data showing half of detainees had no criminal convictions or pending charges, she urged Trump to "be careful" about his advisers' guidance and compared his potential legacy to Lincoln's on slavery and Reagan's on communism. Salazar said she does not seek amnesty but a "dignified life" for immigrants, tying her message to her bipartisan Dignity Act (also called the DIGNIDAD Act), which would offer legal status to long-term undocumented immigrants without criminal records, updated with Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) in July. The ad comes just seven weeks before her reelection contest in a Miami-Dade district Democrats hope to flip.

The rare intra-party rebuke comes amid GOP anxiety that aggressive enforcement, including a troubled Minneapolis surge tied to two deaths, could erode Republican gains with Hispanic voters ahead of the midterms. Salazar's district, roughly 74% Hispanic, swung sharply toward Trump in 2024, helping him flip Miami-Dade County red for the first time since the 1980s, after leaning far narrower in 2020, but polling now shows Latino support swinging back toward Democrats nationally. She faces Democrat Elliot Rodriguez, a fellow Cuban-American and former TV anchor, who dismissed her ad as political opportunism; the race has reportedly tightened. Trump has shown no sign of softening his enforcement approach despite the warning.