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Jonathan D. Miller, the Libertarian Party's nominee for North Carolina state Senate District 16 covering much of Cary, fled into nearby woods on Monday carrying a revolver after an officer responding to a welfare check saw his weapon and ordered him not to touch it. Miller posted real-time updates to X describing suicidal thoughts and his evasion of police, and spoke repeatedly by phone with a local TV station during the hours-long standoff before surrendering near his apartment complex. No shots were fired and no injuries were reported. Police Chief Terry Sult said Miller had been "in a dark place." Miller faces charges including communicating threats, resisting officers, going armed to the terror of the people, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and is held at the Wake County Detention Center. He faces Republican Philip Hensley and Democratic incumbent Gale Adcock on the Nov. 3 ballot.

Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign confirmed it produced the controversial ad featuring Dr. Amy Acton's long-estranged mother, Donna Arthur, who calls her daughter "a liar." The campaign is spending $4 million to run the ad statewide and has declined to pull it despite bipartisan condemnation. Acton's brother says the siblings were removed from their mother's custody as children after their stepfather was indicted for raping Acton between ages 9 and 12. Gov. Mike DeWine called the ad "deeply, deeply troubling" and urged Ramaswamy to take it down while keeping his endorsement; Sen. Jon Husted and former Rep. Jim Renacci also criticized it, warning of a GOP backlash. VP JD Vance dismissed the outcry as "whining," and President Trump defended Ramaswamy, calling the mother's hostility "unusual." Acton leads polling in a race drawing over $120 million in outside spending.

Dozens of Massachusetts lawmakers, including the House speaker and Senate president, are urging voters to defeat a November ballot measure that would roll back the state's marijuana legalization law. The push comes amid broader cannabis policy developments: Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced medical cannabis dispensaries are now operating statewide, and a new North Carolina poll found majority bipartisan support for both recreational and medical legalization. Other state activity includes New Jersey advancing hemp drink and unlicensed-sales legislation, Oklahoma's new medical cannabis packaging rules taking effect November 1, and an Iowa psychedelic church securing a DEA agreement to import ayahuasca. These developments reflect continued momentum and regulatory flux across state-level cannabis and psychedelic policy.

Some Michigan Republican officials and candidates are voicing concern about their party's prospects in the November election, citing surging gas and diesel prices linked to the war in Iran and signs of flagging GOP voter enthusiasm. Former state Rep. Pam Hornberger called the fight to keep the state House majority a "huge struggle" and said Republicans have little chance of flipping a key state Senate seat in suburban Detroit. A Marquette County GOP chairman described local volunteer enthusiasm as at "all time lows," and a former 5th District GOP chairman estimated a fifth of Trump's base may sit out the election or vote Democratic.

Republicans currently hold a narrow 58-52 state House majority, while Democrats control the state Senate 20-18. GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers has proposed suspending fuel taxes to ease costs. Other Republicans, including Rep. Mark Tisdel and former Rep. Rocky Raczkowski, offered more mixed assessments, acknowledging a difficult political environment tied to affordability concerns and the desire among voters for checks on unified Republican control in Washington.

Texas Republicans are moving to revive Senate Bill 7, a sweeping elections measure that died over the weekend after Democratic lawmakers staged a walkout to deny the House a quorum before a midnight deadline. Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to call a special session to pass the bill and possibly other stalled conservative priorities, including a ban on transgender athletes in girls' and women's sports.

The bill would cut polling hours, empower partisan poll watchers, ban drive-through and 24-hour voting, and includes a contested provision making it easier for judges to void election results over unproven fraud claims. Democrats objected especially to new limits on early Sunday voting, a key day for Black churchgoers, though one GOP negotiator called that provision a drafting error. Abbott has threatened to veto legislative salaries in retaliation and invoked the 2013 Wendy Davis filibuster, which Republicans overturned in a special session. President Biden urged Democrats nationally to intensify voting rights efforts as Congress prepares to debate federal elections legislation.

Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson has drawn support from Gov. Spencer Cox and former Gov. Gary Herbert after refusing a Justice Department request for the state's full voter registration list, including sensitive personal data. The DOJ's Civil Rights Division has opened an investigation into Henderson over the refusal, arguing it violates federal law. Henderson's office maintains that neither state nor federal law entitles the DOJ to collect private information on citizens, and Cox has publicly criticized the investigation as improper.

The dispute comes as the U.S. Supreme Court blocked a Trump administration plan requiring the Postal Service to screen mailed ballots against a federal citizen registry before delivery, upholding an injunction against the rule. Henderson said the ruling ensures Utah's 2026 election will proceed normally. Utah relies heavily on vote-by-mail, which state officials credit with boosting turnout from among the lowest in the nation to among the highest since 2018. A recent state audit found only a small number of confirmed noncitizens among Utah's more than 2 million registered voters, underscoring officials' argument that state-run election oversight is working effectively.

Oregon's gubernatorial race took center stage over Labor Day, as incumbent Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek and Republican challenger Christine Drazan both courted worker support ahead of the November election. Kotek attended the Northwest Oregon Labor Council's annual Labor Day picnic at Oaks Amusement Park in Portland, telling thousands of union members she would back them at the bargaining table. Attendees included members of AFSCME, SEIU, Teamsters and UFCW, along with other Democratic officials such as Secretary of State Tobias Read.

Drazan, who did not attend a Labor Day event, posted a pro-worker video pledging to bring jobs and investment back to Oregon and reverse business relocations out of the state. The contest comes as Oregon faces a rising cost of living and unemployment ticking above the national rate. Oregon has a strong union tradition, with unionization rates well above the national average, and labor groups have historically leaned Democratic, though both parties are working to win worker votes this cycle.

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed drew national criticism, including from Rod Blagojevich, Ted Cruz and the Republican National Committee, after saying on TV he couldn't wait for the University of Michigan "to beat Ohio" in football. Critics framed it as proof he didn't know the sport, but Michigan politicians of both parties, including Fred Upton, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Justin Amash, along with the University of Michigan's own social accounts, have long used "beat Ohio" as shorthand for Ohio State.

Separately, U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin urged Michigan Democrats to back El-Sayed in his race against Republican Mike Rogers, without formally endorsing him earlier. Retiring Sen. Gary Peters completed his final "Thank You, Michigan" motorcycle tour, with Slotkin joining part of the ride. Rep. Tom Barrett and Democratic challenger Will Lawrence are set to debate Oct. 6 in the closely watched 7th Congressional District race, seen as pivotal to House control.