Deregulation

Ohio's Nov. 3 ballot features a high-profile governor's race between Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Democrat Amy Acton, Ohio's former pandemic-era health director, in a contest that could end two decades of GOP control. Republican Sen. Jon Husted faces former Sen. Sherrod Brown in a toss-up race with national implications for Senate control. Voters will also decide Issue 3, which would enshrine Ohio's photo ID voting requirement in the state constitution, plus races for attorney general, secretary of state, auditor, treasurer and state supreme court seats.

Locally, Columbus voters weigh two competing city charter amendments (Issues 8 and 9) that would reshape how City Council members are elected, while Franklin County-area communities decide school levies, bond issues and charter changes.

Ohio's 2026 ballot headlines with a governor's race between Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Democrat Amy Acton, Ohio's former health director, with control of the governorship at stake for the first time since 2006. The Senate race pits Republican incumbent Jon Husted against former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, a contest both parties see as pivotal to Senate control and Ohio's swing-state status. Voters also decide attorney general, secretary of state, auditor, treasurer and two Ohio Supreme Court seats, plus Cuyahoga County levies and governance measures. A statewide ballot question, Issue 3, would enshrine Ohio's photo ID voting requirement in the constitution. Local races include Cleveland-area congressional and county council contests.

California's Legislature closed its session this week by sending Gov. Gavin Newsom a wave of bills spanning data centers, artificial intelligence, immigration enforcement, wildfires and local news. Newsom signed measures requiring tracking of data centers' energy and water use and protecting consumers from rising electricity costs, alongside more than 10 bills restricting how social media, AI and autoplay features can target young users.

More than 20 new laws curb immigration enforcement, banning electric shock gloves and face coverings for law enforcement while easing lawsuits against federal officials. Other legislation sets first-in-the-nation standards for testing and remediating wildfire-smoke-damaged homes and requiring insurers to cover related costs, two years after the Los Angeles firestorms. New AI-related employment rules bar employers from relying solely on automated systems for discipline or firing and mandate 60-day notice before AI-driven layoffs. California also created the nation's largest journalism relief program, offering tax credits to local news outlets based on journalist headcount. The laws test whether California still sets the national policy agenda.

President Donald Trump opened a 32-day campaign tour on Oct. 1 with a stop in Denton, Texas, touring Peterbilt Motors' truck factory ahead of an evening rally in Durant, Oklahoma. Addressing factory workers and company leadership, Trump touted American manufacturing and credited 25% tariffs on foreign medium- and heavy-duty trucks and non-compliant components under the USMCA with helping add more than 1,000 jobs at the facility. Peterbilt's parent, PACCAR, also makes Kenworth trucks at U.S. plants in Ohio, Mississippi, Washington, and Kentucky.

Trump used the stop to deliver an enthusiastic endorsement of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, calling him "the single greatest attorney general in the United States," as Paxton runs for U.S. Senate against Democratic Rep. James Talarico, with recent September polling showing Talarico slightly ahead. Campaign finance filings show $10 million in ad spending split evenly between attacking Talarico and promoting Paxton. Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Ronny Jackson, facing a safer reelection bid, were also present. The tour continues with stops in Alabama, Ohio, and Nebraska, part of a broader Republican push ahead of the November midterms.