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As early voting begins in Orange County, Florida, the two mayoral candidates have staked out opposing positions on Amendment 3, a property tax measure that county officials project would cut revenue by $165 million in 2027 and $275 million in 2028. Chris Messina backs the amendment, arguing it would deliver meaningful savings to homeowners amid an affordability crisis and disputing the county's revenue projections, citing recent tax revenue growth. Tiffany Moore Russell opposes it, warning it threatens discretionary programs like the Housing Trust Fund and offers no relief to the roughly 45% of county residents who rent. She says she would pursue budget cuts and efficiencies if it passes.

Gov. Josh Shapiro and Republican challenger Stacy Garrity met Wednesday night in the only scheduled televised debate of the Pennsylvania governor's race, ahead of the Nov. 3 election. The hourlong forum, hosted by abc27 and moderated by anchor Dennis Owens, aired across several Nexstar-owned stations statewide and streamed online. Libertarian candidate Ken Krawchuk was not invited.

Shapiro, a popular incumbent and potential 2028 presidential contender, enters the race with a large fundraising and polling lead, touting first-term accomplishments including infrastructure repairs, business recruitment, and utility cost caps. Garrity, the state treasurer and Trump-endorsed Republican seeking to become Pennsylvania's first female governor, used the debate to raise her profile and press Shapiro on affordability, school choice, and his handling of a sexual harassment settlement involving a former aide. Both candidates have faced scrutiny over shifting positions on data center development, a contentious issue with bipartisan voter opposition. Shapiro's campaign has sought to tie Garrity closely to Trump, while she has pushed back on characterizations of her 2020 election comments. Analysts note debates rarely shift outcomes in races with such a wide polling gap.

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and businessman Derek Jackson are set to meet in the only confirmed debate of Georgia's governor race, a one-hour town hall airing at 8pm on Gray Media's WANF and affiliated stations statewide. WANF anchor Rick Folbaum will moderate the event, held at Assembly Studios in Doraville, with vetted undecided voters posing questions on the economy, health care, education, housing, public safety and possibly data centers.

Recent polling shows the race within the margin of error. Jackson, who self-funded $108 million to win his primary, raised $13 million in the general election period with about $11 million on hand as of July 31, while Bottoms raised roughly $5.6 million with $1.3 million cash on hand. Jackson has skipped two earlier debates, citing a focus on direct voter outreach. Bottoms is expected to attack Jackson's business ties to President Trump, while Jackson continues targeting her record as Atlanta mayor.

A Republican gathering in Dallas drew heavy television coverage, with Bloomberg's Texas Edition examining how the event played out on screen and what it signals for state and national politics. Coverage touched on prominent Republican figures including Doug Burgum, Ken Paxton, and Jim Jordan, alongside broader themes tying Texas's economy — energy, data centers, artificial intelligence, and finance — to the political moment.

The reporting also noted Texas Democrats such as James Talarico, Wendy Davis, and Beto O'Rourke, framing the convention within the state's competitive political landscape ahead of upcoming House and Senate races. For prediction markets, the coverage underscores continued attention on Texas as a battleground for control of Congress and on how Republican messaging around energy and technology could shape voter sentiment in a state central to national election forecasting.