Renewable energy

Former CVS Health executive Helena Buonanno Foulkes, a Democrat, has won Rhode Island's gubernatorial election, defeating Republican Aaron Guckian and independent Kenneth Block. Unofficial results showed Foulkes drawing more than 205,000 votes statewide, well ahead of Block's roughly 100,000 and Guckian's about 47,000, with turnout at 45.5%. She will succeed Governor Daniel McKee, who took office in 2021 after Gina Raimondo's departure. Foulkes campaigned on a $1 billion affordable housing fund, raising Medicaid reimbursement rates, expanding renewable energy, and stricter gun laws, and was endorsed by Nancy Pelosi. Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos also won reelection, defeating Republican John Loughlin. The results keep Rhode Island's governorship and lieutenant governorship under Democratic control.

Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids is seeking a fifth term representing Kansas's 3rd Congressional District, covering Johnson County and parts of Wyandotte and Miami counties. She faces Republican Eric Jenkins, a retired Army colonel and former Shawnee City Council president, and Libertarian Steve Hohe, an Air Force veteran and repeat congressional candidate. Davids, first elected in 2018 after unseating incumbent Kevin Yoder, has won at least 53% of the vote in each prior race and backs the Affordable Care Act, abortion rights and renewable energy investment. Jenkins favors extending Trump-era tax cuts, stricter immigration enforcement and expanded energy production, while Hohe proposes a flat tax and sharply reduced federal spending. Voters decide the race November 3.

President Donald Trump campaigned in Syracuse Friday night for Republican gubernatorial nominee Bruce Blakeman, drawing about 2,500 supporters to the Oncenter while roughly 4,000 protesters gathered nearby. The rally came a day after an ICE agent shot and wounded Oscar Belgal, 28, in Manhattan's Marble Hill neighborhood while he was driving with his 5-year-old son; federal authorities alleged Belgal had gang ties.

In a speech lasting more than 80 minutes, Trump attacked Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James over immigration, energy and tax policy, repeated disputed claims about election fraud and the Interstate 81 teardown, and promised Blakeman would sharply cut electric bills and taxes. Blakeman pledged to end New York's sanctuary-state status by executive order on his first day in office if elected. Hochul's campaign has branded Blakeman "Trump's puppet" and defended her record, including the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act limiting local cooperation with ICE, which some upstate sheriffs are suing to overturn. Immigration enforcement and affordability remain central issues as the governor's race enters its final weeks.

Democratic Rep. Josh Harder faces Republican John McBride in the general election for California's 9th Congressional District, a rematch after McBride failed to advance past the primary in 2024. Harder, first elected in 2018 and representing the 9th District since 2022 redistricting, won 60% of the June primary vote to McBride's 23%.

The district, centered in the northern San Joaquin Valley with parts of Contra Costa County, was redrawn ahead of this cycle to favor Harder's reelection, trimming areas like Lodi and Stockton while adding Antioch. It was previously one of two California districts to back Donald Trump in 2024 while also electing a Democrat to Congress.

Harder, a former venture capitalist, has focused on eliminating the gas tax, promoting alternative energy projects, and lowering healthcare costs, including prescription drug prices. McBride, a longtime strength and conditioning coach and Central Valley resident, is emphasizing affordability, a Make America Healthy Again-aligned healthcare approach, agriculture support, and tougher crime penalties.

The Michigan Public Service Commission approved a settlement agreement clearing the way for Acceleration Solar, a 600-plus-acre, 90-megawatt solar project spanning Leslie, Onondaga and Vevay townships in Ingham County. It is the first project to be approved under Public Act 233 of 2023, a Democrat-backed law allowing renewable energy developers to bypass local opposition by seeking state-level approval for large solar, wind and battery storage projects.

Under the settlement with developer Ranger Power, the townships will receive at least $180,000 in direct payments, plus noise monitoring, tree screening, decommissioning guarantees, county drain improvements and fire department training. Local officials gave mixed reviews, acknowledging the deal improved on state minimums even as some residents preferred farmland to solar. The law faces a legal challenge from 79 townships and counties, now before the Michigan Supreme Court after an appellate court largely upheld it. Regulators are reviewing 12 similar applications statewide, making this settlement an early test of whether the contested permitting process can produce negotiated outcomes rather than contested rulings.

Sen. Sheila "Darline" Graham and Rep. Ralph Norman, the two Republicans vying in South Carolina's Senate runoff, traded sharp personal attacks in a Newsmax-hosted debate moderated by Greta Van Susteren ahead of the Aug. 25 primary to fill the seat left vacant by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham. Graham accused Norman of stalling President Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill," at one point suggesting Trump had to personally call Norman to secure his vote, and of taking $600,000 in COVID-era bailout money while opposing extended unemployment benefits. Norman denied holding up the bill, calling the attacks "silly season" politics, and said he used his leverage to strip clean-energy subsidies, including electric vehicle and solar credits, before ultimately voting for the final package.

Both candidates called for Anthony Fauci to be jailed following a Senate committee's contempt vote against him, and both backed Trump's handling of Iran and Taiwan, though with differing emphasis on avoiding prolonged military conflict. Norman also criticized federal overspending, while Graham cited her record trimming state agency duplication. Early voting begins Aug. 19.