Rural area

Charleston County voters decide Nov. 3 whether to renew a half-percent transportation sales tax funding road projects, transit, water quality efforts and the county's greenbelt land-protection program. The greenbelt initiative, the first locally funded program of its kind in South Carolina, has protected more than 29,000 acres over 22 years and leveraged matching state, federal and private funds, including over $2.5 million from the state Conservation Bank for projects near Meggett.

Supporters, including Meggett's mayor and a town councilman, argue the tax curbs sprawl and congestion while protecting farmland, wildlife habitat and waterways, framing it as cheaper than raising property taxes or leaving growth unmanaged.

Ohio has made gains against opioid addiction and overdose deaths under Gov. Mike DeWine, who championed the RecoveryOhio initiative. With his term ending and a new governor to be elected soon, advocates and lawmakers are watching whether Democrat Amy Acton or Republican Vivek Ramaswamy will keep up the state's focus on treatment and prevention. Acton, who helped lead RecoveryOhio as state health director, pledges to expand treatment access and hold corporations accountable; Ramaswamy's campaign says he supports continuing the initiative and prioritizes behavioral health. Legislators cite concerns including workforce impacts from failed drug tests, looming Medicaid funding cuts, and debate over expanding treatments like cannabis and psilocybin for addiction-linked depression.

A new report from Washington's state hospital and community health associations projects hospitals will lose nearly $6 billion in revenue through 2033 due to federal Medicaid cuts enacted under last year's Republican-backed tax and spending law. Sen. Maria Cantwell and healthcare leaders warned the roughly $900 billion in nationwide cuts will raise ER wait times, premiums and uncompensated care costs. About 200,000 Washingtonians are expected to lose coverage by next year, partly due to new work requirements starting January 1 and the removal of coverage for refugees and asylees. Rural hospitals, including on the Olympic Peninsula, face the steepest losses, with clinics also bracing for major reimbursement shortfalls and reduced patient visits.

Democrat Amy Acton and Republican Vivek Ramaswamy are courting rural Ohio voters ahead of the Nov. 3 governor's race to succeed term-limited Mike DeWine, with the Cook Political Report ranking the contest a toss-up. In Marietta, Acton proposed a three-year moratorium on new fracking injection wells over groundwater fears, winning praise from a local Republican official. Both candidates have also targeted data centers, with Ramaswamy pushing a plan requiring tech companies to cover residents' electricity bills, halt non-disclosure agreements, and build only on pre-zoned industrial land rather than farmland, while Acton wants data center projects to prove they can cover utility costs and use union labor before proceeding.

The race has grown notably hostile, including an incident in which an armed man charged toward Acton at a campaign stop, injuring bystanders. Acton has refused to debate Ramaswamy, accusing him of lying and attacking her family, though she remains open to forums. Early voting began Oct. 6, with polling showing Acton holding a narrow lead. Other close Ohio contests include U.S. House races in the 7th and 9th districts.

A candidate questionnaire from The Denver Post offers a window into the competitive race for Colorado's 4th Congressional District. One contender, a retired Navy rear admiral and former Special Assistant to the President for South Asia, outlined priorities centered on lowering costs, balancing the federal budget, and curbing congressional corruption through term limits, age limits, and a ban on lawmakers trading stocks.

On policy specifics, the candidate called for ending tariffs, passing a comprehensive farm bill, and requiring insurers to reimburse rural hospitals more fairly. They said federal land in the district should not be a default target for new oil and gas leasing, favoring local input over blanket Washington mandates. On immigration, they backed stronger border security paired with legal pathways addressing labor shortages in agriculture and rural health care. They also urged more congressional oversight of executive actions, including unauthorized military engagements and federal spending. Incumbent Lauren Boebert and candidate Douglas Mangeris did not respond to the questionnaire.

President Trump, campaigning for Senate nominee Michael Whatley in North Carolina, described the state as one of the most violent in the country. Official data released the same day, and subsequent statewide figures, tell a different story: violent crime fell 5.8% in the first half of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025, with murders down 12.4%, robberies down 17.7%, and motor vehicle thefts down 22.6%. Property crime overall fell nearly 12%. Charlotte saw violent crime drop 8%, though homicides ticked up slightly. The decline predates Trump's presidency, complicating his rally claims even as the White House credits his policies.

Not all categories improved: intimidation, stalking, and kidnapping reports rose, with women disproportionately affected and most cases involving intimate partners or acquaintances. Trump also cited the fatal stabbing of Iryna Zarutska, falsely claiming Democratic nominee Roy Cooper released the suspect from prison. Overall, North Carolina's violent crime rate ranks in the middle nationally, undercutting characterizations of the state as uniquely dangerous ahead of a closely watched Senate race.

The 2026 race for Texas Agriculture Commissioner features Republican Nate Sheets against Democrat Clayton Tucker, along with Libertarian candidate Kelly. Incumbent Sid Miller lost his primary bid to Sheets, a businessman and co-founder of Nature Nate's Honey who is backed by Gov. Greg Abbott and other prominent Texas Republicans. Sheets identifies with the MAHA movement and has focused his platform on clean food production, curbing tax breaks for data centers, rural economic development and stricter employment verification requirements.

Tucker, a rancher and Texas Farmers Union secretary with a background in trade justice advocacy, ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. Her platform emphasizes protecting family farms from data center expansion, lowering food costs, regulating chemicals like PFAS, and expanding hemp farming and agricultural co-ops. Libertarian candidate Kelly, an ecology consultant and lecturer, calls for cutting regulations, auditing the agriculture department and protecting property rights. The office oversees agribusiness regulation, rural economic development and disaster relief for the state's roughly 230,000 farms.

Texas voters will choose a new agriculture commissioner in 2026 after incumbent Sid Miller lost his Republican primary to Nate Sheets, a honey-business owner backed by Gov. Greg Abbott. Sheets faces Democratic nominee Clayton Tucker, a longtime party campaign organizer with no primary opposition, and Libertarian candidate Austin R. Kelly in the general election.

The office oversees the Texas Department of Agriculture, which regulates cattle, grain, pesticides, hemp and organic operations, administers the National School Lunch Program, and supports rural economic development and disaster relief. Sheets has raised significantly more money than Tucker, drawing large donations from Abbott-aligned PACs, the Texas Farm Bureau and individual businessmen. Tucker's funding includes a notable contribution from musician Don Henley. Kelly's campaign has raised minimal funds. With agriculture as Texas' second-largest industry and the state a top national exporter, the race carries stakes for farmers and ranchers navigating climate pressures, labor shortages and supply chain issues.

Sid Miller's primary loss sets up a Sheets-Tucker-Kelly race for Texas agriculture commissioner in 2026.