Supermajority

Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn is one of 15 candidates running for Tennessee governor, and among the top four per polling, alongside David Hatley, Jerri Green, and Lauren Pinkston. Blackburn's platform centers on economic development, public safety, education, and cutting government spending, including support for a "Tennessee DOGE" effort to reduce the budget, though she has not committed to eliminating the state's grocery sales tax.

She backs expanding school vouchers statewide, leaving data center siting decisions to local governments, and supports capital punishment, including reinstating the electric chair. Blackburn has declined debate invitations from opponents, instead emphasizing door-to-door campaigning. A Senate ethics inquiry into her office was resolved, she said, without findings of misconduct. Democratic rival Jerri Green, by contrast, has centered her campaign on affordability, eliminating the grocery tax, and expanding health care access.

Washington's Public Disclosure Commission said it will stop enforcing the state's $7,500 cap on individual donations to political action committees during the final three weeks before an election. The cap had applied from Oct. 13 through Election Day, Nov. 3. Commissioners voted Thursday and announced the change Friday, after ballots had already gone out to voters. Direct contribution limits to candidates remain unchanged; only the restriction on large late donations to PACs is affected.

The timing raises the stakes for five contested Washington Supreme Court seats and Democrats' push for legislative supermajorities, since PACs can now accept unlimited sums from single donors in the campaign's closing days. Large contributions must still be publicly reported, generally within 48 hours, though officials acknowledge some donations may not surface until after votes are counted. The PDC said it acted over constitutional concerns about the cap's enforceability, not political considerations.

Pasadena's Measure PFD, on the Nov. 3 ballot, would impose an annual parcel tax of 19 cents per square foot of improved property (about $304 a year for a 1,600-square-foot home), with low-income exemptions. The roughly $22.1 million in yearly revenue would fund a new battalion chief, rebuilt Fire Stations 33 and 37, a training center, an added fire station, more apparatus and ambulances, 36 new firefighters, and brush clearance. It needs a two-thirds majority and would sunset after 14 years.

The measure is backed by the Pasadena Firefighters Assn., City Council, Mayor Victor Gordo and other officials, while opposition comes from realtor associations, the Apartment Assn. of Greater Los Angeles and a former mayor, who argue the city should fund fire needs through its general budget instead. Campaign tensions have escalated over claims of city-sponsored advocacy and disputed ad messaging.

Louisiana heads into Nov. 3 elections for one U.S. Senate seat and several House seats under unusual circumstances. The U.S. Supreme Court's June 29 ruling in Callais v. Louisiana, which found the state's 6th Congressional District unconstitutionally gerrymandered, forced Gov. Jeff Landry to order a new open primary even after some ballots had already been cast, confusing voters about district lines. The Senate race to succeed Bill Cassidy, between Rep. Julia Letlow and Democrat Jamie Davis, will be decided outright since a May primary already occurred; Cassidy was eliminated after being targeted by state Republicans over his impeachment vote. House races featuring incumbents are expected to avoid runoffs, but open seats in the 5th and 6th Districts likely head to a December runoff. Early voting has surged, particularly among Black voters.

Onondaga County, N.Y., voters head to the polls in November to decide control of the County Legislature for the first time under newly lengthened four-year terms, with candidates running in all 17 districts. Democrats, who won a historic 10-7 majority in 2025, are seeking a veto-proof 12-seat supermajority that would let them bypass Republican County Executive Ryan McMahon, who has vetoed several Democratic measures this year, including a term-limits bill now headed to voters. Republicans, boosted by heavy fundraising from county contractors, aim to reclaim at least a nine-seat majority. Key swing districts include the 2nd, 6th, 11th, and 14th. Both parties are investing heavily, with turnout and lingering reaction to President Trump seen as pivotal factors.

Early voting opens Oct. 15 and runs through Oct. 31 in North Carolina, a key battleground in the 2025 midterms. The marquee race is the open U.S. Senate seat left by retiring Republican Thom Tillis, pitting Democrat and former Gov. Roy Cooper against Republican Michael Whatley, the Trump-backed former RNC chair, with Green and Libertarian candidates also on the ballot. Democrats are targeting the seat as part of a broader push to flip the four seats needed for Senate control.

The ballot also includes competitive U.S. House races, including Charlotte-area districts held by Reps. Alma Adams, Tim Moore and Mark Harris, plus down-ballot contests for the N.C. Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, state legislature, and Mecklenburg County offices. Voters will also weigh in on constitutional amendments covering voter ID, income tax caps and property tax limits, along with Charlotte bond measures for transportation, housing and neighborhood improvements. Election Day is Nov. 3, with North Carolina's results seen as a bellwether for national party control in Washington.

Tallahassee's city commission, led by Mayor John Dailey, moved forward last year with hiring Karen Jumonville as city manager before a newly elected commission took office in November, prompting criticism over the timing and terms of the process. Critics, including commissioners Jack Porter and Jeremy Matlow, had pushed for the incoming commission to make the decision or for a shorter one-year contract that could later be formalized; instead, Jumonville received a five-year deal with a supermajority requirement to remove her, departing from the city charter's usual process.

Supporters argue Jumonville, a longtime city employee, is highly qualified and likely would have been chosen by a new commission regardless. Opponents say the rushed process has undermined public trust and placed her leadership under scrutiny from the outset rather than giving her a clean mandate. The controversy comes as the city faces major decisions ahead, including the potential impact of a ballot measure (Amendment 3) on city services and ongoing questions over indigent care funding tied to the FSU Health partnership.