What Ashley Hinson and Liz Mathis say about abortion, inflation in ...

Des Moines Register staff

Northeast Iowa voters will choose between Republican Ashley Hinson and Democrat Liz Mathis for Congress this year in the newly redrawn district.

Hinson, the incumbent U.S. representative, won the seat in 2020 by defeating a Democratic incumbent. Mathis, a state senator, is seeking to unseat her this year.

Both candidates are running competitive campaigns and have support from the national Democratic and Republican parties as control of Congress hangs in the balance.

Iowa's 2nd Congressional District includes 22 counties in Iowa's northeast corner.

To help voters, the Des Moines Register sent questions to all federal, statewide and Des Moines area legislative candidates running for political office this year. Their answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Early voting begins Oct. 19 for the Nov. 8 election.

More:A guide to voter rights in Iowa. What you need to know before you cast a ballot

Who is Ashley Hinson?

Age: 39

Party: Republican

Where did you grow up? West Des Moines

Current town of residence: Marion

Education: Valley High School in West Des Moines; studied broadcast journalism from the University of Southern California.

Occupation: Former journalist/news anchor

Political experience and civic activities: Former member of the Iowa House of Representatives

Who is Liz Mathis?

Age: 64

Party: Democrat

Where did you grow up? DeWitt

Current town of residence: Hiawatha

Education: University of Iowa

Occupation: Iowa state senator

Political experience and civic activities:

Iowa State Senate 2011-present

Present civic boards: Wartburg Board of Regents

Present legislative boards: Governor’s STEM Advisory Council, Iowa Economic Development Authority Advisory Board, Children’s Behavioral Health System State Board

Past board member: Onward Bank Board, University of Iowa Journalism Advisory Board, Marion Cares Advisory Board, State Judicial Qualifications Board

More:Will Iowa's 2nd District flip again? What separates Ashley Hinson, Liz Mathis in tight race

What is the most important domestic policy you would champion in Congress?

Hinson: I am laser-focused on fighting inflation and reducing costs for Iowa families, farmers and small businesses. High energy costs — caused by the Biden administration’s disastrous sidelining of domestic resources — are one of the biggest budget burdens on Iowans. I am championing an all-of-the-above energy strategy that prioritizes Iowa biofuels to bring down the cost of gas and restore our energy independence while boosting Iowa’s agriculture economy. This strategy will lower transportation and energy costs by allowing the sale of E15 year-round, ramping up domestic production, finishing the Keystone XL pipeline, and prohibiting President Biden from sending U.S. oil to China.

Mathis: We must lower costs for Iowans, and that starts with making sure gas prices continue to go down — E15 needs to remain year-round throughout the country and domestic oil reserves should be available. It also means we need to hold drug companies accountable and lower prescription drug prices so families can afford the lifesaving medication they need. I’ll work to cap the cost of insulin at $35 a month for everyone, not just seniors, and protect Medicare’s ability to negotiate for lower drug prices. My opponent, Rep. Ashley Hinson, voted against both of these common sense policies.

More:Gov. Kim Reynolds has controlled $2.7 billion in federal COVID-19 aid. Here's how she's spending it.

What is one specific piece of bipartisan legislation you would advocate for in Congress?

Hinson: I am a strong advocate for career and technical education programs that help students graduate with the skills they need to get a good-paying job in their desired field without massive loans. I’ve visited every single community college in my district and seen firsthand how these programs help students find fulfilling job opportunities right here in Iowa. That’s why I helped introduce the bipartisan Jumpstart Our Businesses By Supporting Students (JOBS) Act that expands Pell Grant eligibility for students — I’ll continue to advocate for this bill and work across the aisle to empower students and workers to succeed in Iowa.

Mathis: In the Iowa Legislature, I was proud to work with both Republicans and Democrats to balance our budget and cut taxes for Iowa families. I voted for the commercial property tax cut, to eliminate the inheritance tax and for an increase in the earned income tax credit. I’ll take that same bipartisan approach when in Congress. In particular, I’ll work across the aisle to make certain rural areas have access to health care and small businesses and small communities thrive. I grew up on a family farm and will ensure beginning farmers have the tools they need to be successful.

More:Gov. Kim Reynolds agrees to 1 debate against Deidre DeJear. She's not the only one to avoid more

Iowans are struggling with rising costs and inflation. What can Congress do to help them make ends meet?

Hinson: As inflation bears down on Iowans, Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden are making matters worse with new tax hikes, more inflationary spending and sidelining domestic energy sources. Meanwhile, Democrats have resisted bipartisan efforts to get our economy back on track, and families won’t see relief while Democrats are in control. The first step to bringing costs down is to fire Nancy Pelosi as speaker so that Republicans can advance solutions to fix our supply chain, bring people back into the workforce in critical industries like child care, and restore American energy independence to lower the cost of gas.

Mathis: This needs to be a top priority for every member of Congress. We must lower prices. That starts with taking action to hold companies accountable for price gouging, adopting an all-of-the-above approach to energy production that will lower gas prices while supporting our ethanol and renewable industries, and getting more truck drivers onto the road and investing in our locks and dams and river ports to get our supply chain back on track. We also must invest in affordable housing, so Iowans can afford to remain in the communities they call home.

More:Iowa House Democrats unveil campaign agenda: Legalize marijuana, protect abortion rights

Congress passed a bipartisan gun safety law this summer. What further action, if any, should Congress take to address gun violence?

Hinson: Congress should address the root causes of gun violence without infringing on Iowans’ rights. Law-abiding gun owners should not be targeted or have to prove to the government they have the right to own a firearm — that right is enshrined in the Constitution. I’m a cosponsor of the STOP II (Secure Every School and Protect our Nation’s Children) Act to fund school resource officers and mental health counselors as well as bolster security at schools. As the left tries to chip away at our constitutional rights, I will always fight to ensure Iowans’ Second Amendment rights are upheld.

Mathis: I grew up on a farm, which means I grew up around guns. I support the Second Amendment rights of Iowans to hunt, target shoot and own guns. This is an area where we can make significant progress towards safer communities by bringing together members of both parties to work together on areas we agree on. By strengthening universal background checks, which more than 90% of Americans support, we can reduce gun violence by keeping guns out of the hands of criminals and those legally barred from owning them, while protecting the rights of Iowans.

More:Presidential candidates tend to flock to Iowa. Here are 5 takeaways from the history of their visits

Should Congress pass federal legislation addressing abortion, either to restrict the procedure or to preserve access?

Hinson: Overturning Roe v. Wade will save countless lives. Now that this issue is with the states, I’m glad Iowa has a pro-life governor in Kim Reynolds and a pro-life majority in the state legislature. In Congress, I will continue championing pro-life policies: ensuring taxpayer dollars don’t fund abortion, expanding maternal health care services, and supporting expecting mothers during pregnancy and once their babies are born. I have introduced bipartisan legislation to help expand maternal health care access for those in rural communities, as well as legislation to ensure adult women can access safe, FDA-approved birth-control pills over the counter at their local pharmacy.

Mathis: Politicians should not be interfering with the rights of Iowa women to make their own personal health care decisions. My opponent, Rep. Ashley Hinson, currently backs legislation that would ban all abortions nationwide, leaving no exceptions for cases of rape, incest or when the life of the mother is at risk. This extreme position, which includes criminalizing doctors, will impose a radical government mandate over our health care. I will work to pass legislation that restores women’s right to an abortion that had been held for nearly 50 years.

What policies would you advocate for including in the next farm bill?

Hinson: The farm bill must reduce input costs, support innovation and provide regulatory certainty. Farmers should be empowered with broadband access and precision agriculture technology. We must provide stability for producers by protecting risk management tools like crop insurance and investing in animal health research and biotechnologies. Farmers don’t have time for political games, they need solutions, and I’ll work across the aisle to ensure the farm bill reflects the needs of Iowa agriculture while pushing back against poison pills and government overreaches. Bureaucrats shouldn’t be overregulating puddles on Iowa farms, and California shouldn’t be dictating how Iowa pork is raised.

Mathis: My parents used to lay awake at night worrying about the weather. There’ve been many advancements in farming techniques since, but that worry hasn’t changed. The next farm bill must meet the challenges of weather disasters, higher operation prices and animal disease. Crop insurance protects more than 100 types of crops throughout the U.S. and we must make certain that Iowa’s corn and soybean farmers are protected when drought, rain or high winds hit; livelihoods are at stake. As a state legislator, I served on the Agriculture Committee and Agriculture Appropriations and advocated for protections from animal diseases such as African Swine Fever.

More:Iowa's largest school district filled nearly all open teaching positions. How did Des Moines do it?

What is your appraisal of the work of the Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6 Attack on the US Capitol?

Hinson: January 6th was a dark day for our country, and I strongly condemn anyone who was violent or broke the law that day. Those who broke the law on January 6th should be held accountable. Speaker Pelosi would not allow Republicans to appoint members to the Committee, and it is unbalanced. My focus in Congress has been, and will continue to be, on the issues Iowans are talking about around their kitchen tables every single night — rising costs, finding affordable child care, and being able to pay their bills.

Mathis: We must ensure that the United States Capitol is never attacked again. The brave Capitol Police officers who defended our democracy that day deserve nothing less. The American people need a full and open accounting of everything that occurred on January 6th so we can protect our freedom and the values and ideals on which this country was founded. No one should be pardoned for the damage and violence that occurred.

Election 2022 recap: Fetterman flips Pennsylvania Senate seat for ...

Editor's note: This page recaps the news from Election Day 2022. For updated information about voting results in key races, check out of live updates file for Wednesday, Nov. 9.

Democrat John Fetterman won the hard-fought U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania against Republican Mehmet Oz, flipping a seat held by retiring GOP Sen. Pat Toomey.

Fetterman's victory reinforced other signs that a “red wave” of Republican strength had not materialized, as Democrats held on to several competitive Senate and governor seats.

Which party control the House and Senate is still undecided. Republican J.D. Vance bettered Republicans' chances of taking the Senate with his win over Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan. But Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan defeated a GOP challenger in the competitive New Hampshire race.

A handful of the closely watched Senate races have yet to be called, including the contest in Georgia between Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and GOP challenger Herschel Walker and the Nevada Senate match-up pitting Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto against Republican Adam Laxalt.

Vulnerable House Democrat survives: Rep. Abigail Spanberger won a competitive race against Republican challenger Yesli Vega in Virginia

Rep. Abigail Spanberger won a competitive race against Republican challenger Yesli Vega in Virginia Republican Abbott defeats O'Rourke in Texas: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott held his seat against Democrat Beto O'Rourke

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott held his seat against Democrat Beto O'Rourke Trump’s favored Pennsylvania governor candidate loses: Democrat Josh Shapiro will be Pennsylvania’s next governor, defeating Trump-backed Doug Mastriano.

Democrat Josh Shapiro will be Pennsylvania’s next governor, defeating Trump-backed Doug Mastriano. History made: Maryland voters elected only the third black governor – Democrat Wes Moore – in U.S. history. And Democrat Maura Healey becomes the first woman and first openly gay candidate elected as governor of Massachusetts. And progressive activist Maxwell Alejandro Frost is the first Gen Z member to win a seat in Congress.

Maryland voters elected only the third black governor – Democrat Wes Moore – in U.S. history. And Democrat Maura Healey becomes the first woman and first openly gay candidate elected as governor of Massachusetts. And progressive activist Maxwell Alejandro Frost is the first Gen Z member to win a seat in Congress. DeSantis, Rubio wins reinforce rightward shift in Florida: Incumbent Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Rubio comfortably won reelection as voter concerns about the economy appeared to prevail over a message emphasized by Democrats focusing on abortion rights.

Incumbent Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Rubio comfortably won reelection as voter concerns about the economy appeared to prevail over a message emphasized by Democrats focusing on abortion rights. Republicans flexed their muscle in gubernatorial races with Chris Sununu (New Hampshire), Ron DeSantis (Florida), Henry McMaster (South Carolina), Mike DeWine (Ohio) and Kay Ivey (Alabama) all winning reelection. In addition, former Trump White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders won the governor’s race in Arkansas.

The latest updates:

Georgia secretary of state: Raffensperger wins

Republican incumbent Brad Raffensperger emerged victorious in the race for Georgia secretary of state, beating out Democratic nominee and former state senator Bee Nguyen.

Raffensperger held a solid lead over Nguyen in the polls throughout the race. The contest to be the state’s chief election officer, a down-ballot race that has previously garnered little attention, has gained increased importance in the wake of the 2020 election and unfounded voter fraud claims.

-- Anna Kaufman

3 takeaways from Georgia governor's race:Brian Kemp defeats Stacey Abrams for second term

Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin wins in Michigan

Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich, won reelection over Republican state Sen. Tom Barrett and Libertarian candidate Leah Dailey in Michigan’s new 7th Congressional District, ending one of the nation’s most expensive and closely watched House races.

Slotkin was first elected from the 8th District in 2018, when she flipped a Republican seat that President Donald Trump won in 2016, and she was one of the few Democrats to win reelection in a district that voted for Trump in 2020. A former National Security Council and CIA staffer, she opted to run this year in the newly redrawn 7th District, which is centered on Lansing and would have voted narrowly for President Joe Biden had it existed in 2020.

While Slotkin was endorsed by Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., a harsh Trump critic, Barrett was endorsed by former Vice President Mike Pence. Barrett, an Army veteran who served in Iraq, has focused his campaign on less spending, more energy production and criticism of Slotkin's voting record. Slotkin has struck back at Barrett's refusal to say if he would have accepted the results of the 2020 election, which he has called an "unknowable thing."

– Yoori Han, Cronkite News

Democrat Greg Landsman unseats Ohio Rep. Steve Chabot

Democrat Greg Landsman defeated Republican incumbent Steve Chabot in the House race for Ohio’s 1st Congressional District, the AP reported.

Landsman, a former Cincinnati City councilman, won by a little more than 10,000 votes when the race was called.

Chabot represented Hamilton County for 26 years in Congress. This was his first defeat since he lost to Democrat Steve Driehaus in 2008. He regained his seat two years later.

-- Rachel Looker

Senate flip:Democrat John Fetterman flips U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania, beating Republican Mehmet Oz

Wisconsin governor: Evers wins reelection

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers won a heated re-election battle against Trump-backed Republican Tim Michels.

A Marquette University Law School poll last week had them tied at 48%.

Evers won the governor’s office by a thin margin in 2018 when he defeated Republican Scott Walker, a 2016 presidential candidate. Evers had been a school district superintendent and served as the statewide superintendent of public instruction in Wisconsin for nearly a decade.

As governor, Evers’s job approval has been slightly underwater in recent Marquette polls, with 46% approving of the job he’s been doing as governor and 48% disapproving.

Michels is backed by former President Donald Trump, who has traveled to Wisconsin to campaign for him. The once low-key owner of Wisconsin’s largest construction company, the eponymous Michels Corp, Michels launched his bid for governor in April -- about 15 months after Biden revoked a key permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline, a project for which Michels’ company had a contract to build pump stations. It’s Michels’ third run for office.

– Donovan Slack

Live updates:Wisconsin Election Results 2022

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wins reelection

Democratic incumbent Gov. Gretchen Whitmer claimed victory in her bid for reelection as Michigan governor, successfully fending off a challenge by Republican nominee Tudor Dixon.

The contest, once seen as an easy win for Democrats in a major battleground state, tightened in the final weeks with a last minute push by the Dixon campaign helping her to inch closer in the polls.

Whitmer is a veteran of Michigan politics, serving six years in the state House and eight in the senate before being elected governor in 2018.

Dixon spent years as a conservative TV commentator and producer of conservative news for students.

Dixon, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, denies the results of the 2020 election and has criticized Whitmer for her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Whitmer, like many other Democrats, emphasized abortion rights throughout the campaign and criticized Dixon for her no-exceptions stance on the procedure.

– Anna Kaufman

Previously:Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Tudor Dixon facing off in second gubernatorial debate: recap

Republican Sen. Mike Lee wins reelection for Utah seat

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, fended off Independent challenger Evan McMullin for a third term.

With just over half of Utah ballots counted, Lee had more than 55% of the vote compared to McMullin’s 41% when the race was called early Wednesday morning.

-- Ella Lee

Voted into history:Wes Moore to be Maryland's first Black governor; first Gen-Z House member in Fla., more

In victory speech, Fetterman says he’s ‘proud’ of campaign

Donning his signature hoodie, Democrat John Fetterman addressed a raucous crowd of supporters early Wednesday morning after his narrow win against Republican challenger Mehmet Oz in the closely watched Pennsylvania U.S. Senate race.

“We jammed them up, we held the line,” Fetterman said. “I never expected that we were going to turn these red counties blue, but we did what we needed to do.”

In his victory speech, Fetterman said he was “proud” of the issues he ran on, like abortion rights, increased minimum wage and health care.

– Ella Lee

John Fetterman wins Pennsylvania Senate seat

John Fetterman is the projected winner of the U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania, beating out Donald Trump-backed celebrity Dr. Mehmet Oz and overcoming concerns that his stroke recovery had foreclosed his chances at victory.

Opinion polls showed Oz gaining on Fetterman after the Democratic candidate's rocky debate performance.

The lieutenant governor suffered a stroke just days before the primary in May and has relied on closed captioning in recent interviews and the debate.

Independent analysts had predicted the Pennsylvania race would be the best chance for Democrats to pick up a Republican-held Senate seat. Fetterman and Oz have been vying for the open seat created by Republican Sen. Pat Toomey's retirement.

"It's official. I will be the next U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania," Fetterman tweeted early Wednesday morning.

– Donovan Slack

Texas Democrat Vicente Gonzalez reelected to House

Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, won his reelection campaign against GOP challenger Mayra Flores to represent Texas' 34th Congressional District, a setback for Republicans hoping to mobilize Hispanic voters.

With more than 88% of ballots counted, Gonzales led Flores by more than 8 points when the race was called.

Republicans have made inroads with Latino voters in states like Texas and Nevada, where Democrats are locked in tight congressional and statewide elections. But Gonzalez’ win is a blow to those efforts.

– Ella Lee

No victory or concession speeches tonight from Nevada Democrats

Just as the crowd doubled in size at the Democratic ticket's election party on the Las Vegas Strip, Nevada's top candidates took the stage to thank their supporters – and encourage them to "go home."

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and Gov. Steve Sisolak said they didn't expect final election results to be available before the end of the night, but assured the crowd that they "believe strongly when this is done, we're going to win this thing!"

"It's going to be a couple of days," Sisolak said, "so I encourage you to go home, get some sleep, and let the county continue (counting) tomorrow and Thursday. And we'll be celebrating then."

Absent of any victory or concession speeches tonight, Cortez Masto and Sisolak walked off the stage together as their supporters cheered. And soon after the two Democrats disappeared, the crowd quickly thinned out.

– Rio Lacanlale

New Hampshire Democrat Chris Pappas reelected to House

Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H., won a second term serving New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District.

Pappas led Republican challenger Karoline Leavitt by more than 8 points; just under 80% of the vote had been counted when the race was called.

If Leavitt had won the race, she would have been the second member of Gen Z elected to the U.S. House of Representatives this election cycle.

-Ella Lee

Rep. Henry Cuellar reelected in Texas

Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar won reelection Tuesday, fending off an aggressive play by Republicans to remake the U.S.-Mexico border into a midterm battleground.

Cuellar’s victory over Republican Cassy Garcia holds the line for Democrats in an important stronghold for the party. Garcia was one of three Republican Latina candidates who ran competitive House races along the border after the GOP made inroads with Hispanic voters in 2020.

Cuellar is one of the most conservative Democrats in the House and narrowly survived a primary challenge this spring from a progressive challenger.

– Paul J. Weber and Acacia Coronado, Associated Press

Razor-thin margin in Georgia Senate race

ATLANTA – Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock told supporters late Tuesday he remains confident as Republican opponent Herschel Walker holds a razor-thin lead.

Walker was ahead by less than 7,000 votes as votes continue to be counted as the clock hit midnight.

“We always knew that this race would be close,” Warnock told supporters. “And so that's where we are. So y'all just hang in there. I'm feeling good.”

With about 88% of the total vote counted thus far, less than half a percentage point separates the two candidates.

– Phillip M. Bailey

North Carolina Sen.-elect Ted Budd: It's been a long night

WINSTON-SALEM N.C. – It was later than he had hoped, but Ted Budd went before supporters shortly before midnight to claim victory in a U.S. Senate race in North Carolina.

"What an incredible and long night this has been," Budd said after a closer-than-expected win over Democrat Cheri Beasley.

Budd's list of thank-yous included Donald Trump, whose endorsement propelled him to the Republican Senate nomination earlier this year.

– David Jackson

Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham wins reelection in New Mexico

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, won reelection Tuesday over Republican Mark Ronchetti, a local TV weatherman turned politician who built his campaign on criticism of the first-term governor's performance, according NBC and ABC News

Grisham, who served three terms in the U.S. House, was the first Democratic Latina to hold a governor’s seat at the time of her election in 2018. She ran then on a campaign focused on crime, education and immigration policy, but her reelection was centered on economic issues.

After a failed bid for U.S. Senate in 2020, Ronchetti framed his gubernatorial campaign around Grisham's track record, blaming Democrats for a faltering economy and specifically blaming the incumbent's policies for New Mexico’s rank as second in the nation for violent crime. Ronchetti also got a last-minute endorsement this month from former President Donald Trump.

A third candidate, Libertarian Karen Bedonie, a mother of eight and citizen of the Navajo Nation, polled in the single digits throughout the race. She initially hoped to run on the Republican ticket, and is among those that have questioned the validity of the 2020 presidential election.

– Laura Bargfeld, Cronkite News

Democrats win in Hawaii Senate, governor’s races

Democrats easily won their races for the U.S. Senate and governorship in Hawaii.

Josh Green overcame Republican challenger Duke Aiona for governor, while Sen. Brian Schatz winning reelection for his seat against Republican Bob McDermott.

– Ella Lee

Biden makes another round of congratulatory calls

President Joe Biden called made congratulatory calls to the following candidates Tuesday: Sen. Maggie Hassan, Sen. Alex Padilla ,Rep.-elect Seth Magaziner, Maine Gov. Janet Mills and Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.

Biden also phoned Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, along with Wes Moore, Maryland's newly elected governor, and Emilia Sykes, who rain in Ohio's newly redrawn 13th Congressional District – a closely watched tossup election.

– Kathleen Wong and Christal Hayes

Democrat Janet Mills reelected as Maine governor

Maine Gov. Janet Mills was reelected to the state’s governorship, beating her Republican opponent, Paul LePage. This will be Mill’s second term as Maine governor, according to NBC and CBS news.

Mills became the first woman elected as the state’s governor in 2018 when she was first elected. She also was the first woman to serve as the state’s attorney general, an office she served twice.

– Sarah Elbeshbishi

In victory speech, Hassan offers credit for Bolduc

Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan took the stage to an enthusiastic, and teary-eyed, crowd after NBC and CNN called the race in her favor.

“Thank you to all the wonderful friends that are here tonight,” Hassan said, after continued chants of “Maggie” and “Six more years” from the crowd. “I love you too!" Hassan said.

Hassan paused to credit Republican Don Bolduc for a hard-fought race, but not before shushing boos upon mention of his name.

“No guys. No,” said Hassan, stopping the crowd. “I want to thank Don Bolduc for his service to our country. We share a love of country."

– Ken Tran

Kiggans declares victory in Virginia

Republican Jen Kiggans declared victory in the hotly contested House race in Virginia, unseating Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria.

Speaking at her campaign’s election watch party at the Westin Virginia Beach Town Center, Kiggans gave a message of unity in her victory speech.

“I believe it’s important to focus on the things that unite us, and not what divides us,” she said.

Kiggans wished her opponent well. “Although we may differ in our political ideologies, we certainly share a love for our navy and a love for our country,” she said.

– Christina van Waasbergen

Democrat Ron Wyden reelected to Oregon U.S. Senate seat

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., won his reelection bid against Republican challenger Jo Rae Perkins, according to multiple reports.

Wyden, who led Perkins by more than 13 percentage points when the race was called, has been in Congress for more than 40 years overall, assuming his Senate seat in 1996.

– Ella Lee

Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul wins New York governor race

Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul won the New York governor’s race against Republican challenger Lee Zeldin, NBC and ABC reported.

Hochul unexpectedly became the state's first female governor in 2021, after former Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned amid sexual harassment allegations.

– Rachel Looker

Sen. Lindsey Graham: ‘Definitely not a Republican wave’

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said a "red wave" election didn’t appear to be materializing after Republicans were projected to lose Senate races in New Hampshire and Colorado, but he still predicted Republicans would take control of the upper chamber.

“Definitely not a Republican wave,” Graham told NBC. “I think we’re going to be at 51, 52 when it’s all said and done.”

– Joey Garrison

Election analysis: Even with Kemp, Vance wins, are midterm results more red ripple than wave?

Republican JD Vance wins Ohio Senate seat over Democrat Tim Ryan

Trump-backed Republican author JD Vance won the Senate race in Ohio, beating Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan, whose campaign had a fundraising edge but lacked national party support, according to NBC and ABC News.

The race has been one of the tightest in the country in recent polling and is a key test of the influence former President Donald Trump still wields. Trump endorsed Vance and went to Ohio to support him, telling rally goers in September that "The entire MAGA movement is for J.D. Vance."

It’s also a bellwether for which way national tides are turning on Election Day. The Senate seat has been occupied since 2011 by Republican Sen. Rob Portman, who’s retiring.

– Donovan Slack

Democrat Patty Murray wins reelection to Senate

Democratic Washington Sen. Patty Murray won reelection to the Senate against Republican opponent Tiffany Smiley after leading Smiley by nearly 15% with 56% of the precincts reporting, according to multiple reports.

Murray will be serving her sixth term in the Senate. While in the Senate, Murray was the first female chair for the Veterans’ Affairs Committee and Budget Committee.

Recent polls showing the race neck-and-neck suggested the veterans lawmaker was in the fight of her political life but an upset never materialized on election day.

- Sarah Elbeshbishi

President Biden congratulates Democratic winners

President Joe Biden has completed congratulatory calls to Senator Chris Van Hollen, Senator Michael Bennet, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, and Representative Jennifer Wexton.

Van Hollen of Maryland was reelected to his second Senate term, beating out Republican Chris Chaffee.

Bennet defended his Colorado Senate seat over Republican opponent Joe O’Dea for his third term in office. The race was competitive, according to multiple reports.

Billionaire J.B. Pritzker swiftly beat Republican challenger Darren Bailey for reelection as Illinois Governor.

In a tight race, Virginia Democrat Jennifer Wexton won reelection to the U.S. House over Republican Hung Cao. This will be Wexton's third term.

- Kathleen Wong

Republican Ted Budd wins North Carolina Senate seat

Trump-endorsed Ted Budd won the race for a North Carolina Senate seat, defeating Democrat and former state Supreme Court chief justice Cheri Beasley.

Coming into tonight, the three-term GOP congressman had a five-point lead over Beasley in a poll by Emerson College Polling and The Hill, according NBC and ABC News.

Theirs was among the most competitive Senate races this election cycle, seen as a potential factor in Republican efforts to gain the majority. The North Carolina seat was up for grabs for either party, with Republican Richard Burr retiring after his fourth term as Senator.

– Savannah Kuchar

Shapiro win brings relief for Pennsylvania Democrats

SWARTHMORE, Pa.- Bonnee B. Bentum feels safer tonight, knowing Democrat Josh Shapiro won the governor’s seat and blocked a Republican supermajority in Pennsylvania that could have threatened abortion rights and voting rights.

She said this as someone who works for a state Democratic senator, serves as an executive board member of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, and mostly as a Black woman.

Bentum pointedly describes what was at stake: “My life, my daughter’s life…to live freely.”

- Candy Woodall

New Maryland voter choses digital over paper vote

TUXEDO, Md. - Bill Aylin is a lifelong voter, but he was still surprised when he voted for the first time in Maryland after moving from Georgia.

“All of Georgia is digital and this one is mostly paper,” said Aylin, who found things at the Judith P. Hoyer Early Childhood Center "radically" different from what he was used to. But the Prince George's County polling place also offered two digital machines, so he chose to vote on one of those.

He said he feel it’s his duty to vote, and that he found the House and Senate races to be the most important. Outside of that there were some questions about bonds and borrowing money that drew his attention.

“I’m fine with schools borrowing money," Aylin said. “I’m not fine with it for the government.”

- Haley Smilow, Cronkite News

Republican Brian Kemp reelected as Georgia governor

Republican incumbent Brian Kemp won the race for Georgia governor, defeating Democratic candidate and now two-time opponent Stacey Abrams, according to NBC and ABC News.

The two faced off once before back in 2018, with Kemp narrowly claiming victory after a runoff election. This gubernatorial contest has been one of the most closely watched this midterm cycle as both candidates are major players in their parties.

The tightly fought race, along with Sen. Raphael Warnock’s bid to keep his seat in Congress, was expected to serve as a litmus test of just how strong the Democratic coalition in Georgia is and whether it can withstand an election largely viewed as a referendum on President Joe Biden, whose approval ratings have suffered throughout his second year.

– Anna Kaufman

Brian Kemp's win: 3 takeaways from the Georgia governor's race

Virginia Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria unseated by Jennifer Kiggans

Republican state Sen. Jennifer Kiggans unseated incumbent Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., Tuesday in Virginia's 2nd District, which gained a more Republican tilt in redistricting but was still considered a toss-up.

Both Luria and Kiggans are Navy veterans who campaigned on promises to fight for defense and veterans issues.

Kiggans, who currently represents Legislative District 7 in the Tidewater region of the state, positioned herself as the candidate to restore American strength that she said has been injured by the policies of the Biden administration - policies she said Luria continually backed.

Luria, a two-term House member, is also a member of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. A main thrust of her campaign was what she called Kiggans' failure to discuss her stance on results of the 2020 election.

– Emilee Miranda, Cronkite News

Does early good news for Dems mean a red tsunami isn't materializing?

Two vulnerable House Democrats in Virginia swing districts appeared to be on their way to victories, perhaps signaling that a red tsunami many predicted isn’t materializing.

CNN and NBC projected that U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., defeated Republican challenger Yesli Vega in the state’s 7th congressional district, a fiercely fought battleground, while Jennifer Wexton, D-Va., was the projected winner over Republican Hung Cha in the 10th congressional district.

“I’m still waiting for the Red Wave to arrive,” veteran political handicapper Stuart Rothenberger said on Twitter. “It may still come, but I have not seen it yet. That does not mean the Rs won’t win the House and Senate.”

Republicans picked up a third battleground seat in Virginia, however, with CNN projecting Jen Kiggans defeated Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va.

In a fourth battleground House race in Rhode Island, Democrat Seth Magaziner is the projected winner over Republican Allan Fung, mayor of Cranston, R.I.

- Joey Garrison

Republican Mike Crapo wins reelection to Idaho Senate seat

Republican Sen. Mike Crapo defended his Senate seat in the race against Democratic challenger David Roth.

Crapo, a former attorney who previously served in the U.S. House and the Idaho Legislature, will now serve his fifth term in the Senate. The last time Democrats won a U.S. Senate election in Idaho was 1974.

Crapo is currently the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee.

- Rachel Looker

Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom wins reelection

Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom has been reelected in the California gubernatorial race defeating Republican challenger Brian Dahle.

Newsom had a large lead over Dahle during the campaign. Newsom, the former Lieutenant Governor of California and former Mayor of San Francisco, will now serve his second term in the governor’s mansion.

- Rachel Looker

Democrat Rep. Abigail Spanberger, top GOP target, wins reelection

Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., won re-election Tuesday over Republican challenger Yesli Vega in a redrawn Virginia 7th District, a potential bellwether for Democrats odds in the U.S. House.

Both Spanberger and Vega have law enforcement backgrounds. But Spanberger, a two-term congresswoman and the first Democrat elected to represent the 7th district since 1971, highlighted her bipartisan record throughout the campaign.

Vega, a first-generation Salvadoran-American and a one-term Prince William County supervisor, positioned herself as a check on the Biden administration. She got a last-minute endorsement from former President Donald Trump last week, but did not actively embrace it.

– Emilee Miranda, Cronkite News

Republican Chuck Grassley reelected to Senate seat

Republican Chuck Grassley has defended his Iowa Senate seat against Democratic challenger Michael Franken, according to ABC and NBC.

Grassley has served in office since 1959. The 89-year-old congressman will now serve his sixth term, which upon completion would make him the second-oldest member of Congress at 95 years old.

- Rachel Looker

Democrat Josh Shapiro wins Pennsylvania governor

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro bested Trump-backed Republican Doug Mastriano to win the governor’s race in Pennsylvania, according to NBC and Fox news.

Shapiro had been leading Mastriano by significant margins in recent polling.

Shapiro, the state’s attorney general since 2017, led Mastriano 52%-40% in a USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll last week. He is a former state representative who cast himself as someone willing to take the fight to the status quo. Shapiro defended the state’s presidential election results in 2020 against an onslaught of legal challenges.

Mastriano, a state senator and retired Army colonel, marched on the U.S. Capitol in the Jan. 6 attack and was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, who visited the state to rally for him.

Mastriano supported unfounded claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election and held a hearing featuring Rudy Giuliani and Trump, via call-in, hyping voting irregularities.

- Donovan Slack

Democrat Maggie Hassan wins reelection to U.S. Senate

Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., beat back Trump-endorsed Republican challenger Don Bolduc in a race that narrowed sharply in the final days despite the state being carried by President Joe Biden in 2020, according to ABC and NBC News

Hassan, who served as governor from 2013 until she entered the Senate in 2017, tried to distance herself from the president throughout her campaign. She criticized the administration for the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan last year and for its handling of rising inflation.

Bolduc, a retired Army general, repeated false claims during the primary that the 2020 election was stolen, but he walked those back after securing the GOP nomination in September. In October, the National Republican Senatorial Committee stopped funding Bolduc’s campaign to prioritize other battleground states.

– Ryan Knappenberger

Progressive activist becomes first Gen Z-er to be elected to Congress

A former March for Our Lives and ACLU activist, Maxwell Alejandro Frost, 25, won his election bid against Republican Army veteran Calvin Wimbish to represent Florida's 10th Congressional District, which includes the Orlando area. He received more than 58% of vote with more than 98% of all ballots counted.

The seat became open when Democrat Val Demings decided to run for Senate against Republican Marco Rubio.

- Ella Lee

A win for Gen-Z: Florida's Max Frost becomes first Gen-Z member of Congress

Democrat Sen. Michael Bennet wins reelection

Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet defended his Colorado Senate seat in a competitive race against Republican challenger Joe O’Dea, according to multiple reports.

This will be Bennet’s third term in office, but was one of his most challenging reelection campaigns. He sought out the Democratic party nomination for the 2020 presidential election.

– Rachel Looker

Abbott wins reelection as Texas governor

Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott won reelection, besting former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, who had sought to ride what he and other Democrats hoped would be a wave of registered Democratic voters to victory in the long deep-red state, according to multiple reports.

The race drew national attention for O'Rourke, who lost a bid to unseat Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018 and made a brief presidential run in 2020. O'Rourke's name recognition and charisma fueled Democratic hopes that he could win the governor's race.

But as of last week, Abbott was favored to win by nearly 10 points, according to FiveThirtyEight polling averages. And voter registration numbers from the Texas secretary of state’s office showed an increase in voter registrations - but not the massive wave state Democrats had hoped would follow the state’s abortion ban and the Uvalde school massacre.

– Donovan Slack

Republican Kristi Noem reelected as South Dakota governor

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, will serve a second term as the state’s leader, according to projections by NBC and ABC.

Noem had received about 61% if the vote with 16% of ballots counted.

The South Dakota Republican faced a pair of complaints in August, one of which was referred to the South Dakota Attorney General’s Office for investigation.

The first complaint alleged personal use of the state airplane. The second, which accused Noem of misusing her position as governor to help her daughter through the state real estate appraiser program, was partially dismissed by the Government Accountability Board, because "appropriate action" had been determined.

- Ella Lee

Mother shares the experience of voting with her daughter

PHOENIX - Vanessa Figueroa brought her 9-year-old daughter, Victoria Medina, with her to the Maryvale Bridge United Methodist Church in Phoenix to drop off her ballot.

Figueroa, 39, said she thought it would be a good chance to teach her daughter the importance of voting.

“(I want her to know that) you get to vote and give your opinion and decide for your own education, too,” she said.

Figueroa said voting is one way she can express support for public education. Victoria hasn’t been able to see a school counselor, she said, because of short staffing – one indication to her that schools need more resources.

- Alex Appel/Special for Cronkite News

Republican John Kennedy defends his Louisiana Senate seat

Republican Sen. John Kennedy defended his Senate seat in Louisiana defeating Democratic challenger Luke Mixon, according to NBC and ABC.

Kennedy joined a group of 11 senators in 2021 who objected to the certification of President Donald Trump's 2020 presidential loss. He will now serve his second term.

- Rachel Looker

Republican Gov. Phil Scott wins re-election in Vermont

Republican Gov. Phil Scott secured a fourth term in Vermont after defeating Democratic challenger Brenda Siegel. Scott was elected in 2016 and ran for re-election in 2022 on a platform of reducing taxes and boosting the economy.

Though a Republican, Scott has openly criticized former President Donald Trump and voted for President Joe Biden in 2020.

-BrieAnna Frank

Democratic Gov. Jared Polis wins reelection in Colorado

Democratic Gov. Jared Polis secured a second term after defeating Republican challenger Heidi Ganahal in Colorado’s gubernatorial race, according to projections from NBC and ABC. In his first term, Polis pushed for health care and education affordability and unveiled a plan for the state to be 100% renewable energy by 2040.

– BrieAnna Frank

DeSantis '24? Supporters chant to reelected Florida governor: 'Two more years!'

Sounds like some of Ron DeSantis' backers want him to run for president in 2024, though others may be equivocal.

During the party to celebrate DeSantis' easy reelection as governor of Florida – a four-year job – some backers began chanting "two more years! Two more years!" Others overrode that suggestion with counter-chants of "U-S-A! U-S-A!"

The governor just smiled, and did not comment on any plans he may have for 2024.

– David Jackson

Native Vote volunteer excited by high voter engagement

GUADALUPE, Ariz. - “This is my Super Bowl,” said Jessica Aguilar, a volunteer for Native Vote, at El Tianguis Mercado in Guadalupe Tuesday.

Aguilar volunteered with Native Vote during the last election at the same polling place. The nonpartisan organization aims to help and educate voters.

Aguilar, who has a degree in political science, said she saw more voter engagement this year than in the last election, though most voters she talked to Tuesday were dropping off ballots that were already filled out.

Aguilar, who is not Native American, said she volunteers to support a friend who is. Stationed Tuesday near a group of conservative women handing out pamphlets near the 75-foot canvassing line, Aguilar said she is “happy to provide voter education.”

- Deanna Pistono/Special for Cronkite News

AOC wins reelection

Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won reelection to her New York House seat, defeating Republican challenger Tina Forte.

The congresswoman, who represents Queens and the Bronx, was the youngest woman and Latina to serve in Congress when she was elected in 2018. She is known for her progressive views on health care, income inequality, immigration, combating climate change and her work on the Green New Deal.

– Rachel Looker

Republican Gov. Mark Gordon wins reelection in Wyoming

Republican Gov. Mark Gordon won reelection in Wyoming against Democratic challenger Theresa Livingston. After taking office in 2019, Gordon’s first term was marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and a crash in oil prices that had dire consequences for the state’s economy. Earlier in 2022, Gordon signed a “trigger law” banning most abortions in state, which went into effect after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

– BrieAnna Frank

Maryland singer's vote motivated by abortion policy

SUITLAND, Md. - Kanysha Williams said that she felt it was important to come out to vote and make sure her voice was heard in what she called this year’s “spicy” midterm elections.

She said she was particularly motivated by the issue of abortion. Williams, a 30-year-old singer, said that as someone thinking about starting a family, “I’m focused on making sure a woman’s right over her own body is protected.”

Williams said she is glad to live in Maryland, where abortions are legal up to fetal viability – around 24 weeks – or later if the mother’s life is as at risk. And she hopes to keep it that way.

“I want to make sure the people who represent me represent the issues I care about,” Williams said.

– Ryan Knappenberger, Cronkite News

Marjorie Taylor Green wins reelection

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., won reelection over Democrat Marcus Flowers, an Army veteran who also worked for the Defense Department, ending the most expensive and one of the highest-profile House races of the 2022 midterms.

Greene quickly gained notoriety during her first campaign for office in 2020 for a track record of promoting racist rhetoric and far-right conspiracy theories. She vowed to spend her time in office promoting Trump-era policies.

– Laura Bargfeld, Cronkite News

Republican Sen. Jerry Moran reelected to Senate

Kansas Republican Sen. Jerry Moran won reelection against Mark Holland, the Democratic candidate for a Kansas Senate seat. Moran will be serving this third term in the Senate.

Moran previously served as the chairman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee from 2013 to 2015 and in the U.S. House from 1997 to 2011.

– Sarah Elbeshbishi

Heavy evening turnout in Las Vegas

With two hours before the polls closed in Nevada, Las Vegas resident and stay-at-home mom Lorena Cardenas, 43, led a small group in a chant outside the Desert Breeze Community Center. Like many Nevada residents, Cardenas expected a Republican “red wave” to seize control of Congress.

Cardenas hopes Republicans will check Biden’s “radical” government, which she feels is being used to target his political enemies. She said she hoped Republicans could tighten border controls, fight inflation and de-sexualize public education.

“No more Democrats, the damage has been done, woo!” shouted the small group from outside the 100-foot polling place boundary.

– Trevor Hughes

Sen. Chuck Schumer wins reelection

Democrat Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader, won reelection in the New York Senate race defeating Republican challenger Joe Pinion.

Schumer, the Senate’s top Democrat, will now serve a fifth term.

– Rachel Looker

South Dakota Republican John Thune wins historic fourth Senate term

Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., won his reelection bid against Democrat Brian Bengs for a historic fourth term in Congress’ upper chamber.

Only Karl Mundt, who served in the Senate from 1948 to 1973, won four terms as a senator in South Dakota. Since Mundt’s retirement, three senators have lost running for a fourth term: George McGovern in 1980, Larry Pressler in 1996 and Tom Daschle in 2004.

Thune is currently the No. 2 ranking senator behind Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

– Ella Lee; Jonathan Ellis and Joe Sneve, Sioux Falls Argus Leader

North Dakota Republican Sen. John Hoeven wins reelection

Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., won his reelection bid against Democrat Katrina Christiansen. Hoeven, who will serve a third Senate term, was previously North Dakota’s governor for a decade.

– Ella Lee

Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds wins reelection in Iowa

Incumbent Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds secured a victory in Iowa in her reelection bid against Democratic nominee and businessperson Deidre DeJear.

The candidates clashed on hot-button issues including abortion policy and school funding in their only debate ahead of the election. Reynolds was appointed governor in 2017 and was elected to her first full term the following year.

– BrieAnna Frank

Republican Rep. Jim Jordan wins Ohio House seat

Republican Rep. Jim Jordan defended his Ohio House seat against Democratic challenger Tamie Wilson.

Jordan is an eight-term congressman who has held his seat since 2007. He is a close ally of former President Donald Trump.

– Rachel Looker

Arizona judge declines to extend voting hours in Maricopa County

An Arizona judge has declined to extend polling hours in Maricopa County after the Republican National Committee filed a lawsuit over earlier problems with ballot tabulation machines.

A Maricopa County superior court judge declined a request to extend voting in the state’s most populous county until 10 p.m. MST, or midnight on the east coast.

Officials said the problem with the machines affected about 20% of voting sites. Officials have stressed that ballots in affected precincts will be counted. The county identified a fix for the problem by midday.

The judge, who ruled from the bench after a last-minute hearing, found no evidence that any voter was denied the chance to vote at one of the county's polling places, despite the tabulation glitch forcing some to the option of casting a provisional ballot.

– John Fritze and Bart Jansen

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Democratic Gov. Dan McKee wins re-election in Rhode Island

Democratic Gov. Dan McKee won reelection in Rhode Island against Republican challenger Ashley Kalus.

Through the contentious campaign, McKee emphasized his administration’s investments in infrastructure and response to the COVID-19 pandemic. McKee took office as governor in 2021 and previously served as mayor of Cumberland, Rhode Island.

– BrieAnna Frank

Rep. Matt Gaetz reelected to House seat

Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz defended his Florida House seat against Democratic challenger Rebekah Jones.

Gaetz, who has represented the district since 2017, has been one of former President Donald Trump’s strongest supporters. He has faced legal troubles and has been under federal investigation over allegations he violated federal sex trafficking laws.

– Rachel Looker

Voting is over in Ohio, but the fundraising continues

The polls may have closed in Ohio, but GOP Senate candidate J.D. Vance is still asking supporters to vote with their wallets.

“If you want to make an impact on this race personally, then I have a link for you!” Vance said in fundraising email Tuesday night that urged backers to “rush” a donation.

“Thanks for everything as we reach the finish line,” the appeal says.

– Maureen Groppe

Kari Lake casts ballot, pledges election reform if elected Arizona governor

PHOENIX - After casting her ballot in downtown Phoenix, a confident Kari Lake attacked the election process and pledged election reform if she wins the race for Arizona governor.

“We’re going to win,” said the Republican nominee, though she noted she had little confidence in the election process. “I’m just not confident in the people we’ve elected to run these elections… We will bring about good, honest reform to our elections.”

Lake, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, is one of the most prominent Republicans who have built their campaigns on denying the results of the 2020 presidential election.

– Kaden Kleinschmidt/Cronkite News

GOP hammered economic message in Florida. It worked.

Republicans up and down the ticket in Florida ran against President Joe Biden and fed on voter frustration with inflation and a turbulent economy.

It seemed to work. And the GOP overwhelmingly outspent Democrats to hammer this message across.

Democrat Charlie Crist centered his campaign on a pledge to protect abortion rights in his fight with Gov. Ron DeSantis. But polls showed concerns about the future of abortion across the nation had slipped down the priority list for voters but Crist never re-pivoted, likely further dimming his longshot bid to unseat DeSantis.

Democrat Val Demings also kept abortion rights front-and-center in the homestretch of her campaign against Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, who, like virtually every Republican candidate this season, sought to avoid engaging on the issue.

Democratic voter turnout also was down. A harbinger of Tuesday’s doom for Democrats was that Republicans held a more than 300,000-voter edge in combined early voting and mail-in ballots going into Election Day.

DeSantis was intent on proving his victory in 2018 by less than 33,000 votes was no fluke. And he pushed GOP get-out-the-vote efforts and campaigned before large, supportive crowds in a final week dash around the state knowing that a blowout win would give him the bounce he needs to maybe launch a presidential campaign. He got it.

– John Kennedy, Capital Bureau, USA TODAY Network - Florida

Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders wins governorship in Arkansas

Republican candidate Sarah Huckabee Sanders won election in Arkansas’ gubernatorial race against Democratic challenger Chris Jones. Sanders previously served as the White House press secretary under former President Donald Trump before seeking the office once held by her father, Mike Huckabee. Huckabee Sanders is the first woman elected to the position.

–BrieAnna Frank

Republican Sen. John Boozman wins reelection bid

Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., will serve a third term in the U.S. Senate, winning his reelection bid against Democrat Natalie James.

Boozman currently serves on five Senate committees, including the appropriations committee, and supported the acquittal of former President Donald Trump’s impeachment regarding the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

– Ella Lee, Sarah Elbeshbishi

Republican Gov. Henry McMaster reelected governor

Republican Gov. Henry McMaster won reelection in the South Carolina governor’s race defeating Democrat Joe Cunningham, according to NBC and ABC News.

McMaster outraised Cunningham by a nearly 2-1 margin, according to S.C. Ethics Commission reports. He raised over $2 million during the campaign.

– Rachel Looker; Adam Friedman, Nashville Tennessean

Katie Hobbs urges ASU students in Tempe to vote

PHOENIX - Katie Hobbs, Arizona Democratic candidate for governor and current secretary of state, told students on Arizona State University’s Tempe campus that her race against Republican Kari Lake is going to be tight and that voters can’t be taken for granted.

Arizona attorney general candidate Kris Mayes and incumbent Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman, both Democrats on the ballot, also spoke briefly to a small crowd of students Tuesday midday and encouraged them to vote.

“American democracy runs through Arizona,” Mayes told students.

The candidates appeared at an Election Day event held by student political organizations Mission for Arizona and Young Democrats at ASU at ASU’s Memorial Union. Hobbs spent a short time on campus and then moved on to an event in south Phoenix.

– Shane Brennan/Cronkite News

At Mar-a-Lago, Rubio victory cheered. DeSantis win … not so much

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida – When Fox News called the gubernatorial race for Ron DeSantis against Democratic rival Charlie Crist just after 8 p.m., the crowd in the ballroom of former president Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate clapped quietly.

But the crowd cheered and clapped boisterously when it was announced that U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio had defeated Democratic challenger Val Demings.

Trump said Tuesday he would "bring up the past" should DeSantis seek the 2024 presidential nomination.

"It'd be like anybody else that runs, if somebody runs you have to bring up the past," Trump told reporters in a ballroom at his Mar-a-Lago estate around 6:30 p.m., a half hour before most polls in Florida closed. "I'm not sure he would want to run. We'll see."

Trump then noted that he voted for DeSantis on Tuesday.

– Antonio Fins, Palm Beach Post

Wes Moore wins Maryland governorship, makes history

Democrat Wes Moore won Maryland’s governor race against Republican opponent Maryland Del. Dan Cox, making history as Maryland’s first Black governor.

Moore gives the governorship back to the Democrats after two terms of Republican Gov. Larry Hogan.

– Sarah Elbeshbishi

Voted into history: Wes Moore to be Maryland's first Black governor; first Gen-Z House member in Fla., more

Republican Gov. Bill Lee wins reelection in Tennessee

Republican Gov. Bill Lee was reelected governor of Tennessee. He defeated Democratic challenger Jason Martin.

Lee sought a second and final term as governor after he was first elected in 2018. He formerly served as a businessman and chairman of the Lee Company. He ran unopposed in the primary this year.

– Rachel Looker

Maryland Democrat Sen. Chris Van Hollen wins reelection

Sen. Chris Van Hollen was reelected Tuesday evening, defeating his Republican opponent Chris Chaffee and keeping his Maryland Senate seat.

Van Hollen, who previously served as the representative for Maryland's 8th Congressional District, won his second Senate term.

– Ella Lee

Republican Gov. Kay Ivey wins re-election in Alabama

Incumbent Republican Gov. Kay Ivey won reelection in Alabama against Democratic challenger Yolanda Flowers. Ivey’s win puts her on pace to become the longest-serving governor in Alabama history, according to The Montgomery Adviser.

– BrieAnna Frank

Chris Sununu reelected New Hampshire governor

Republican Gov. Chris Sununu defeated Democrat Tom Sherman in the New Hampshire gubernatorial race.

Sununu will now serve a fourth two-year term. He was heavily favored against Sherman, who ran unopposed in his party's governor's nomination.

– Rachel Looker

Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth wins reelection

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., beat Republican challenger Kathy Salvi for a second term.

– Ella Lee

Voter recounts poll watcher intimidation

GLENDALE, Arizona – Daniel Ruiz, 28, has voted since 2016, but Tuesday was the first time he had a poll watcher shove a camera in his face.

“I’m going to have some problems with that. I don’t know who you are,” he said after trying to confront the poll watcher. The other man did not identify himself and left quickly after taking photos of Ruiz and nonpartisan Election Protection volunteers at Glendale Community College.

A federal judge last week set limits on groups watching ballot drop boxes in Arizona, ordering them to stop filming and confronting voters, carrying weapons and to remain at least 75 feet away from ballot boxes.

Except for the encounter, Ruiz said everything went smoothly and he was able to drop off his ballot. “I feel like, weirdly, if people don’t get their way, things can escalate, and that’s kind of scary for a regular citizen,” he said.

– Khanh Nguyen/ Special for Cronkite News

Republican Katie Britt wins Alabama Senate seat

Republican Katie Britt won the U.S. Senate seat in Alabama. She defeated Democrat Will Boyd.

Britt was previously the former president and CEO of the Business Council of Alabama. During the campaign, she received the endorsement of Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby, who is retiring.

– Rachel Looker

Republican Senate candidates sweep in Oklahoma

Oklahoma’s two Republican Senate candidates won their elections early Tuesday night.

Markwayne Mullin was elected to the U.S. Senate in Oklahoma and Sen. James Lankford won his reelection bid.

– Ella Lee

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker wins reelection

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker easily beat Republican challenger Darren Bailey in his reelection bid.

Billionaires like Ken Griffin and Richard Uihlein threw millions of dollars into the race heading into its primary, igniting a second round in the state's battle of the billionaires.

– Ella Lee

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wins reelection

Republican incumbent Gov. Ron DeSantis won the race for Florida governor, defeating Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist.

DeSantis held onto a double-digit lead in the polls for much of the race.

The contest has been closely watched nonetheless, as DeSantis has built a national profile in what some see as preparation for a bid to secure the GOP nomination for president in 2024.

Crist, a former Republican himself, served as Florida’s governor from 2007 to 2011, re-registering as a Democrat after leaving office.

– Anna Kaufman, Sarah Elbeshbishi

Sen. Richard Blumenthal defends Connecticut Senate seat

Sen. Richard Blumenthal won reelection in the Connecticut Senate race.

Blumenthal has been in office since 2011. This is his third six-year term. The senator’s last tight contest was in 2010, which was his first run for U.S. Senate.

- Rachel Looker

Top US cybersecurity officials confirm some election website outages but say no disruption of election infrastructure

The Department of Homeland Security has seen no specific or credible threat that is disrupting election infrastructure, or any activity that should cause voters to question the security, the integrity or resilience of the midterm elections, two senior U.S. cybersecurity officials said Tuesday evening.

The officials, both with DHS’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency or CISA, noted that there have been a few isolated issues arising from within the 8,800 or so individual election jurisdictions in the United States, including Maricopa County, Arizona – but chalked them up to mostly routine Election Day glitches.

The two officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing cybersecurity operations, confirmed that they were aware of so-called distributed denial-of-service attacks affecting a number of websites for state election offices, campaigns, and partisan organizations – including a sustained effort to take down election-related websites in Mississippi. But they sought to reassure voters by stressing that such DDoS attacks, which flood websites with computer messages, can only slow down voting or counting processes as opposed to actually meddling with the actual vote count.

They also said that while it is inherently difficult to find out who is behind such attacks, CISA has seen no evidence suggesting that the DDoS attacks were part of any widespread or coordinated campaign.CISA hasn't seen any DDoS attacks on election night results reporting websites, the senior official says.

– Josh Meyer

Democrat Maura Healey wins Massachusetts’ governor’s race

Democrat Maura Healey won Massachusetts’ gubernatorial race against Donald Trump-backed Republican nominee Geoff Diehl. The Associated Press called the race at 8 p.m. ET.

Healey makes history as the first woman and the first openly gay candidate elected to the office.

– BrieAnna Frank

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio defeats Democratic challenger

Republican incumbent Sen. Marco Rubio successfully fended off Democratic Rep. Val Demings in Florida’s U.S. Senate race to keep his seat, according to Fox and CNN’s projections.

Rubio, a two-term senator, had been the favorite to win in polls conducted throughout the race, while Demings, a congresswoman representing the Orlando area since 2017, trailed.

The contest has shaped up to be one of the most expensive in the country, with Democrats spending big, hoping to flip the seat.

Ideologically the candidates are split mostly along party lines, sparring in their sole debate over hot-button issues like abortion, border policy, and gun control.

– Anna Kaufman, Ella Lee

Republican Sen. Tim Scott wins South Carolina Senate seat

Incumbent Republican Sen. Tim Scott won the South Carolina Senate seat in the race against Democrat Krystle Matthews. Scott will now serve his second full term.

Scott has made repeated trips to Iowa, creating speculation he may be laying the groundwork for a 2024 presidential bid.

Matthews serves as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives.

– Rachel Looker

Todd Young wins Indiana Senate race

Republican Sen. Todd Young defended his seat against Democratic challenger Thomas McDermott in the Indiana Senate race.

Young is finishing his first term as senator. He was set to be the frontrunner of the race and had over $3.5 million cash on hand in the run up to Election Day.

– Rachel Looker

Maryland voter motivated by abortion access issue

SUITLAND, Md. - Kanysha Williams said that she felt it was important to come out to vote and make sure her voice was heard in what she called this year’s “spicy” midterm elections.

She said she was particularly motivated by the issue of abortion. Williams, a 30-year-old singer, said that as someone thinking about starting a family, “I’m focused on making sure a woman’s right over her own body is protected.”

Williams said she is glad to live in Maryland, where abortions are legal up to fetal viability - around 24 weeks - or later if the mother’s life is as at risk. And she hopes to keep it that way.

“I want to make sure the people who represent me represent the issues I care about,” Williams said.

- Ryan Knappenberger, Cronkite News

Gov. Mike DeWine wins reelection in Ohio

Republican incumbent Gov. Mike DeWine claimed victory in his bid for reelection in Ohio’s gubernatorial race against Democratic challenger Nan Whaley, according to projections from CBS and CNN. Whaley was the first woman ever nominated by a major party for governor in the state's history.

-BrieAnna Frank

Peter Welch wins Vermont Senate seat

Democrat Peter Welch will succeed Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the longest-serving member of the chamber.

Welch beat Republican Gerald Malloy with just 1% of the vote counted.

Leahy, first elected to the Senate in 1974, announced his retirement in November 2021.

-Ella Lee

Analyst: Democrats must outrun Biden

Democrats in competitive Senate races must outrun President Joe Biden’s approval rating by six to nine percentage points to win Tuesday, according to Jessica Taylor, an analyst with the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.

“The biggest hurdle for Senate Dems tonight – Biden's approval,” tweeted Taylor,

That helps explain why Biden did not campaign with most of the candidates in nine of the top races. The exception was John Fetterman, who appeared with Biden and former President Barack Obama at a rally in Philadelphia Saturday.

– Maureen Groppe

First wave of polls closed, including Florida, Georgia and Ohio

Polling locations will close in East Coast states over the next few hours. Polls will close at the following local times:

Polls in parts of Kentucky and Indiana closed at 6 p.m.

Virginia, Vermont, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Georgia and Florida closed at 7 p.m.

Ohio and North Carolina closed at 7:30 p.m.

Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine and Connecticut close at 8 p.m.

Polls in New York close at 9 p.m.

Voters on the west coast still have a few hours to cast their ballots. Key states on the West Coast are set to close at the following local times:

Nevada, New Mexico and Arizona close at 7 p.m.

California, Oregon and Washington close at 8 p.m.

– Rachel Looker

Texas county sued over voting problems, urged to extend voting hours

Harris County – the most populous county in Texas, according to the 2020 Census – was sued Tuesday by lawyers from the Texas Civil Rights Project and the ACLU of Texas on behalf of the Texas Organizing Project after delays in opening several polling locations.

The Judge granted the request, extending polling time an hour to 8 p.m. local time. Voters arriving between 7-8 p.m. will cast provisional ballots.

The county also has been plagued with voting machine malfunctions, resulting in long lines and closures at certain voting stations, according to NBC News.

– Sarah Elbeshbishi

GOP files lawsuit seeking extended hours in Maricopa County

The Republican National Committee filed a lawsuit in an Arizona court Tuesday seeking to extend the hours of polling locations in Maricopa County because of earlier problems with ballot tabulation machines.

The suit asks a superior court judge to extend polling hours in the county until 10 p.m. MST.

Officials said the issue with the tabulators affected about 20% of voting centers in the state's largest county. Officials have stressed that ballots in affected precincts will be counted, but the glitch has drawn criticism from conservatives, including former President Donald Trump.

Some voters who confronted the problem were encouraged to place ballots in secure drop boxes, the Arizona Republic reported.

- John Fritze and Bart Jansen

Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul easily wins reelection

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., sailed to reelection Tuesday night, crushing Democrat Charles Booker's hopes that he'd pull off a massive upset and become not only the first Democratic senator elected in Kentucky since 1992 but also the commonwealth's first Black senator.

Paul won a third six-year term in Congress, scoring a victory that the Associated Press called relatively early Tuesday evening as election results rolled in.

The libertarian-leaning senator ran on a staunchly conservative platform.

- Morgan Watkins, Louisville Courier Journal

Roe on some Georgia voters' minds

Of all the issues at play in the 2022 cycle, Peach State voter Morgan Jones said protecting women’s reproductive rights was at the forefront.

The 38-year-old mortician said while many in her community might likely skip this year's midterm elections, she said abortion was the chief reason she went to the polls Tuesday.

“With me being a woman, especially a Black woman who has a child… I feel that it should still be a choice of ours that we should be able to make on our own,” she said.

Voter Ash Dawson said the possibility of lawmakers banning abortion outright was the main engine for showing up to vote.

“I wanted to make sure I got some votes in the right direction that those rights are preserved for women,” Dawson, an urban farmer, told USA TODAY.

- Phillip M. Bailey

Donald Trump threatens Ron DeSantis (if he runs against him)

Donald Trump is all but threatening Ron DeSantis with personal attacks if the Florida governor decides to run against him for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.

“If he runs, he runs,” Trump recently told a group of reporters, according to The Wall Street Journal. "If he did run, I will tell you things about him that won’t be very flattering. I know more about him than anybody other than perhaps his wife, who is really running his campaign.”

DeSantis, who is expected to win re-election as governor on Tuesday, has not commented on Trump's jibes; he also hasn't said whether he is willing to run against Trump in 2024.

– David Jackson

Nancy Pelosi says she believes Democrats can hold majority

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she believes Democrats have a path to hold the majority in the House of Representatives.

During an interview with PBS NewsHour, Pelosi said Democratic candidates are connecting with voters in their districts and focusing on what is important to their constituents, whether it be lowering costs, abortion or climate change.

“We own the ground out there today,” Pelosi said. “Just because a pundit in Washington says ‘history says you can't win,’ is no deterrent for the enthusiasm we have out there. I think you'll be surprised this evening.”

– Rebecca Morin

Voting times extended at some polling sites after delays

Polls in several states will allow voters to cast their ballots later than planned following unexpected delays.

In Georgia, where polls are scheduled to close at 7 p.m., at least two precincts are giving voters more time after opening late. A location in Cobb County will extend its voting time by 45 minutes and a location in DeKalb County will remain open an extra 39 minutes, according to state Democratic officials.

A paper shortage in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, caused a judge to order voting sites there to remain open until 10 p.m. Polling places in the county were supposed to close at 8 p.m., according to the county’s website.

And in North Carolina, voting will be delayed by an hour at three polling sites after one precinct opened late, leaving staff “locked out,” and two others experienced printing problems, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections.

– Phillip M. Bailey; David Jackson; Bethany Rodgers, GoErie; Ella Lee

Key House races to watch as results roll in

As polls start to close, here are some of the key House races we have our eyes on:

California: David Valadao (R) vs. Rudy Salas (D)

Ohio: Steve Chabot (R) vs. Greg Landsman (D)

Virginia: Abigail Spanberger (D) vs. Yesli Vega (R)

Nevada: Dina Titus (D) vs. Mark Robertson (R)

Texas: Mayra Flores (R) vs. Vicente Gonzalez (D)

Michigan: Elissa Slotkin (D) vs. Tom Barrett (R)

Colorado: Yadira Caraveo (D) vs. Barbara Kirkmeyer (R)

New Jersey: Tom Malinowski (D) vs. Tom Kean Jr. (R)

North Carolina: Wiley Nickel (D) vs. Bo Hines (R)

– Rachel Looker

Election denial group calls for protests

A group is calling for dual rallies on Tuesday in Maricopa and Pima counties to protest voting machines.

The group, 2020 Is Nullified, issued a call on social media for supporters to gather at 8 p.m. outside the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center in Phoenix and at the Pima County Recorder’s Office in Tucson.

“Stand in solidarity with fellow Americans to demand a hand count” of ballots, the group said.

The group maintains voting machines are not legal and have not been certified. Election officials say the tabulation machines are certified by state and federal inspectors, which is required under the law.

Former President Donald Trump's claims there was widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election have been roundly debunked.

— Robert Anglen, The Arizona Republic

Ohio sets record for early voting

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced Ohio voters set a record this year for early voting in a nonpresidential election year.

More than 1.55 million Ohioans either voted early in-person or requested a mail-in absentee ballot for this election.

“This is an increase of 3.9% over the previous record set in 2018,” according to the Secretary of State's office. The data includes all ballots received through 2 p.m. Monday, when early in-person voting ended across the state.

- The Columbus Dispatch; Rachel Looker

Guam elects first Republican representative since 1993

Republican James Moylan defeated Democrat Judith Won Pat to become Guam’s newest non-voting House of Representatives delegate.

Moylan received 17,075 votes compared to Won Pat’s 15,427, according to partial, unofficial election results from the Guam Election Commission. He is the second Republican to be elected to the position since its creation in 1972.

– Eleanor McCrary

New Mexico same-day registration brings 14,000 new voters by noon

Mario Jimenez, executive director of Common Cause of New Mexico, said voters were eager to cast their ballots.

The election was the first with same-day registration and 14,000 new voters registered by noon Tuesday to vote, Jimenez said. Another 100,000 voters cast absentee ballots and 350,000 people voted by noon Tuesday, he said.

“We’re seeing really good turnout for a mid-term election here in New Mexico,” Jimenez said.

– Bart Jansen

2-minute wait times in Georgia, Raffensperger says

Speaking to reporters, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said even with a projected high turnout on Tuesday most polling places saw a two-minute wait time.

“It’s just been tremendously smooth," he said.

Georgia election officials were told to brace for roughly 2 million voters to show up to the polls this afternoon. That's on top of the 2.5 million who've already voted early.

Georgia's polls close at 7 p.m. EST

– Phillip M. Bailey

In Rep. Abigail Spanberger's Virginia district, inflation and health care drive voters

For voters in Prince William County, where Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger is on the ballot against Republican Yesli Vega for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, the main issues include inflation and abortion.

Reba Gravelle, a 40-year resident of the Woodbridge area, said her candidate would have to support her views on abortion. “I’m a very pro-life person and so my candidate needed to support that,” she said.

Joshua King, a veteran and current deputy sheriff, said health care brought him to the polls for Democrats. King also took into consideration his daughter, who has autism. “I support any candidate who decides that they want to help out our special needs community because they’re marginalized,” he said.

– Kaila Nichols and Dante Nieto, Medill News Service

In Texas, Beto O'Rourke supporters argue with protesters over LGBTQ issues

Democrat Beto O’Rourke, who is challenging Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, held an Election Day meet-and-greet outside a public library in North Dallas this morning. While O’Rourke talked with a ring of supporters, far-right agitators jostled with onlookers and tried to disrupt the candidate’s speech, with little success.

The handful of anti-O’Rourke onlookers shouted statements about pedophilia and transgender rights that have become a refrain of the extremist right in Texas in recent months. Despite some high-spirited discussions with the candidate’s supporters, the hecklers were unable to push past them and get close to O’Rourke, who spoke to the crowd for about an hour.

Transgender rights have become a political lightning rod in Texas, which has also seen a surge in protests and attacks on LGBTQ-friendly events such as family friendly drag shows. O’Rourke has been endorsed by several LGBTQ organizations, and has criticized Abbott for his support of policies that he says discriminate against LGBTQ people.

– Will Carless

Biden: 'MAGA Republicans' don’t care about Black communities

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden warned in an Election Day radio interview targeted at Black Americans that far-right “MAGA Republicans” don’t care about African-American communities.

“This is not your father’s Republican Party,” Biden said on the “D.L. Hughley Show” when asked about his message to Black Americans who are still on the fence about voting.

MAGA Republicans are “a different breed of cat,” Biden said in the interview, which was taped Tuesday morning. “They care about your community about as much as … well, anyway,” he said, without finishing the sentence. “You’ve seen what you’ve got from that community,” he added.

– Michael Collins

North Carolina Senate race: Ted Budd supporters optimistic at polls

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – North Carolina has never elected a woman of color to the U.S. Senate, and many voters don't expect that to change Tuesday.

Supporters of Democrat Cheri Beasley say they are not exactly confident, but some remain hopeful: "Some of the underdogs come out on top!" said Jannet Blue, 58, a Department of Motor Vehicles supervisor who voted in Winston-Salem.

Backers of Republican Ted Budd are more confident; his poll lead has grown in recent weeks, and voters said it just feels like a Republican year in the Tar Heel State. "We need to keep working people working," said James Wilcox, 61, a Winston-Salem businessman.

– David Jackson

Arizona voting machines: Maricopa County resolves ballot tabulation issues at some locations

The Maricopa County Elections Department found a solution for tabulation issues that affected about 60 of the county’s 223 voting centers, the county government said Tuesday.

Printers at the locations were not producing dark enough timing marks on ballots, according to Maricopa County’s official Twitter. To resolve the issue, county technicians changed the printer settings. The solution has so far worked at 17 locations and technicians have been deployed to the remaining locations to resolve the issue, according to the county.

Stephen Richer, Maricopa County recorder, issued an apology to voters on his personal Twitter, promising that “every legal vote will be tabulated."

– Ella Lee

Philadelphia voting ‘going great’ so far

PHILADELPHIA – Tuesday has been a “wonderful” day for voting in the city, according to Philadelphia Deputy Commissioner Nick Custodio.

“It’s going great,” he told USA TODAY. “Nothing has risen to a level of concern.”

The overwhelming majority of voters have been able to cast ballots without incident and the processing has been “going smoothly,” Custodio said.

Polls are open until 8 p.m. and voters can turn in mailed ballots until that time in Pennsylvania.

– Candy Woodall

For some in New Hampshire, Biden’s stake in democracy gets through

BEDFORD, N.H. – For some in New Hampshire, where presidential candidates flock every four years, President Joe Biden’s message that democracy is at stake resonated with some voters.

Jonathan French says it’s why he’s voting for Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan over Republican Don Bolduc.

“I believe in democracy. Don Bolduc denies the election results from 2020,” French simply put. But at the same time, French isn’t sure if he wants to see Biden run again in 2024. “We’ll wait and see,” said French.

– Ken Tran

Mailed ballots drive higher turnout in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA – There is a higher turnout today and the bulk of the counting will be done tonight, according to Philadelphia Deputy Commissioner Nick Custodio.

About 101,000 mailed ballots will be processed tonight, he told USA TODAY, with the first tally showing five minutes after the polls close at 8 p.m. in Pennsylvania. The counting will take “the normal amount of time,” meaning most of the results will be in tomorrow or Thursday, he said.

Custodio is expecting a higher turnout in this election compared to 2018 because of mail-in voting, he said.

– Candy Woodall

Why one voter in Philadelphia is staying home

PHILADELPHIA – Standing outside a Save A Lot grocery store, Lori Dornan explains why she’s shopping after work instead of voting.

“My vote will just give a politician more money and power. It won’t help me afford groceries,” she said.

– Candy Woodall

Man in custody after disturbance at West Bend, Wisconsin, polling place

A 38-year-old Wisconsin man was arrested Tuesday after “demanding for staff to ‘stop the voting'" not far from a polling location in the West Bend Community Memorial Library in West Bend, Wisconsin, according to police.

A poll worker told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he heard a man with a knife approach the library’s front desk. Voters and children playing in the area were escorted into the voting room, he said, and the doors were shut.

Library staff declined to comment on the incident. Police would not confirm whether a knife was involved, saying only that someone was taken into custody following a disturbance in which no one was injured. Voting at the library was disrupted for about 30 minutes, the poll worker said, but has since returned to normal operations.

– Lawrence Andrea

Get your 2022 live midterm election results here

The 2022 midterm elections are underway and American voters are hitting the polls to elect members of the Senate and House of Representatives, as well as governors in certain states.

Follow our live coverage for Senate results, House results and gubernatorial results begin to roll in. You can also learn how to vote and who's on the ballot in your state.

Cybersecurity officials: Still no specific or credible threat to disrupt election operations

Two senior U.S. cybersecurity officials said Tuesday afternoon that the Department of Homeland Security continues to see no specific or credible threat to disrupt election infrastructure or election day operations, and that it remains vigilant to protect against foreign nation disinformation and malign influence operations.

The officials, both with DHS’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency or CISA, noted that there have been a few isolated issues arising from within the 8,800 or so individual election jurisdictions in the United States, including Maricopa County, Arizona.

But they described them as nothing out of the ordinary and said CISA was in close touch with elected officials there and elsewhere across the country in order to understand and respond to any election day problems if needed.The officials, both speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing cybersecurity operations, referred questions about Maricopa County to local officials there, who have released statements and a video explaining how the voting machinery works.

– Josh Meyer

Voting rights group: Overvoting in NH causes some concerns

DERRY, N.H. – In New Hampshire, some voters are filling out more names than they should on their ballot, forcing their ballot to be hand recounted rather than being read by a machine. Voting rights groups worry the tactic called “overvoting” could lower voter confidence and slow down counting.

“We have seen a few loosely organized groups pushing for folks to purposely overvote their ballot to make sure their ballot is hand counted this cycle,” said Liz Wester, director of the New Hampshire Voter Empowerment Task Force, a voting rights group.

New Hampshire Secretary of State, David Scanlan, told USA TODAY that the state is already prepared for hand counting; his office has sent more election workers to polling places to assist in counting ballots.

– Ken Tran

Common Cause: Election glitches routine, with some 'weird' anecdotes in Ohio

Catherine Turcer, executive director of Common Cause of Ohio, said most questions about voting have been routine, with a couple of “weird” examples.

A priest in Toledo was checking the identification of voters, Turcer said. In Summit County, around Akron, a man was visiting polling places and just watching before being asked to move along, she said.

But most voting problems reported nationwide were routine, such as problems with voting machines forcing longer lines, not systemic, said Sylvia Albert, Common Cause director of voting and elections.

“What we’re seeing is really what we see in every election, isolated incidents of some problems,” Albert said. “No election is perfect. Election officials are doing their job.”

– Bart Jansen

For some, Walker’s candidacy is about ‘grace and forgiveness’

KENNESAW, Ga. – Former football player Herschel Walker’s personal controversies have made his Senate campaign a target for Democrats, but many Georgia voters think differently.

“Herschel is real, he’s one of us,” voter Tricia Choi, 55, told USA TODAY. Choi said for many Walker's story is about the redemptive power of Jesus Christ, which she said appeals to faith-based voters.

Walker, who is running to unseat Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, has been accused of domestic abuse by his ex-wife. Most recently, allegations surfaced that he pressured former girlfriends to have abortions, which he has denied.

– Phillip M. Bailey

Mark Kelly, Blake Masters set for final pitch in Arizona Senate race

On one side is Sen. Mark Kelly, a Democrat and former astronaut whose wife was shot in the head by an angry constituent. On the other is Blake Masters, a tech investor and first-time candidate backed by a billionaire patron and endorsed by Trump.

The two are locked in what’s become an increasingly tight race, with Kelly’s initial advantage in the polls narrowing to a dead heat.

With hours to go until polling places close, Kelly planned to hit get-out-the-vote events in west Phoenix and Tucson. Masters planned to spend election night at the Arizona Republican Party’s watch event in Scottsdale.

Maricopa County, where problems have been reported at one out of five polling sites, is home to Phoenix and is Arizona’s most populous county. It's also one of the largest in the nation – and while it has tended to vote for Republican candidates in recent years, Biden carried it in 2020.

The vote there will likely be critical to deciding the tossup Senate race.

— Alison Steinbach, The Arizona Republic, Donovan Slack, and John Fritze

Snowstorm greets voters in crucial swing county

It was a snowy Election Day in Washoe County, Nevada.

The county is crucial territory for Nevada – and the nation – as Democrat Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto is fending off a challenge from Trump-backed Republican Adam Laxalt. The contest is among a handful that could determine who controls the Senate – and the fate of Biden's agenda for the next two years.

Marc Picker, poll manager at Damonte Ranch High School, said turnout so far is among the highest he has seen despite the weather. One Democratic voter, Reno resident Margaret Smith, said few flakes wouldn't have kept her away.

“I’m like the U.S. Postal Service – neither rain, sleet or snow will stop me from going out like Santa,” Smith said. “(Voting) is that important.”

Another Reno voter, Jim Lewis, agreed, despite being on the opposite end of the political spectrum. “If they like their freedom and liberty, they should go out there and not be afraid,” he said.

— Jason Hidalgo, Reno Gazette Journal, and Donovan Slack

Stocks rally on expectations of GOP inroads

Stocks rallied Tuesday on expectations that Republicans will retake at least one chamber of Congress, likely the House of Representatives. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up by 1.5% as of 1 p.m. ET. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite were also up by more than 1%.

Stocks tend to perform better when in a divided Congress gridlock since it can restrict government spending and hold up new legislation that can negatively impact stocks, analysts said.

— Elisabeth Buchwald and Medora Lee

More debates is what some voters wanted

AVONDALE ESTATES, Ga. — Coming out of his polling place in DeKalb County, voter Gregory Ewing said what was most aggravating during the 2022 midterms was the lack of debates.

As USA TODAY reported in September many candidates sought to avoid each other in some of the most high-profile races.

Ewing said Georgians deserved more chances to see a direct contrast between Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker on stage in the final weeks of the race.

“It’s hard to know what the truth is with these ads. The closest place we can get to the truth and how candidates really think is through a debate," he said.

— Phillip M. Bailey

Illinois county reports election-related cyberattack, but voting not compromised, officials say

Champaign County, Ill., is fighting off an election-related cyberattack that is unrelated to actual voting operations, according to officials there, who say connectivity issues and computer server performance are making it harder – but not impossible – for people to vote.

“The Clerk’s Office believes these are due to cyber-attacks on the network and servers,” Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons said in a news release.

Chief Deputy Clerk Angie Patton told USA TODAY that the clerk’s office has been the target of repeated DDOS, or Distributed Denial of Service, attacks and that she believes other counties may have been targeted as well.

But she said IT specialists have secured the Clerk's website – and election operations – and that no data or information has been compromised and the election is secure. She urged voters waiting in long lines to either wait or go to another polling place within the county since voters can cast their ballots there as well.

— Josh Meyer

At the top of the Texas ticket: Gov. Greg Abbott faces Beto O’Rourke

Texans have their eye on the marquee race for governor: incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott runs against Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke. O’Rourke caught the attention of the state and nation after running against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018. Abbott is fighting for a third term.

Abbott has led ahead of O’Rourke in Texas polls; margins sometimes reach single digits. On Oct. 30, a poll by the University of Texas at Tyler showed Abbott leading by 6 percentage points among likely voters. Another October poll by the University of Texas Politics Project showed Abbott leading by 11 points.

O’Rourke seeks to galvanize voters around abortion access and gun legislation. O’Rourke’s final ad ahead of Election Day centered around his support for abortion access.

— Nusaiba Mizan

Biden spending Election Day at the White House

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden is spending Election Day at the White House with no public events on his schedule.

The White House said he dropped in on a virtual phone bank by the Democratic National Committee to thank staff and volunteers and taped a radio interview targeted at Black Americans.

The president has already cast his midterm ballot. Accompanied by one of his granddaughters, a first-time voter, Biden voted in Wilmington, Delaware, on Oct. 29.

Biden is expected to address the nation about the election results on Wednesday, though they are likely to be incomplete at that point.

— Michael Collins

Trump says he voted for DeSantis, hints again at presidential run

Former President Donald Trump said he voted Tuesday morning for Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, while also dropping more hints that he’ll soon declare a third run for the White House, according to media reports.

Trump spoke to the media after he cast his vote at the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center on Tuesday morning, according to video posted by the local CBS news station CBS12. Former first lady Melania Trump joined him. "No matter who you vote for, you have to vote," Trump told a sparse crowd outside the polling station.

Trump also repeated that he’ll be making an announcement a week from today at his Mar-a-Lago home and resort in Palm Beach, though he didn't say about what. "I think Tuesday will be a very exciting day for a lot of people,” Trump said, adding that, “The country has gotten very bad. Its lost its way, its lost its confidence."

— Josh Meyer

LA voters elect mayor amid political turmoil

Los Angeles voters headed to the polls Tuesday to elect a new mayor amid political tumult in the nation’s second-largest city.

U.S. Rep. Karen Bass, a former state Assembly leader and Democrat who is backed by President Joe Biden, could become the first Black woman to hold the job. She faces developer Rick Caruso, a billionaire Republican turned Democrat, who has campaigned on a platform of change.

The winner fills the seat of embattled Democrat Eric Garcetti, whose nomination to become U.S. ambassador to India is stalled in the Senate.

The election comes just weeks after City Hall was embroiled in a racism scandal that led to the ouster of the City Council president and urgent calls for the resignation of two more members. President Nury Martinez resigned after audio leaked of her racist remarks about a colleague’s child and Oaxacan immigrants in the city.

— Susan Miller

Catch up on our election-related fact checks

Accusations, misinterpretations and flat-out lies circulated widely as part of the pre-election debate on social media.

The USA TODAY Fact-Check Team debunked an array of the most common claims in recent weeks, which you’ll find here in our fact check roundup.

Our reporters assembled evidence and expert interviews to address false claims about ballot boxes, mail-in voting and vote counting. And we corrected claims that missed the mark attempting to attack ballot initiatives in Michigan, California and Connecticut.

We’ll update this roundup throughout the week as we research additional claims.

— Eric Litke

Arizona's Maricopa County reports issues at 20% of voting locations

Maricopa County elections official now say 20% of the county's voting locations are reporting problems. That's double the estimate the county provided earlier in the day.

"We’re doing what we can to get these back online. It’s not like both of the tabulators are having these issues. It may only be one (at a location)," Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Gates said on Tuesday morning during an impromptu news conference.

Maricopa County has 223 voting centers.

Voters at impacted sites have two options: to cast their ballot via a secure box to be counted later or to go vote at a different location. Elections Department spokesperson Megan Gilbertson said poll workers are best equipped to help voters ensure their ballot is successfully cast.

“It’s important for voters to talk to the poll workers on site,” Gilbertson said.

— Anne Ryman and Sasha Hupka

Virginia voters can register today, then vote

Virginia’s same-day voter registration law went into effect last month. In theory, that could make it easier for some folks to vote on Election Day.

Same-day registration ballots are provisional and will be evaluated by local registrars later this week to confirm voter eligibility.

Donald Sutton, the chief election official at the Virginia Beach 5th Precinct, said the new law isn’t a big departure from business as usual.

– Grant Schwab, Medill News Service

Voting problems? There’s a hotline for that!

The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is administering an election-protection hotline for voters experiencing problems at the polls.

Volunteers are manning the phones at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683). There are also hotlines in other languages:

Spanish/English: 888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682)

Asian languages/English: 888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683)

Arabic/English: 844-YALLA-US (844-925-5287)

— Donovan Slack

Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania...

PHILADELPHIA – There’s a guy dancing in a cardboard, drop-box costume outside City Hall.

— Candy Woodall

Florida rejects federal election monitors; feds say no biggie since monitors are outside anyway

Florida’s top election official said Tuesday that the state won’t allow federal monitors at polling locations in South Florida because it’s against state law and federal authorities failed to present any evidence for such an action.

Secretary of State Cord Byrd told reporters in Tallahassee that state officials “wanted to make it clear that (polling locations) are places for election workers and for voters, not for anyone else.”

The Justice Department said Monday that it was deploying election monitors to 64 jurisdictions across the country, including three counties in South Florida: Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach.

Brad McVay, an attorney with Florida’s Department of State, sent the Justice Department a letter Monday. “None of the counties are currently subject to any election-related federal consent decrees,” he wrote. “None of the counties have been accused of violating the rights of language or racial minorities or of the elderly or disabled.”

The Justice Department confirmed receipt of the Florida letter but declined to comment except to indicate that federal monitors would be outside the polling places.

— Doug Soule, USA Today Network-Florida, and Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY

Is Miami-Dade turning red? Voting numbers tell the story

Miami-Dade County is one of the biggest and most coveted prizes for any statewide candidate in Florida, and Democrats have owned it for years.

Consider the fact that Miami-Dade hasn’t voted for a Republican since 1988 and hasn’t backed a Republican governor since 2002. That may be changing this year. Early voting numbers as of Tuesday morning show Republicans holding a slight edge of almost 4,000 votes over Democrats.

If the numbers hold up, it would represent one of the most dramatic electoral turnarounds in Florida history and may solidify the Sunshine State as a red, Republican state moving forward.

— Sergio Bustos, USA Today Network-Florida Enterprise/Politics Editor

YOUR GUIDE TO MIDTERMS:Voting rights, ballot access and key issues: A guide to midterm elections in your state

Don Bolduc says he will accept Election 2022 results if he loses to Maggie Hassan

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Don Bolduc said Tuesday that his opponent, Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan, is out of touch in accusing him of being “extreme” and an “election-denier,” saying he will concede the election Tuesday if he loses.

Bolduc, a retired Army brigadier general, made those remarks after voting at the Stratham Memorial School in the town where he lives.

— Max Sullivan

Voting begins smoothly in contested Nevada Senate race

At the Desert Breeze Community Center outside Las Vegas, approximately 100 people waited in line as the polls opened at 7 a.m. Robert Streat, 73, was among the first to cast a ballot, a personal in-person voting tradition he said dates back decades.

Streat said he opposes Biden's agenda and worries the country is changing too fast from the values he helped defend in Vietnam. He said he supported Republican candidates in the election.

“This country is going to hell if we don’t change it. We’ve got too many people who hate it," he said. “We should control the government but we’ve lost it.”

But Jonathan Copeland, 55, said he worries that Republican control of the House and Senate would mean further erosion of abortion rights, which he supports. Copeland said he voted to help defend the seat of U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat in danger of losing to Republican challenger Adam Laxalt. A Laxalt victory would help flip the Senate to Republican control.

"What politician has the right to tell a woman what to do?" Copeland said.

— Trevor Hughes

Election watchdog Common Cause reports routine polling problems in battleground states

Common Cause officials reported during a 10 a.m. news conference routine problems with voting in battleground states, but urged voters who cast ballots by mail to track them and make sure they were counted.

Amy Keith, program director for Common Cause in Florida, said more than 15,000 absentee ballots were flagged by Thursday for problems such as a missing signature. Voters have until Thursday at 5 p.m. to fix the problems, but with a tropical storm hurtling toward the state, Keith urged voters to vote move briskly.

She said 2.2 million voters voted early in person and another 2.5 million voted early by mail.

“Floridians are coming out to have their voices heard,” Keith said.

— Bart Jansen

U.S. cybersecurity officials see no attacks on election infrastructure yet

U.S. cybersecurity officials so far have seen no indications of direct attacks on election infrastructure across the United States in the early hours of mid-term voting Tuesday. But they remain on high alert to disinformation operations and efforts to sway voters’ opinions by nation-states such as Russia, China and Iran, a senior official with the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency told reporters.

The senior CISA official said those three nations continue to use the election disinformation playbook they have in past elections, and that CISA will continue to support election officials nationwide to any risks that may arise because of them.

In the first of three election security media briefings scheduled for Tuesday, the official would not say whether such foreign disinformation efforts are worse than in past election cycles, but confirmed that CISA is especially on guard against Russian malign influence campaigns following yesterday’s claim by sanctioned Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin that the Kremlin has meddled in U.S. elections and will continue to do so.

— Josh Meyer

New Hampshire governor: Trump announcing 2024 run soon comes at 'worst time'

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, a Republican running for reelection, was one of the first in line to cast his ballot, and when asked about reports former President Donald Trump is expected to announce a 2024 presidential run, he said it seemed like poor timing.

“Anyone who thinks it’s a smart idea to announce an election, a potential presidential bid, after (Tuesday’s) election but before Christmas, is just the worst time you could possibly do it,” Sununu said. “My sense is the former president needs better advisers if that’s really what his strategy’s going to be.”

As he has crisscrossed the country to campaign for Republican midterm candidates, Trump has increasingly hinted that he may launch a 2024 White House bid soon after the midterms. At a Monday night rally in Dayton, Ohio, he told supporters he was planning a "very big announcement" on Nov. 15 from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

— Max Sullivan

There's a reason for all those negative campaign ads...

On Election Day 2022, Americans are unhappy with the present, pessimistic about the future and not fully enamored with either political party. Their anxious, angry mood helps explain why campaign appeals have mostly turned not on aspirational promises – on exploring space or ending poverty, say – but on ominous warnings about the dangers of supporting the other side.

"Probably not since even the Civil War (has there been) such a dire situation for our democracy as we are in the current day," said John Mark Hansen, a political scientist at the University of Chicago.

Lessons learned in the midterms include those on the importance of the economy and the emergence of the extremes, among others. Also, the next campaign has already begun, so if you wanted to take a breath before 2024, you’re out of luck.

— Susan Page

In Ohio, voters to weigh rules for future elections along with Ryan vs. Vance contest

After months of campaigns, debates, primaries, absentee and early voting, polls in Ohio opened at 6:30 a.m. EST and will remain open until 7:30 EST.

One key issue is a ballot measure on rules for future elections. Issue 2 would prohibit noncitizens from voting, proposing that only adult U.S. citizens who legally reside and are registered to vote in Ohio for at least 30 days can cast a ballot in future state and local elections.

The most high-profile race in the state is the contest between Republican J.D. Vance and Democratic U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan that will help decide which party controls the U.S. Senate. Voters will also choose between incumbent Republican Gov. Mike DeWine and his Democratic challenger Nan Whaley. While polls show a tight race for the Senate seat, DeWine has had a wide lead over Whaley in many polls.

— Micah Walker and Caren Bohan

Election officials: Disrupt ‘at your peril’

Top election officials in key states with tight contests are ready for potential disruptions as voters head to the polls – and the ballots are counted afterward.

In Michigan, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said her office is coordinating closely with law enforcement, deploying dozens of monitors to polling paces, and is prepared to eject poll workers who violate rules.

In Georgia, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said his office set up a texting system for poll workers in 85 counties to report problems and has state patrol officers and the National Guard ready to provide security.

In Arizona, Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates said officials throughout the county are ready to respond and are closely coordinating with law enforcement to ensure balloting goes smoothly.

“Our message has been very clear to those who would try and disrupt this election: They do it at their peril,” Gates told reporters at a recent briefing hosted by The Center for Election Innovation & Research. “We're going to respond very strongly to that.”

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Till statue, Lin-Manuel Miranda: News from around our 50 states

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

Alabama

Russellville: A northern Alabama community with large numbers of Hispanic immigrants is using federal COVID-19 relief money to fund an experiment to better serve students who are still learning English. They are hiring and certifying more local, Spanish-speaking staff. More than half of 2,500 students in the small Russellville city school district identify as Hispanic or Latino, and about a quarter are learning English. But the district at times has struggled to find the people and money necessary to help those students achieve. As part of a recent exercise to help the class learn English, a third grader pulled a block from a Jenga tower and read aloud a question written on one side. “Where,” the boy read, then slowly sounded out the other words: “Where would you like to visit?” “Disneyland,” one student said. “Space,” another chimed in. “Guatemala,” one girl said. Kathy Alfaro, a new English language teacher at Russellville Elementary, exchanged a few words with the girl in Spanish, then turned to the other students. “Do y’all know what she said?” Alfaro asked the class. “She said she has a lot of family in Guatemala because she was born there. And I told her that I was born here, but I also have a lot of family in Guatemala.” Districtwide, the percentage of students who met their language proficiency goals increased from 46% in 2019 to 61% in 2022. At the two elementary schools, proficiency jumped by nearly 30 percentage points.

Alaska

Anchorage: U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, the first Alaska Native to serve in Congress, received a hero’s welcome Thursday when the Democrat gave the keynote address at the Alaska Federation of Natives conference in Anchorage. Those attending the largest annual gathering of Natives in Alaska showered her with standing ovations, spontaneous songs and gifts, including a bolo tie worn by her Republican predecessor, the late Don Young. Young’s daughter Joni Nelson presented the tie to Peltola, saying it was a passing of the mantle to her. The surprise presentation came after Young’s adult children joined Peltola on stage as she paid tribute to Young, who held Alaska’s sole seat in the House for 49 years until his death in March. Peltola defeated Republicans Sarah Palin and Nick Begich in an August special election to finish out Young’s term. Those three, along with Libertarian Chris Bye, are competing for a full two-year term in the November election. Another of Young’s daughters, Dawn Vallely, later said on stage that her father would have been happy with the results of the special election, won by Peltola. Nelson wore the white beaded tie – which features the state of Alaska in blue beads – onstage but removed it to place it around Peltola’s neck when she greeted the family.

Arizona

Phoenix: The state has sued the federal government to be able to keep more than 100 double-stacked shipping containers that Republican Gov. Doug Ducey had placed to fill in gaps along the U.S.-Mexico border near the southwestern desert community of Yuma. The lawsuit filed in federal court in Arizona on Friday asks that the state be allowed to take the unilateral action it believes necessary to defend its residents from migrants illegally crossing the border. Ducey complains the U.S. government is not doing enough to stop migrants from coming to Arizona, forcing the state to take action. The shipping containers went up in August. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation last week sent a letter telling Arizona to take down the containers, saying they are unauthorized and violate U.S. law. Arizona refused. The Cocopah Indian Tribe in southwestern Arizona also complained that some of the containers were placed on its reservation without permission. The Bureau of Reclamation also demanded that no new containers be placed, saying it hoped to prevent conflicts with federal construction contracts to fill the gaps in the wall near the Morelos Dam in the Yuma area.

Arkansas

Conway: Former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders defended her avoidance of local media in her bid for governor Friday as she appeared in her only debate ahead of next month’s election. Sanders, the Republican nominee who is heavily favored in the November election, has conducted few local interviews during her bid for the state’s top office. Sanders had agreed to only one debate with Democratic nominee Chris Jones and Libertarian Ricky Dale Harrington. Sanders said she’s been speaking directly to voters by campaigning around the state. “Freedom of the press is incredibly important, but with freedom of the press comes a great deal of responsibility,” Sanders said. “When they don’t live up to their end of the bargain, it forces some of us to go outside the box, which I have done every single day for the past two years.” Public polling has shown Sanders leading by double digits, and she’s shattered fundraising records in the predominantly Republican state. Early voting begins Monday in Arkansas. During her two year term as ex-President Donald Trump’s chief spokeswoman, Sanders scaled back televised news briefings after repeatedly sparring with reporters who aggressively questioned her. Sanders often sought to justify the lack of formal briefings by saying they were unnecessary when journalists could hear from Trump directly.

California

Atherton: Three decades after a car was reported stolen in Northern California, police are digging the missing convertible out of the yard of a $15 million mansion built by a man with a history of arrests for murder, attempted murder and insurance fraud. The convertible Mercedes Benz, filled with bags of unused concrete, was discovered Thursday by landscapers in the affluent town of Atherton in Silicon Valley, Mayor Rick DeGolia said, reading a statement from police. Although cadaver dogs alerted to possible human remains Thursday, none had been found more than 24 hours after technicians with the San Mateo County Crime Lab began excavating the car, DeGolia said. Police believe the car was buried 4 to 5 feet deep in the backyard of the home sometime in the 1990s – before the current owners bought the home. The car was reported stolen in September 1992 in nearby Palo Alto, he said. By Friday, the technicians had been able to excavate the passenger side of the convertible, which was buried with its top down. They also opened the trunk, where they found more bags of unused cement. Cadaver dogs were again brought back to the house and again “made a slight notification of possible human remains,” DeGolia said.

Colorado

Castle Rock: Brewing beer, cooking food, and refilling water bottles with recycled wastewater could soon become standard practice in a state that’s synonymous with its pristine-tasting snowmelt and mountain springs. Last week, Colorado’s water quality agency gave unanimous preliminary approval to regulate direct potable reuse – the process of treating sewage and sending it directly to taps without first being dispersed in a larger water body. Pending a final vote in November, the state would become the first to adopt direct potable reuse regulations, according to state and federal officials. “Having well-developed regulations … helps ensure projects are safe and that project proponents know what will be required of them,” said Laura Belanger, water resources engineer with the non-profit Western Resource Advocates. As the state’s population explodes, and regional water supplies dwindle, recycling water for drinking is a significant opportunity for stretching a limited supply, said Kevin Reidy, conservation specialist for the Colorado Water Conservation Board. And he said it’s a game changer in a place like Castle Rock, a city of 75,000 just south of Denver nestled under its prominent namesake butte, that relies primarily on pumping finite groundwater for drinking.

Connecticut

East Hartford: The grieving widows of two slain police officers gave tearful tributes to their husbands Friday during a funeral attended by thousands of law enforcement officers from around the country. Others who spoke at the service for Bristol Officers Dustin DeMonte and Alex Hamzy pleaded for an end to hatred and suspicion against the police. “To Alex and Dustin, you were both true heroes, amazing people, and you will be missed beyond words by everyone,” said DeMonte’s wife, Laura, who is pregnant with their third child. “I am so sorry this happened to you. Two of the very best humans. So kind, positive and fun-loving.” DeMonte, Hamzy and Officer Alec Iurato were shot Oct. 12 in what police believe was an ambush set up by a 911 call made by the shooter, Nicholas Brutcher. Iurato, who survived a gunshot wound to his leg, struggled to get behind a police cruiser and fired a single shot that killed Brutcher. Brutcher’s brother, Nathan, also was shot – possibly by his brother – and survived. DeMonte was a sergeant with 10 years’ experience on the force, and Hamzy was an officer for eight years. The funeral included formal, posthumous promotions of DeMonte to lieutenant and Hamzy to sergeant.

Delaware

Dover: The state auditor was sentenced Wednesday to one year of probation and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine and complete 500 hours of community service for official misconduct and conflict of interest convictions. Auditor Kathy McGuiness avoided jail time for the misdemeanors, each of which carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison, news outlets report. McGuiness maintains her innocence, and prosecutors sought a sentence of 30 days in prison for the Rehoboth Beach Democrat based on her lack of remorse. Her attorney argued that a $1,000 fine was sufficient. In July, a Kent County jury convicted McGuiness on three misdemeanor counts but acquitted her on felony charges of theft and witness intimidation. A judge later threw out a misdemeanor conviction for improperly structuring contract payments to a consulting firm, rejecting her request for a new trial. The conflict of interest charge involved the May 2020 hiring of her daughter Elizabeth “Saylar” McGuiness. Prosecutors alleged that Saylar McGuiness, 20, and a friend were hired even as other part-time workers in the auditor’s office left because of a lack of work during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic. Authorities said McGuiness then allowed her daughter special privileges that were not available to other “casual-seasonal” workers.

District of Columbia

Washington: First lady Jill Biden will host a roundtable Monday on breast and cervical cancer, part of the administration’s “moonshot” effort to reduce deaths from cancer, the White House said. The event is one of many being launched by the American Cancer Society. Singer Mary J. Blige, an advocate for cancer screening, will participate in the roundtable with Biden. President Joe Biden announced in February his goal of halving cancer deaths in the next 25 years. The issue is personal for the president, whose son Beau Biden died in 2015 of brain cancer. Biden launched the cancer moonshot the following year when serving as then-President Barack Obama’s vice president.

Florida

Miami: More than 230 pythons were removed from the Everglades as part of an annual competition to eliminate the invasive species from the South Florida wetlands preserve. Florida wildlife officials said Thursday that 1,000 hunters from 32 states and as far away as Canada and Latvia removed 231 Burmese pythons during the 10-day competition known as the Florida Python Challenge. Matthew Concepcion won the $10,000 top prize for removing 28 Burmese pythons. Another hunter, Dustin Crum, won a $1,500 prize for removing the longest python, a snake that measured over 11 feet long. Pythons became invasive in Florida after they were brought into the state as pets and then abandoned in the wild by their owners, wildlife officials say. Since 2000, more than 17,000 wild Burmese pythons have been removed from Florida, where they are a destructive presence for native species, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. “Every one of the pythons removed as part of the Challenge is one less preying on our native birds, mammals and reptiles,” said Rodney Barreto, the commission’s chairman.

Georgia

Atlanta: A beer garden near downtown Atlanta filled for a recent event hosted by Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock aimed at Latino voters. Some said they came to seek Warnock, who is seeking reelection in the midterm elections Nov. 8 against Republican challenger Herschel Walker. But others came to see a particularly high-profile Latino who would be speaking on Warnock’s behalf: composer, actor and filmmaker Lin-Manuel Miranda. “Who I’m really here to see is Lin-Manuel Miranda because I’m a really big fan of his,” said Camilla Estrada, of Atlanta, who described herself as liberal and said she plans to vote for Warnock. Georgia Democrats spent the first week of the state’s 19-day early voting period in frantic activity, as they implore supporters to vote in advance. Warnock and gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams each held multiple events a day. Miranda also appeared with Abrams at a restaurant in suburban Lawrenceville on Wednesday, while the Abrams campaign later rolled out a recorded chat with Oprah Winfrey on Thursday night. Almost 575,000 people had voted in Georgia by the end of Thursday, roughly on pace with the 2020 presidential election, when 5 million votes were cast in the state, buoying Democratic hopes that a big turnout might help them.

Hawaii

Honolulu: Hawaiian Airlines will operate 10 cargo planes for Amazon.com starting next fall under a deal that could eventually involve more planes and give Amazon a 15% stake in the airline. The airline’s parent company, Hawaiian Holdings Inc., said Friday that it will fly and maintain an “initial fleet” of 10 leased Airbus A330-300 jets for the retail giant. The fleet could grow “depending on Amazon’s future business needs,” the company said. Hawaiian said it issued warrants that Amazon can exercise over the next nine years and acquire up to 15% of Hawaiian stock. Shares of Hawaiian Holdings jumped 13% in afternoon trading Friday. When travel plunged and consumer spending spiked early in the pandemic, airlines began carrying more cargo and demand for freighter planes grew. More recently, the cargo business has cooled off as consumer spending shifted away from goods toward services including travel, and airlines have been stuck with excess cargo capacity. Global demand for cargo fell 8.3% in August compared with a year earlier, the International Air Transport Association reported this month. Hawaiian said it won’t use any of its current planes to serve Amazon. Instead, Amazon’s air division will lease the first 10 planes -- which will be converted from passenger jets to freighters -- from leasing company Altavair.

Idaho

Boise: It’s not uncommon for Idaho wildlife officials to be called for help when a moose, mountain lion, black bear or other wild animals wander into one of the state’s rural communities. But Idaho Fish and Game officials are asking the public for help with a particularly unusual find – a 3.5-foot alligator that was discovered hiding in the brush of a rural neighborhood about 40 miles northwest of Boise. Southwest Region spokesperson Brian Pearson told the Idaho Statesman that a New Plymouth resident was walking their dog Thursday evening when they noticed something moving in the brush. Further investigation revealed the alligator – a creature commonly found in the coastal wetlands of the southeastern U.S., but certainly not native to Idaho. Pearson said the resident put the alligator in a nearby horse trailer until Idaho Fish and Game conservation officer could pick it up Friday morning. The department has the animal in captivity for now, but Pearson said it will be euthanized or given to a licensed facility unless the owner is located. Idaho Fish and Game officials are hoping members of the public will call the department if they have any information about the alligator’s origins.

Illinois

Chicago: Three young men were fatally shot and two more seriously wounded early Sunday during what police called a caravan of street racers involving about 100 vehicles that took over an intersection on the city’s Southwest Side. The shooting happened about 4 a.m. in Brighton Park after the caravan blocked streets leading to the intersection for illegal street racing, Chicago police Cmdr. Don Jerome said during a news conference. Those killed were between the ages of 15 and 20, Jerome said, adding that the two wounded are expected to survive. Police made no immediate arrests. Caravans blocking streets for drag racing, cars turning doughnuts and “drifting” are a “semi-recent phenomenon where they gather throughout different points of the city, and there were several others last night of no consequence … until this one,” Jerome said. The City Council member for the neighborhood where Sunday’s shooting happened said police and other city officials needed to act more aggressively to shut down such caravans. “This is not just fun and games on the street,” Alderman Raymond Lopez told reporters at the scene. “We are seeing gangs and criminality join into the drifting and drag racing.”

Indiana

Crown Point: A northwestern Indiana man who pleaded guilty to fatally shooting his 9-year-old daughter as he was talking to her two brothers about gun safety won’t serve any prison time for her 2017 death. A Lake County judge sentenced Eric S. Hummel, 38, on Thursday to one year to be served in the county’s community corrections program while living at home, followed by 31/ 2 years of probation. Judge Natalie Bokota accepted the Hobart man’s guilty plea to reckless homicide and neglect of a dependent charges in Olivia Hummel’s death, The (Northwest Indiana) Times reports. Prosecutors had sought an 81/ 2 -year prison sentence for Hummel, but Bokota said she agreed with Hummel’s attorneys that incarcerating him would result in further trauma to his boys. According to court records, Hummel said he was showing a handgun to his sons and telling them to never play with it “because it can kill someone” when he accidentally shot and killed his daughter. Hummel told a 911 dispatcher he didn’t realize the gun was loaded when he pulled the trigger. He admitted in his plea agreement that he was talking to his sons about gun safety in a bedroom of his Hobart home in June 2017 when he pointed a handgun at the boys and pulled the trigger.

Iowa

Grinnell: In a rare move, leaders of Grinnell College and the city appealed this month for the public’s help to put an end to racial harassment, slurs and graffiti that have shaken the campus community this fall. In an open letter to the public Oct. 16, Grinnell Mayor Dan F. Agnew and Grinnell College President Anne F. Harris asked residents to mobilize against the harassment against black citizens, students and community members and not be complacent to any racism they may witness. They urged residents to report any harassment or vandalism to police, tip police if they know any individuals who have been involved, and to enroll in bystander intervention training to help prevent future incidents. Grinnell police said Friday that they had only one formal incident report, and no arrests had been made. But in a statement to the campus community Oct. 12, the private college said there had been several incidents, including defacement of campus signs and vehicles with racist and white supremacist graffiti and harassment of community members by “unknown individuals screaming slurs from moving vehicles.” “We also know that additional incidents may not have been reported,” the statement said. Grinnell, routinely ranked as one of the nation’s best liberal arts colleges, has a diverse student body.

Kansas

Topeka: Two years after her mate’s death, a female lion at the Topeka Zoo has grown a mane. The confident, sassy African lion named Zuri was always pretty much in charge of her three-member pride at the zoo, said her animal curator, Shanna Simpson. But staff members were still taken aback when, in the wake of her mate’s death two years ago, the aging lioness began growing what appeared to be a “mohawk” atop her head. That was followed by a rare and significant growth of the fur around Zuri’s head and neck, Simpson said. Zuri is intelligent, feisty and easy to train, Simpson said. The Topeka Zoo acquired Zuri and sister Asante in 2005 from the Fort Worth Zoo in Texas, then in 2006 it acquired Avus from the Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison, Wisconsin, to mate with Zuri and Asante. Avus had a large mane. Female African lions are attracted to males with large manes, Simpson said. Those manes help protect the males as they fight with other lions and with predators such as leopards and hyenas, she said. Zoo staff suspect Zuri’s increase in fur was triggered by the death of Avus, which left she and her sister as the only remaining members of their pride, Simpson said. “She feels like she needs to protect her pride, so her testosterone increases,” Simpson said. “And boom, she’s got more fur around her neck.”

Kentucky

Louisville: Local public transit workers have authorized a strike, but they aren’t walking out just yet. Union members with the Transit Authority of River City voted 95% in favor of the strike authorization Thursday, amid contentious contract negotiations. For now, buses will continue to run as scheduled, with no immediate plans to initiate a strike, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1447 President Lillian Brents said after the vote. The two sides are set to return to the bargaining table Nov. 2. Union leadership said workers want “a safe workplace and a fair contract.” The union is asking for a 6% raise for all workers after one year and 4% raises after years two and three, along with a cost-of-living adjustment of 1.25% every six months. TARC has offered a 3% raise for technical maintenance workers and radio room employees, a 2.5% raise for coach operators and a 1% raise for nontechnical maintenance workers, according to the union. The raises would take place in each year of the three-year contract. They do not include a cost-of-living adjustment. TARC claims the union’s salary demands are unrealistic and would exceed TARC’s annual budget, which is set by Louisville’s mayor and Metro Council.

Louisiana

New Orleans: Prohibitions against nonunanimous jury convictions – outlawed by Louisiana voters in 2018 and, later, by the U.S. Supreme Court – do not have to apply retroactively to earlier convictions, Louisiana’s highest court ruled Friday. The ruling came in the case of Reginald Reddick, convicted of murder by a 10-2 jury vote in 1997, but the court acknowledged it had implications for hundreds of others convicted with 10-2 or 11-1 jury votes. In 2018, Louisiana voters approved a constitutional amendment prohibiting nonunanimous verdicts in trials for crimes committed after Jan. 1, 2019. At the time, Louisiana was one of only two states allowing such verdicts. In 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that nonunanimous verdicts were unconstitutional, broadening the effect of the state constitutional amendment. But in 2021, the Supreme Court made clear in a case known as Ramos v. Louisiana that its decision against nonunanimous verdicts applied only to future cases and cases in which the defendants’ appeals had not been exhausted. Friday’s state high court majority ruling by Justice Scott Crichton cited the Ramos case and other jurisprudence in determining that neither federal nor state law required a retroactive application of the prohibition.

Maine

Lewiston: A Republican congressional hopeful in a highly competitive race is spreading misinformation about the state’s housing policies, public housing directors said. Former U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin is challenging Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, who narrowly defeated the Republican in 2018. During his campaign, Poliquin has relayed a story about a woman living in her car who allegedly told him she was taken off a housing list because of immigrants who are living in the country illegally. Poliquin, who has focused his campaign on issues such as curtailing immigration and protecting gun rights, used the anecdote as part of his argument for increased border security. The Maine Association of Public Housing Authority Directors rebuked the story on Thursday with a statement to the Bangor Daily News that did not name the candidate but came in response to his statements. The statement said: “Such misinformation erodes trust in the public housing system on which so many individuals and families depend for safe, quality affordable housing, and it cannot be left uncorrected.” Eligibility for federal housing assistance is limited to U.S. citizens and noncitizens who have eligible immigration status, federal rules state.

Maryland

Annapolis: A video shows Republican Dan Cox, who is running for governor, accepting a gift from a young man wearing a shirt with a Proud Boys insignia during the candidate’s primary victory party this summer. The video, obtained by The Washington Post, shows Cox accepting a comb from him. “Here, this is a present from Maryland Proud Boys to you,” the young man said in video footage publicly posted on Cox’s Vimeo account. Members of the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group, were involved in storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. After accepting the gift, Cox asked the man’s name and shook his hand. “Nice to meet you,” Cox said, before greeting other supporters. The Washington Post reports the clip was removed after the newspaper contacted Cox’s campaign, which responded with a statement denying an association with the young man. “In the noise of the victory celebration, it was hard to hear what was being said,” Cox said, adding that he was surprised by the man handing him something and that “frankly, I did not even keep the comb.” Cox has reiterated false claims that the 2020 presidential election “was stolen” from Donald Trump, and he volunteered to help decertify results in Pennsylvania. He has also issued denials and apologies about his conduct surrounding Jan. 6. Although he said he attended the “Stop the Steal” rally, he has said he left before the march to the Capitol.

Massachusetts

Plympton: A nearly three-week strike by truckers at New England’s largest wholesale food distributor has come to an end with a new labor agreement, the Teamsters union said. The five-year agreement includes an immediate $5 per hour pay raise, an $11 per hour raise over the course of the agreement, improved retirement benefits, and keeps drivers on the union health insurance plan, the Teamsters Local 653 said in a Facebook post Thursday. About 300 workers at the Sysco facility in Plympton south of Boston went on strike Oct. 1. “I’ve never been prouder to be a Teamster. This fight proves that we truly are the biggest, fastest, strongest union in the world,” Local 653 shop steward Kevin Whitten said. “This strike brought members together like never before and built solidarity that will continue for years to come.” An email seeking comment was left Friday with a spokesperson for Houston-based Sysco. More than a dozen picketers at the facility were arrested early Monday after blocking the exits with tractor-trailers and preventing some employees from leaving. Sysco, which has distribution facilities across the country, supplies food to schools, hospitals, nursing homes, restaurants and other businesses. The Plympton facility remained operational during the strike with third-party drivers.

Michigan

Detroit: A teenager accused of killing four fellow students and injuring more at his high school is expected to plead guilty to murder this week, authorities said Friday. Ethan Crumbley had created images of violence during a classroom assignment last November but was not sent home from Oxford High School in southeastern Michigan. He pulled out a gun a few hours later and committed a mass shooting. Authorities have pinned some responsibility on Crumbley’s parents, portraying them as a dysfunctional pair who ignored their son’s mental health needs and happily provided a gun as a gift just days before the attack. They also face charges. Crumbley, 16, is due in court Monday. “We can confirm that the shooter is expected to plead guilty to all 24 charges, including terrorism, and the prosecutor has notified the victims,” said David Williams, chief assistant prosecutor in Oakland County. A message seeking comment was left for the boy’s lawyers. Crumbley was 15 when the shooting occurred at Oxford High, roughly 30 miles north of Detroit.

Minnesota

Minneapolis: Two former Minneapolis police officers charged in George Floyd’s death are heading to trial on state aiding and abetting counts, the third and likely final criminal proceeding in a killing that mobilized protesters worldwide against racial injustice in policing. J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao have already been convicted of federal counts for violating Floyd’s civil rights and begun serving those sentences. Many witnesses expected to testify at their state trial have already done so at both their federal trial and at the state trial against their former colleague, Derek Chauvin. While much of the evidence in this proceeding will look similar, there will be some key differences. Jury selection gets underway Monday.

Mississippi

Greenwood: Hundreds of people applauded – and some wiped away tears – as the community unveiled a larger-than-life statue of Emmett Till on Friday, not far from where white men kidnapped and killed the Black teenager over accusations he had flirted with a white woman in a country store. “Change has come, and it will continue to happen,” Madison Harper, a senior at Leflore County High School, told a racially diverse audience at the statue’s dedication. “Decades ago, our parents and grandparents could not envision that a moment like today would transpire.” The 1955 lynching became a catalyst for the civil rights movement. Till’s mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, insisted on an open-casket funeral in Chicago so the world could see the horrors inflicted on her 14-year-old son. Jet magazine published photos of his mutilated body, which was pulled from the Tallahatchie River in Mississippi. The 9-foot-tall bronze statue in Greenwood’s Rail Spike Park is a jaunty depiction of the living Till in slacks, dress shirt and tie with one hand on the brim of a hat. The rhythm and blues song “Wake Up, Everybody” played as workers pulled a tarp off the figure. Dozens of people surged forward, shooting photos and video on cellphones.

Missouri

Columbia: Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, a top Republican prospect for governor, wants to block public funding for library books that might appeal to the “prurient” – meaning sexual – interests of minors. Ashcroft proposed the new rule on libraries last week. It does not include a more-detailed definition or include examples of which specific books would be restricted as appealing sexually to children or teenagers. In a statement, the Missouri Library Association called Ashcroft’s rule “an infringement on the professional judgment of librarians, and an effort to further stoke division in the communities that libraries serve.” The group warned that small and urban libraries, which rely most on state funding, would face the greatest impact from the policy. Ashcroft on Friday said he didn’t propose the rule in response to any particular book but hoped it would prevent potential issues. “I know that a lot of Missouri libraries are doing a good job on this and reflecting the values of the taxpayers that paid for the materials,” Ashcroft said. “But I just think it’s good to have some guidelines to make sure that we’re reinforcing that parents are in control.” The proposal would require state-funded libraries to adopt policies on the age-appropriateness of literature, which is already common at both school and public libraries in the state. And under the rule, anyone could challenge access to books. The proposal is what’s known as an administrative rule, which would have the same effect as a law if enacted.

Montana

Helena: Two physician groups have asked state election officials to issue a correction to statements printed in a voter information pamphlet that they argue are false and and could confuse voters as they consider an abortion-related ballot measure. The complaint comes from two groups that oppose a referendum that would raise the prospect of criminal charges for health care providers unless they take “all medically appropriate and reasonable actions to preserve the life” of an infant born alive, including after an attempted abortion. At issue is language in the pamphlet written by supporters that explains the proposed measure. Supporters say the referendum requires medical care to be provided if an infant is born alive after induced labor, cesarean section, attempted abortion or other method. The physicians say that supporters dropped a word from the language of the proposal and that the law, if passed, would also apply to an infant born as a result of natural labor, even if a fetus was born extremely preterm, and regardless of the infant’s prognosis or the family’s wishes. The complaint was made Friday by the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology on Friday. They asked the Montana Secretary of State’s Office to issue a correction to statements.

Nebraska

Omaha: Union Pacific delivered 13% more profit in the third quarter, but the railroad predicted Thursday that its customers will ship fewer items than it expected, confirming the economy is slowing down in the face of soaring inflation. The Omaha-based railroad said it now expects the number of shipments it handles to be up about 3% this year and match the third-quarter number. Previously, Union Pacific had predicted that volume would be up 4% to 5% this year. “I have no idea if we’re in a recession or one is looming,” UP CEO Lance Fritz said. “I do know that the economy is slowing down.” Union Pacific reported $1.9 billion profit, or $3.05 per share, in the quarter. That’s up from $1.67 billion, or $2.57 per share, a year ago, but this year’s results were weighed down because the new contracts the railroads agreed to with their 12 unions cost $114 million more than Union Pacific had been planning on. Without that one-time charge for the new contracts, which only half of the unions have approved, Union Pacific would have reported earnings per share of $3.19. The results exceeded Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of seven analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $3.06 per share.

Nevada

Reno: A rural county can start hand-counting mail-in ballots two weeks before Election Day, the state Supreme Court ruled Friday, but it won’t be allowed to livestream the tallying and must make other changes to its plans. The ruling came in response to an emergency petition filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, which challenged several aspects of Nye County’s plan to start hand-counting votes this week. The ACLU said in its lawsuit that the plan risked leaking early voting results. It also said that rules on touch screens to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act were too vague and restrictive and that the county violated state law with its “stringent signature verification” for voter ID. Located between Las Vegas and Reno, rural Nye County was one of the first jurisdictions nationwide to act on election conspiracies related to mistrust in voting machines. Alongside the primary machine tabulation process, Interim County Clerk Mark Kampf’s plans to publicly hand-count all paper ballots. The hand count was first proposed to county commissioners by Republican secretary of state candidate Jim Marchant in response to false claims about Dominion voting machines. Sadmira Ramic, the ACLU of Nevada’s voting rights attorney, praised the ruling.

New Hampshire

Keene: A small plane crashed into a building, killing the two people on board and sparking a large fire on the ground, authorities said. The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement Saturday that a single-engine Beechcraft Sierra aircraft crashed into a building north of Keene Dillant-Hopkins Airport in Keene on Friday evening. City officials said on their Facebook page that no one was injured in the building hit by the plane but that “those on the plane have perished.” “The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide additional updates,” the FAA said. Keene Mayor George Hansel told the Associated Press that two people on the plane died but that they have not been identified. He said the the plane hit a two-story barn connected to a multi-family apartment building. All eight people were evacuated from the apartment building due to the subsequent fire. At a morning press conference, Hansel said the plane was owned by Monadnock Aviation, which is based at the airport. He said it was unclear where the plane was headed, and no one answered the phone at Monadnock. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, and the operations at the airport were not affected, he said.

New Jersey

Trenton: The state’s new K-12 public school mental health plan is facing lots of opposition from state lawmakers who say they won’t back its proposal to eliminate the decades-old School Based Youth Services program, which provides critical counseling and support for teens in low-performing districts. The School Based Youth Services program, set up in 90 of the state’s public schools, is scheduled to be eliminated by June 2023 to make way for NJ4S, New Jersey Statewide Student Support Service Network, an expanded and revamped system that would be available to all or most of the state’s 2,400 schools. Unveiled in October as a “first-in-the-nation” effort to centralize services and spread them beyond schools and into libraries, group homes and social service agencies, NJ4S was in the works for more than a year and created as a response to the pandemic’s teen mental health crisis under the guidance of Department of Children and Families’ Commissioner Christine Norbut Beyer. But it was immediately met with intense criticism from educators and advocates who support expanding services but said the time-tested school-based programs must also stay.

New Mexico

Albuquerque: The U.S. Department of Agriculture will waive cost-sharing requirements for farmers and ranchers affected by the largest wildfire in the state’s recorded history. U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján on Thursday announced that the agency will cover cost sharing for emergency forest restoration, conservation and other environmental improvement programs. The move follows the approval of a massive federal spending bill that included $2.5 billion in relief for those affected by the fire and post-fire flooding. That bill included a provision to waive cost sharing for all programs administered by the USDA. The wildfire was sparked by two government planned burns earlier this year. It ripped through hundreds of square miles of forest and grazing lands, destroying homes and the livelihoods of many of the rural residents. Through no fault of their own, Luján said, residents lost large swaths of cherished lands and will have to grapple with the effects for years. “Our farmers and ranchers, business owners and families deserve relief to recover,” he said in a statement.

New York

Buffalo: The victims of a racist mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket will be honored with a permanent memorial in the neighborhood, elected and community leaders announced Friday. The shooting “is part of the Buffalo story forever going forward,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “We want to do something that people remember. A place to come and reflect. A place to honor. And a place to say never again.” Former Buffalo Fire Commissioner Garnell Whitfield, whose 86-year-old mother Ruth Whitfield was among the 10 Black people killed May 14, is among those appointed to a planning commission tasked with acquiring land, seeking input on the design, securing funds and maintaining the monument. Buffalo NAACP President Mark Blue will lead the effort. “It’s not going to take the place of my mother or the lives of the other loved ones that were lost here,” Whitfield said. “So we will forever miss them and honor their legacy by what we do going forward.” The officials did not specify a budget or timeline for the project’s completion. Brown said numerous businesses and people have offered to contribute. Payton Gendron, 19, has been charged with killing 10 and wounding three others at the Tops Friendly Market. Investigators said he drove 200 miles from his Conklin home intending to kill as many Black people as possible at the store, which he targeted because of its location in the predominantly Black East Buffalo neighborhood. He has pleaded not guilty.

North Carolina

Salisbury: A man who was shot during a weekend concert at Livingstone College has been identified as a suspected shooter and is now facing charges, officials said Tuesday. The shooting took place Saturday during a performance featuring rapper Asian Doll at the historically Black college in Salisbury. Police are also asking for help identifying another person of interest. Salisbury police obtained a warrant charging Talib Latrell Kelly, 21, of Salisbury, with attempted first-degree murder, discharging a firearm on educational property and possession of a firearm by a felon, the department said. Kelly is not a Livingstone student, Salisbury police Capt. P.J. Smith said at a news conference. Officers were called to the campus about 11 p.m. and found gunshot victims and others who had been hurt as concertgoers fled the gunfire, city officials said in a statement. Video footage from the event shows that a fight broke out while Asian Doll was on stage. Two male victims were taken to Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center in Charlotte with gunshot wounds, and officials also identified a woman who had a superficial wound to her neck, Smith said. None of the victims’ injuries were considered life-threatening, he said.

North Dakota

Bismarck: A North Dakota farmer who had been detained in Ukraine since November 2021 on accusations he planned to kill his business partner is back home, the state’s two U.S. senators announced Friday. Kurt Groszhans, from Ashley, North Dakota, has ancestors from Ukraine and went there to farm in 2017. The relationship with his partner, law professor Roman Leshchenko, crumbled after Groszhans alleged that Leshchenko embezzled money from him. Groszhans and his assistant were arrested on charges of plotting to assassinate Leshchenko, who was then Ukraine’s agriculture minister. Groszhans said in a statement Friday that the Ukrainian officials made up the charges in an “effort to shut me up” after he discovered corruption “at the highest levels” of the government. “I am grateful to be home after this horrible ordeal,” Groszhans said in a statement. “My family and supporters worked tirelessly over a long period of time to make this happen and it was nice to be able to celebrate my birthday on North Dakota soil. The fact they refused to classify me as a wrongful detainee was an unfortunate and politically cowardly act that cost me almost a year of my life,” he said.

Ohio

Cincinnati: The state of Ohio will not require the COVID-19 vaccine for school students despite a recommendation from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel. A panel with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday recommended adding the COVID-19 vaccine to the federal government’s list of routinely recommended vaccinations. The panel’s decision, likely to be adopted by the CDC director, formally adds the shot to a list often used by schools and health officials in making vaccination requirements. Ohio leaders made it clear Friday that the vaccine would not be required for Ohio students. “The State of Ohio does not mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for school attendance. The ACIP (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) vote does not change Ohio law. The state’s list of required vaccines can only be changed through legislation,” Ohio Department of Health Director Bruce Vanderhoff said in a statement. Indeed, not every vaccine on the list has been adopted by Ohio as a requirement for schoolchildren, such as flu shots. A list of required vaccines for schools and child care in Ohio can be viewed on the Ohio Department of Health website.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City: A private foundation has raised more than $6 million to build a residence for future Oklahoma governors and their families, under a plan that calls for the current mansion near the state Capitol to be used for official meetings and special events, according to Gov. Kevin Stitt and people involved in the project. Talks about building a new home on the mansion grounds predate Stitt’s inauguration in 2019 and grew out of concerns about the cost of renovating the century-old structure. Stitt told reporters on Wednesday that he and his family – who lived only temporarily in the mansion – would not live in the new residence if he wins a second term next month. “It will not benefit Gov. Stitt,” he said. The foundation, Friends of the Mansion, is expected to announce plans for the residence after the Nov. 8 election. The foundation was created in 1995 by former Gov. Frank Keating and former first lady Cathy Keating to pay for renovations and additions. The new residence is envisioned for land behind the current mansion. Plans would have to be approved by two zoning commissions that oversee the area near the Capitol.

Oregon

Portland: The mayor plans to ban camping on city streets and move unhoused people to designated campsites, as the growing homeless population has become the top concern for the vast majority of residents. “The magnitude and the depth of the homeless crisis in our city is nothing short of a humanitarian catastrophe,” Mayor Ted Wheeler said Friday. “We need to move our scattered, vulnerable homeless population closer to the services that they need.” The resolution would establish at least three large, designated outdoor camping sites, with the first opening within 18 months of securing funding. Wheeler didn’t specify when the funding would be confirmed or how much the measure would cost. The designated camping sites would initially be able to serve up to 125 people and would provide access to services such as food, hygiene, litter collection and treatment for mental health and substance abuse, Wheeler said. The sites could eventually serve 500 people. Oregon’s homelessness crisis has been fueled by a housing shortage, the coronavirus pandemic and drug addiction. More than 3,000 people are living without shelter in Portland, a 50% jump from 2019, and there are more than 700 encampments across the city, Wheeler said.

Pennsylvania

Harrisburg: The state’s elections chief wants legal penalties against two Republican county officials and their lawyer for what she calls in a new court filing their “unprecedented, reckless decision” to give an outside group access to voting machines during pending litigation on that subject. Lawyers for acting Secretary of State Leigh Chapman last week asked the state Supreme Court to hold in contempt the two Fulton County commissioners and to dismiss the litigation that had been scheduled for oral argument before the justices this week. Chapman was appointed by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf. On Friday afternoon, the justices appointed Commonwealth Court Judge Renee Cohn Jubelirer as a special master to gather evidence on the contempt request and make a report with recommendations by Nov. 18. During their long-running dispute with the state, Fulton County GOP Commissioners Stuart Ulsh and Randy Bunch had allowed one group, Wake TSI, access to voting machines as part of the failed effort to locate fraud that might overturn ex-President Donald Trump’s 2020 election defeat. That prompted the Department of State to tell counties they “shall not” allow such access to voting machines. Ulsh and Bunch were moments away from permitting a second group, Envoy Sage, to inspect the machines in January when the state Supreme Court put that on hold. The inspection planned in January was to involve computers, electronic poll books, ballot scanners and possibly more.

Rhode Island

Providence: A lawsuit claiming that Brown University failed to protect female students from sexual harassment and assault can move forward in part, a federal judge ruled last week. Four former students filed a federal class action suit in August 2021 alleging that the university systemically and repeatedly failed to protect women from harm, including rape, despite knowing that sexual assault on campus is “endemic.” Two current students later joined the suit. The university moved to dismiss the suit in March. On Oct. 18, U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell Jr. allowed the plaintiffs’ claim for injunctive relief to go forward but denied their efforts to seek monetary relief. The plaintiffs were enrolled between 2018 and 2021. The plaintiffs can sue to force Brown to “ensure that the Title IX office receives, investigates and resolves complaints.” The plaintiffs must still prove that their suit meets the criteria for class-action certification. Title IX protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or in activities that receive federal financial assistance.

South Carolina

Columbia: Months after accusing disbarred attorney Alex Murdaugh of killing his wife and son, investigators and prosecutors have released few details about the evidence that they believe connect him to the shootings. That’s led Murdaugh’s lawyers to file a flurry of court documents requesting information from the prosecution, seeking to publicly weaken the case before the January trial has begun. The defense attorneys argue that there was unknown DNA found under Murdaugh’s wife’s fingernails. They also have a different suspect, Murdaugh’s friend Curtis Eddie Smith, arguing that he failed a lie detector test regarding the killings. Murdaugh has already admitted to asking Smith to arrange Murdaugh’s own death to defraud his life insurance company. Those defense documents even boosted a story from Smith that prosecutors later said had no evidence to back it up – that Paul Murdaugh killed his mother, Maggie, when he caught her with a groundskeeper at the family’s Colleton County hunting lodge, and the groundskeeper then shot the son. Alex Murdaugh, 54, has proclaimed his innocence ever since June 2021, when he found the bodies, each shot several times. He has said through his lawyer he “loved them more than anything in the world.”

South Dakota

Vermillion: The University of South Dakota may welcome a new sorority chapter in the coming years. Alpha Pi Omega, the country’s oldest Indigenous Greek letter organization, could open doors on campus if enough students express interest, according to a flier circulated on social media promoting an informational session held Oct. 13. APO is a sisterhood of Indigenous women who are committed to each other, communities, tribes, families, academic excellence and self-empowerment, according to the flier. Its philanthropic cause is the National Indian Education Association. Hanna Delange, a spokesperson for USD, said nothing has been solidified yet with the sorority’s plans but confirmed the informational session took place as a chance for students to learn about the potential organization. Brooke Poppe, director of sorority and fraternity life on USD’s campus, said while there is no current timeline to open the sorority, the plan moving forward is on hold until there is enough student interest. It takes five or more students to start any student organization on campus. When or if Poppe receives a list of interested students, USD can move forward with the APO national organization in the expansion process. Poppe said her office hopes to have that potential list together by the end of the semester.

Tennessee

Chattanooga: Employees of Bess T. Shepherd Elementary School blasted a recent nighttime prayer meeting over the school’s exterior loudspeaker, although district officials said it was an accident. An unidentified neighbor who could hear the praying from inside his or her home Monday night posted a video on the Reddit website that recorded about two minutes of a speaker praying over the intercom, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. “This went on for 45 minutes,” the video caption said. The video included a woman’s voice repeatedly saying, “We need you in this school, God. We need you in every school, God.” She spoke of casting the things of hell “back to the abyss” and said: “You cannot rule in this school. You cannot rule in the hearts and minds of the children.” The speaker also prayed over staff members. District officials said the prayer meeting occurred about 6 p.m. Monday, although they were not aware of it until Thursday morning. “There were staff members inside the building praying who were unaware the external intercom system was enabled,” district spokesperson Steve Doremus said in an email. “As soon as they were made aware, the intercoms were turned off.”

Texas

Austin: The Texas Department of Public Safety fired an officer Friday who was at the scene of the Uvalde school massacre and becomes the first member of the state police force to lose their job in the fallout over the hesitant response to the May attack. The department served Sgt. Juan Maldonado with termination papers, spokeswoman Ericka Miller said. No details were offered about his role at the scene of the May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary School or the specific reason Maldonado was fired. The firing comes five months after the mass shooting that has put state police under scrutiny over their actions on the school campus as a gunman with an AR-15-style rifle killed 19 children and two teachers. Maldonado could not be reached for comment Friday night. Body camera footage and media reports have shown the Department of Public Safety had a larger role at the scene than the department appeared to suggest after the shooting. State troopers were among the first wave of officers to arrive but did not immediately confront the gunman, which experts say goes against standard police procedure during mass shootings.

Utah

Salt Lake City: Gov. Spencer Cox hosted the first of what governors across the U.S. are planning to be a series of new discussions on how states could address mental health issues. Neither Cox nor other governors involved are proposing specific policy solutions so far, but that isn’t the point – the idea is to listen to physicians, pediatric psychologists, educators, parents and others to try to find areas of consensus. Cox, the vice chair of the National Governors Association, is among a bipartisan group of governors who have joined NGA chair Phil Murphy, the governor of New Jersey, in forwarding the “Strengthening Your Mental Health” initiative, with the ultimate goal of finding nonpartisan policies that states everywhere might adopt. Over two days at a roundtable event in Salt Lake City, Cox, a Republican, and Murphy, a Democrat, hosted a series of conversations on the topic, hoping to hear experts’ opinions on potential solutions connected to prevention, early intervention and resilience building. “Youth mental health is an urgent issue in Utah and nationwide,” Cox said. “The (COVID-19) pandemic has heightened the problem, and it’s important that we be proactive in bolstering support resources and letting young people know that help is available.”

Vermont

St. Albans: A fired deputy who is the only candidate on the November ballot to become sheriff of the county where he served was charged Friday with simple assault for kicking a shackled prisoner, authorities said. John Grismore, 49, of Fairfax, was cited on the charge Friday through his attorney. He is due in court Monday in St. Albans to answer the charge, Vermont State Police said in a news release. Surveillance cameras recorded the prisoner being kicked Aug. 7. In the Aug. 9 primary, Grismore won the nominations of both Franklin County’s Republican and Democratic parties to have his name on the November ballot for sheriff. But after the video became public, he was suspended and then fired by outgoing Franklin County Sheriff Roger Langevin. The county Republican and Democratic parties gave their support to a write-in campaign by Sheriff’s department Lt. Mark Lauer, a 27-year Vermont State Police veteran who has been at the department for nearly a decade. Gale Messier is also running a write-in campaign. He spent decades in law enforcement including 20 years at the sheriff’s department in Chittenden County, Vermont’s most populous county. On Friday, Grismore said in an email that “the story is still the same” and that he had nothing new to add.

Virginia

Fort Belvoir: A “barricade situation” drew the FBI and other law enforcement officials to a U.S. Army base outside the nation’s capital Sunday, according to the official Twitter account of Fort Belvoir in northern Virginia. The base tweeted shortly before 1 p.m. that its law enforcement officials, local police and the FBI had responded “to a barricade situation” Sunday morning. “The situation is ongoing, & we cannot comment further at this time,” the base tweeted. It provided no other details except to say some of the gates to the installation remained open. The situation was inside a home, WUSA-TV reports. Fort Belvoir sits on about 8,800 acres of land along the Potomac River in Fairfax County and is located about 20 miles south of Washington. The base is home to several Army command headquarters, elements of the Army Reserve and Army National Guard and nine Department of Defense agencies, according to a Department of Defense website that serves the military community. The installation has 2,154 family housing quarters and seven child youth service facilities, according to Fort Belvoir’s 2022 strategic plan.

Washington

Seattle: Authorities said Friday that they arrested three suspects in the slayings of two people and shooting of a police officer after a daylong search on a tribal reservation in northeastern Washington. The Colville Tribes Emergency Services said on Facebook on Friday evening that the third suspect was arrested in Elmer City, one of several small communities on the rural reservation. Two others were arrested earlier in the day. The search for the suspects began after the Colville Tribal Police Department responded to a report of a shooting Thursday in Keller, a small community about 275 miles east of Seattle. Officers found two people dead, and an officer who came across a vehicle described as having left the scene was shot in the arm, according to the department. He was doing well after being transported for medical care, the department said in a news release. Police identified two of the suspects as Curry Pinkham and Zachary Holt. Robin Redstar, a Colville Tribal member and Nespelem resident, said she and other residents waited in their home for hours, and at one point one of the suspects was believed to be in a gully behind her house. Authorities eventually arrested a man in front of her home around 10 a.m. after he tried to enter her neighbor’s back door, Redstar said. Her neighbor, a hunter with guns, was able to detain the man and get him to the street, where a tribal police car was waiting, Redstar said. “It was pretty quick. Corbie (the neighbor) was giving him a good speech about morals,” she said.

West Virginia

Charleston: Voters will get the final say on a ballot question that would amend the state constitution to give the Republican-dominated Legislature control over virtually every aspect of public schooling. The vote comes amid a fight raging nationally over the politicization of schools. West Virginia’s Republican leaders have joined politicians elsewhere in pushing to regulate how subjects such as race are taught in classrooms and funnel public money into alternative education options, including charter schools and voucher programs. Just this year, the state Board of Education joined a lawsuit against top Republicans over a school choice program – one of the nation’s most expansive – alleging it unconstitutionally drains money from public schools. The case went to the state Supreme Court, which sided with lawmakers. And in a state that once was a stronghold of organized labor, some see the proposed amendment as part of an effort to defang the most formidable center of union power left standing: public school employees. Four years after more than 30,000 school workers went on strike in one of the nation’s poorest states, igniting teacher walkouts nationwide, many say they’re overworked and exhausted.

Wisconsin

Milwaukee: A Milwaukee County judge on Friday denied a Republican Party of Wisconsin request to stop the city of Milwaukee from continuing a get-out-the-vote effort that the city argues it neither runs nor funds. Judge Gwen Connolly wrote that the arguments made by the party and Milwaukee voter Elizabeth Burke were “deficient” and that issuing such an order would chill constitutionally protected free speech. The lawsuit was one of two filed by the Republican Party of Wisconsin and other plaintiffs in the weeks after Mayor Cavalier Johnson made comments Sept. 12 about an initiative dubbed “Milwaukee Votes 2022” and referenced door-to-door canvassing funded by the “private sector.” Johnson’s spokesman then said the campaign conducting the canvassing is privately funded, and the city’s association was “limited to the mayor voicing support for the work.” The first lawsuit, which centered on an open records request, was dismissed earlier this month after the party said it had received the requested records from the Milwaukee Election Commission and Mayor’s Office related to the get-out-the-vote effort. In the second lawsuit, filed Sept. 28, Burke and Republicans argued that though Milwaukee Votes 2022 is a purportedly nonpartisan get-out-the-vote effort, the city would partner with an organization, GPS Impact, that openly works to elect Democratic candidates and advance progressive causes.

Wyoming

Pinedale: A hunter accidentally shot himself in the leg while trying to fight off a grizzly bear attack in west-central Wyoming – the second such attack in a week’s time, officials said. Lee Francis, 65, of Evanston, was taken to the University of Utah Health hospital for treatment after the encounter Friday, the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office said. Francis was hunting with his son in an area south of Grand Teton National Park on Friday evening when the bear attacked him. He was able to fire several rounds from his handgun, causing the bear to run away, but one of the rounds hit Francis in the lower leg, the sheriff’s office said. His son used a satellite phone to call for help just before 6 p.m., then began providing first aid. His son was able to help his father onto a horse, and they headed toward a nearby lake to meet search and rescue crews. Francis was eventually taken to the hospital via helicopter, the sheriff’s office said in a statement. Wildlife officials had not located the grizzly bear, Sgt. Travis Bingham with the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday. Because it was snowing, Game and Fish planned to try to search for the bear again Monday, weather permitting, he said.

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports