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Elections

Montana General Election Coverage

Republican Tim Sheehy, Gov. Greg Gianforte and Rep. Ryan Zinke win as part of Republican sweep in Montana

By Beacon Staff
Voters stand in line at the Flathead County Election Department on Election Day on Nov. 5, 2024. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon

Montanans flocked to the polls on Tuesday to vote in an election that has brought billions of dollars and extensive media attention to the state. President, U.S. House and Senate, governor, state lawmakers and three constitutional initiatives were on the ballot, including a measure that would, if passed, secure a right to abortion in the state constitution. The Beacon will provide live, up-to-date coverage as results come in. Find the full results on the Montana Secretary of State’s website.

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Republicans Sweep Montana PSC Races

The commission is set to maintain the all-Republican streak that’s dominated the board for more than a decade

Nov. 7, 2024 Republicans have swept the Montana Public Service Commission election, winning each of the three seats open this cycle and maintaining the GOP’s domination of the commission. Commissioners are tasked with balancing the financial health of investor-owned utilities with the interests of their customers, who cannot shop for other providers. – Amanda Eggert, Montana Free Press

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Lukas Schubert, Republican candidate for House District 8, pictured in Kalispell on Feb. 20, 2024. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon

Republican Lukas Schubert Wins House District 8 Race

Capitalizing on his primary win against an incumbent Republican, the 19-year-old ultraconservative political newcomer defeated Democrat Beth Sibert to represent Evergreen and north Kalispell in the 2025 legislative session

Nov. 7, 2024 Republican Lukas Schubert seized a commanding lead over Democrat Beth Sibert in the House District 8 race representing Evergreen and north Kalispell, winning with 71% of the vote.Out of the 5,371 votes tallied, Schubert won 3,801 votes while Sibert had 1,570, according to preliminary results. – Maggie Dresser

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Rep. Dave Fern attends a Behavioral Health System for Future Generations Commission meeting at Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell on Nov. 30, 2023. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon

In Conservative Flathead, Democrats Double Legislative Presence from One to Two

Three-term Whitefish representative Dave Fern will head to the Senate while Debo Powers, of Polebridge, won her bid for the state House

Nov. 7, 2024 Longtime Whitefish representative Dave Fern, the de facto elder statesman of the Flathead County Democrats, didn’t waste any time mooning over his election win on Wednesday morning. Instead, the four-term representative, who picked up a commanding 52% share of the vote to defeat Republican challenger Doug Adams in Senate District 2, woke up before the sun and headed out to collect his campaign signs. – Tristan Scott

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Whitefish City Hall. Beacon file photo

Whitefish Voters Approve Charter Amendment to Allow for Council Compensation

Whitefish is one of a limited number of local governments in Montana that does not currently offer compensation to its city council

Nov. 6, 2024 By a little less than a 300-vote margin, preliminary results show Whitefish voters appear to have approved a ballot question in favor of amending the city charter to allow city councilors to receive compensation through the city for their work in government. Early last spring the Whitefish City Council opted to put the question before voters on their fall ballots. Results viewable on the Montana Secretary of State’s website Wednesday showed with six of six precincts partially counted, 53% of voters, or 2,330 people voted for the charter amendment, and 2,042, or 47% voted against. – Mike Kordenbrock

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Judge Katherine Bidegaray appears at a campaign event at Bias Brewing in Kalispell on Feb. 29, 2024. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon

Swanson and Bidegaray Win Montana Supreme Court Seats

Voters split the preferences of conservative and liberal interest groups in the nonpartisan races for Montana’s highest court

Nov. 6, 2024 Cory Swanson and Katherine Bidegaray claimed victory Wednesday in their respective races for two open seats on the Montana Supreme Court. Statewide vote counts showed them outstripping their respective competitors Jerry Lynch and Dan Wilson by margins of roughly eight percentage points. – Mara Silvers, Montana Free Press

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Following Redistricting, Democrats Pick Up Legislative Seat As Flathead County Remains Deep Red

Republicans won two of three state Senate races and 10 of 11 state House races in Flathead County

Nov. 6, 2024 Following a decennial redistricting process that reshaped Montana’s legislative districts, Democrats picked up an additional state legislative seat in Flathead County, which remains deeply Republican. 

Republicans won two of three state Senate races and ten of 11 state House races in Flathead County, according to preliminary results from Flathead County. 

Sen. Carl Glimm, R-Kila, was reelected to the state Senate for his seventh term in the Legislature after handily beating Democrat Angela Kennedy. Speaker of the Montana House Matt Regier, R-Kalispell, will move to the Senate after beating Democrat Link Neimark. 

Republicans Tom Millett, Lyn Bennett, Lukas Schubert, Steven Kelly, Ed Byrne and Tracy Sharp will go on to serve their first terms in the House. 

Longtime Democratic state House member Dave Fern will move to the state Senate after defeating Republican businessman and library board trustee Doug Adams in a race to represent Whitefish, Columbia Falls and northern Flathead County. Fern beat Adams by 5 percentage points, or 593 votes. 

In northern Flathead County, Democratic conservation advocate and former educator Debo Powers will head to the state House, beating Republican nurse practitioner Cathy Mitchell. Powers edged out Mitchell by 4 percentage points, or 206 votes. – Denali Sagner

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Montana Voters Approve Constitutional Amendment Enshrining Abortion Rights

The ballot initiative sought to enshrine a 1999 Montana Supreme Court ruling

Nov. 6, 2024 Montana voters chose to protect the right to an abortion in their state constitution. The ballot initiative sought to enshrine a 1999 Montana Supreme Court ruling that said the constitutional right to privacy protects the right to a pre-viability abortion by a provider of the patient’s choice. Though there’s no defined time frame, doctors say viability is sometime after 21 weeks. – Associated Press

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Donald Trump. Photo by Gage Skidmore

Trump Wins the White House in Political Comeback Rooted in Appeals to Frustrated Voters

In his second term, Trump has vowed to pursue an agenda centered on dramatically reshaping the federal government and pursuing retribution against his perceived enemies

Nov. 6, 2024 Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States on Wednesday, an extraordinary comeback for a former president who refused to accept defeat four years ago, sparked a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, was convicted of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts. With a win in Wisconsin, Trump cleared the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch the presidency. – Associated Press

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Audience members hold signs at a rally for U.S. Senate candidate Tim Sheehy in Kalispell on June 13, 2024. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon

Republican Tim Sheehy Defeats Incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Tester to Flip Montana U.S. Senate Seat 

Sheehy, a former U.S. Navy SEAL, closely aligned his campaign with Donald Trump and leading conservatives while painting Tester as a corrupt Washington insider 

Nov. 6, 2024 Republican Tim Sheehy bolstered the GOP’s Senate majority with a victory over three-term Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester in a contest of national importance that featured a record-setting torrent of spending by the two sides.

Sheehy, a former U.S. Navy SEAL, closely aligned his campaign with Donald Trump and leading conservatives while painting Tester as a corrupt Washington insider. The Republican also promised to address the southern border crisis and curb government regulation. – Matthew Brown, Associated Press

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U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke pumps his fist at election results at his Election Night Party in Whitefish on Nov. 5, 2024. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon

Zinke Wins Reelection as Part of Republican Sweep 

Zinke said he looks forward to working with President Trump 

Nov. 6, 2024 Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke of Montana won reelection to the House, again defeating challenger Monica Tranel. Zinke said he looks forward to working with President Trump and others to make gas and groceries affordable again.

“Montanans are hurting because the failed Democrat policies that have driven high inflation, low workforce participation, and high interest rates,” Zinke said in a statement. “Montana made it clear that enough is enough.” – Associated Press

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Montana Western House, Senate Race Too Close to Call at 11:30 p.m. 

No results had been reported from Flathead County as voters across the state continue to wait in long lines

Nov. 5, 2024 Montana’s U.S. Senate race and western U.S. House race were too close to call as of 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday night, with around 13% of precincts statewide reporting results.

Gathered with supporters at Grouse Mountain Lodge in Whitefish, Republican Congressman Ryan Zinke told reporters, “Montana, both the House and the Senate seat remain undecided. We’re feeling good. We’re outperforming where we should.”

Democrat Monica Tranel led Zinke by 2,947 votes at 11:30 p.m., however early returns from Missoula County gave an edge to the Democrats that is likely to shrink as results continue to come in.

Addressing supporters in Missoula on Tuesday night, Tranel said, “We’re gonna have a long night. We’re gonna have a long week. We won’t know anything for a while. And you know what? We have done our work.”

As temperatures dropped below freezing, hundreds of voters remained in line at the Gallatin County Courthouse, the heart of a Democratic stronghold in the state. At 8 p.m., the wait time to vote was estimated around 5 hours.

No results had been reported from Flathead County by 11:30 p.m.

Decision Desk HQ at 11:21 p.m. MT projected that former President Donald Trump would secure the presidency. – Denali Sagner 

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Gov. Greg Gianforte signs two of Rep. Courtenay Spunger’s bills into law at the Old Courthouse in Kalispell on June 9, 2023. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon

Montana Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte Wins a Second Term Over Challenger Ryan Busse

Nov. 5, 2024 Gov. Greg Gianforte told a crowd of supporters Tuesday night in Bozeman that he was proud of what his administration has accomplished, including cutting taxes, balancing the state budget, expanding access to public lands and reducing the number of children in foster care.

“Four years ago I made two promises: First that we would create more good-paying jobs so we could stop exporting our kids, and second to protect our Montana way of life. And folks, we did just that,” Gianforte said. – Associated Press

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Donald Trump Wins Montana

Nov. 5, 2024 Former President Donald Trump won Montana for the third consecutive election on Tuesday, adding four electoral votes to his tally. Montana has one more electoral vote this cycle than it did in the previous two, as the state received an additional congressional seat following the 2020 census. Montana has gone to the Republican nominee for president in all but one election going back to 1968. – Associated Press

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High-turnout, High-consequence Election Could Spell a Late Night for Election Officials in Flathead County

Nov. 5, 2024 By the time the after-work rush began arriving in earnest at the Flathead County Fairgrounds on Tuesday, election workers had already been on duty for more than 10 hours, accommodating a steady procession of people trying to cast their vote on Election Day.

“It’s crazy. It’s been crazy all day,” Paula Buff, the Flathead County’s interim election administrator, said from behind a poll pad terminal. “We are experiencing very high turnout.”

That high-turnout volume had been building for weeks across Montana, with 425,000 absentee ballots from across the state having been marked as returned heading into Election Day. County election offices mailed absentee ballot packets to active, registered absentee voters on Oct. 11. That means more than 77% of all absentee ballots issued statewide had been returned heading into Election Day.

For context, a little over 612,000 total ballots were cast in the state’s 2020 general election. – Tristan Scott

Read the rest of the story here.

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Glacier County Voters Experience Winter Storm, Registration Issues

Volunteers with the Democratic Party shuttled some Blackfeet voters to the polls in a pink Hummer Limousine

Nov. 5, 2024 Voters in Glacier County, home of the Blackfeet Nation, reported issues with voter registration and absentee ballots as residents headed to the polls amid a winter storm.

Patrick Yawakie, founder of Red Medicine LLC, a political consulting firm that works with tribal nations, said voters were facing multi-hour lines, missing absentee ballots and inaccurate registration. Multiple voters he spoke to had registered to vote, but were told they were “inactive” or absent from the county’s system when they arrived at their polling place.

“What we’re experiencing right now is a lot of inaccuracies about the election office not accurately registering people,” Yawakie said.

Yawakie said lines had been “steadily long,” and that wait times were exacerbated by confusion with the registration process.

Browning, Heart Butte and Cut Bank are under a winter weather advisory until 11 p.m., which has complicated Election Day in a rural county where voters can drive hours to reach a polling place.

Volunteers with the Montana Democratic Party shuttled some Browning voters to the polls in a pink Hummer Limousine today.

Despite administrative issues, Western Native Voice Communications Director Tracie Garfield said her office is optimistic about Native turnout this election. A nonprofit that works to increase Native voting access, Western Native Voice has been laying the groundwork for increasing Indigenous turnout for months, Garfield said. She expects Montana’s tribal communities will exceed their 2020 turnout.

 “CSKT and Fort Belknap are crushing it,” Garfield said. “We’ve been making a lot of phone calls today.”

Native Americans are a critical voting bloc in Montana, making up around 7% of the state’s population. – Denali Sagner

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Long Lines for Voter Registration at County Election Office

Flathead County residents can register to vote up until 8 p.m. tonight

Nov. 5, 2024, 7:15 p.m. In the final hour before polls close, the line outside the Flathead County Election Department continues to stretch to Idaho Street, where people are waiting around 2 hours to register to vote. – Maggie Dresser

3:15 p.m. The line is stretching around the block at the Flathead County Election Department, where individuals are waiting around 3.5 hours to register to vote. Flathead County residents can register to vote up until 8 p.m. tonight. Check your voter registration, find your polling place or track your absentee ballot here. – Denali Sagner

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Voters fill out their ballots at polling place at the Smith Valley Fire Department west of Kalispell on Nov. 5, 2024. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon

Despite Minor Technical Glitches, Whitefish Election Volunteers and Observers Report ‘Smooth Sailing’

In addition to the poll workers assisting voters Tuesday, the nonpartisan Montana Election Observation Initiative recruited volunteers to monitor various local election procedures.

Nov. 5, 2024 Poll workers volunteering at the Whitefish Armory on Tuesday morning reported a busy but efficient start to Election Day as they fielded questions and helped voters look up their precincts from a kiosk stand of iPads, with each tablet programmed with electronic pollbooks containing a list of eligible voters in Flathead County and their voting districts.

“So far it’s been really smooth sailing,” according to poll worker Irene Stephanie Dupont. “We haven’t had any big rushes or long lines.”

But there was one small factor complicating matters for voters trying to cast ballots at the Whitefish Armory, which is one of 11 Flathead County polling places accommodating in-person voting during the general election — they were struggling to bypass the computer-generated CAPTCHA quizzes required to access their information on the e-pollbooks. Although the CAPTCHA program is designed to protect websites against bots, voters using the available tablets on Tuesday encountered images that were often too pixelated or difficult to read.

“How many bicycles? I don’t see any bicycles,” complained one man stooping over the device, while others struggled to distinguish a bus from a train. – Tristan Scott

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Voters filter in and out of a polling place at the Smith Valley Fire Department west of Kalispell on Nov. 5, 2024. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon

‘Steady Stream’ of Voters Cast Ballots at Flathead County Fairgrounds

Voters are also casting ballots in Whitefish, Columbia Falls, Bigfork, Lakeside, Marion, Martin City and Smith Valley

Nov. 5, 2024, 7:15 p.m. A steady flow of voters continues to circulate the fairgrounds where Flathead County Interim Election Manager Paula Buff said the voter turnout appears to be high.

“I don’t know how anything can compare to this election,” Buff said. “Any presidential election is going to have a higher turnout than just a midterm election, but I think this is definitely one for the books. I think we’ve had an incredible showing.”

11:14 a.m. Election workers at the Flathead County Fairgrounds described a “steady stream” of voters dropping off absentee ballots and casting their vote in person around 10 a.m.

“When we got here earlier there was a line all the way back. It has been a steady stream since then,” volunteer Jesse Tucker, who was collecting absentee ballots outside of the fairgrounds, the county’s largest polling site, said.

“It’s been nonstop people, whether they’re going in to vote or dropping off ballots,” Nicole Thiessen, also a volunteer, said.

Voters are also casting ballots at three locations in Whitefish, Bethany Lutheran Church in Bigfork, the Columbia Falls Senior Center, the Lakeside QRU and the Martin City, Bad Rock (Columbia Falls), Marion, Martin City and Smith Valley fire halls.

In the fairgrounds parking lot and at the intersection of Two Mile Drive and North Meridian, nearly a dozen representatives from Congressman Ryan Zinke’s reelection campaign, as well as opponents of abortion initiative CI-128, waved signs and handed out literature to voters.

Liz Khmelev, a volunteer handing out literature in opposition to CI-128 said voters have been “pretty darn receptive” to her message. – Denali Sagner

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Gov. Greg Gianforte attends a law enforcement roundtable in Kalispell on Sept. 15, 2022. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon

Gianforte and Zinke Seek to Continue Republican Dominance in Montana Elections

Gianforte is favored for reelection over a political newcomer, while Zinke faces a stiffer challenge from a veteran campaigner

Nov. 5, 2024 In the race to represent western Montana in the U.S. House, Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke says his key issues are reducing inflation and strengthening the economy, border security and access to public lands. Monica Tranel, who lost to Zinke by 4 percentage points in the 2022 House race, said she wants to work for affordable housing, protecting people’s privacy and freedom — including the right to an abortion — and making communities safe, stable and secure. – Amy Beth Hanson & Matthew Brown, Associated Press

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More Than 400,000 Montanans Have Already Voted

77 percent of all absentee ballots issued statewide have been returned heading into Election Day

Nov. 4, 2024 Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen announced Monday evening that nearly 425,000 absentee ballots had been received by county election offices as of 5 p.m. on Nov. 4. That means more than 77 percent of all absentee ballots issued statewide have been returned heading into Election Day.

“Friends, family, and neighbors across the state have ensured their voices will be heard in this historic election,” Jacobsen said in a press release. “Absentee voters can still deliver their ballot in person on Election Day.”

For context, a little over 612,000 total ballots were cast in the 2020 general election. – Kellyn Brown

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Campaign sign for Courtenay Sprunger in Kalispell on April 16, 2024. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon

Who’s Running for the Legislature in the Flathead?

A complete and ongoing updated guide to the candidates running for state House and Senate in the Flathead and Tobacco Valleys in 2024

Nov. 4, 2024 Voters across Montana will head to the polls this Nov. 5 to decide the results of one of the most consequential election cycles in recent history. U.S. Sen. Jon Tester is up for reelection, the only Democratic member of Montana’s Congressional delegation who pundits have declared “vulnerable” in 2024. Montanans will also decide the fate of two U.S. House seats, two Supreme Court seats, governor, state auditor, superintendent of public instruction, attorney general, a number of Public Service Commission and district court judge positions and, of course, the Legislature.  – Beacon Staff

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U.S. Sen. Jon Tester and Democratic U.S. House candidate Monica Tranel rally voters at the Big Sky Victory Get Out The Vote tour in Kalispell on November 2, 2024. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon

With Election Day on the Horizon, Montana’s Candidates and Organizers Make their Final Push 

By Saturday night, nearly half of Montanans had already cast their ballots in an election that has driven the state into the national spotlight

Nov. 4, 2024 In the final moments of an election cycle that has brought copious national attention to Montana, candidates and organizers are making a final push get out the vote. As of Saturday night, nearly half of Montanans had already voted, and 73% of voters who received absentee ballots had turned them in. In Flathead County, 38,609 absentee ballots, or 70% of those mailed to voters, were returned as of Saturday. – Denali Sagner

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Flathead High School social studies teacher Roy Antley gives a lesson on the First Amendment as part of instruction about the U.S. government on Nov. 1, 2024. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon

With Mock Election, Flathead High School Students Get a Lesson in Civics

Kalispell’s high school students are part of a growing wave of Gen-Z voters set to reshape the country’s electorate. Find out how they voted in Flathead High School’s mock election.

Nov. 2, 2024 On a cloudy Friday morning, just four days before a historic election in Montana, Roy Antley’s class was learning about misinformation. Antley is a social studies teacher at Flathead High School, where he’s taught and coached student activities for 15 years. In his government classes, Antley’s students learn about civics, media literacy, governance and the political process. – Denali Sagner

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Republican candidate campaign signs at the intersection of Idaho and Main in Kalispell on Oct. 30, 2024. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon

Voters Drowning in Ads From ‘Obscene’ Amounts of Cash Flooding Montana U.S. Senate Race

Democrats, desperate to retain their majority, are on track to outspend Republicans by almost $50 million in the Montana race

Oct. 29, 2024 After 18 years working to topple Montana Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, Republicans in Big Sky Country see potential victory and control of the Senate majority within their grasp in an increasingly acrimonious contest that’s shattering campaign spending records. Montana voters, meanwhile, are getting worn out — deluged by negative ads on their TVs, radios, phones and in their mailboxes. – Matthew Brown, Associated Press

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Materials critical of CI-128 on display at a booth setup by the group Abort Ignorance at the Northwest Montana Fair on Aug. 15, 2024. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon

With Abortion on the Ballot in Montana, “Pro-Life” Groups are Striking a Different Tone

Facing a public that is increasingly favorable towards abortion access — and a well-funded abortion rights movement — anti-abortion groups are turning to grassroots mobilization and a more targeted message this election cycle

Oct. 25, 2024 Mitch Morgan calls CI-128 “a wolf in sheep’s clothing.” A Kalispell resident and small business owner, Morgan is part of a local effort to mobilize against a ballot initiative that, if passed in November, will enshrine a right to abortion in Montana’s constitution. In contrast to the millions in targeted campaigns and advertisements funded by abortion rights groups this year, the Flathead Valley’s anti-abortion organizers, including Morgan, have been operating largely behind the scenes. – Denali Sagner

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Flathead County Elections Office in Kalispell on June 4, 2024. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon

What to Expect in Montana on Election Day

Democratic incumbent Jon Tester faces a tough reelection bid for a fourth term against Republican Tim Sheehy

Oct. 22, 2024 When Montana voters cast ballots in the Nov. 5 general election, they’ll decide what may just be the nation’s marquee U.S. Senate race, and with it, perhaps which party will control the closely divided chamber in the next Congress. They’ll also vote on a high-profile ballot question on abortion, as well as less competitive races for president and governor. – Associated Press

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