Your Cheat Sheet to the 2022 General Elections
Our guide to hundreds of elections to watch closely up and down the ballot, from judges and senators to secretaries of state and mayors.
As the battle for Congress rages, voters are also deciding the fate of thousands of ballot measures and public offices.
Bolts editor-in-chief Daniel Nichanian lays out 505 elections to watch closely up and down the ballot—from secretaries of state and senators to prosecutors and judges—and why they matter.
You can also download a printable, PDF version of this page to use as a worksheet on Election Night. We are also updating this page with results.
Bolts has published guides to all supreme court and secretary of state races, and elections that are critical to abortion. We also cover races that affect voting rights and criminal justice.
This cheat sheet features at least one non-federal election for all 50 states, plus D.C., and we encourage you to search for the name of your state on this page to learn about local stakes.
We also encourage readers to visit Ballotpedia for its invaluable resources and to consult Daily Kos Elections’ data on all districts’ partisan lean. Also, note that we include a congressional race if it is rated unsafe by just one of Cook Political, the Crystal Ball, Inside Elections, and Daily Kos Elections.
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Congress
Senate
| Dem-held | ||
| AZ | D | |
| CO | D | |
| GA | D | |
| NH | D | |
| NV | D | |
| WA | D | |
| GOP-held | ||
| FL | R | |
| MO | R | |
| NC | R | |
| OH | R | |
| PA | D | |
| UT | R | |
| WI | R | |
| Intra-GOP stakes | ||
| AK | Murk. |
U.S. House
| All Dem-held districts or new districts carried by Trump in 2020 | |
| AK-AL | D |
| AZ-02 | R |
| FL-02 | R |
| FL-04 | R |
| FL-07 | R |
| FL-13 | R |
| IA-03 | R |
| GA-06 | R |
| ME-02 | D |
| MI-10 | R |
| MT-01 | R |
| OH-09 | D |
| PA-08 | D |
| TN-05 | R |
| TX-15 | R |
| WI-03 | R |
| Select Dem-held districts carried by Biden in 2020 | |
| AZ-04 | D |
| AZ-06 | R |
| CA-09 | D |
| CA-13 | R |
| CA-21 | D |
| CA-25 | D |
| CA-26 | D |
| CA-47 | D |
| CA-49 | D |
| CO-07 | D |
| CT-02 | D |
| CT-05 | D |
| FL-23 | D |
| GA-02 | D |
| IL-06 | D |
| IL-11 | D |
| IL-14 | D |
| IL-17 | D |
| KS-03 | D |
| MD-06 | D |
| MI-07 | D |
| MI-08 | D |
| MN-02 | D |
| NC-01 | D |
| NC-06 | D |
| NJ-03 | D |
| NJ-05 | D |
| NJ-07 | R |
| NJ-11 | D |
| NH-01 | D |
| NH-02 | D |
| NM-01 | D |
| NM-03 | D |
| NV-01 | D |
| NV-03 | D |
| NV-04 | D |
| NY-03 | R |
| NY-04 | R |
| NY-17 | R |
| NY-18 | D |
| NY-19 | R |
| NY-25 | D |
| OH-13 | D |
| OR-04 | D |
| OR-05 | R |
| PA-06 | D |
| PA-07 | D |
| PA-08 | D |
| PA-12 | D |
| PA-17 | D |
| RI-02 | D |
| TX-28 | D |
| VA-02 | R |
| VA-07 | D |
| VA-10 | D |
| WA-08 | D |
| All GOP-held districts or new districts carried by Biden | |
| AZ-01 | R |
| CA-22 | R |
| CA-27 | R |
| CA-40 | R |
| CA-45 | R |
| CO-08 | D |
| IL-13 | D |
| NE-02 | R |
| MI-03 | D |
| NC-13 | D |
| NC-14 | D |
| NM-02 | D |
| NY-01 | R |
| NY-22 | R |
| OH-01 | D |
| OR-06 | D |
| PA-01 | R |
| PA-07 | D |
| TX-34 | D |
| Select GOP-held districts or new districts carried by Trump in 2020 | |
| CA-03 | R |
| CA-41 | R |
| CO-03 | R |
| FL-15 | R |
| FL-27 | R |
| IA-01 | R |
| IA-02 | R |
| MN-01 | R |
| NY-02 | R |
| NY-11 | R |
| WA-03 | D |
ReferendUMS
| Abortion, Voting, Criminal law, Drugs, Immigration, Governance, Labor, Transport, Health, Housing, Education, Climate, Taxes, Slavery, Guns |
Abortion Rights
| Michigan On enshrining abortion rights in state constitution, and overturning a ban (#3, learn more) | Yes |
| California On enshrining abortion rights in state constitution (#1, learn more) | Yes |
| Kentucky On declaring that the state constitution does not recognize abortion rights (#2, learn more) | No |
| Montana On whether a fetus is a legal person (#131, learn more) | No |
| Vermont On enshrining abortion rights in state constitution (#5, learn more) | Yes |
Voting rights and ballot access
| Arizona On new hurdles to ballot measures (#128, #129, #132; learn more in Bolts) | No Yes Yes |
| Arizona On tightening voter ID requirements (#309; learn more) | No |
| Arkansas On requiring a supermajority for ballot initiatives (#2; learn more in Bolts) | No |
| Connecticut On enabling early voting (learn more) | Yes |
| Louisiana On barring non-citizens from voting in state or local elections (#1, learn more): This is on the Dec. 10 ballot. | Yes |
| Michigan On a broad voting rights package to expand access to the ballot and protect election systems (#2, learn more) | Yes |
| Nebraska On requiring ID for voting (#432, learn more) | Yes |
| Ohio On barring non-citizens from voting in state or local elections (#2, learn more) | Yes |
Drug policy
| Arkansas On legalizing marijuana (#4, learn more) | No |
| Colorado On decriminalizing psychedelics (#122, learn more) | Yes |
| Colorado: Colorado Springs On enabling marijuana sales (learn more) | No |
| Maryland On legalizing marijuana (#4, learn more) | Yes |
| Missouri On legalizing marijuana (#3, learn more) | Yes |
| North Dakota On legalizing marijuana (#2, learn more) | No |
| South Dakota On legalizing marijuana (#27; learn more) | No |
| Texas | Killeen On decriminalizing marijuana within the city (learn more | Yes |
| Texas | San Marcos On decriminalizing marijuana within the city (learn more) | Yes |
Criminal justice and policing
| Alabama On enabling judges to deny bail for more offenses (#1, learn more) | Yes |
| Alabama On restricting a governor’s powers to commute or reprieve death sentences (#3, learn more) | Yes |
| California: Los Angeles On enabling a county board to remove a sheriff (#A, learn more) | Yes |
| California: Sacramento On ramping up policing of encampments (learn more) | Yes |
| Kansas On requiring that sheriffs be elected and enabling them to be recalled (#2, learn more) | Yes |
| Maryland: Baltimore On local control over the police department (#H, learn more) | Yes |
| Montana On requiring warrants for searches of electronic data (#48, learn more) | Yes |
| Ohio On enabling judges to consider ‘safety’ in setting cash bail, beyond deciding whether to deny bail, and expanding pretrial detention (#1, learn more) | Yes |
Immigration
| Arizona On in-state tuition for non-citizen residents (#308, learn more) | Yes |
| Maryland: Howard County On repealing a ‘sanctuary’ measure that prevents county agencies from cooperating with ICE and reporting the immigration status of people who use local public services (learn more) | Yes |
| Massachusetts On the law that allows driver’s licenses for undocumented residents (#4, learn more) | Yes |
Health care
| Oregon On declaring health care a fundamental right (#111, learn more) | Yes |
| South Dakota On expanding Medicaid (#D; learn more) | Yes |
Labor
| Illinois On enshrining a constitutional right to collective bargaining (#1, learn more) | Yes |
| Maine: Portland On increasing the minimum wage to $18, and expanding covered workers (learn more) | No |
| Nebraska On increasing the minimum wage to $15 (#433, learn more) | Yes |
| Nevada On increasing the minimum wage to $12 (#2, learn more) | Yes |
| Tennessee On enshrining “right-to-work,” which limits union dues, into the state constitution (#1, learn more) | Yes |
| Washington, D.C. On eliminating the tipped minimum wage, again (learn more) | Yes |
Governance and election rules
| California: Oakland On creating a “democracy vouchers” system (learn more in Bolts) | Yes |
| California: Oakland On enabling noncitizen parents to vote in school board elections | Yes |
| California: San Francisco On moving local elections to even years to boost turnout (#2E) | Yes |
| Colorado: Boulder On moving local elections to even years to boost turnout (#2E) | Yes |
| Hawaii: Hawaii County On creating a youth commission, a body of people aged 14 to 24 who would advice county officials on youth civic engagement (learn more) | Yes |
| Maine: Portland On switching to a ‘strong mayor’ system (instead of a city manager), and on setting up a new public funding system for elections (learn more) | No |
| Nevada On instituting a ranked-choice voting system (#3, learn more in Bolts) | Yes |
| New York: New York City On requiring city agencies to issue racial equity plans (#2, learn more) | Yes |
| Oregon: Portland On overhauling city governance and replacing it with a new, progressive-backed system (learn more) | |
| Rhode Island: Providence On switching to a school board that would be partly elected (#7, learn more) | |
| Washington: Seattle On instituting ranked-choice voting and, separately, on instituting approval voting (#1A, #1B, #2, learn more) | |
| West Virginia On strengthening the powers of the legislature vis-a-vis the judiciary (#1, learn more) | |
| Other localities that are voting on ranked-choice voting systems are: Fort Collins, Colorado; Evanston, Illinois; Multnomah County, Oregon (in addition to Portland); Portland, Maine; Clark County, Washington; San Juan County, Washington |
Transportation
| California: San Francisco On renewing a sales tax to fund transportation (#L, learn more) | Yes |
| California: Sacramento On a sales tax hike to fund transportation (#A, learn more) | |
| Florida: Hillsborough County (Tampa) On a 1 percent sales tax to fund transportation projects, nearly half for the transit authority (learn more). Note: Will this be kicked off? | No |
| Florida: Orange County (Orlando) On a 1 percent sales tax to fund transportation projects, nearly half for a transit authority (learn more) | No |
| Massachusetts On increasing taxes on the wealthy to support transportation (and education) (#1, learn more) | Yes |
| Michigan: Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties On property taxes to fund SMART transit in Detroit region (three separate votes) | Yes Yes Yes |
| Virginia: Arlington On a bond of $53 million, most of which would fund WMATA/Metro improvements (learn more) | Yes |
Housing
| California: Los Angeles On a “mansion tax” on sales above $5 million, to fund affordable housing (#ULA, learn more) | |
| California: Pasadena On rent control and eviction protections (#H, learn more) | |
| California: Sacramento On ramping up policing of encampments (learn more) | |
| California: San Francisco On taxing vacant homes (#M, learn more) | |
| Colorado On dedicating a slice of the state budget to affordable housing programs (#123) | Yes |
| Colorado: Denver On increasing taxes on landlords to fund free legal counsel for people facing eviction (#305, learn more) | |
| Colorado: Denver On enabling Denver to spend surplus revenue on housing initiatives (#2K, learn more) | |
| Louisiana On limiting hike in property assessments in New Orleans (#6, learn more) | No |
| Maine: Portland On a large slate of tenant protections, , including more notice and limits to rent increases (learn more) | |
| Maine: Portland On restricting short-term rentals (learn more) | |
| Missouri: Kansas City On authorizing a $50 million fund for affordable housing (#2, learn more) |
Education
| California On instituting new mandates for education funding (#28, learn more) | Yes |
| Colorado On providing free lunches in public schools, via a cap on tax deductions (#FF, learn more) | Yes |
| Florida: Duval County (Jacksonville) On increasing property taxes to raise teacher pay (learn more) | |
| Florida | Miami-Dade On higher property tax to fund teacher pay and school police (learn more) | |
| Massachusetts On increasing taxes on high-earners to support education (and transportation) (#1, learn more) | Yes |
| New Mexico On a $216 million fund for public education (#3, learn more) | |
| West Virginia On weakening the powers of the board of education (#4, learn more) | No |
Energy and climate
| California On increasing taxes on high-earners to fund clean vehicles and wildfire prevention, with controversy over Lyft’s role (#30, learn more) | No |
| Colorado: Denver On enabling Denver to spend surplus revenue on climate action (#2J, learn more) | |
| Illinois: Cook County On increasing the levy for forest preserves (learn more) | Yes |
| New York State On a $4.2 billion bond for green-minded infrastructure projects (#1, learn more) | Yes |
Taxes
| Colorado On reducing the income tax, again (#121) | Yes |
| Colorado On adding more information about the tax effects of ballot initiatives (#GG, learn more) | Yes |
| Look to other topic sections for tax and bond measures that are meant to fund a specific thing, e.g. education. |
The slavery clause
| States are voting on removing the “slavery clause” from the state constitution, which may help the fight against forced prison labor. | |
| Alabama (#Con) | Yes |
| Louisiana (#7): Context | Yes |
| Oregon (#112) | Yes |
| Tennessee (#2) | Yes |
| Vermont (#2) | Yes |
Guns
| Iowa On enshrining gun rights in the state constitution (#1, learn more) | Yes | |
| Oregon On establishing new restrictions on gun ownership (#114, learn more) | Yes |
Who can serve in office? Term limits and other eligibility rules.
| Maryland On instituting new residency rules for lawmakers (#2, learn more) | Yes |
| Maryland: Baltimore On changing term limits for local officials (learn more) | |
| Michigan On softening rules around term limits (#1, learn more) | Yes |
| New Mexico On giving appointed judges more time in office before facing an election (#3, learn more) | Yes |
| North Dakota On instituting new term limits for the governor and lawmakers (#1, learn more) | |
| Oregon On banning frequently absent lawmakers from seeking re-election, in context of GOP boycotts (#113, learn more) | Yes |
| Tennessee On lifting a ban on clergy serving in the legislature. (#4, learn more) | Yes |
| Wyoming On increasing the retirement age of judges (learn more) |
Other topics
| Alaska On whether Alaska tribes should receive state recognition (learn more) | No |
| Alaska On whether to call a constitutional convention, a vote entangled in some Alaskans’ effort to ban abortion (#1) | |
| Florida On repealing the special commission empowered to propose constitutional amendments (#2, learn more) | No |
| Maine: Bar Harbor On restricting the number of cruise ship passengers who can disembark (learn more) | |
| Missouri On whether to call a constitutional convention (learn more) | No |
| Nevada On an equal-rights constitutional amendment (#1, learn more) | Yes |
Trifectas
Governor
| Dem-held | |
| CO | D |
| IL | D |
| KS | D |
| ME | D |
| MI | D |
| MN | D |
| NV | R |
| NM | D |
| NY | D |
| OR | D |
| PA | D |
| RI | D |
| WI | D |
| GOP-held | |
| AK | R |
| AZ | D |
| FL | R |
| GA | R |
| IA | R |
| MD | D |
| MA | D |
| OH | R |
| OK | R |
| TX | R |
Legislatures
| GOP-held: Dems may flip | |
| Arizona Senate | R |
| Arizona House | R |
| Michigan Senate | D |
| Michigan House | D |
| Minnesota Senate | D |
| North Carolina Senate | R |
| North Carolina House | R |
| New Hampshire Senate | R |
| New Hampshire House | R |
| Dem-held: GOP may flip | |
| Alaska House* | |
| Colorado Senate | D |
| Colorado House | D |
| Maine Senate | D |
| Maine House | D |
| Minnesota House | D |
| Nevada Senate | D |
| Nevada House | D |
| Oregon Senate | D |
| Dem-held: Will they win a supermaj.? | |
| California Senate | Yes |
| California House | Yes |
| Vermont Senate | Yes |
| Vermont House | Yes |
| GOP-held: Will they win a supermaj.? | |
| Nebraska Senate | No |
| North Carolina Senate | No |
| North Carolina House | No |
| Wisconsin Senate | Yes |
| Wisconsin House | No |
| For more information on key legislative districts, see the rightmost column on this page. |
Trifecta Watch:
Who ControLS Each State?
Currently Dem-run (14)
| CA | D |
| CO | D |
| CT | D |
| DE | D |
| IL | D |
| HI | D |
| ME | D |
| NJ | D* |
| NM | D |
| NV | Split |
| NY | D |
| OR | D |
| RI | D |
| WA | D |
Currently GOP-run (23)
| AL | R |
| AR | R |
| AZ | Split |
| FL | R |
| GA | R |
| ID | R |
| IN | R |
| IA | R |
| MS | R* |
| MO | R |
| MT | R |
| NE | R |
| NH | R |
| ND | R |
| OK | R |
| OH | R |
| SC | R |
| SD | R |
| TN | R |
| TX | R |
| UT | R |
| WV | R |
| WY | R |
Currently split government (13)
| Result | |
| AK | Split |
| KS | Split |
| KY | Split* |
| LA | Split* |
| MD | D |
| MA | D |
| MI | D |
| MN | D |
| NC | Split |
| PA | Split |
| VT | Split |
| VA | Split* |
| WI | Split |
Statewide Offices
| Supreme Courts, Secretaries of State, Attorneys General, Other Statewide Offices, Other Statewide Stakes |
Supreme Court Judges
| Arkansas Conservatives failed to oust one sitting justice in May; they are now taking aim at another, Justice Wynne. Learn more in Bolts. | Wynne |
| Florida (five seats) Abortion rights advocates hope to oust some of the five justices up for retention (a yes-or-no vote). No judge has ever lost retention in Florida. Learn more. | Yes (all) |
| Illinois (two seats) Two seats, each outside of Cook County (Chicago), will decide control of the court; the GOP needs to win both to flip the court. Learn more. | D |
| Kansas (six seats) Six of seven justices are up for retention (a yes-or-no vote) against the backdrop of abortion: The court’s ruling protecting abortion rights was upheld by voters in August. Learn more in Bolts. | Yes (all) |
| Kentucky One of the most fervently anti-abortion lawmakers in Kentucky is seeking a seat on the court. Learn more. | Lost |
| Michigan (two seats) Two justices are running for re-election, and the Democratic majority could flip (the GOP would need to win both seats). That would carry major implications for voting rights and for criminal justice. | D R |
| Montana Conservatives are targeting Justice Ingrid Gustafson on a court at the center of disputes over democracy. Learn more. | Gustaf-son |
| New Mexico (two seats) Two Democratic justices face re-election, one against a candidate who is echoing election deniers. Learn more. | D D |
| North Carolina (two seats) Republicans would flip the court by winning one of the two seats on the ballot, with major consequences for redistricting and civil rights. | R (x2) |
| Ohio (three seats) Democrats could flip the court as the GOP is defending three seats, but the GOP could also secure enough votes to bless its gerrymanders. Learn more. | R (x3) |
| Texas (five seats) Democrats have candidates against five GOP justices across two high courts, but they struggle statewide. (The primary had action too.) Learn more. | R (x5) |
| Note: Many states have justices running uncontested (e.g. Minnesota, Nevada, Washington) or else have retention elections on the ballot (e.g. Arizona, California). Read Bolts’s full guide. |
Secretaries of State
| Read Bolts’s full guide to secretaries of state. | |
| Arizona SoS GOP election denier Mark Finchem, who still wants to decertify the last presidential race, hopes to take over election administration in this critical swing state. Learn more. | D |
| Colorado SoS Democrat Jena Griswold is seeking a second term against Republican Pam Anderson. A prominent election denier lost in the GOP primary. Learn more. | D |
| Connecticut SoS Republican Dominic Rapini, the former board chair of a group that promoted conspiracies about 2020, faces Democratic lawmaker Stephanie Thomas. Learn more. | D |
| Georgia SoS GOP incumbent Brad Raffensperger, who rebuffed Trump and later supported new voting restrictions, faces Democrat Bee Nguyen. Learn more. | R |
| Indiana SoS Republican Diego Morales rode the Big Lie to oust a GOP incumbent, and now faces Democrat Destiny Wells. Learn more. | R |
| Iowa SoS In the race between a GOP incumbent and a Democratic county auditor, recent voter restrictions adopted by the state have been a major faultline. Learn more in Bolts. | R |
| Michigan SoS Democratic incumbent Jocelyn Benson faces Kristina Karamo, an avowed election denier who is endorsed by Trump and wants to upend the elections system. (Learn more in Bolts.) | D |
| Minnesota SoS Democratic incumbent Steve Simon faces Kim Crockett, who has embraced Trump’s lies about 2020. (Learn more.) | D |
| Nevada SoS One of the chief organizers of a nationwide slate of election deniers is Jim Marchant, the GOP nominee in Nevada. He faces Democrat Cisco Aguilar. Learn more. | D |
| New Mexico SoS GOP nominee Audrey Trujillo has embraced the Big Lie in challenging Democratic incumbent Maggie Toulouse Oliver. Learn more in Bolts. | D |
| Ohio SoS A GOP incumbent who has grown increasingly confident echoing false claims of fraud is running for re-election. Learn more. | R |
| Pennsylvania SoS (via governor) The identity of the next secretary of state will be decided by the winner of the governor’s race. The GOP nominee in that race, election denier Doug Mastriano, says this is a priority for him. Learn more in Bolts. | D |
| Vermont SoS A Democratic lawmaker who wants to support local experiment to expand voter eligibility faces a Republican election denier. Learn more. | D |
| Washington SoS The GOP is shut out of the runoff in an office it had not lost since 1964, with a Democrat and an independent facing off. Learn more. | D |
| Wisconsin SoS The office does not oversee election administration, but Republicans want to change that if they win it. Learn more. | D |
Attorneys General
| Attorneys general play a major role on prosecutions, public lawsuits, and consumer protection. | |
| Arizona GOP nominee Abraham Hamadeh is part of the slate of election deniers running in Arizona, with Trump’s support. Democratic nominee Kris Mayes wants to stop prosecutors from criminalizing abortion. | D |
| California Roy Bonta was a major target of the right over his support for criminal justice reform, but he showed strength in the June primary. | D |
| Colorado Democrat Phil Weiser is seeking a second term against prosecutor John Kellner, who has campaigned on rising crime. | D |
| Delaware Democrat Kathy Jennings, who heads the state’s prosecutor offices and unveiled a slate of reforms while in office, is up for re-election. | D |
| Florida GOP incumbent Ashley Moody faces Aramis Ayala, the former Orlando prosecutor who clashed with state Republicans over her opposition to the death penalty. | R |
| Georgia Republican Chris Carr seeks re-election against Democrat Jen Jordan, who wishes to curtail enforcement of abortion bans. | R |
| Idaho Raúl Labrador, a far-right Republican who was a vocal member of the Freedom Caucus, ousted the GOP incumbent and now faces Democrat Tom Arkoosh. | R |
| Iowa Tom Miller is the nation’s longest-serving attorney general, but it’s grown harder for a Democrat to win in Iowa. Republican Brenna Bird is mounting attack ads featuring a transgender person. | R |
| Kansas Republican Kris Kobach, a former secretary of state and a champion of failed voting restrictions and false fraud charges, is seeking a comeback and faces Democrat Chris Mann. | R |
| Michigan Democratic incumbent Dana Nessel faces Republican Matt DePerno, with major stakes for the criminalization of abortion and of elections. | D |
| Minnesota Republican Jim Schultz is challenging Keith Ellison, the progressive attorney general who drew attention for his role in prosecuting Derek Chauvin over the murder of George Floyd. | D |
| New Mexico In a state where prosecutors coalesce to stop criminal justice reform, Democrats are running a DA for this open seat, and the GOP nominee is running on a law-and-order message, pinpointing homeless encampments. | D |
| Nevada Aaron Ford, one of many vulnerable Democrats in Nevada, faces Republican Sigal Chattah. | D |
| Ohio In this reddening state, Republican Dave Yost seeks a second-term against Democratic lawmaker Jeff Crossman, who has run on protecting abortion rights. | R |
| Texas Indictments for securities fraud have loomed over GOP incumbent Ken Paxton for years but he has remained a darling of the far-right due to his efforts to police voting and target LGBTQ youth. He faces Democrat Rochelle Garza. | R |
| Vermont The office is technically held by the GOP: The Republican governor appointed Susanne Young this year to replace a Democrat who retired. But Young is not running and Democrats are favored to regain the office. | D |
| Wisconsin Eric Toney, a GOP DA who has centered his campaign on election prosecutions, is challenging first-term Democrat Josh Kaul. Learn more in Bolts. | D |
Other statewide officials
| Arizona | Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne, a GOP former superintendent who championed a ban on ethnic studies and is now running against bilingual education, is challenging Democratic incumbent Kathy Hoffman. | R |
| Arizona | Public Service Commission Two seats are up, and the body would flip if Democrats sweep the seats. The candidates differ starkly in their approaches to regulating utilities. | R |
| California | Controller California’s only statewide election that may be competitive. | D |
| Connecticut | Treasurer An open race has Democrats trying to retain all elected statewide offices. | D |
| Florida | Chief Financial Officer One of Florida’s four Cabinet positions pits a GOP incumbent against a former Democratic lawmaker. | R |
| Florida | Agriculture Commissioner Florida’s only statewide office still held by Democrats is open and could flip. | R |
| Georgia | Lieutenant Governor A fact looming over the race: Republican nominee Burt Jones worked to overturn the 2020 election. | R |
| Georgia | Labor Commissioner This open statewide seat has two lawmakers facing off. | R |
| Iowa | Auditor First-term auditor Rob Sand is the only statewide Democrat under age 70. He faces a tough battle in a reddening state. | D |
| Iowa | Treasurer 40-year incumbent Democrat Michael Fitzgerald is trying to resist the state’s jump to the right. | R |
| Kansas | Treasurer An appointed Democrat, Lynn Rogers, is seeking a full term in this red state. | R |
| Maryland | Comptroller This is a rare statewide general election that is seeing involvement from the outgoing governor, with disagreements on issues like expanding the highway. | D |
| Missouri | Auditor The only statewide office controlled by Democrats is open, and could flip. | R |
| Nevada | Lieutenant Governor Democrats face headwinds in all statewide races, and this race features an appointed incumbent. | R |
| Nevada | Controller An open race could help enable the state GOP regain a statewide footing. | R |
| Nevada | Treasurer Michele Fiore, a local politician who regularly grabs national headlines for her ultra-conservative politics, is challenging the Democratic incumbent. | D |
| New Mexico | Treasurer This open seat features two candidates named Montoya, Laura (the Democrat) and Harry (the Republican). | D |
| Oregon | Labor Commissioner The race is technically nonpartisan, but the two candidates are Democratic labor attorney Christina Stephenson and former Republican lawmaker Cheri Helt. | D |
| South Carolina | Superintendent of Education Democrats are running the founder of a grassroots teachers’ organization, Lisa Ellis, against Republican Ellen Weaver, an advocate for school vouchers. | R |
| Texas | Land Commissioner This is one of Texas’s statewide offices that is open, vacated by George P. Bush. | R |
| Vermont | Lieutenant Governor The GOP has a hold on the governor’s office but Democrats expect to at least keep the second-in-line post. | D |
Other statewide stakes
| Arizona Will the GOP retain a majority on the Public Service Commission? | R |
| Illinois Will Democrats retain the supreme court? | D |
| Michigan Will Democrats retain the supreme court? | D |
| New Hampshire Will the GOP retain a majority on the state’s executive council? | R |
| North Carolina Will Democrats retain the supreme court? | R |
| Ohio Will the GOP retain the supreme court? | R |
| Wlil Democrats retain any statewide offices in… Florida Iowa Missouri | No Yes No |
| Will Republicans retain any statewide offices in… Maryland Massachusetts | Yes Yes |
Local Offices
| Judges, Prosecutors, Sheriffs, City & County Leaders, Election Admin., Legislative Districts, School Boards |
Local Judges
| California | Los Angeles superior court (four seats) Four candidates formed an informal progressive slate on a platform of reducing incarceration. Learn more in Bolts. | Mixed | |
| Kentucky | Franklin County (Frankfort) circuit court Phillip Shepherd, a judge in Kentucky’s capital, has drawn conservative ire and is targeted by Mitch McConnell’s PAC. Learn more in Bolts. | Shepherd | |
| Mississippi | Appellate Court This state has vanishingly few contested elections. That alone makes Democrat Bruce Burton’s challenge to Judge Virginia Carlton, a former GOP lawmaker, stand out; race is in the fourth district. | GOP | |
| Texas | Harris County (Houston) courts (9 seats) A slate of reform-minded judges took over the county bench in 2018; nine GOP challengers are or were recently working in the DA’s office, which has fought bail reforms. Learn more in Bolts. | Mixed | |
| Texas | Tarrant County (Fort Worth) juvenile court A GOP judge who treats his courtroom and the children who appear on it as reality TV, in a county with harsh treatment of youth, faces a defense attorney challenger. Learn more. | GOP | |
| For Cook County (Chicago) residents, Injustice Watch provides an invaluable guide to all local judges. |
Prosecutors
| Alabama | Mobile County DA In red Alabama, Democrat Moshae Davidson is deploying reform themes, including signaling that she could use her discretion to refuse prosecuting abortion. | GOP |
| Arizona | Maricopa County (Phoenix) county attorney Democrat Julie Gunnigle is running on promises to not prosecute abortion and to advance reforms. GOP incumbent Rachel Mitchell gained national fame for her questioning during the Brett Kavanaugh hearings. Learn more in Bolts and The Appeal. | GOP |
| California | Alameda County (Oakland) DA For this open seat, assistant DA Terry Wiley faces Pamela Price, who is aligned with the progressive movement. Learn more. | Price |
| California | San Francisco DA Five months after reform DA Chesa Boudin’s recall, new DA (and recall champion) Brooke Jenkins faces challengers who are critical of her tenure. Learn more. | Jenkins |
| Florida | Pinellas (St Petersburg) & Pasco state attorney A public defender’s decision to challenge a DeSantis appointee gives the area its first contested prosecutor race in decades, with large stakes for abortion, reform, and preemption. Learn more in Bolts. | GOP |
| Indiana | Marion County (Indianapolis) prosecutor Democratic incumbent Ryan Mears is clashing with the local police union, which has endorsed Republican Cyndi Carrasco. Learn more. | Dem |
| Iowa | Polk County (Des Moines) prosecutor In Iowa’s most populous county, Democrat Kimberly Graham says she was inspired to run by reform prosecutors elsewhere in the nation. She has pledged to not prosecute abortion. Learn more in Bolts. | Dem |
| Massachusetts | Plymouth County DA A civil rights attorney is vying to take over the reform torch and is challenging a longtime tough-on-crime DA. Learn more in Bolts. | GOP |
| Massachusetts | Cape and Islands DA The winner will replace a retiring incumbent who has been a chief critic of the Bay State’s progressive reforms. | Dem |
| Minnesota | Hennepin County (Minneapolis) county attorney The county’s first prosecutor race since George Floyd’s murder features major contrasts on reform and policing; progressive Mary Moriarty faces Martha Holton Dimick. Read more in Bolts and Mother Jones. | Moriarty |
| Nebraska | Douglas County (Omaha) DA Incumbent Don Kleine switched to the GOP two years ago, after the state Democratic Party accused him of furthering white supremacy, and he now faces reform-minded Democrat Dave Pantos. | GOP |
| Nebraska | Lancaster County DA GOP incumbent Pat Condon faces Adam Morfeld, a Democrat who founded the progressive organization Civic Nebraska. | GOP |
| New Hampshire | Hillsborough County (Manchester) county attorney In a rare contested prosecutor race in this state, a longtime Republican incumbent faces the former chair of the national Libertarian Party. | GOP |
| North Carolina | Forsyth County DA A GOP incumbent and reform critic faces a retired Democratic judge in a blue-leaning county. Learn more. | GOP |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma County prosecutor Election features a conservative Republican who has vowed to drop the prosecutions of police officers who are charged with killing a teenager. Learn more in Bolts and The Frontier. | Dem |
| Texas | Bexar County DA A Democratic DA is running for re-election against the brother of the man he ousted in 2018; the challenger is deploying tough-on-crime messaging in a race with fault lines on abortion. Learn more. | Dem |
| Texas | Dallas County DA Democratic incumbent John Creuzot faces a rematch against former Republican DA Faith Johnson. Meanwhile, the local jail has remained in crisis mode and reforms have been limited. Learn more in Bolts. | Dem |
| Texas | Hays County DA In a fast-growing county, a Democratic defense attorney is running on progressive promises. Learn more in Bolts. | Dem |
| Texas | Tarrant County (Fort Worth) DA A punitive DA’s retirement has sparked an open contest amid the Texas GOP’s latest efforts to criminalize abortion and trans youth. Learn more in Bolts. | GOP |
| Washington | King County (Seattle) prosecutor The open prosecutor race has come down to Leesa Manion, running as a cautious reformer, and Jim Ferrell, who hopes to ramp up prosecutions. Learn more. | Manion |
| Washington | Spokane County prosecutor Incumbent Larry Haskell, who has fought and circumvented criminal justice reforms, HuffPost reports, is running for re-election. Learn more. | Haskell |
Sheriffs
| California | Los Angeles County sheriff In an office plagued by scandals, incumbent Alex Villanueva faces Robert Luna; a long history of failed reform efforts haunts the race. Learn more in Bolts. | Luna |
| California | San Diego County sheriff This election is unfolding against the backdrop of a string of deaths in the local jail; the candidate most intent on reform lost in June. Learn more in Bolts. | Martinez |
| Florida | Duval County (Jacksonville) sheriff A special election has escalated into tensions and negative attacks. | GOP |
| Maine | Waldo County sheriff In context of opioid crisis, sheriff candidates take opposite routes, with the Democratic candidate proposing more of a public health approach. | Dem |
| Maryland | Frederick County sheriff Chuck Jenkins, a longtime Republican sheriff with ties to the far-right and draconian anti-immigrant policies, is running for re-election. Learn more in Bolts. | GOP |
| Massachusetts | Barnstable County (Cape Cod) sheriff This is the only county in all of New England participating in ICE’s 287(g) program to assist with immigration enforcement. This race could end that. Learn more in Bolts. | Dem |
| Massachusetts | Bristol County sheriff Sheriff Thomas Hodgson has drawn years of protests over the conditions in his jail and his handling of immigrant detainees. Learn more in Bolts. | Dem |
| New Mexico | Bernalillo County (Albuquerque) sheriff A Democrat who aligned with Trump is leaving the office, leaving a hotly contested race to replace him. Learn more. | Dem |
| New Mexico | Doña Ana County (Las Cruces) sheriff A GOP challenger wants this border county to have a tighter relationship with ICE and immigration enforcement than under the Democratic incumbent. Learn more. | Dem |
| North Carolina | Wake County (Raleigh) sheriff A longtime Republican sheriff who was ousted in 2018 after closely collaborating with ICE is now mounting a comeback. Learn more in Bolts. | Dem |
| North Carolina | Alamance County sheriff Sheriff Terry Johnson, a Republican long notorious for anti-immigrant practices and for shutting down a protest in 2020, faces his first challenge in more than a decade. Learn more. | GOP |
| North Carolina | Columbus County The sitting sheriff resigned in October over allegations over discrimination and racist remarks, but he is continuing to seek the office in the November elections. | GOP |
| North Carolina | Pasquotank County This race is unfolding in the aftermath of the fatal shooting by sheriff’s deputies in Elizabeth City last year. Learn more. | GOP |
| Washington | Clark County This open race is testing the concept of constitutional sheriffs, a rising movement affiliated with the far-right. Learn more. | Horch |
| Washington | Klickitat County sheriff Far-right Sheriff Bob Songer, who rejected COVID-19 restrictions in the name of his oath to the “Supreme Judge of the Universe,” which he says ties his function to Christianity, faces a tricky re-election bid. | Songer |
| Wisconsin | Dane County (Madison) sheriff Democrat Kalvin Barrett, who is favored to win re-election in this blue county, has pledged to not investigate abortion cases. | Dem |
Local leadership: Mayors, councils, boards, Controllers, ETc.
| California | Los Angeles mayor Congressmember Karen Bass faces businessman Rick Caruso, who has run to the right of the field and came in second in the June primary. Learn more. | Bass |
| California | Los Angeles controller race A candidate wants to use this opaque office to bring more visibility to the city budget and the size of public funds that go to the police. Learn more in Bolts. | Mejia |
| California | Los Angeles city attorney The election for an office that handles low-level offenses is a test for local reform politics; candidate Faisal Gill, facing Hydee Feldstein Soto, has grabbed the progressive mantle. Learn more. | Feldstein Soto |
| California | Los Angeles city council districts 11 and 13 After Eunisses Hernandez’s election in June, progressives hope to expand their clout via Erin Darling in the 11th district and Hugo Soto-Martinez in the 13th. The latter faces incumbent Mitch O’Farrell, in an election with major fault lines over policing and homelessness. Learn more. | Traci Park (11) and Soto-Martinez (13) |
| California | Los Angeles County Board Lindsay Horvath would maintain progressives’ edge on the board, while the more moderate Bob Hertzberg is running with law enforcement support. Learn more. | Horvath |
| California | Orange County Board Democrats hope to flip the OC’s board of supervisors for the first time in living memory by winning District 5. (And: Prominent Democrats are also trying to oust the Dem. incumbent in District 4.) Learn more. | Dem |
| California | Santa Clara mayor This mayoral race has become a proxy batte between the owners of the San Francisco 49ers and of the Miami Dolphins, clashing over the future of development. | Lisa Gillmor |
| California | Chula Vista mayor Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar, of U.S. House races fame, faces Republican John McCann to lead the second most populous city in the San Diego region. | McCann |
| California | Long Beach mayor Policing is a major fault line in the open race between Suzie Price, supported by the local police union, and Rex Richardson. | Richardson |
| California | Oakland mayor An ideologically broad array of 10 candidates is running for mayor, in a race that will be decided by ranked-choice voting. | Sheng Thao |
| Florida | Tallahassee mayor The growth of housing developments has exacerbated disagreements in a race that veered personal over campaign tactics. | Dailey |
| Georgia | Fulton County commission Running in District 1, a Republican election denier wants a seat on the county commission of Fulton County, the state’s most populous county, to target the elections system. | GOP |
| Illinois | DuPage County chair Democrats are hoping to flip the leadership of this populous and ancestrally Republican county for the first time in decades. | Dem |
| Hawaii | Honolulu city council Val Okimoto, one of just five Republicans in the entire Hawaii legislature (out of 76 members), is seeking a transition to the Honolulu council against Democrat Ron Menor. Civil Beat reports the candidates are bringing different lenses to discussing homelessness. | GOP |
| Kentucky | Louisville mayor This open race is exposing disagreements over policing and abortion. | Craig Greenberg |
| Kentucky | Lexington mayor Republican Linda Gorton is running for a second term against Democrat David Kloiber. | GOP |
| Missouri | St Louis County executive Republicans went with a party-switching lawmaker to challenge the Democratic incumbent leading the state’s most populous county. | Dem |
| New Jersey | Cumberland County Southern Jersey is shifting red, and the GOP could flip the county government if it wins both commissioner seats on the ballot. | GOP |
| New Jersey | Gloucester County This is the same situation as in neighboring Cumberland: GOP could flip the commission if it wins both seats on the ballot. | Dem |
| North Carolina | Raleigh mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin is running for re-election against fellow Democrats DaQuanta Copeland and Terrance Ruth, who criticizes Baldwin for her ties to developers. | Baldwin |
| Oregon | Portland city council Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, a progressive known for her vocal criticisms of policing, faces Rene Gonzalez, who is pressing for more police and prosecution and a tougher approach toward people experiencing homelessness. | Gonzalez |
| Oregon | Multnomah County (Portland) executive Housing and homelessness are also issues dominating the race to take over the county that contains Portland. | Vega Pederson |
| Texas | Austin mayor Six candidates are running to lead Texas’ capital city in an open race where policing and housing are predictably major issues. | Runoff |
| Texas | Dallas County commissioner The only Republican on the county commissioners court, J. J. Koch, faces Democrat Andrew Sommerman. The election, which may push the Dallas GOP to a nadir, is a proxy battle over criminal justice reform. | Dem |
| Texas | Harris County judge (equivalent of county president) At age 27, Lina Hidalgo became a national progessive star after taking over the nation’s third largest county in 2018. She now faces a tough re-election battle. | Dem |
| Texas | Tarrant County judge (equivalent of county president) In the nationally-watched race to lead a county of more than 2 million, Tim O’Hare clinched the GOP nomination by railing against “diversity and inclusion” programs. He faces Deborah Peoples, a progressive Democrat who fell short in the Fort Worth mayoral race in 2020. | GOP |
| Utah | San Juan County commission This county has been the site of a long legal and political battle over Navajo representation; the 2022 midterms will again determine whether the board has a Navajo-majority. | |
| Washington, D.C. | Mayor Muriel Bowser is favored to secure a rare third term. | Dem |
| Washington, D.C. | At-large council seats Three council members, plus other candidates, are vying for two seats, with the major face-off occurring for the seat reserved for a non-Democrat. | Bonds, McDuffie |
Election Administrators
| Colorado | Adams County clerk Several election deniers lost GOP primaries to take over local systems in June, but Bolts reported that the GOP nominee for clerk in Adams County is echoing false conspiracies. | Dem | |
| Minnesota | St Louis County auditor In a blue-leaning county, a Democratic incumbent faces a challenge from a Republican who has taken part in local conservative protests. | Dem | |
| Nevada | Washoe County commission Under conservative pressure, the commission has voted against upending its election system so far, but commissioner races could shift the balance of power. Watch District 2, where an election denier ousted an incumbent in the GOP primary and now faces a Democratic opponent, and District 5, where the sole ‘aye’ vote in a March commission vote is running again. | GOP gains | |
| Texas | Travis County (Austin) clerk Democrats defend the office that will run elections in the state’s bluest county against a candidate who has sowed doubts about past election results. | Dem | |
| Utah | Salt Lake County clerk The GOP nominee to take over the local elections system is echoing false conspiracies about the 2020 election. | Dem |
Key legislative districts
| Arizona | Senate #LD22: Democrats need to mount a write-in to win a safe seat after their nominee dropped out. |
| Colorado | Senate The biggest threat to Democrats’ trifecta: The party needs two of the following districts to keep the chamber, per a Denver Post analysis: SD3, SD8, SD11, SD15, SD20, SD24, and SD27. |
| Massachusetts | Senate A rare competitive district in Massachusetts has one of the state’s more conservative lawmakers (Shawn Dooley) challenging one of its most progressive senators (Becca Rausch). |
| Michigan | Senate The GOP has controlled chamber since 1984, but the chamber could flip. Michigan Live reports that the key districts to watch are: SD4, SD9, SD11, SD12, SD13, SD14, SD28, SD30, SD32, SD35. |
| Minnesota | Senate One of the tightest chambers in the nation may come down to these 5 districts, MinnPost reports: SD3, SD16, SD35, SD36, SD41. |
| Nebraska | Senate The GOP aims for a supermajority in the unicameral legislature. The Omaha World Herald identifies Dem-held SD6, SD10, SD12, SD26. Democrats are targeting SD18 and D31, as well as SD4, SD20, and SD36. |
| New Hampshire | Executive Council This 5-member body is not technically part of the legislature but has important powers. Districts 1 through 4, now controlled by Republicans, are all only narrowly red. (District 2 is a Democratic vote sink.) |
| Pennsylvania | House Spotlight Pennsylvania highlights four districts that will help decide whether Democrats make gains: HD30 and HD33 in the Pittsburgh region, and HD151 and HD168 in the Philadelphia region. |
| Utah | House In HD16, far-right GOP nominee Trevor Lee has a history of homophobia, and faces a write-in bid from Steve Handy, the GOP lawmaker he ousted at a convention. |
| Wisconsin | Senate and Assembly The GOP is on the verge of gaining veto-proof supermajorities in staggeringly gerrymandered Wisconsin. Wisconsin analyst The Recombobulation Area analyzes that the following races will decide if they get there. Senate: SD3, SD5, SD19, SD25 (GOP needs three of four). Assembly: AD33, AD45, AD51, AD54, AD64, AD71, AD73, AD74, AD84, AD94. |
| Bolts will update the list of key legislative districts in swing chambers as the election nears. |
School boards
| Arizona | Chandler and Mesa The elections for school boards in Chandler and in Mesa feature far-right candidates focused on LGBTQ kids and discussions of race, as well as candidates who have come out of the Red for Ed activism on behalf of teachers. | |
| California Roughly 2,500 seats are up in California alone, and conservatives are hoping to move the boards rightward. CalMatters spotlights such races for: —the Chino Valley School Board in San Bernardino County —the San Juan Unified School District Board in Sacramento County —the Tustin Unified School District in Orange County | |
| California | San Francisco Also in the state, San Francisco voters recalled three school board members earlier this year and Mayor London Breed appointed three moderate instead, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. They are now seeking full terms against more progressive candidates. | |
| Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has pushed for a conservative takeover of school boards and endorsed a large slate of candidates, many of whom won on Aug. 23. But some moved to a runoff: —Hendry: Stephanie Busin vs. Joe Whitehead —Indian River: Jacqueline Rosario vs. Cynthia Gibbs —Lee: Sam Fisher vs. Kathy Fanny —Manatee: Cindy Spray vs. Hard Byrd —Pasco: Al Hernandez vs. James Washington —Volusia: Jamie Haynes vs. Al Bouie (DeSantis-backed candidates listed first in each race.) In Broward County, conservative activist Brenda Fam is up against Steven Julian. | |
| Indiana: Boone County Matthew Keefer, one of three at-large candidates for the Zionsville school board, has provoked local uproar for his comments on Nazis. | |
| Maryland: Montgomery County Of four candidates endorsed by a conservative group organized against “critical race theory,” only one moved into a November runoff, in District 3. | |
| Texas: Board of Education (District 7) While all 15 seats on the state board are up, The Texas Tribune highlights coastal District 7; a conservative focused on her opposition to critical race theory faces a Democrat endorsed by the GOP incumbent. | |
| Nevada: Washoe County A slate of three conservatives are hoping to oust incumbents, and stop what they describe as left-wing indoctrination, The Nevada Independent reports. | |
| Texas: Travis and Williamson County Five conservatives are running to take over the Round Rock Independent School Board, amid flaring tensions around censorship and diversity, as well as special needs education. The right is also hoping to take over the neighboring Leander Independent School District, which has its own battles over school censorship. | |
| Washington, D.C. The board of education has sparked some of the city’s only competitive fall elections, DCist reports. |
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