It’s Election Day. Tens of millions of people have already made their decisions and cast early ballots. But many others, still finalizing their choices, are assessing the merits of candidates in contentious races across the country.
Here are highlights of The Times’s coverage of several candidates in some of the most competitive races:
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Is Ron DeSantis the Future of the Republican Party?: Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, is running for re-election and hasn’t sought former President Donald J. Trump’s endorsement. Mr. DeSantis is considered a possible candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.
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In Tim Ryan’s Ohio Senate Race, the D Is Often Silent:Representative Tim Ryan of Ohio, a Democrat running against J.D. Vance, has aimed to distance himself from the Democratic Party.
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J.D. Vance’s Rise From ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ Author to Senate Nominee: J.D. Vance, the author and venture capitalist who penned a memoir about his Appalachian roots, once described himself as “a Never Trump guy.” He then won the Republican nomination after securing Mr. Trump’s endorsement.
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In Final Days of Pennsylvania Race, a Celebrity Tries to Connect: Mehmet Oz, a Senate candidate, is known to many voters after his years hosting a daytime talk show, but his celebrity status is also presenting a challenge and raising questions about his qualifications for office.
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The Racial Divide Herschel Walker Couldn’t Outrun: Herschel Walker, a former football player challenging incumbent Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock, is unpopular with Black voters, even in the small town he comes from.
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In Georgia Rematch, Stacey Abrams Fights Headwinds From Washington: Stacey Abrams, a Democrat, and Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, are facing off again in a rematch of their 2018 race for governor in Georgia but this time, the political climate is vastly changed.
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Can Lee Zeldin Reinvent His Way to the N.Y. Governor’s Mansion?: Representative Lee Zeldin’s late surge in the polls for the New York governor’s race has shocked many, including political strategists. But Mr. Zeldin, a Republican, has been cementing strategic alliances over the years.
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Here’s what to know
The midterms are almost always bad for the president’s party
It’s a rule in politics that has been around so long it might as well be etched into the Capitol portico: The president’s party almost always loses congressional seats in the midterm elections.
It has happened in all but two midterms since the modern primary system began in 1972, and many times before that. The effect is especially pronounced in the House of Representatives, where more often than not the president’s party has seen double-digit declines…
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One compelling explanation is that voters tend to punish the president after two years in office. Some voters who helped elect him change their minds. Meanwhile, voters from the party that lost the presidential race are generally more motivated to turn out than those from the party that won…..
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But Brad McVay, the chief counsel for the Florida Department of State, said in a letter issued late Monday that those monitors would not be allowed inside polling places under Florida law.
McVay said the Florida Secretary of State’s office — which Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis oversees — would instead send its own monitors to those three counties, which are among the most Democratic-leaning counties in Florida….
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FBI special agents serving as election crime coordinators will also be on duty in the bureau’s 56 field offices to receive voting-related complaints from the public, according to the Justice Department. Employees in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division will also operate a hotline all day on Election Day, answering calls from people who spot possible violations of federal voting rights laws….
Voters Image…Wash Post….
Caanidates image….NY Times