Maryland
Governor’s Race a Tossup
The governor's race is a virtual tie less than a week before Election Day, as Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s relentless attacks on Mayor Martin O'Malley's record on crime and schools have eroded the Democrat's support in the Baltimore suburbs. O'Malley, who led by 6 percentage points in the Baltimore Sun's September poll, has seen his advantage drop to just 1 point, 47 percent to Ehrlich's 46 percent.
MORE: Baltimore Sun

California
Governor Opposes Eminent-Domain Limits
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's campaign revealed that he will oppose an initiative on the Nov. 7 ballot that would restrict the use of eminent domain and require governments in some cases to pay for economic losses caused by laws and regulations. A campaign spokesman said the governor believes the measure is "a poorly written initiative that could cost taxpayers billions of dollars."
MORE: Sacramento Bee
A commission headed by movie director Rob Reiner didn't break the law by waging a $23 million state-financed advertising campaign touting preschool while a preschool initiative was qualifying for the ballot, according to a state audit.
MORE: Sacramento Bee

South Dakota
Abortion Vote Playing Out Nationally
The battle here over a statewide ballot measure to install one of the country’s strictest anti-abortion laws is playing out in television commercials, yard signs and Sunday sermons. It is also drawing the attention of national advocates on both sides of the abortion debate, who are watching the campaign with deep intensity and even fear.
MORE: New York Times

The Nation
Downballot Races Drawing Eyes
What does it take for those other statewide races - for attorney general, lieutenant governor or comptroller - to catch fire with the citizenry? A name everyone knows always helps. But this year, other issues have charged up otherwise humdrum races: a steamy romance novel in Texas, loans to individuals with ties to organized crime in Illinois and abortion records in Kansas.
MORE: Stateline.org

New York State
GOP Lawmakers Raking in Campaign Cash
Polls say New York Republicans are on the ropes, but the state Senate’s majority leader, Joseph L. Bruno, and his Republican conference are ending the 2006 election season with a gusher of cash, showing they remain a formidable political force as Bruno works to preserve his 35-to-27 majority.
MORE: New York Times

In the States

More than 6,000 state legislative seats in 46 states are on the Nov. 7 ballot, and the cumulative impact of the outcomes could be immense, with Democrats possibly gaining control of a majority of state capitols for the first time in a decade.
MORE: New York Times

A shift of five seats or fewer could cost Republicans their majority in one or both legislative chambers in seven states, while Democrats cling to control by a handful of seats in seven others.
MORE: Stateline.org

In Florida, a new St. Petersburg Times poll shows Republican Attorney General Charlie Crist leading Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Davis by six percentage points in the governor's race, with 10 percent of voters still undecided.
MORE: St. Petersburg Times

In Maryland, a Washington Post poll shows Democratic Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley with a 10-point lead over Republican Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., despite a favorable opinion of the governor held by a majority of voters.
MORE: Washington Post

A majority of likely Texas voters say they are unhappy with Republican Gov. Rick Perry, but he is likely to win re-election because his opposition remains splintered, according to a new Houston Chronicle/KHOU-TV poll.
MORE: Houston Chronicle

Initiatives and Referenda

Voters in three California cities - Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz and Santa Monica - will decide Tuesday whether to require their police departments to make the private use of marijuana by adults the lowest law enforcement priority.
MORE: Los Angeles Times

Proponents of measures to prohibit same-sex marriage say last week's New Jersey's Supreme Court ruling will motivate voters to pass the bans. But most of the measures on the ballot in eight states may be even farther ahead than they appear because polling on the issue has been consistently inaccurate.
MORE: San Francisco Chronicle

Boulder, Colo., voters will decide in November whether they want to put their money where their eco-friendly beliefs are. Facing voters is a "climate tax," which would charge businesses and homes based on how much energy they use to support an effort to lower the city's emissions of greenhouse gases.
MORE: Denver Post

Campaign Finance

Bill Montgomery, the Republican candidate for Arizona attorney general, must repay $43,000 in public campaign funds, the state's Clean Elections Commission rule, rejecting a charge that incumbent Democrat Terry Goddard also used primary election funds for his general election campaign.
MORE: Arizona Republic

Fueled by at least $60 million being poured into the race for governor, campaign 2006 will go down as the most expensive in Michigan history. Republican gubernatorial challenger Dick DeVos has spent $39.3 million; Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm has spent $11.6 million.
MORE: Detroit Free Press

A small number of devoted big-dollar donors have helped set a record for fund-raising in the race for New York attorney general: Democrat Andrew M. Cuomo and Republican Jeanine F. Pirro have collected about $12.4 million.
MORE: New York Times

Labor unions and businesses with a stake in what happens at Los Angeles City Hall are responsible for most of the $536,183 raised so far to promote a proposition easing term limits for council members.
MORE: Los Angeles Times

Voting

Sequoia Voting Systems and its parent company say they have voluntarily submitted to a federal review and deny any links to the leftist government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez.
MORE: CNET News

A hacker breaks into the Du Page County, Ill., Election Commission's Web site twice in a week, adding lines such as "you may not be a homosexual" and "your grandfather must have voted" to the list of voter qualifications.
MORE: Chicago Tribune

Ethics

Stuart Levine, a Republican fundraiser reappointed to state boards by Illinois' Democratic governor, Rod Blagojevich, pleads guilty to scheming to squeeze millions of dollars from firms seeking state business.
MORE: Chicago Tribune