What to Know in Washington: Locals Lead Swing Senate Campaigns

Candidates in the tightest Senate races with the highest stakes for the majority are leaning on the local touch to come out on top. But first, you should know:

• Kamala Harris’ pivot on immigration enforcement is prompting advocates to prep a post-election pressure campaign.
• States including Florida and North Carolina affected by hurricanes were given flexibility to move polling places to guard voter turnout.
• BGOV’s legislative analysts highlight the potential outcomes for hot-button policies depending on who wins the White House and Congress.

Locals Lead Battleground Senate Campaigns

Candidates in tight Senate battlegrounds that’ll decide the majority are leaning on locals to run their high-stakes campaigns.

In Ohio and Montana, Democratic Sens. Sherrod Brown and Jon Tester tapped home-state natives to run their campaigns and oversee outreach to voters who might pick former President Donald Trump at the top of the ticket. In Maryland, where Democrats dominate, Republican Larry Hogan likewise is leaning on a longtime Marylander in a bid to capture the seat being vacated by Sen. Ben Cardin.

Those roles require Democrats who know how to talk to red voters or, on the flip side, Republicans whose messaging resonates with a portion of blue voters. Aides with roots in battleground states say it gives them an edge in conveying talking points and policy goals in ways crossover voters find palatable.

• “You watch the same local news, eat at the same local restaurants, and cheer for the same sports teams,” said Steve Abbott, a lifelong Maine resident who ran the 2020 campaign for Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and now serves as her chief of staff. “It’s certainly not a requirement, but I think it’s an advantage and gives you a level of understanding of the people, what they care about, what they’re worried about. You appreciate it and feel it at a different level.” Read More

Sen. Alex Padilla (Calif.) dropped out of contention to chair the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee for the 2026 cycle, avoiding a potential contest with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.) for the caucus’s top campaigns post, Zach C. Cohen reports.

• “The Senator is not currently pursuing the DSCC Chair position next cycle,” Padilla spokesperson Tess Oswald said. “However, he will continue play an active role in supporting Senate Democrats across the country and working to win critical seats in the midterm elections.”

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Immigration Backers Eye Post-Election Push as Harris Cracks Down

Vice President Kamala Harris has pivoted to an enforcement-first approach on immigration — a departure from Democrats’ historic focus on immigrants’ rights, and one that’s drawing a conflicted response from progressives and immigrants’ rights advocates.

Many have historically denounced such rhetoric but worry more about Trump returning to the White House.

• “It’s not my preference, but I understand what is being grappled with,” Rep. Chuy García (D-Ill.), a leading immigration advocate in the House, said of Harris’ messaging. “I also know that she will be fair and compassionate.”

The reaction reflects a changed political landscape in which Democrats acknowledge they must address rising voter concerns about border security, and immigrants’ rights advocates see that having a second Trump term would be far more damaging to their cause. Advocates and progressive lawmakers are poised to ramp up pressure after the election to ensure Harris makes good on her promises to help immigrants if she wins.

• “Campaigns and governing are two different things,” said Douglas Rivlin of America’s Voice, a nonpartisan group that advocates for undocumented immigrants. “Once we get past the election, there’s a chance for her to change the tone and change the focus.” Read More

Election Uncertainty Clouds 2025 Policy Agenda: BGOV OnPoint

The presidential election is tight and control of the House and Senate will likely come down to a handful of races — creating uncertainty about how key policy issues will play out next year.

Unified control remains possible, and with it, the chance to push through a preferred agenda. So does divided control, which raises the prospect of gridlock and will require deal making that’s been elusive in recent years. Those dynamics will shape the policy landscape next year as lawmakers set their agendas. And individual issues could become wrapped in larger fights over the budget, spending bills, and the debt ceiling.

In a new OnPoint, BGOV legislative analysts highlight the potential outcomes for hot-button policies — including taxes, immigration, health care, energy, AI, and cryptocurrency — depending on who wins the White House and both chambers of Congress. Read More

State Hurricane Responses Could Protect Voter Turnout

Individual states’ disaster responses in the weeks before Nov. 5 elections could help prevent voter downturn from hurricanes in the Southeast, said David Becker, executive director at the Center for Election Innovation and Research.

The damage from Hurricane Helene and anticipated effect of Hurricane Milton will change the 2024 election landscape by flooding polling places and forcing residents of states like Florida to temporarily evacuate their homes, Maeve Sheehey reports. But Becker said election officials in states like Florida and North Carolina were given flexibility to move polling places where necessary, blunting the worst impacts on voter turnout.

The Center warned about heightened misinformation about election results stemming from the hurricanes during a call with reporters Wednesday.

• “I did not have ‘They control the weather’ on my 2024 bingo card, but the bingo card is getting bigger,” Becker said, referring to GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s recent social media posts about the hurricanes.

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