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Just a couple of days after another federal probe made another dent in the record of former U.S. Navy Seal Ryan Zinke, the national prognosticators still had him pegged as the easy victor in Montanas U.S. House of Representatives race.

Political analysts say scandals, which have clouded Zinkes public persona even before Outside Magazine published a photo that showed he rigged a fly rod backwards, might not stick in this day and age.

So one more report concluding Zinke lied might not register with voters.

The GOPs man has won before, of course.

Zinke trounced a Democrat in 2014 with 55.4 percent of the vote, and then again in 2016, with a push on the ballot from then-presidential candidate Donald Trump and an even greater win, 56.2 percent.

This week, federal investigators said he knowingly misled them as former Secretary of the Interior about his interactions with corporate casino lobbyists pushing him to disapprove a rival project.

His opponent in this years election, Monica Tranel, is the natural underdog. The Missoula lawyer has never held national office, shes campaigning as a Democrat in a state that runs red, and shes got an uphill slog.

Friday, the forecast from Sabatos Crystal Ball said GOP victory is likely in Montanas western district. FiveThirtyEight marks Zinke the winner 98 times out of 100.

Asked about the prediction at a recent campaign event, Tranel said the analysts need to take a closer look at the district. She also points to the other side of the coin projecting shell likely lose.

We win two times out of 100, Tranel said.

Twice as many times as she needs.

***

This year, new and different currents are pushing at the race, and political analysts say a hint of unpredictability is tracing through the waters.

The national landscape is politically shifty, with inflation in a peppy climb. Fallout is still unfolding from the Jan. 6 hearings and Roe v. Wade reversal. And in Montana, the western district itself is new.

So the bright red predictions arent necessarily well grounded, said Jeremy Johnson, political scientist with Carroll College in Helena.

Theres just very little polling in the western district where hes running so far, Johnson said. So theres very little for them (national forecasters) to go on right now.

To push out the presumed favorite, Johnson said Democrats will have to fight against national headwinds and break through tribalization and political polarization, an arduous but not impossible task.

I think theres at least potential vulnerabilities, Johnson said. Whether they actually manifest themselves in the election? Obviously, the national prognosticators dont think its that likely.

Inside Elections also counts the new district as likely Republican.

If the Democrats are to win, theyll need to make sure the electorate is aware of the questionable conduct associated with Zinke and make the case that its discrediting, Johnson said.

The recent report is the second this year from the Inspector Generals Office of the Department of the Interior that said the former Secretary knowingly provided investigators inaccurate and incomplete information. A February report found Zinke wasnt truthful about his involvement in a Whitefish development.

Zinkes campaign has called the findings politically motivated, a smear.

These days, though, voters have shorter attention spans, and impropriety that might have sunk a political candidate just a couple of years ago might flutter off the radar.

For Dems to flip the script?

Can you focus on voters who are willing to be persuaded? Johnson said.

***

Montanans sometimes pride themselves on not voting straight tickets.

Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabatos Crystal Ball, noted just six U.S. Senators out of 100 represent states that their party did not support for president.

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester of Montana, a Democrat, is one.

So Montana actually does have a little bit of that tradition of crossing over a bit, Kondik said. But its an exception at this point.

Tester has won in nail biters.

However, in 2018 in counties that now make up the western district, he did so by 10 points against Republican Matt Rosendale. In those counties, Tester earned 53.8 percent of the vote to Rosendales 43.6 percent. A Libertarian took 2.6 percent.

In the 2020 race for the U.S. Senate, Democrat Steve Bullock lost to incumbent Sen. Steve Daines, a Republican, by a margin of 10 points in Montana.

In the western district, that margin shrunk to 1.44 points without a third-party candidate on the ballot.

In other words, had a Libertarian earned just 1.5 percent of the vote going to Daines one point less than the 2.6 percent the third-party candidate took in 2016 Bullock would have won that district.

At a recent campaign event, Tranel pointed out that Zinke came out of the primary with nearly 60 percent of Republican voters selecting another candidate, and she came out of it with 65 percent of the vote from her party and more total votes than any other candidate.

Kondik agreed Zinke had problems in the primary: Hes certainly the bigger named candidate, but he only barely won.

On the other hand, hes a Republican. That counts in Montana, it counts in an increasingly nationalized political scene, and it counts against the Democrat.

Youre working against that polarization, and people with strongly partisan identities who often dont want to hear negative things about their own candidate and who will often dismiss their relevance, Johnson said.

***

In the Zinke campaigns response this week to the report from the Inspector Generals Office, white collar criminal defense lawyer Danny Onorato touted his clients integrity and record of service.

Zinke has described previous investigations into ethical misconduct as harassment. His lawyer also points to his resume.

Zinke counts 23 years of military service. He served as a state senator for two terms, as a congressman elected in 2014 and 2016, and as U.S. Secretary of the Interior from March 2017 to January 2019.

Christina Barsky, political analyst with the University of Montana, said the military service on Zinkes resume resonates with Montanans because they are civically engaged and count a higher rate of public service compared to people in many other states.

Also a factor, and in any race, is the short attention span of the American public. Its an age where everyone is watching at all times, and Barsky said anyone in the public eye is vulnerable, although not always for long.

Its impossible in this day and age, ultimately, for politicians to come out unscathed, even the people that are acting in good faith and are fulfilling their ethical obligations, said Barsky, faculty with the Department of Public Administration and Policy at UM.

On the other hand, Montanans dont like to be embarrassed.

And Zinkes actions have raised questions about his Montana identity, Barsky said. She pointed to the times he wore a cowboy hat the wrong way and rigged a fly rod backwards, or the persistent question of his residency.

Zinkes wife lists a property in California as her primary residence, according to Politico, and Zinke, who claims Whitefish as home, has listed the Santa Barbara address in a consultant agreement filed with the SEC.

***

Barsky too points to Tester as an example of politics in the Treasure State.

For a long time, she said Montana has seen itself as a state where a person who was a high school band teacher can go to Congress, and in 2006, Tester, a farmer and music teacher, won his first U.S. Senate race against incumbent and Republican Sen. Conrad Burns.

A third-party candidate was on the ballot, but Tester didnt even get 50 percent of the vote.

Now, Barsky said money in politics is creating another level of elites, and the story Montanans have been telling themselves might be skirting closer to mythology.

It seems like were moving more into the nationalized politics that were seeing in other states, Barsky said. Montana had been a long-time holdout, and Im not sure its true anymore.

Word of the new report that said Zinke wasnt truthful might get swept aside with other national news about student loan forgiveness and, more locally, fires, Barsky said. And the election isnt until November.

Political analyst Lee Banville, also a UM faculty member, said the IGs report wont change the way most people vote, but he said it may affect one important element in a campaign enthusiasm for the candidate.

They may be inclined to vote his way, but are they fired up enough to go out and cast a ballot? Banville said.

He doesnt see signs of a lot of motivation: If theres one weak spot to Ryan Zinke, there seems to be some enthusiasm problems.

He said the close primary doesnt indicate Zinke is in danger of losing, but it is evidence that Republicans arent excited to rally around him as a candidate.

The race is tilted toward him pretty strongly, but there are weaknesses that are kind of persistent, Banville said. Hes kind of coasting right now, and that could be dangerous.

***

The Tranel campaign hasnt earned high marks from the organizations crunching numbers at the national level, and Republicans have celebrated the predictions Zinke eats his opponents lunch.

Monica Tranel has even fewer original ideas than chances of winning in November, posted the Montana Republican Party on Facebook earlier this summer in reaction to FiveThirtyEight. Montanans are fired up to elect Ryan Zinke!

Zinke has raised more money, nearly $3.8 million, according to the most recent information filed with the Federal Election Commission. Tranel has raised $1.3 million, but this month, she was on the third set of tires on her minivan in a state where facetime matters.

This month, Silas Teasdale started his first day of work as a field organizer in Missoula for the Tranel campaign. It was First Friday, when downtown art galleries stay open a little later and crowds are out and about, and after his shift, Teasdale went to a taco truck.

He struck up a conversation with three other diners at the next table, he said, three men who were clearly friends despite differing political views.

One of them told Teasdale he had voted for Trump, but he wasnt sure he liked Zinke, and he wanted to hear about Tranel.

Certainly, a voter who crosses party lines on a ballot isnt a surprise in the Treasure State. Nonetheless, with the campaign in full swing and a Trump voter curious about his underdog candidate, Teasdale took note.

Thats a positive shot to the system, Teasdale said.

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Zinke still pegged as winner, but analysts see 'vulnerabilities' Daily Montanan - Daily Montanan

The first major victory of the modern school choice movement came from a bipartisan effort, when Minnesota Democratic state Rep. Annette Polly Williams introduced legislation in 1990 to create the Milwaukee Parental Choice voucher program. Her bill was eventually signed into law by Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson and found support among civil rights leaders, as well as conservative and libertarian groups.

Unfortunately, three decades later, legislative support for school choice is much less bipartisaneven though its more popular among voters today than its ever been.

A recent Morning Consult poll found that 71% of Americans and 77% of parents of school-aged children support K-12 education savings accounts that allow families to use state education funding to customize their childs education.

Many state leaders have been listening to these voters. Last year, 19 states enacted 32 new or expanded education choice policies, and this year, Arizona expanded its ESA policy to all students. Notably, all of these policies were implemented by Republicans.

>>>Who Will Raise Children? Their Parents or the Bureaucratic Experts?

One might expect the popular support for school choice to have spurred increased political support among both parties, especially since 70% of Republican voters and 76% of Democratic voters express support for ESAs. Yet, with some notable exceptions, elected Democrats overwhelmingly oppose school choice.

Meanwhile, the GOP has firmly embraced the concept to bolster its claim to be the parents party. A recent analysis found that, in the 70 votes taken from 1990 to 2021 on stand-alone school choice legislation, 85% of state House Republicans and 88% of state Senate Republicans voted in favor of the bills. Only 17% of state House Democrats and 24% of state Senate Democrats supported the measures. On 28 occasions, the legislation passed a chamber without a single Democratic vote.

This shouldnt come as a surprise. Although most rank-and-file Democratic voters, especially minorities, support school choice, the teachers unions have outsize sway in Democratic Party politics due to their formidable fundraising and grassroots capabilities. Those who cross the unions by supporting school choice risk facing a well-funded primary opponent.

Thats not to say the GOP has been uniformly supportive. Numerous red states, including Idaho, North Dakota, and Texas, lack any private school choice policies; several others have only small programs. In the last two years, promising ESA bills were defeated in Georgia, Idaho, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, and several other red states.

In these red states, where Democrats rarely control the state legislatures, the teachers unions and other anti-school choice groups spend considerable resources to elect anti-school choice Republicans. Thus far, theyve stalled the advance of school choice in several states.

But that appears to be changing. In the Tennessee GOP primaries earlier this month, a Tennessee teachers union threw its support behind 10 Republican candidates. Nine of them lost. In Arizona, all three GOP legislators who had voted against expanding the states ESAs earlier this year lost their primaries. In Iowa , after her signature ESA bill passed the state Senate but failed in the House, Gov. Kim Reynolds backed nine pro-school choice candidates in GOP primaries, including several challengers to anti-school choice incumbents. Eight of the nine won.

Likewise, in GOP primaries in Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, and Texas, school choice has emerged as a litmus test issue. In the next legislative session, Republican caucuses are poised to be even more supportive of school choice than before.

>>>Now or Never: We Must Seize the School Choice Moment

At the same time, Democrats long-standing political advantage on education is rapidly eroding. Just five years ago, a Gallup survey found that Democrats enjoyed a 19-point advantage. But a recent poll commissioned by the American Federation of Teachers found that voters in seven key battleground states were slightly more likely to say they had greater confidence in Republicans (38%) than Democrats (37%) on education issues. As the GOP burnishes its pro-parent credentials, voters are undergoing a tectonic transformation as to which party they trust on education.

The AFTs own poll provides proof that its preferred policies are political poison. As school choice advocate Corey DeAngelis observed in the Wall Street Journal, respondents were 5 percentage points more likely to blame Democrats than Republicans for politicizing education (and making education too much a part of the culture war); were more dissatisfied than satisfied with the amount of say that parents have in what their children are taught; and expressed significantly more confidence in parent organizations (56%) than teachers unions (44%).

It is a time for choosing. Republicans are choosing to be the parents party, while Democrats are still embracing the unions that have lost the confidence of parents as they become increasingly radical and disconnected from parental concerns.

As voter preferences shift, so can political alliances. If voters reward parent empowerment and punish politicized classrooms, Democrats may find it in their long-term political interest to court parents as well. If so, we could see a new era of bipartisan support for parental choice in education.

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School Choice Reform Ought To Be a Bipartisan Effort - Heritage.org

Editors Note: Click the link below for results from the Aug. 23 primary runoff election.

The runoff election on Tuesday, Aug. 23 will narrow the candidate pool for several federal and state offices such as, superintendent, treasurer, U.S. Senate and U.S. House races.

The latest data from the Oklahoma State Election Board shows that as of the end of July, there was a gain of nearly 30,000 registered voters since the end of April, for a total of 2,267,047. Of that total, Republicans accounted for nearly 51% of voters registered, while Democrats made up nearly 31%, Independents made up 17% and Libertarians made up nearly 1%.

Below, we highlight some of the races.

The Race to Replace Inhofe

Congressman Markwayne Mullin racked up a large portion of the early and absentee vote in the Republican primary in June, but did not clear the 50-percent mark. He is facing former state House speaker T.W. Shannon in this runoff.

The two candidates outlasted a field of 13 in the primary, as they hope to fill the remainder of longtime Senator Jim Inhofe's term. Inhofe, who has been in office since 1994, announced in February he was retiring from Congress.

Both candidates are enrolled citizens of tribal nations Mullin is Cherokee and Shannon is Chickasaw. If either is elected in November, they will become the only current Indigenous U.S. Senator, and just the fifth in the history of the Senate.

The eventual Republican nominee will face former Democratic Congresswoman Kendra Horn, Libertarian candidate Robert Murphy and Independent candidate Ray Woods in the November general election.

The Other Senate Race

In Oklahomas other Senate race, incumbent Senator James Lankford won his primary race in June.

Still needing to be decided is the Democratic challenger between Stilwell-native cybersecurity professional Madison Horn and Oklahoma City lawyer Jason Bollinger. The winner of that runoff will appear on the ballot against Lankford, Libertarian Kenneth Blevins and Independent Michael Delaney in the November general election.

Congressional District 2

State representative Avery Frix and former state senator Josh Brecheen are facing each other in the Republican runoff race for Congressional District 2.

The seat, which is currently held by Senate candidate Markwayne Mullin, represents much of the eastern part of Oklahoma, with more than 791,000 residents according to the U.S. Census. The congressional district also covers a good portion of Native land.

Frix and Brecheen were the top two vote getters out of a field of 14 Republican candidates in the primary, which included the former chairman of the Oklahoma GOP, law enforcement officers and other current and former state lawmakers.

A News On 6 / News 9 poll shows a tight race between the two, with Frix holding a six-point lead and a large portion of Republicans polled still self-identifying as undecided.

The winner advances to the November general election to face Democrat Naomi Andrews and Independent Ben Robinson.

Superintendent of Public Instruction

State Secretary of Education Ryan Walters will face Shawnee Public Schools Superintendent April Grace in the Republican runoff for State Superintendent of Public Instruction. The winner squares off against Democrat Jena Nelson in November.

In the June primary, Walters won among four GOP candidates with 41 percent of the vote to second place finisher Graces 30 percent.

Walters is a Stitt cabinet appointee, but hes also the executive director of Every Kid Counts Oklahoma, a nonprofit that pays him at least $120,000 a year, according to a recent investigation from The Frontier and Oklahoma Watch. Much of the nonprofits funds come from school privatization efforts.

The Frontier also found Walters failed to report campaign expenditures in his bid for State Superintendent a violation of state ethics laws.

Grace is a longtime Oklahoma educator. According to her campaign website, her vision for education opposes the teaching of what she calls critical race theory. She also wants less regulation on federal education dollars coming to Oklahoma and touts how many in-person days Shawnee Public Schools had during the height of the pandemic.

An Amber Integrated poll released earlier this month shows Walters holds a 14-point lead among likely Republican voters.

State Treasurer

Term-limited state representative Todd Russ will face former State Tax Commission Chairman Clark Jolley in the Republican runoff.

Russ is currently serving his sixth term in the state House, representing Cordell in southwest Oklahoma. He said his 35 years of banking experience have prepared him to take on the position. If elected, he said he plans to look into the states Unclaimed Property Program, according to NonDoc.

Jolley served 12 years as a state senator and as the States Secretary of Finance. If elected, he plans to advance the Treasurer offices use of technology.

In recent news, Russ has been defending his banking record when he managed a small bank in western Oklahoma. Russ told The Oklahoman he wasnt responsible for what was called unsafe and unsound banking practices by the Federal Deposit Insurance corporation in 2009.

At a debate between the candidates hosted by News 9 and NonDoc, the candidates took digs at one another Russ accused Jolley of raising taxes on fossil fuels, and with prompt from moderators, they talked about remarks made by Russ in 2016 where he said Native Americans are predisposed to alcoholism. Russ apologized for the comment soon after.

The winning candidate will face Democrat Charles De Coune and Libertarian Gregory Sadler in November.

Current State Treasurer Randy McDaniel announced in 2021 that he would not be seeking reelection in order to prioritize his family. The candidate who takes over his seat will oversee about $22 billion of state money each year.

Labor Commissioner

During primary elections in June, Republicans narrowed their candidate field for a new Labor Commissioner, a position that oversees workplace rights and safety issues within Oklahoma.

Incumbent Leslie Osborn will try to defend her seat in the runoff against term-limited representative Sean Roberts. In the June primary, Osborn secured a vote of 48% to Roberts 38%.

Osborn is wrapping up her first term as labor commissioner and previously served a decade in the state legislature as a representative. In an interview with NonDoc, Osborn said she was proud to have helped develop the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Consultation Service Program.

Roberts is currently serving his sixth term in the state House. He sponsored a bill this legislative session that would have required Oklahoma voters to re-register to vote.

Earlier this month, five Republican lawmakers also cited decades-old court documents that detail alleged domestic abuse in Roberts previous marriage and called for him to drop out of the race. Roberts called the abuse allegations a political hit job by Osborn. A press release from Roberts campaign managers says his ex-wife has nothing bad to say about him.

The winner will face Democrat Jack Henderson and Libertarian Will Daugherty in November.

Oklahoma County District Attorney

Oklahoma County voters selected Vicki Behenna as the Democratic candidate for District Attorney in June. On the Republican side, Oklahoma County Commissioner and former state lawmaker Kevin Calvey fell just barely short of the 50 percent, and is headed to a runoff against Assistant District Attorney Gayland Gieger.

In recent news, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is looking into Calveys campaign related to investigate campaign-related expenditures from his campaign.

Calvey accused Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater of having him investigated as part of a political agenda, according to The Oklahoman. Prater said the information referred to other agencies and entities is being looked at in an independent manner.

Oklahoma Corporation Commission

Senator Kim David and former Rep. Todd Thomsen face off in the runoff to fill a seat on the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. The seat is currently held by Dana Murphy, who is term-limited and cannot run for a third six-year term.

The OCC is the regulatory agency for the state, particularly for oil and gas, public utilities and transportation.

David, who received 45 percent of the vote in June, is at the end of a 12-year run as a state Senator out of Porter in eastern Oklahoma. Thomsen served in the state House from 2006 to 2018, including a stint as the chair of the Utilities Committee and on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. He received nearly 27 percent of the vote in June.

Oklahoma County Commissioner

Oklahoma County Commissioner of District 1 incumbent Carrie Blumert faces a runoff election against former state lawmaker Anastasia Pittman in the Democratic race. Pittman received nearly 600 votes more than Blumert in the June election, but did not secure 50 percent of the vote required to win. The winner will face Republican Willard Linzy in November.

Myles Davidson and Amy Alexander will face off in the Republican race for Oklahoma County Commissioner of District 3. The winner will face Democrat Cathy Cummings, a former city council member of The Village, in November.

Tulsa City Council

All nine seats on the Tulsa City Council are up for a vote on Tuesday. The Tulsa World recently asked the same set of questions of all candidates. You can find their answers, broken down by each race, here.

Propositions

Newcastle Public Schools - Voters in Newcastle will decide on two propositions, totaling $79.7 million. The school bonds would fund updated school security, new storm shelters and additional classrooms to alleviate overcrowding and prepare for future growth. New school buses, textbooks and playground equipment are also included in the bonds. This bond would replace an expiring bond, so there is no projected tax increase for residents.

Bridge Creek Public Schools - Voters in Bridge Creek will cast ballots on a school bond proposition to the tune of $10.8 million. The bond will fund new classrooms at each school site and a science lab at the high school. There is no proposed tax increase for residents.

The City of Bethany - Voters in Bethany will decide on four bond propositions, totaling $15 million. The GO Bond would fund improvements to roadways, five city parks and stormwater drainage. There would also be maintenance and upgrades done at the citys police station, fire station and animal welfare facility. Passage of all four bonds would increase property taxes by $3.83 per month for homes valued at $100,000.

Garfield County - Garfield County residents will vote on a sales tax increase to expand and renovate the countys jail. The nearly $8.5 million bond would help with overcrowding by adding 82 beds and 16,000 square feet, in addition to renovations to the current building. The county sales tax would increase by 0.3 percent to 9.65 percent, which would still keep it in the lower third of county sales taxes in the state.

City Charter amendments for Tulsa and Norman - Tulsa voters will see three propositions on their ballot and Norman voters will see nine propositions. These are amendments to their city charters, regarding powers, functions and procedures of its government. More information can be found here: Tulsa | Norman.

There are many more races and issues being decided by voters on Tuesday. You can view a full list here.

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Who and what's on the ballot for the August 23rd runoff election in Oklahoma - KOSU

By Kayla Ross, Back Page Editor

The two-party system is a fact of life in America; politicians are Democrats or Republicans. Or at least, to have any success, a politician must first choose if they are a Democrat or Republican.

Sure, other political parties exist and are recognizable by name: the Green party, the Libertarian party or the Socialist party. But, no politician identified as a member of any party other than the Democrat party or Republican party will ever be elected in our current voting system. As someone who identifies more heavily with the left, I currently see the two American political parties as two choices that truly do not differ greatly from each other. The current options are a conservative party and an extremist conservative party.

George Washington always warned against political parties, or factions. Other founding fathers, such as Thomas Jefferson, found it important to provide citizens with an outline of issues they may or may not agree with. Yes, political parties give Americans an idea of what they may want to vote for. However, from my perspective, political parties are no longer just a factoid about someone. They are categories that now seem to blindly guide voters into what they think they support.

For example, many Republicans would not appreciate the 14 Republican representatives who voted against healthcare protections for veterans. On the flipside, many Democrats would likely prefer to see more action from our current president on issues such as the climate crisis, the status of womens reproductive rights and the state of our Supreme Court. Right now, it often feels that Biden is making statements about such issues as if he does not have the power to change them. He sends his thoughts and prayers, like to the rest of us, as if he does not have the executive capabilities.

Gen Z loves politicians like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Its not a coincidence. This woman was voted into office because she is one of us. She doesnt come from money. She has student debt. She has been sexually assaulted on the streets of New York City. Oh, and she is only 32 years old. But beyond all that, she is willing to admit how flawed the Democratic party is, as well as the two-party system entirely. To outwardly admit this as a politician is very unique. Young voters want honesty. We have seen the gilded lies of trickle-down economics, and we have watched and listened helplessly in the past two presidential elections as the oldest possible politicians debated over fundamental human necessities. We want honesty, and we want it from people who have not made politics their only career and livelihood.

Generally, the expectation is for surgeons to retire before the age of 70. The people we trust to shape our physical health are given a limit. Perhaps its time to put a limit on the people we trust to shape the health of this nation as well. Old politicians have made their money from picking their political party and sticking to it whether the politics have aged or not. As these old politicians die, Gen Z will not vote in similar replacements. Gen Z will move to vote in representatives who speak with priority of honesty, in place of priority of money and staying power. No matter where the younger voters identify politically, most can agree the two party system leads to hatred and keeps the same politicians in power.

As older politicians die, the hard and fast two-party system will die with them. Young voters first priority is not aligning with a party; young voters are ready to align with the promise of change.

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Aging out of the two-party system - Xavier Newswire

Boston voters ballots will have an array of choices, thanks to a state election year with contested races for governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general and auditor.

Because Massachusetts is a predominantly Democratic state, most competitive races will be settled in the Sept. 6 primary. Yet primaries in Massachusetts tend to draw out fewer voters than the final elections.

State Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz pulled the plug on her gubernatorial campaign in June, telling reporters she does not see a path to victory, leaving Attorney General Maura Healey the sole Democrat in the race for governor. Polling has placed Healey comfortably ahead of the Republicans in the race former 7th Plymouth District state Rep. Geoff Diehl and Wrentham businessman Chris Doughty. Unenrolled candidates who will appear in the Nov. 8 general election are right-wing firebrand Diana Ploss, an Independent, and Libertarian Kevin Reed.

Running for lieutenant governor on the Democratic ballot are Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, state Rep. Tami Gouveia and state Sen. Eric Lesser. Republican candidates for that office are former state representatives Kate Campanale and Leah Cole Allen.

In the race for secretary of state, corporate attorney and Boston Branch NAACP President Tanisha Sullivan is taking on 28-year-incumbent William Galvin. Sullivan is running on a platform of expanding voting rights and making government more transparent and accessible.

Former Boston City Council President Andrea Campbell has consistently polled ahead of the competition in the race for the attorney general seat soon to be vacated by Healey. Campbell is running against labor attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan and former U.S. Department of Commerce General Counsel Quentin Palfrey. The winner in the Democratic primary will face off against Rayla Campbell, a Trump supporter.

Running for state auditor are Democrats Chris Dempsey, former executive director of the Transportation for Massachusetts coalition and a former Mass Department of Transportation official under the Deval Patrick administration, and state Sen. Diana DiZoglio. The winner of the Sept. 6 primary will face off against Republican Anthony Amore, an author and security expert.

In Boston, the chain reaction set by a race for an open governors seat has produced several hotly contested races. The bid last year by 2nd Suffolk District incumbent Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz for the governors seat set off a chain reaction of down-ballot vacancies.

2nd Suffolk District

Running for Chang-Diaz 2nd Suffolk District seat are state Reps. Nika Elugardo and Liz Miranda; former HUD regional counsel Miniard Culpepper; former 2nd Suffolk Sen. Dianne Wilkerson; and James Grant, a church deacon making his first run for office. The four-way race has claimed much of the campaign oxygen, with staff, volunteers and consultants working on behalf of the candidates. Culpepper, Elugardo and Miranda have each raised more than $120,000, claiming the lions share of campaign cash in the city. No other non-incumbent candidates in Boston have raised more than $35,000.

15th Suffolk

After Elugardo announced her candidacy for the 2nd Suffolk Senate seat last December, four candidates emerged in the race for her House district, which includes most of Jamaica Plain and Mission Hill. Former Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation organizer Samantha Montano, former director of Youth Homelessness Initiatives for the City of Boston Roxanne Longoria, Northeastern University grad student Richard Fierro and environmental attorney MaryAnn Nelson are all knocking doors in the district.

5th Suffolk

Liz Miranda was the first to announce for the 2nd Suffolk District race in November, leaving vacant her Dorchester-based House seat (which now includes precincts in Roxbury). Vying for that 5th Suffolk seat are Christopher Worrell, director of diversity, equity and inclusion at the Boston Planning and Development Agency; Danielson Tavares, chief diversity officer for the city of Boston; and former one-term state Rep. Althea Garrison, who also completed the last year of at-large City Councilor Ayanna Pressleys seat after Pressley was elected to Congress. The Rev. Roy Owens is running a long-shot write-in campaign for the seat as well.

6th Suffolk

Five-term incumbent Russell Holmes is facing clothier Haris Hardaway, who is making his first run for elected office. Hardaway reported $2,085 raised as of the June 30 reporting date for campaign contributions. Holmes reported $53,655 in his campaign account at the July 31 reporting date.

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Election guide: Whos on the ballot? - BayStateBanner