Red State Senate Race: Democrats Make a Push

Several states are picking their top election officials this year. In Arizona, Georgia, Michigan and Nevada, the secretary of state race is getting a lot of attention. These jobs used to be low‑profile, but they are now in the spotlight because of claims about voting integrity. Both parties are buying ads, but the total spending is down from two years ago. Democrats are concentrating on the tight races in the swing states that could influence the next presidential election.

Democrats are trying to flip a Senate seat in Mississippi, a state that is heavily Republican. Their main super PAC is spending $1.2 million on TV and online ads. The ad promotes a prosecutor named Scott Colom as someone who will fight corruption. The incumbent, Republican Senator Cindy Hyde‑Smith, is portrayed as inactive. The group says Colom's campaign is strong enough to put pressure on the sitting senator.

The party is also looking at Kansas, Alaska, Iowa, Ohio and Texas, all of which Trump won by large margins. In those states, the Democratic super PAC and its Republican counterpart are both running ads. Republicans are additionally backing candidates in South Carolina and Nebraska. Overall, the spending on secretary of state races this year is down compared with two years ago. Still, the battles in the swing states are expected to be fierce.

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