Politics

JAMESTOWN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — An embattled western Michigan library targeted by residents opposed to LGBTQ materials on its shelves has lost most of its funding with the latest failure of the renewal of a property tax millage.

The Patmos Library in Jamestown Township outside Grand Rapids will lose 84% of its $245,000 annual budget after the millage renewal was defeated in Tuesday’s general election.

Unofficial results provided by the Ottawa County Clerk’s Office show 55.8% of voters rejected the 10-year millage proposal.

It also lost in the August primary amid a campaign against LGBTQ materials in the library’s stacks.

Patmos Library Board of Trustees President Larry Walton has said about 90 of its 67,000 materials in circulation “could be relative to LGBTQ.”

A conservative Christian group called Jamestown Conservatives urged residents to vote “no” on the millage, citing concerns the library was “grooming” children with books containing explicit material and LGBTQ themes.

Others supported the library and its millage.

“We’re very upset that our community doesn’t want to support the library. We’re Americans. We recognize freedom of speech,” library patron and retired school teacher Jay Milkamp told WOOD-TV. “There’s 67,000 books in this library, I read. Ninety of them are objectionable. I think that’s no reason to vote down the millage.”

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CLAIM: Pennsylvania reelected state Rep. Tony DeLuca, who is dead, which is suggestive of shoddy elections or cheating.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: Missing context. DeLuca, 85, died a month before Tuesday’s midterm elections. State law stipulates that substitutes, in the case of the death of a candidate, cannot be submitted after ballots have started printing — late September, in this case. A special election will be held to fill his seat.

THE FACTS: As of Wednesday afternoon, DeLuca had received nearly 86% of the vote, according to state election results, beating Green Party candidate Queonia “Zarah” Livingston.

Some social media posts, however, are suggesting the election of a deceased candidate is indicative of shoddy elections or even fraud.

“You got dead people voting and dead people winning…” reads one tweet, which was then followed by a screenshot of a headline about DeLuca’s reelection. “You can’t make this up, America’s elections are a hot mess.”

Another user on Twitter responded to the news by stating: “Exactly what happens when massive amounts of fake ballots blindly checking democrats are received. No other explanation in Pennsylvania.”

DeLuca was an Allegheny County Democrat who represented the state’s 32nd Legislative District for 39 years. He died of cancer Oct. 9, with less than a month to go before the election.

If a candidate dies, Pennsylvania state law only allows replacement candidates to be submitted if ballots have not yet started printing.

In Allegheny County, officials sent data for the ballots to the printer on Sept. 28, county spokesperson Amie Downs told The Associated Press.

“The state has an election calendar that outlines dates for withdrawals, substitutions, etc. and all of those dates had passed when the Representative died,” Downs wrote in an email. “This is not the first time this has happened either.”

Trevor Southerland, executive director of the Pennsylvania House Democratic Campaign Committee, told the AP that “under Pennsylvania law, there was no way to remove Rep. DeLuca from the ballot.” He also said the deadline is when ballots begin printing.

Southerland confirmed that DeLuca’s win simply means that the seat will be vacant until a special election is held. The date of that election has yet to be determined.

“While we’re incredibly saddened by the loss of Representative Tony DeLuca, we are proud to see the voters to continue to show their confidence in him and his commitment to Democratic values by re-electing him posthumously,” the committee wrote in a tweet. “A special election will follow soon.”

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This is part of AP’s effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.

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DENVER (AP) — Republican Lauren Boebert was locked in a tight race with fewer than 100 votes separating her and her opponent Wednesday night in her bid for reelection to a U.S. House seat in Colorado against Democrat Adam Frisch, a businessman and former city councilman from the posh, mostly liberal ski town of Aspen.

Boebert’s contest in Colorado’s sprawling 3rd Congressional District was being watched nationally as Republicans try to flip control of the U.S. House in the midterm elections. The Donald Trump loyalist established herself as a partisan flashpoint in Washington, D.C., in her first term, and had been favored to win reelection after redistricting made the conservative and mostly rural district more Republican.

The margin in the race puts it in the recount zone of about 800 votes or less, or 0.5% of the leader’s vote total. Both Boebert and Frisch had 50% of the vote as of Wednesday night with about 97% of votes counted.

Frisch contends Boebert sacrificed her constituents’ interests for frequent “angertainment” in accusing President Joe Biden and Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of seeking to destroy the soul of the nation. He vowed to join the bipartisan “Problem Solvers Caucus” in Congress, a sharp turn from Boebert’s repudiation of across-the-aisle consensus-building.

Frisch said in an interview early Wednesday that the close contest wasn’t a surprise.

“I spent 10 months trying to convince donors and journalists and political strategists everywhere that there was a path forward,” Frisch said. “I have this calm belief that that 40% of the Republican Party wants their party back.”

“We will have this victory,” Boebert declared at a campaign event late Tuesday in Grand Junction.

Republican state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer and Democratic state Rep. Yadira Caraveo were in another tight race in Colorado’s new 8th Congressional District, which stretches north from Denver’s suburbs to Greeley. Wednesday night, Kirkmeyer tweeted that she called Caraveo to concede. The Associated Press has not yet called the race.

“While this is not the outcome we hoped for,” Kirkmeyer wrote on Twitter, “I am proud of our team and our campaign.”

Caraveo subsequently claimed victory, writing in a statement: “It’s the honor of my lifetime to receive this vote of confidence to serve working families from Greeley to Commerce City in Washington, D.C.”

Caraveo is a pediatrician and defender of abortion rights who voted for police accountability after protests that followed the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd. Caraveo hoped her cultural lineage as the child of Mexican immigrants would attract support in a swing district where Latinos comprise nearly 40% of voters.

Kirkmeyer, a former Weld County commissioner, pledged to get tough on crime and unleash the oil and gas industry, which has a significant presence in the district. She once supported a blanket ban on abortion but now says she would respect exceptions if the mother’s life is in danger.

In suburban Denver’s 7th District, Democratic state Sen. Brittany Pettersen defeated Republican Erik Aadland, a first-time candidate, to succeed eight-term Democratic Rep. Ed Perlmutter.

Democratic Reps. Diana Degette, Jason Crow and Joe Neguse won reelection, as did Republicans Ken Buck and Doug Lamborn.

Both Biden and former President Trump were high on voters’ minds in the midterm elections, according to AP VoteCast, an expansive survey of more than 2,700 voters in the state. More than 6 in 10 say Biden was a factor in their vote, and a similar proportion say so of Trump.

About 7 in 10 voters in Colorado say things in the country are heading in the wrong direction. The poll also shows voters overwhelmingly disapprove of economic conditions in the U.S. About three-quarters say the state of the economy is either not so good or poor, compared with about a quarter who call it excellent or good. About a third say their family is falling behind financially.

The Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that said abortion was a constitutional right, also played a role in most voters’ decisions, with about 8 in 10 calling it a factor in how they cast their ballot. About a quarter call it the single most important factor in their vote.

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Associated Press writer Colleen Slevin contributed to this report.

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Jesse Bedayn is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

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Follow AP’s coverage of the elections at: https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections

Check out https://apnews.com/hub/explaining-the-elections to learn more about the issues and factors at play in the 2022 midterm elections.

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HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Jahana Hayes has won reelection for a third term, fending off a challenge from a former state senator in a Connecticut race that national Republicans had targeted and resisting a red wave that overwhelmed some of her fellow Democrats in neighboring New York.

Hayes defeated George Logan, a Republican who repeatedly linked her with President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The race attracted millions of dollars in outside money, with national Republicans seeing the western Connecticut 5th Congressional District as a key opportunity to crack Democrats’ lock on the state’s congressional delegation.

Republicans made gains all around Hayes’ district, picking up at least two seats in Congress just across the state line in New York’s Hudson River Valley.

Hayes, a former National Teacher of the Year, became the first Black woman to represent Connecticut in Congress when she was elected in 2018 by the politically diverse district covering western and central parts of the state.

During the campaign, she focused heavily on abortion rights, arguing Logan couldn’t be trusted on the issue despite promising he wouldn’t support a national ban. Hayes also touted her record of passing legislation and delivering funding to the district, including money for police departments.

“People don’t have to wonder what I’ll do when I’m elected to Congress because people know what I’ve already done,” Hayes said in a debate.

The race was a very tight one, with both Hayes and Logan predicting they would win after all the votes were counted. Hours after polls closed, Hayes told her supporters she didn’t plan on going to sleep and would wait until every vote was counted.

“Waterbury, you sent me to Washington and it’s only a matter of time before you send me back,” she said.

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Learn more about the issues and factors at play in the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/explaining-the-elections

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden claimed vindication the day after the midterm elections, saying Democrats had “a strong night” and he planned to change nothing about his approach despite facing the likelihood of divided government in the nation’s capital.

“I’m prepared to work with my Republican colleagues,” Biden said during a post-election news conference Wednesday. “The American people have made clear they expect Republicans to work with me as well.”

He brushed off concerns that Republicans, who are on track to take control of the House, will investigate his administration and family in what could swiftly become a bruising stretch of his presidency.

“I think the American people will look at all that for what it is, almost comedy,” he said.

In his first public comments since voting ended, Biden was celebratory and defiant as Democrats denied Republicans the sweeping victory they expected. His party still has a potential path to hold control of the Senate, which would preserve his ability to nominate federal judges and administration officials.

“While the press and the pundits were predicting a giant red wave, it didn’t happen,” Biden said.

The election results were a remarkable display of resiliency in the face of both history and gloomy polls that suggested voters were fed up with inflation and crime and looking to punish the party in power. Biden acknowledged that many Americans remain discouraged by the country’s direction.

“The voters were also clear that they’re still frustrated,” he said. “I get it.”

Even so, Biden expressed little interest in changing course on his agenda, saying: “I’m not going to change anything in any fundamental way.”

The benefit of his policies, such as funding for infrastructure projects and limits on prescription drug costs, “takes time to be recognized,” he said.

Biden said he planned to call Republican congressional leaders, and he opened the door to seeking compromise with them — without shifting on his top priorities. He also questioned whether Americans want the major changes some Republicans are seeking, such as revisiting Social Security or Medicare benefits.

Biden was joined by first lady Jill Biden at his press conference, and he said it’s “ultimately a family decision” about whether to run for a second term.

His team has been making preparations for another campaign, and Biden said “my intention is that I run again.” He said he doesn’t “feel any hurry one way or another” about making an announcement, which could come early next year.

It’s unclear if the midterm results will be enough to enable Biden to move ahead strongly toward a second term. An expansive survey by AP VoteCast revealed deep worries about his performance and ability to continue serving.

With Biden approaching his 80th birthday, 58% of voters said he does not have the mental capability to serve effectively as president. Only 44% described him as honest, and just 34% said he’s a “strong leader.”

There were other warning signs for his political standing as well.

When Biden was elected two years ago, 54% of voters described him as someone who “cares about people like you.” Among this year’s midterm voters, that slipped to 46%.

Overall, 57% of voters said they had an unfavorable view of Biden. His approval ratings on the economy, energy policy and border security were underwater. Even his handling of Russia, widely seen as a success for Biden as he maintains an international coalition to oppose the invasion of Ukraine, is viewed negatively.

His lukewarm ratings were driven by overwhelmingly negative attitudes among Republicans, but even Democratic voters were not resounding in their support.

About 2 in 10 voters for Democrats said they disapprove of Biden’s job performance overall, a noticeable softness in today’s hyper-partisan political environment.

The survey of more than 94,000 voters nationwide was conducted for nine days, concluding as polls closed, for The Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago.

A clear advantage for Biden, who campaigned for office on simply being better than the alternative, is the disdain that his supporters have for his predecessor.

While 50% of voters for Democratic candidates said their votes were meant to show support for the president, an even greater percentage — 65% — said they voted to express opposition to Donald Trump.

“Democrats were arguing from the beginning that they needed to make this election a choice rather than a referendum,” said Amy Walter, an analyst who leads the Cook Political Report. “And essentially, they did.”

Walter said Democrats were able to maintain support in the midterms even from voters who believe that “Biden is not living up to their expectations, or they are feeling disappointed of his stewardship.”

The outcome takes the heat off the White House, at least for now.

“The pressure goes from ‘How is Biden going to explain himself post election?’ to ‘How is Trump going to explain himself?’” she said. “The more intriguing conversations are happening on the Republican side.”

Some members of Biden’s team began circulating a clip of his meeting with the New York Times editorial board during the Democratic primary. Asked about whether his lead in the polls was fleeting, Biden dismissed the question by saying pundits were always too quick to “declare me dead.”

“And guess what?” he said. “I ain’t dead. And I’m not going to die.”

For a White House that has felt besieged by second guessing, it was a moment of satisfaction.

“Never underestimate how much Team Biden is underestimated,” tweeted Ron Klain, the White House chief of staff.

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Check out https://apnews.com/hub/explaining-the-elections to learn more about the issues and factors at play in the 2022 midterm elections.

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Paul Schrade, a labor union leader who was shot in the head during the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy and spent decades convinced that Sirhan Sirhan wasn’t the killer, died Wednesday of natural causes. He was 97.

Schrade died at his longtime Los Angeles home, said his brother-in-law, Martin Weil.

Schrade was among five people who were wounded but survived the June 1968 shooting at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Kennedy, a senator and the younger brother of slain President John F. Kennedy, had just won the 1968 Democratic presidential primary in California.

“I got hit by the first shot,” Schrade told the Los Angeles Times. “I was right behind Bobby. It was meant for him and got me. I thought I had been electrocuted. I was shaking violently on the floor and saw flashes.”

Sirhan was tackled, arrested and convicted of Kennedy’s murder. His brother-in-law said Schrade wasn’t a friend of Sirhan but did forgive him.

Sirhan testified at his trial that he had been drinking and didn’t remember the shooting.

Schrade later became convinced that the wrong man had been imprisoned and that a second attacker who was never identified was the real killer but that fact was hushed up by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

Schrade spent much of his time perusing official files and documents and touching base with others who doubted the official conclusions about the killing. The LAPD reinvestigated the slaying in the 1970s but again concluded that Sirhan acted alone.

“I know what kept Paul alive was his driving goal to have the investigation … reopened,” Weil said.

“This was his sole reason for continuing. He was determined. He was driven,” Weil said. “He said to me just last week when he came home from the hospital: “I’ve got to get back to my desk. I have work to do.’ ”

In 2016, Schrade faced Sirhan face-to-face during his 15th parole hearing for the first time since Schrade testified at Sirhan’s 1969 trial. Schrade’s voice broke with emotion at times during his hour of testimony that recounted his efforts to unravel questions about the shooting of Kennedy.

“I forgive you for shooting me,” Schrade told Sirhan at the hearing. “I should have been here long ago, and that’s why I feel guilty for not being here to help you and to help me.”

Schrade repeatedly apologized for not attending any of Sirhan’s previous 14 parole hearings.

Schrade last spoke in favor of Sirhan’s release at his parole hearing in 2021, which was held on Zoom during the pandemic. Schrade, speaking via video camera, told the parole board: “Sirhan was not the shooter of my friend Robert Kennedy.”

The board voted to free Sirhan, but the governor ultimately decided to leave him in prison.

Schrade was born in Sarasota Springs, New York on Dec. 17, 1924. He rose through the ranks of the United Automobile Workers Union and was deeply involved in other civil rights causes, including efforts to unionize farmworkers in California. He introduced Kennedy to Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, two leaders of that struggle.

“He spent his life fighting for people who were underserved,” his brother-in-law said.

Schrade also was involved in efforts to create a public schools complex on the site of the Ambassador Hotel, which was purchased in 1989 by a partnership affiliated with Donald Trump that planned to erect a 125-story building on the site. There followed years of legal battles and public controversy involving the Trump group, the Los Angeles Unified School District — which wanted to buy the land under eminent domain — and conservationists.

Eventually, the hotel site became the campus of Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools. The library there is named in Schrade’s honor.

“Paul Schrade was a fierce warrior for humanity and justice,” school board member Mónica García said in a statement.

Schrade is survived by a sister, Louise “Weezie” Duff. His wife, Monica Weil, died in 2019.

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Julie Watson reported from San Diego.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The promise of a red wave receding, Republicans slogged state by state in a determined fight to break the Democrats’ one-party hold on Washington, a breathtakingly close battle for control of Congress and the future of President Joe Biden’s agenda.

On Wednesday, the Democrats’ fragile grasp on power in the House and the Senate remained at risk. The party faced a new generation of Republican candidates — among them 2020 election deniers and some extremists inspired by Donald Trump handily winning some seats.

But races stayed tight, and Republicans ran into stiff competition in their march across the country, dashing hopes for the sweeping gains they had promised, particularly in the House. Instead, they inched toward what could be another narrowly split Congress.

“The RED WAVE did not happen,” defeated Republican Rep. Mayra Flores of Texas said in a tweet.

It was the first major national election since the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, and emotions were raw. The recent violent assault on Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband has stunned many, and federal law enforcement warned of heightened threats nationwide. Biden’s party worked to hold on by the most tenuous of margins.

Even with a slim majority, the Republicans could bring a new intensity to Capitol Hill with promises to end Biden’s most ambitious plans, tighten congressional oversight and launch grueling investigations — even, potentially, impeachment of the president.

House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy, in line to become speaker if his party takes control, vowed to win the majority as he addressed a crowd of supporters well past midnight in Washington.

“We are expanding this party,” McCarthy said, calling out the races won so far. “The American people are ready for a majority that will offer a new direction that will put America back on track.”

But the mood among Republicans was tense, as Democrats delivered a surprising run of the map in places Republicans expected to claim as their own.

“While many races remain too close to call, it is clear that House Democratic members and candidates are strongly outperforming expectations,” Pelosi said in a statement. “As states continue to tabulate the final results, every vote must be counted as cast.”

All 435 seats in the House and one-third of the Senate were being decided. If Republican newcomers help the party seize control of the House, and possibly the Senate, the outcome will pose new challenges for Congress’ ability to govern — especially if margins are tight.

In the race for the House, battleground Virginia provided a snapshot. Republican state Sen. Jen Kiggans, a former Navy helicopter pilot, defeated Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria, a former Navy commander who had touted her work on the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection.

But elsewhere, Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger prevailed over Trump-backed Yesli Vega in a suburban Virginia district Republicans hoped to flip. And Democrats held House seats in Rhode Island, Ohio, Kansas and New Hampshire that Republicans wanted, and they flipped some including a suburban Illinois district from Republicans.

Still, Republicans were slowly amassing some of the five seats needed to reach a 218-seat House majority.

They picked up a Nashville, Tennessee-area seat long held by Democrats. And in a dramatic example of the difficult political environment for Democrats, the party’s House campaign chairman Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney was fighting for political survival against Republican state legislator Mike Lawler in New York’s Hudson Valley. He would be the first Democratic campaign chief to suffer defeat in two decades.

The Senate races remained in flux. Republican J.D. Vance, a venture capitalist and author of “Hillbilly Elegy,” defeated Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan in Ohio, denying Democrats a chance to pick up the open seat. In New Hampshire, Trump-styled Republican Don Bolduc failed to oust Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan.

In the evenly split Senate, the battleground was focused on the deeply contested states of Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and Wisconsin. In Pennsylvania, Democrat John Fetterman flipped a Republican-controlled Senate seat that’s key to the party’s hopes of maintaining control of the chamber. The 50-50 Senate is now in Democratic hands because Vice President Kamala Harris can cast a tie-breaking vote.

Divided government has historically offered the possibility of bipartisan deal-making. But Republican candidates campaigned instead on a platform to stop Democrats. They promised to cut federal spending, refuse to raise the nation’s debt limit and balk at supporting Ukraine in the war with Russia. It all pointed to potential gridlock.

McCarthy had recruited the most racially diverse class of House GOP candidates, with more women than ever. But it also included a new cadre of Trump loyalists, including election skeptics and deniers, some of whom were around the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Trump endorsed hundreds of candidates nationwide in this election cycle, though they were not always the first choices of McCarthy and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell. In an interview, the former president said he backed McCarthy for speaker, and he derided his old foe McConnell as a “lousy leader,” according to Fox News Channel.

In a sign of the nation’s toxic political climate, Pelosi canceled most public appearances in the final week of campaigning after an intruder broke into her family’s San Francisco home in the middle of the night last month, demanding to know “Where is Nancy?” and bludgeoning her 82-year-old husband in the head with a hammer.

The election unfolded amid deep discontent. A majority of Americans, about 7 in 10, disapprove of the way Congress is handling its job, according to AP VoteCast, an expansive survey of more than 90,000 voters nationally. About 4 in 10 strongly disapprove.

In the House, several new Republicans were elected in redrawn Florida districts. Joining them will be 25-year-old Democrat Maxwell Frost, the first member of Generation Z to win a seat in Congress.

Incumbents were also holding on. In Ohio, Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur defeated J.R. Majewski, a Republican who was at the Capitol on Jan. 6. And far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a top Trump ally, won reelection in Georgia.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, was reelected in New York. Republican Sens. Rand Paul in Kentucky and Marco Rubio in Florida prevailed over their Democratic opponents. In Colorado, Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet also won reelection.

Vote counting could extend beyond Election Day in many states, and Georgia could head to a Dec. 6 runoff if no candidate reaches the majority.

Democrats gained momentum over the abortion issue after the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision this summer, and they have been warning voters about MAGA conservatives, short for Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan.

But Republicans focused voter attention on closer-to-home issues such as inflation-fueled high prices and crime.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2022 midterm elections at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections. And learn more about the issues and factors at play in the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/explaining-the-elections.

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PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly led his Republican rival, venture capitalist Blake Masters, but the race that could determine which party controls the U.S. Senate was too early to call.

Kelly’s 2020 special election victory gave Democrats both of Arizona’s Senate seats for the first time in 70 years. It was propelled by the state’s fast-changing demographics and the unpopularity of then-President Donald Trump.

This time, the unpopular president, Joe Biden, is from Kelly’s own party, and the environment looks less favorable for Democrats.

The Arizona race is one of a handful of contests that Republicans targeted in their bid to take control of what is now a 50-50 Senate. It’s a test of the inroads that Kelly and other Democrats have made in a state once reliably dominated by Republicans and will offer clues about whether Democratic success here was an aberration during the Trump presidency or an enduring phenomenon.

Kelly led in the initial results Tuesday, which reflected mail ballots returned ahead of Election Day. Masters was expected to narrow that lead as ballots cast in person are tabulated. Mail ballots returned on Tuesday or shortly before were not yet reported and will be counted in the coming days.

With razor-thin margins between the parties, it often takes days to know the results of key races in Arizona, and it’s not uncommon for the candidate leading on election night to end up losing when all votes are counted.

Kelly thanked his family and supporters gathered in Tucson and said he was confident he would prevail once all ballots are counted.

“It’s been the honor of my life to represent Arizona in the United States Senate,” Kelly said. “And for as long as I’m there, I’ll be honest with you, I will protect our country and our democracy.”

Kelly, 58, has distanced himself from Biden, particularly on border security, and plays down his Democratic affiliation. Masters emerged bruised from the contentious Republican primary and struggled to raise money, but polls suggest the race is nonetheless close.

Kelly’s political identity as been defined by two pieces of his biography. He flew in space four times as a NASA astronaut. And he’s married to former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, who inspired the nation with her recovery from a gunshot wound to the head. The shooting during a 2011 constituent event in Tucson killed six people and injured 13. Kelly and Giffords went on to co-found a gun control advocacy group.

Kelly’s campaign has largely focused on his support for abortion rights, protecting Social Security, lowering drug prices and ensuring a stable water supply in the midst of a drought, which has curtailed Arizona’s cut of Colorado River water.

He’s styled himself as an independent willing to buck his party, in the style of Republican U.S. Sen. John McCain, whose death led to the special election that Kelly won in 2020.

Masters has tried to penetrate Kelly’s independent image, aligning him with Biden’s failure to secure the U.S.-Mexico border and tamp down on rampant inflation.

“Mark Kelly is no John McCain. He’s not even a Kyrsten Sinema,” Masters said at a campaign event last month, referring to Arizona’s senior senator known for political fights with her fellow Democrats. “He’s a rubber stamp vote for Joe Biden’s agenda.”

Nearly half of Arizona voters say the economy is the most important issue facing the country, according to AP VoteCast, an expansive survey of more than 3,200 voters in Arizona. And nearly all voters said inflation was a factor in their votes, with about half saying it was the single most important factor.

Nearly 6 in 10 voters say Biden’s policies are more to blame for inflation than are factors outside of Biden’s control.

Almost two-thirds of voters say they are confident they can keep up with their expenses. Of that group, about half supported Kelly. Among voters who are not confident about meeting their expenses, about half backed Republican Senate candidate Blake Masters.

Masters won Trump’s endorsement after claiming “Trump won in 2020.” Under pressure during a debate last month, he acknowledged he hasn’t seen evidence the election was rigged, but later doubled down on the false claim that Trump won.

Masters, 36, worked for most of his adult life for billionaire tech investor Peter Thiel, who bankrolled Masters’ primary run but was stingier during the general election. Masters endeared himself to many GOP primary voters with his penchant for provocation and contrarian thinking. But since then, he has struggled to redefine his image for the more moderate swing voters who will decide Tuesday’s election.

During the primary, Masters called for privatizing Social Security, took a hard-line stance against abortion and promoted a racist theory popular with white nationalists that Democrats are seeking to use immigration to replace white people in America.

Masters later scrubbed some controversial positions from his website.

For about two-thirds of Arizona voters, the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, the ruling that recognized a constitutional right to abortion, was an important factor, according to AP VoteCast. Those voters overwhelmingly favored Hobbs over Lake and Kelly over Masters.

A slight majority of voters approve of outgoing Gov. Doug Ducey’s decision to send migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. to northern Democratic states. A large majority — almost 8 out of 10 — favor increasing law enforcement presence at the U.S.-Mexico border.

In a state that has been a center of baseless allegations of election fraud, 9 in 10 voters say the future of democracy in the U.S. was a factor in their voting decisions. Among these voters, more favored Kelly than Masters.

Roughly 4 in 10 named the future of democracy in America as the single most important factor in the election.

Latino or Hispanic voters made up roughly 2 in 10 Arizona voters, according to the survey. They are more likely to favor Kelly over Masters.

Roughly one-fifth of Kelly’s supporters are Latino or Hispanic; slightly more than 1 in 10 of Masters’ backers are.

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Learn more about the issues and factors at play in the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/explaining-the-elections. And follow the AP’s election coverage of the 2022 elections at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections.

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Associated Press writer Terry Tang contributed to this report.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — WHY AP CALLED WISCONSIN FOR TONY EVERS

Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers showed strength over Republican challenger Tim Michels in even the conservative Milwaukee suburbs.

That’s what led The Associated Press to be able to call the governor’s race for Evers early Wednesday. Evers also racked up big turnout in Dane County, a Democratic stronghold that includes Madison.

Evers ousted GOP Gov. Scott Walker by fewer than 30,000 votes in 2018, setting up a hotly contested race for this year’s reelection campaign.

The stakes couldn’t have been higher this year in swing-state Wisconsin, one of the nation’s few remaining presidential battlegrounds.

As the winner of the 2022 gubernatorial matchup, Evers will be in office for the 2024 election, with the power to certify the results of that race — or reshape the state’s election machinery ahead of it.

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Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP

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Check out https://apnews.com/hub/explaining-the-elections to learn more about the issues and factors at play in the 2022 midterm elections. Follow AP’s coverage of the elections at: https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections

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JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy led in first-choice votes in early returns Tuesday in his bid to become the first governor in the state since Democrat Tony Knowles in 1998 to be elected to back-to-back terms.

Democrat Les Gara, a former state lawmaker, and former Gov. Bill Walker, an independent, trailed, with Republican Charlie Pierce far behind all three.

The ranked vote election was in keeping with a 2020 voter initiative that replaced party primaries with open primaries and instituted ranked voting for general elections. Under ranked voting, ballots are counted in rounds. A candidate can win outright with more than 50% of the vote in the first round. If no one hits that threshold, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. Voters who chose that candidate as their top pick have their votes count for their next choice. Rounds continue until two candidates remain, and whoever has the most votes wins.

Elections officials plan to conduct tabulation rounds for races on Nov. 23.

Gara and Walker criticized Dunleavy for participating in just a handful of debates and for what they say has been a lack of leadership or vision for the state. Dunleavy argued the state, which struggled with deficits for much of the last decade amid low-to-middling oil prices, is in a better position than it was four years ago.

Oil prices earlier this year soared amid the fallout of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, prompting rosier revenue outlooks for the state. Prices for North Slope oil have fallen from around $125 a barrel in June to the low-to-mid $90 range more recently.

Dunleavy defended his leadership during the pandemic and efforts aimed at improving public safety. He touted as substantial the dividend paid to residents this year from the state’s oil-wealth fund, which combined with a one-time energy relief payment totaled $3,284. Last year’s dividend was $1,114.

Debate over the size of the dividend has overshadowed other issues in the Legislature, contributing to drawn-out, divisive sessions. The amount available for dividends for years was determined by a formula. But Walker in 2016, amid deficits, vetoed about half the funds available. The size of the checks has been set by lawmakers since. Lawmakers have also begun using earnings from the oil-wealth fund, long used to pay dividends, to help pay for government, creating tension each year over how much money should go to each.

Dunleavy for years pushed unsuccessfully for a dividend in line with the formula, which many lawmakers have said is unsustainable. He later proposed dividing the annual withdrawal from earnings 50/50 between dividends and government expenses. This year’s dividend was in line with that approach.

Walker expressed concern that high dividends would put Alaska in “the express lane for high taxes.” He said he wanted a dividend that is “as high as we can possibly have” but not at the expense of other state programs or services. Alaska has no state sales or personal income tax.

He criticized Dunleavy over the lack of a state fiscal plan, an issue he struggled to get lawmakers to act on while he was governor.

Gara called for changes to Alaska’s oil tax structure that he said would provide revenues for “strong” dividends and prevent situations in which Alaskans are fighting over money for dividends, schools, the state construction budget and other programs. He said he sees changes in oil taxes as a source of revenue for the state that the public would accept.

“We can’t keep telling Alaskans they have to battle each other over crumbs,” he said in an email to supporters.

Pierce, a former Kenai Peninsula Borough mayor, was sued along with the borough last month by a woman who said he sexually harassed her when she worked as an assistant. Pierce rejected calls to suspend his campaign. His running mate, Edie Grunwald, withdrew from the campaign after the lawsuit was filed.

Walker, who was governor from 2014 to 2018, dropped his reelection bid shortly before the 2018 race won by Dunleavy.

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