More than 13.8 million ballots have been cast in pre-election voting ahead of the 2022 midterms
By Ethan Cohen, Melissa Holzberg DePalo and Shania Shelton, CNN
More than 13.8 million pre-election ballots have been cast in 44 states as of Thursday, according to data from election officials, Edison Research and Catalist.
Florida continues to have the largest number of pre-election ballots cast for the midterm elections, at more than 1.9 million. Texas, California and Georgia each have also seen more than 1 million ballots cast.
Georgia is home to several competitive statewide races this year, including for governor — with GOP incumbent Brian Kemp facing a rematch from four years ago against Democrat Stacey Abrams — and for Senate — where Republican Herschel Walker is challenging Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock in a contest that could decide control of the chamber next year.
Some Florida counties began early in-person voting this week, but all counties are required to start by Saturday. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is favored to win a second term amid talk of a potential 2024 presidential bid. GOP Sen. Marco Rubio is also on the November ballot as he seeks a third term against Democratic Rep. Val Demings.
In California, races for governor and Senate top the state’s midterm ticket with Gov. Gavin Newsom running for reelection and US Sen. Alex Padilla seeking a full six-year term. Several US House races — in Southern California and the state’s Central Valley — are also expected to be close.
In Texas, GOP Gov. Greg Abbott, another potential 2024 contender, faces Democrat Beto O’Rourke in his bid for a third term. The state is also hosting three key US House races in three districts in South Texas, where Republicans are hoping to build on their recent gains with Latino voters.
Some voter data comes from Catalist, a company that provides data, analytics and other services to Democrats, academics and nonprofit issue-advocacy organizations and is giving insights into who is voting before November.
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