AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – A major election year in Texas has overshadowed an upcoming trial on the fate of the state’s tough new voter ID law, with a judge set to determine whether it safeguards ballot integrity or discriminates against minorities by imposing a mandate that suppresses turnout. U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos in Corpus…

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – The results of Texas’ Nov. 4 election will kick off the state’s largest political shakeup in a generation because not a single statewide incumbent is on the ballot. Here are five things to watch: BIG SHAKEUP A Democrat hasn’t won a statewide office in Texas in 20 years, the nation’s longest such…

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – With a U.S. Senate race that could help determine which party controls that chamber and a race for an open governor’s seat, Arkansas has no shortage of drama in its midterm election. Republicans view the election as a chance to complete their takeover of the state’s top offices, while Democrats want…

Five things to know about Wyoming’s midterm elections on Nov. 4: ___ GOVERNOR: Republican Gov. Matt Mead is seeking a second term against Democrat Pete Gosar. Mead touts his fiscal conservativism and promotion of Wyoming’s coal industry. Gosar criticizes Mead’s opposition to the federal Affordable Care Act. Mead declined to apply for millions of dollars in…