Good morning, it’s Tuesday, March 3, 2026. In today’s edition, previewing this year’s gubernatorial elections; SCOTUS rules for GOP in New York redistricting case; Dems name finalists for 2028 convention:
Top Stories
GOVERNORS: Thirty-six states elect governors in this year’s midterm elections, including a whopping 18 states where incumbents are termed out or retiring. Candidates in both parties are teeing up affordability messages, but that means different things in different regions: Voters in the Northeast are watching their energy rates skyrocket. Candidates in the West are pitching housing solutions. Read our preview of this year’s gubernatorial landscape at Pluribus News.
REDISTRICTING: The U.S. Supreme Court sided with New York Republicans to overturn a state court ruling that would have redrawn a GOP-held Staten Island congressional seat. Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the six conservative justices on the court, called the redrawn district “unadorned racial discrimination.” (SCOTUSblog)
LGBTQ RIGHTS: The Supreme Court has temporarily blocked a California law barring schools from telling parents if their children identify as transgender. The high court blocked the law while a lawsuit filed by two sets of Catholic parents plays out in lower courts. (Associated Press)
ABORTION: The Utah legislature is considering a measure requiring local school departments to include specific videos on the fertilization and development of a fetus. The videos would show the development of the heart, brain and vital organs during early fetal development to fifth or sixth graders. (KSL) The South Dakota Senate will consider similar legislation. (South Dakota Searchlight)
GUN POLITICS: The Kentucky House of Representatives has approved legislation to ban devices that can convert semi-automatic firearms into automatic weapons. The bill would allow local law enforcement to enforce existing federal prohibitions on the state level. (Kentucky Lantern)
ENERGY: Oregon lawmakers have approved a one-year moratorium on awarding new tax breaks for data centers. The pause is meant to give a working group time to study the industry’s impacts. (Oregonian) Virginia lawmakers have given final approval to bills extending incentives for renewable energy programs, and to allow electric co-ops to establish virtual power plant programs. (Loudoun Now)
NIL: The Mississippi House has approved legislation exempting name, image and likeness deals from state income taxes. The bill follows similar legislation in Arkansas. Florida, Tennessee and Texas have no state income tax, giving those states what the Mississippi bill sponsor called a competitive advantage. (Supertalk)
ELECTIONS: The Ohio House has approved legislation to ban ranked choice voting in local elections. Any city or county that uses ranked choice voting would forfeit money from the Local Government Fund, a critical funding source. No locality currently uses ranked choice voting in Ohio. (Ohio Capital Journal)
In Politics & Business
DEMOCRATS: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver and Philadelphia are the finalists to host the 2028 Democratic National Convention, the DNC said Monday. Democrats will not hold a midterm convention. Republicans plan to hold a convention this summer. (CBS News)
Our hottest take: Hold presidential nominating conventions in Las Vegas. Nevada is a swing state, the economy could use a boost, and Vegas has lost its Sin City reputation. Plus, everyone could stay in about four hotels.
TENNESSEE: Retired astronaut Butch Wilmore (R) has pulled petitions to run for governor this year. Wilmore was stranded on the International Space Station for nine months in 2024 after a malfunction on the Boeing Starliner. He would face U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R), U.S. Rep. John Rose (R) and state Rep. Monty Fritts (R) in the GOP primary. (State Affairs)
NEBRASKA: Businessman Charles Herbster (R) will not run for governor a second time. Herbster came within 11,000 votes of now-Gov. Jim Pillen (R) in the 2022 primary election. Pillen faces primary challenges from Sheila Korth-Focken (R), Jacy Todd (R) and Gary Rogge (R). (Nebraska Examiner)
NORTH CAROLINA: Senate President Phil Berger (R) and his outside allies spent more than $8.6 million on his primary election bid through Feb. 14, meaning they are likely to top $10 million in the primary campaign. Berger faces Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page (R) in today’s GOP primary. (The Assembly)
PEOPLE: Kansas Rep. John Resman (R) has died at 70. A veteran of the U.S. Army, the Kansas National Guard and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, Resman was remembered for his nearly decade of service in the legislature. (State Affairs)
By The Numbers
Over $1 billion: The added cost of the legal fight between New York, New Jersey and the Trump administration over the Gateway Tunnel project. The construction is already projected to cost $16 billion. (NJ Advance Media)
21%: The decline in Canadian visitors to New York in 2025, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. That’s a drop of 3.4 million visitors from 2024. (Albany Times Union)
411: The number of approved unidentified aerial phenomena reported in Nevada since 2023, the highest rate of UAP sightings in the nation. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Off The Wall
Georgia lawmakers are considering legislation to allow consumers to use gold and silver as legal forms of currency. The bill, from state Sen. Marty Harbin (R), would allow consumers to use a debit card that links to an account of gold or silver deposits. By designating gold and silver as legal currency, it would allow residents to avoid a capital gains tax on purchases. (State Affairs)
A sleepy owl perched itself on the shelf at an antique store in East Durham, N.Y., next to a cookie jar in the shape of a chicken. The eastern screech owl was safely released into a nearby wooded area after its nap. (Associated Press)
Quote of the Day
“Many of those of us who lived through the Woodstock generation have experienced those mind-altering effects. The rest of you have at least seen a documentary on Woodstock. Is that really what you want, people?”
— South Dakota Sen. Greg Blanc (R), opposing legislation to allow the use of psychedelic drugs in therapeutic treatments. (South Dakota Public Broadcasting)