Every state has big stakes on the ballot — it's just some are facing a perfect storm where so much that matters is competitive at once.

So I'm starting this ongoing thread of states, to encapsulate as many stakes as I can within 280 characters. (Let's do roughly one a day!)

North Carolina really is it:

—Could decide WH
—Could decide U.S. Senate majority
—Ds may gain at least 2 House seats. More?
—Can Ds keep governorship (& veto power)?
—Can Ds pick-up a legislative chamber?
—3 Supreme Court seats!
—AG, LG (if Gov vacancy...), SoS competitive

Montana is up there too:
—Could decide Senate majority!
—Open Gov race. Would be GOP's first win since 2000, likely give them trifecta. And it's Gianforte on the ballot.
—Open SoS & AG races
—An open, tight House race
—An intriguing Supreme Court race
—Gun control referendum

Oregon may have no key federal races, but it's
—Could decriminalize drug possession, national 1st
—Could also legalize psilocybin
—GOP-held SoS office is open. Dem flip?
—Portland/Mulntomah vote on more transit, & preschool for all
—Portland's mayor challenged from the left

All roads REALLY lead to Arizona:

—May decide WH *&* US Senate
—Legalize Marijuana?
—Dems may break GOP trifecta.
—Dems may grab state House, Senate, & Corporate Commission
—Joe Arpaio's deputy wants to be sheriff
—Can Dems flip Maricopa DA (=huge for incarceration) & board?

Don't sleep on Alaska:

—A very intriguing U.S. Senate race
—Can Dems defeat Rep. Don Young, in office since 1973?!
—Referendum for a mixed Top 4/ranked choice system
—GOP hoping to win solid control of the state House (currently run by Dems+GOP dissidents) for trifecta.

Colorado is busy:

—U.S. Senate of course
—an anti-abortion initiative (again)
—two DA races with big contrasts on reform
— #CO03 is something...
—referendums on the Popular Vote Compact, AND on paid medical/family leave, AND on income tax
—Boulder votes on curbing evictions

Florida:
—WH, always
—$15 minimum wage
—GOP initiative to make initiatives harder
—create ‘top 2’ system?
—bunch of US House seats
—outside Dem bid to flip a chamber
—Pinellas Sheriff, off of wanting to arm teachers
—progressive aims to be Orlando prosecutor
—Miami-Dade mayor

California
—Props to expand voting rights, enable affirmative action & rent control, roll back tax limits
—Uber/Lyft's anti-labor push
—Local props on voting age, transit, housing, policing
—LA's big DA race
—U.S. House seats
—Left council/leg challenges
—San Diego mayor/board

Parallel dynamics in:

Rhode Island
—Progressives who ousted Dem lawmakers favored in Nov
—Progressives now target some GOP seats
—State (Dem) Speaker in danger

Delaware
—Progressives who ousted Dem lawmakers also up
—Dems could flip some GOP seats to facilitate change

Washington:
—Gov. Inslee's up
—... as is the GOP SoS
—... & 2 Inslee-appointed Justices
—LG & #WA10 runoffs all-Dem (left/center)
—Mandatory sex ed: referendum, AND an issue in schools superintendent race
—King County votes on sheriff oversight
—Fascinating cong/leg battles

Minnesota:
—Dems aim to win trifecta (need +2 in Senate).
—Trump's main Clinton-won target?
—A ideologicaly divided Supreme Court race
—Sen. Smith up again
—GOP targets MN07, Dems MN01. May matter if EC tie. And will MN02 stay cancelled?
—Local referendums on ranked-choice

New York:
—WH race competitive, Trump said (I kid, I kid)
—Police unions heavily targeting Dem senators all year
—many U.S. House hotspots
—Westchester DA
—will WFP keep its ballot line?!
—Many new Left primary winners face 1sr general
—control of some counties (e.g. Erie)

Texas
—Dems hope to break GOP trifecta, flip state House
—Could Dems pull off WH or Senate...?
—many US House races
—DAs in Travis/Austin, Nueces
—sheriffs of Tarrant, Fort Bend
—9 (!) seats on 2 highest courts
—Railroad commission matters to climate
—Austin votes on transit

Arkansas:
— #AR2 now competitive
—Initiative that’d make progressive initiatives harder
—Renew sales tax for transportation

Mississippi:
—Ballot initiative to enable medical marijuana
—Senate race rematch
—Approval of new state flag
—Supreme Court race

INTERMISSION (as new people are visiting this thread): You can also visit (and bookmark!) my mega-speadsheet, which contains this info organized thematically & institutionally, & will feature results starting on Nov. 3 & beyond.

http://whatsontheballot.com/2020-general-election/

South Carolina:
—Lindsey Graham vs Jaime Harrison (!)
—Dems defend SC1
—Racial justice faultlines in Charleston prosecutor race
—ICE assistance at stake in Charleston sheriff race

Virginia:
—Referendum on redistricting
—Richmond mayor
—GOP targets VA2/7, Dems VA5

Hawaii:
—Progressive/centrist fault lines for Honolulu Mayor
—For Honolulu prosecutor, contrasts on how open to be on reform. (Most prog. lost)

Wyoming:
—Far-right wave in GOP primaries; now they're up in Nov.
—Referendum to lift "debt ceiling" for some local projects

Louisiana:
—Anti-abortion referendum 
—U.S. Senate race
—Slate of public defenders run for judges in New Orleans
—DA race in New Orleans could upend punitive status quo
—Referendums cld constrain spending, affect revenue streams
 —Climate topics for Public Service Commission

South Dakota:
—Initiative to legalize marijuana
—AND another initiative on medical marijuana

North Dakota:
—An initiative would make future citizen initiatives harder (3rd such measure on this list so far...)
—A governor's race

Oklahoma:
—A referendum to make some sentences less harsh (builds on prior reforms here)
—GOP is targeting #OK05
—Dems may flip Oklahoma Co. commission (state's most populous)

Idaho:
—Dems defend newly-flipped Ada Co. commission (state's most populous county, 480K)

New Hampshire:
—Watch WH, Gov. & Senate races
—Swingy legislature: Dems aim to keep majority. If they expand it, could oust SoS.
—A few prosecutor’s races

Vermont
—Watch Governor’s, AG, SoS races
—Dems/Prog aim to keep supermajority

Michigan
—core state for WH race
—GOP targets US Senate race
—Dems target state House, need +4 in gerrymandered map
—Dems can flip state Supreme Court
—competitive US House races
—Oakland Co. has big sheriff (stakes for ICE), & prosecutor races
—Measure to require warrants

Utah:
—GOP targeting #UT04
—Measure to remove constitutional allowance of slavery as a punishment
—Mayor of Salt Lake County
—Elections for Gov, AG

Indiana:
—Dems targeting (open) #IN05
—GOP state Speaker faces challenge (amid fights over edu.)
—Elections for Gov, AG

INTERMISSION #2.

Some items I'm frustrated to have left off:
—AZ: Education funding; AZ6
—Portland, OR: Measure on policing
—RI: Remove 'plantation' from state name
—VT: High bailiff
—CA tweet was cramped, but fascinating local battles in LA, Oakland, San Jose, Sacramento, more

Nebraska:
—Omaha's electoral vote
— #NE02 congressional race
—GOP could gain legislativ supermajority
—Remove constitutional allowance of slavery as a punishment
—Cap interests for payday lending

Maine:
—U.S. Senate control on the line
— #ME02: an electoral vote AND a congressional race
—Portland, ME, voting on higher minimum wage, new housing protections, & ban on facial recognition tech
—Dems aim to defend state Senate/House, & their trifecta

New Mexico
—Dems defend #NM02
—open U.S. Senate race
—Progressives ousted 5 lawmakers in primaries; watch SD28, 30, 35

Nevada
—Dems defend #NV03, #NV04
—Watch WH race
—Repeal state ban on same-sex marriage
—Make pardons a bit easier
—Dems aim for Senate supermajority

West Virginia:
—Treasurer race fts. rare statewide Dem incumbent
—Gov. now running as a GOPer
—Former Dem SoS trying a comeback
—Also voting for U.S. Senate, AG, Auditor, Ag. Comm.

Kentucky:
—Supreme Court race with contrasts
—Marsy's Law
—High profile U.S. Senate race

Wisconsin:
—Presidential race is huge (obviously!)
—Battle for legislature; GOP aims for supermajority, Dems aim for gains
—DAs landscape shockingly desolate

Connecticut:
—Some legislative battles will shape how comfortable Dem majorities are

Kansas:
—U.S. Senate race: Can Dems get a first win since... 1932?
—GOP defends #KS02, Dems defend #KS03
—Dems hope to break GOP's legislative supermajorities in either chamber [Dem Gov has veto power]
—Interesting contrasts in some DA races (e.g. Shawnee/Topeka.)

Puerto Rico:
—A referendum on statehood
—Governor's race 

Alabama:
—Doug Jones's re-election for Senate
—A "citizens only" voting amendment

Iowa:
—a key U.S. Senate race!
—Can Dems break GOP trifecta & flip a legislative chamber?
—Tight WH race
—All House districts draw , esp. the 3 Dems are defending

Massachusetts: 
—Will MA adopt ranked choice voting?
—Norfolk Co.'s sheriff's race, a dress rehearsal for 2022

New Jersey:
—Will NJ legalize marijuana?
—Van Drew joined Trump, now Dems target #NJ2
—GOP targeting new Dem seats #NJ3, #NJ7
—Measure to delay redistricting

Washington DC:
—Decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms
—D.C. council; prog. energy around at-large seat

Maryland:
—Statewide measure to strengthen legislature
—Baltimore measures to weaken mayor
—Baltimore bonds, e.g. affordable housing

& board of education races in each.

Missouri
—GOP measure would erase the 2018 redistricting reform
—Could suburban #MO02 swing Dem?
—the Governor’s race
—Ballot measures in St. Louis to introduce approval voting, & to allow police officers to not live in city, & to raise tax to fund childhood services

Illinois
—Measures to make income tax progressive
—≈3 US House seats
—Prosecutors in DeKalb, Lake
—Advocates target at least 1 Cook Co. judge

Tennessee
—Leg. races, incl. a challenge to an ex-Dem lawmaker
—A new US senator
—Nashville measure against property tax hike

Ohio
—Majority of state Supreme Court on the line
—Back to being a presidential swing state! 
—Big prosecutor & sheriff races in Hamilton Co. (Cincinnati) 
—Some U.S. House battles
—Columbus measure to set up police oversight board
—Can Dems narrow legislative gaps?

Pennsylvania
—We're all watching the presidential race...
—Dems target the state House
—Many U.S. House seats, starting with GOP-held PA1 & PA10
—Philadelphia, Pittsburgh vote to set up or strengthen civilian oversight boards
—State also votes for AG 

[just one more!]

Georgia:
—Perdue vs. Ossoff: Who wins? Is there runoff?
—Who's Top 2 in Senate special?
—A real WH race!
—Key DA/sheriff races in Athens
—ICE, jail conditions in Cobb/Gwinnett sheriff races
—Watch #GA06, #GA07
—Gwinnett transit $$
—Could Dems flip state House?

... The end!