Thread by @grace_panetta

Good morning and happy Election Day to all! I’m so so excited to share all of @thisisinsider’s 2021 election coverage with live, up-to-the-minute results from our partners at @DecisionDeskHQ, starting tonight! Follow along this thread & feel free to bookmark for later 🗳️🇺🇸

First up, everyone’s favorite, the big race for #VAgov between @terrymcauliffe and @glennyoungkin! This one is shaping up to be a real nail-biter: polls in VA close at 7 pm, and we should hopefully get some interesting results tonight businessinsider.com/virginia-gover…

Less-discussed about also fascinating is the Virginia Lt. Gov race between @HalaAyala and @WinsomeSears, who have been running on very difficult platforms & visions for VA — either candidate will also be the first woman of color elected statewide businessinsider.com/virginia-lt-go…

There’s also the attorney general’s race, where Democrat @markherringVA is running for a 3rd term against Republican Del @JasonMiyaresVA, who represents the Virginia Beach area (a part of the state to watch), and would be the first Latino elected statewide businessinsider.com/virginia-attor…

And of my favorites, the VA House of Delegates! Democrats flipped the lower chamber in 2019, and now control 55 seats to the GOP's 45. There are some fascinating races in NoVa, around Richmond, and in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area to watch 👀businessinsider.com/virginia-house…

Virginia has gotten most of the spotlight, but don’t sleep on #NJGov either, where @PhilMurphyNJ is seeking reelection against @Jack4NJ. I recently learned that Murphy could be the first New Jersey Democrat to win a 2nd term as governor since 1977 (!) businessinsider.com/new-jersey-gov…

There are also important US House special elections tonight that will immediately fill 2 of the 3 vacancies in the House

One of the most fascinating races to me is the Dem primary to replace the late Rep. Alcee Hastings in the majority-Black and heavily Dem #FL20 in South FL, which has gotten very little national attention/outside spending and has no clear frontrunner businessinsider.com/florida-20th-c…

In #OH11, @ShontelMBrown (who beat fmr state Sen. Nina Turner in a tough primary this summer) is poised to easily defeat her GOP opponent in the safe Dem Cleveland-area seat, giving House Dems another much-needed vote to pad their very slim majority businessinsider.com/ohio-11th-dist…

And Trump-endorsed coal industry lobbyist @MikeCareyOH15 is running against Dem state lawmaker @Russo4OH to replace former Rep. Steve Stivers in safely-Republican #OH15, which includes a lot of the area around Columbus businessinsider.com/ohio-15th-dist…

Now onto mayor’s races! We have Democrat @EricAdamsfornyc and Republican @CurtisSliwa facing off to succeed Bill De Blasio to lead New York City businessinsider.com/new-york-city-…

And in Buffalo, Dem nominee @indiawaltonbflo is seeking to defeat a write-in bid from four-term @MayorByronBrown. (BUT don’t hold your breath for fast results or a call in this one – write-in votes, along with absentees, won't be counted for quite a while) businessinsider.com/buffalo-mayors…

And a special Massachusetts one for me — in Boston, two at-large city councilors, @wutrain and @annissaforbos, are facing off to succeed now-Labor Secretary Marty Walsh for mayor. Either will be the city’s first elected female mayor. businessinsider.com/boston-mayor-e…

@wutrain @AnnissaForBos In Atlanta, a very crowded field of candidates including former Mayor @KasimReed, City Council president @mooreforatlanta, and others are all running to replace outgoing Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (this race may very likely go to a runoff)
businessinsider.com/atlanta-2021-m…

.@mayorfrey is fighting for a second term against several DFL challengers in Minneapolis’ (ranked-choice!) mayoral election, where crime, policing, and a charter amendment to replace the city’s police department in its current form are looming large businessinsider.com/minneapolis-ra…

And last but certainly not least, I teamed up with the Insider politics’ team’s native New Mexican @metzgov for a look at the Albuquerque mayor’s race!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Election Day (go vote!) and I'll see you back tonight
businessinsider.com/albuquerque-ma…