Pinellas voters decide Florida's open governor race amid national Senate fight

Polling places across Pinellas County, including those serving Palm Harbor, Clearwater, and Largo, opened at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Florida voters will cast ballots until 7 p.m. Eastern Time, with polls in the Central Time Zone closing at 7 p.m. Central Time. Residents can find their specific polling location at vote.gov or through the state election office. Anyone already in line when polls close is entitled to cast a ballot. The state is divided between Eastern and Central time zones, so voters should confirm local closing times if they reside in the western part of the state.

According to Ballotpedia, there is no regular U.S. Senate election in Florida this year. However, a special election is on the ballot to fill the remainder of the six-year term that Senator Marco Rubio was elected to in 2022. Ashley B. Moody, a Republican, is the incumbent in this special race. The governorship is also on the ballot, an open seat with no incumbent running. Parties represented on the ballot for governor include the Democratic, Libertarian, No Party Affiliation, and Republican parties. Jimmy Patronis, the Republican incumbent, is also on the ballot for his state office.

Every U.S. House seat in Florida is up for election, along with state and local offices. The state is using new congressional maps following mid-decade redistricting. In addition to federal and state offices, voters will decide on three statewide ballot measures. Amendment 1 concerns budget stabilization, increasing the amount of funds that may be retained in the budget stabilization fund from 10% to 25% of net general revenue. Amendment 2 addresses agriculture and tax exemptions, proposing to exempt agricultural-related tangible personal property, such as farm equipment or tools, from property taxes. Amendment 3 deals with local government and property taxes, aiming to increase the homestead tax exemption, decrease the cap on how much the assessed value of non-homestead properties can increase, and limit how municipalities can spend property tax revenue.

Nationally, 35 of the 100 U.S. Senate seats are up for election. This includes 33 regular elections and two special elections. Republicans currently hold 53 seats, while Democrats hold 45, plus two independents who caucus with Democrats. For Democrats to gain a majority in the Senate, they need a net gain of four seats. Republicans can afford to lose only two seats. Eleven senators, four Democrats and seven Republicans, are not running again. Winners of these races will begin their six-year terms on January 3, 2027.

Ballotpedia identifies 13 battleground races in the Senate. These include contests in Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, and Texas. In the Florida special election, the 2024 presidential margin was Trump plus 13.1 points. In Georgia, Jon Ossoff, a Democrat, is defending a seat in a state where Trump won by 2.2 points in 2024. The AP and PBS note key matchups in North Carolina, where Democratic former Governor Roy Cooper faces former Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley, and in Ohio, where Democratic former Senator Sherrod Brown runs against Republican Senator Jon Husted.

Race ratings as of October 27 from Cook, Decision Desk, Inside Elections, and Sabato indicate that Maine is a toss-up on all four ratings. Iowa is rated as a toss-up or tilt Republican. Kansas is a toss-up to lean Republican. Alaska is a toss-up to lean Democratic. Michigan is a toss-up to lean Democratic. Georgia is a lean to likely Democratic. The AP describes the election as a referendum on President Donald Trump's second term, with voters struggling with high prices and angry over an unpopular war with Iran. AP-NORC polling shows that 35% of U.S. adults approve of Trump's job performance, while 25% approve of his handling of the economy. About seven in 10 say the country is heading in the wrong direction.

More than 57 million people had already voted as of Monday, surpassing the early vote of four years ago in many closely watched states. Republicans were bracing to lose the House and fighting to hold the Senate, with the AP noting that one or two seats could tip either chamber. Democrats were described as cautiously optimistic. President Trump held dozens of rallies, ending Sunday in Salina, Kansas, where he said, "I really want you to pretend I'm on the ballot." His schedule included stops in Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas. Many Republican candidates kept their distance from the president during the final days of the campaign.

The 2026 elections are expected to be the most expensive in history. Republican committees outraised and outspent Democratic committees, helped by Trump-affiliated groups and Elon Musk. However, at the candidate level, Democrats outraised their opponents. According to AP analysis of AdImpact data, 88.1% of Republican general election TV ad spending went to states and districts Trump won in 2024. This included more than $850 million where he won by 10 points or more. RNC Chairman Joe Gruters stated, "Everything depends on turnout. If we turn out our voters, we win, and that's what we've been planning for." DCCC Chair Rep. Suzan DelBene said, "The American people are angry. They want change."

A federal judge on Monday temporarily barred the Trump administration from carrying out a plan it says would prevent noncitizen voting. Critics argue this risks disenfranchising eligible voters and infringes on states' authority over elections. A separate judge ordered the administration to stop demanding that California election officials segregate ballots cast by people on its lists of suspected noncitizens. The U.S. Postal Service added hours, staff, and special lines to ensure mail ballots are counted on time. Wall Street is watching the results closely, as Reuters notes that outcomes could add to investor concerns about AI spending and debt ceiling negotiations.