Upcoming Elections

There are open seats for mayor in Houston, Philadelphia and San Francisco, and voters could break the tie that has left New Jersey's state Senate split evenly between Republicans and Democrats.

Virginia and Mississippi will also see legislative elections. Voters will decide on gambling issues in Maine, Indiana and Colorado; mass transit in Houston; Tucson, Ariz., and Kansas City, Mo.; even an anti-stress proposal in Denver.

In Kentucky, Democratic Attorney General Ben Chandler faces U.S. Rep. Ernie Fletcher. Chandler has distanced himself from Patton, dogged by a scandal over an affair and allegations that he used his office to get back at his former mistress.

In Mississippi, Musgrove has made a top complaint Barbour's inside-the-Beltway connections. He is a former chairman of the Republican National Committee and a Washington lobbyist.