Two off-year but high-profile gubernatorial races to be decided Nov. 4 could provide an early referendum on Trump’s second administration and its impact on local and regional infrastructure projects and issues. Major funding measures worth hundreds of millions of dollars also appeared quietly on state and local ballots across the US
In New Jersey, Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D) leads former state Rep. Jack Ciattarelli (R) in a race that polls say remains typically competitive in the state this year. Sherrill has touted support for boosted state transportation projects, including the mammoth Gateway Tunnel in New York City, and efforts to lower utility costs. Ciattarelli has pledged to promote an “all of the above” energy development policy, but shares President Donald Trump’s anti-renewables fixation.
In Virginia, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D) is in favor of expanding her clean energy portfolio, building on utility Dominion Energy’s near-completed $10.8 billion offshore wind project. Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R), who is seeking to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, has said little about his position on construction issues, including whether he will continue his approach to support offshore wind and most infrastructure funding.
Although so far unaffected by Trump’s renewable energy moratorium and related negative rhetoric, the project will likely incur $500 million in added costs due to the new import tariffs, Dominion has said.
The boom in Virginia-based data centers, a burning issue in several upstate communities related to their energy use and impact on local water supplies, did not generate ballot measures but could influence races in the state House of Delegates, where Democrats hold a slim majority.
Looking at state measures
Overshadowed by a controversial congressional redistricting measure, the Texas statewide vote includes a proposal to create an endowment for Texas State Technical College, which currently lacks authority to issue bonds for capital improvements it says are needed to provide training in essential skills areas, including construction. School officials say the new funding will be used for campus infrastructure repairs, classroom equipment upgrades and expansion into other parts of the state.
New York voters will weigh a constitutional amendment related to the construction of major facility upgrades and expansions to the Olympic sports complex in upstate Lake Placid to prevent future violations, which also involve soil preservation mandates in the environmentally sensitive region.
Locally, voters in Columbus, Ohio will consider a $1.9 billion bond package, the largest in the city’s history. Separate proposals are included for public services, affordable housing, public service, parks and health and safety.
Denver’s five-part $895 million bond proposal, called Vibrant Denver, proposes to fund more than 200 community and infrastructure projects, including rebuilding two freeway viaducts adjacent to a proposed new National Football League stadium; a new combined training facility for the city’s law enforcement and fire departments; and transformation of an old golf course into a new urban park.
A nearly $900 million bond proposal in Maricopa County, Arizona, aims to expand health care services in the fast-growing region through new and upgraded emergency, trauma, behavioral health units and the replacement of outdated care facilities.
Several metro areas have large school construction bonds on the ballot, including Albuquerque; San Antonio; Fairfax County, Virginia; and Spokane, Wash.
On Nov. 15, voters in Orleans Parish, Louisiana, will decide on a bond package that includes $415 million to finance the construction and renovation of roads, recreational and public safety facilities and other infrastructure.
