Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has been sworn in as the state’s first Black governor.

Democrats held onto a string of competitive governors’ seats in the midterm elections after making the case to voters that Republican challengers posed a threat to abortion rights and democracy in their states.

Democratic Attorney General Maura Healey has been elected governor of Massachusetts, making history as the nation’s first openly lesbian governor and the state’s first woman and openly gay candidate elected to the office.

Andrea Campbell's personal history is a tale of perseverance.

Wes Moore could soon make history if elected Maryland’s first Black governor, and he’s not alone: Rep. Anthony Brown would be the state’s first Black attorney general.

A bronze statue of an enslaved woman from Massachusetts who went to court to win her freedom in 1781 is being unveiled in the Berkshires this weekend.

Republican Gov. Charlie Baker says he won’t seek a third term as governor of Massachusetts.

Pledging to emulate some of the loftiest reforms in the nations history has left him with towering promises to keep. And Biden hopes to deliver against the backdrop of the pandemic and searing national division. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)WASHINGTON – Back when the election was tightening and just a week away, Joe Biden went big. Evoking some of the nation's loftiest reforms helped Biden unseat President Donald Trump but left him with towering promises to keep. That same day, Biden has pledged to create task forces on homelessness and reuniting immigrant parents with children separated at the U.S.-Mexico border.

FILE- In this Nov. 11, 2013 file photo, Wisconsin Supreme Court chief justice Shirley Abrahamson questions state attorney general J.B. Van Hollen, at the state Capitol in Madison, Wis. Abrahamson, the longest-serving Wisconsin Supreme Court justice in state history and the first woman to serve on the high court, has died. King /Wisconsin State Journal via AP, Pool, File)MADISON, Wis. – Shirley Abrahamson, the longest-serving Wisconsin Supreme Court justice in state history and the first woman to serve on the high court, has died. Abrahamson, who also served as chief justice for a record 19 years, died Saturday after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, her son Dan Abrahamson told The Associated Press on Sunday. The voter-approved amendment enabled members of the court to choose the chief justice — who oversees the state court system — instead of requiring the title go to the most senior justice. Justice Patience Roggensack has served as chief justice since then.

WASHINGTON – President-elect Joe Biden is facing increasing pressure to expand the racial and ideological diversity in his choices for Cabinet and other top jobs. Of the nine major picks Biden has made so far, only two — Secretary of State choice Antony Blinken and chief of staff Ron Klain — are white men. Today’s Senate is more bare-knuckled and hyper-partisan than when Biden was vice president, including GOP senators eyeing their own 2024 White House runs. During his decades in the Senate and even while serving as Obama's vice president, Biden relied on a small group of close advisers who were largely white. King said he hoped Biden would appoint an African American to one of the “big four” posts, especially attorney general.

WASHINGTON – President-elect Joe Biden is facing increasing pressure to expand the racial and ideological diversity in his choices for Cabinet and other top jobs. Of the nine major picks Biden has made so far, only two — Secretary of State choice Antony Blinken and chief of staff Ron Klain — are white men. Today’s Senate is more bare-knuckled and hyper-partisan than when Biden was vice president, including GOP senators eyeing their own 2024 White House runs. During his decades in the Senate and even while serving as Obama's vice president, Biden relied on a small group of close advisers who were largely white. King said he hoped Biden would appoint an African American to one of the “big four” posts, especially attorney general.

WASHINGTON – Outgoing Attorney General William Barr's decision to appoint a special counsel to investigate the handling of the Russia probe ensures his successor won't have an easy transition. But the maneuvering over the special counsel is especially significant because it saddles Democrats with an investigation that they've derided as tainted. A special counsel can only be dismissed for cause. The Biden transition did not respond to a request for comment on the special counsel appointment. But Barr's decision could influence whom the president-elect puts forth as a nominee for attorney general.

Now, Virginia voters are deciding whether to alter their state constitution to support redistricting reform that would take the once-every-10-year task of drawing maps out of legislators' hands, at least to an extent, and give it to a bipartisan panel. But even though the issue has become a hot-button one nationally, the Virginia referendum is the only redistricting question on the ballot in the U.S. this year, said reform advocate Brian Cannon. In Virginia, the proposal to amend the state constitution to create a bipartisan redistricting panel received support from both parties last year, at a time when Republicans controlled the state legislature but Democrats controlled the governor's mansion. Jason Miyares of Virginia Beach said the change of heart is purely an effort by Democrats to press their political advantage. She said the proposal does nothing to guarantee representation for persons of color on the redistricting commission.

Jake Auchincloss has won a packed primary to become the Democratic nominee in the race to fill the U.S. House seat being vacated by Rep. Joe Kennedy III in Massachusetts. Nearly 1 million voters, skittish over the coronavirus pandemic, used the mail option for Tuesdays primary. He was elected to the Newton City Council in 2015. Kennedy opted not to seek reelection so he could challenge incumbent U.S. Sen. Edward Markey in the Senate Democratic primary, but lost that bid Tuesday, becoming the first member of the Kennedy political dynasty to lose a congressional race in Massachusetts. The few other members of Massachusetts all-Democratic congressional delegation who had faced primary opponents Reps. Richard Neal, Stephen Lynch and Seth Moulton all breezed through Tuesdays runoff.

Warren, a Massachusetts senator and leading progressive, has become an unlikely confidant and adviser to Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Warren, a Massachusetts senator and leading progressive, has become an unlikely confidant and adviser to Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Those forums have provided opportunities for Warren to make a case on top policy issues to Biden, who ran a more centrist primary campaign. Her presidential campaign didnt go particularly well, Reed said. But Warren has lately become a visible face of the Biden campaign.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA Deval Patrick is defending his work for one of the nations largest subprime mortgage lenders, telling voters theres a place in the economy for the financial tools the abuse of which led to the 2008 housing market crash. Patrick, the former Massachusetts governor who launched his campaign for president last week, served on the board of ACC Holdings from 2004 to 2006. Ameriquest, a subsidiary of ACC Holdings, was under investigation by numerous state attorneys general for alleged predatory lending practices during some of Patricks time on the board. Patrick said during a campaign event in Iowa that his role with the company was to help it reach the folks that had been unreached in getting access to capital, so that they could also own homes.

Former Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks at a campaign event, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019, in Las Vegas. And on the ground in the states that matter most this primary season, voters have a clear message: Stop. The late entries, less than 80 days before voting begins, have exposed a fresh divide in the Democratic Party. On the other are voters and local officials across early voting states who are satisfied with their existing options. The satisfied voters are yelling the loudest, but the fresh faces are not giving in.

Deval Patrick joined the race late last week, and New York billionaire Michael Bloomberg is likely to follow in the coming days. Until that happens, much of the political establishment will continue to view the 37-year-old small-city mayors presidential bid with skepticism. Suddenly, the prospect of an impeachment vote coinciding with primary voting in Iowa or New Hampshire this February isnt unthinkable. Given the approaching Thanksgiving holiday, the narrative that emerges this week could take hold for several weeks. ___2020 Watch runs every Monday and provides a look at the week ahead in the 2020 election.

DES MOINES, IA Democratic presidential candidate Deval Patrick says he will not discourage potential support from political committees raising huge sums from undisclosed donors for his campaign. The former Massachusetts governor told NBCs Meet the Press that while Im not crazy about super PACs he wouldnt disavow their support because hes doing catch up in the 2020 race. Patrick launched his presidential bid last week, joining an already crowded Democratic field less than three months before the primary voting officially begins. So-called super PACs can raise unlimited sums and do not have to disclose their donors, and Patrick said that was his only concern with their involvement in his campaign. He says that if there is going to be super PAC money that supports me, the sources of that should be disclosed.

LONG BEACH, CA The Latest on the Democratic presidential candidates (all times local):12:15 p.m.Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick is introducing himself to thousands of Democratic activists in California with the message that he's running to be the president for everyone, not just the party faithful. Patrick's appearance Saturday at the California Democratic Party's convention is his first at a major party gathering since his last-minute entrance into the presidential primary. ___1 a.m.Front-running Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren are skipping a major gathering for Democratic presidential candidates in California on Saturday. The event serves as an unofficial kickoff of the final sprint to Californias March 3 presidential primary, which offers the biggest delegate haul of any primary or caucus.

In stepped President Barack Obama, a close friend and political ally, who was in town for an event. I think it was very meaningful to Deval, said David Axelrod, a political adviser to both Obama and Patrick. The two men were friends well before the White House years and have bonded over shared personal experiences and a strikingly similar approach to politics. Later, when Obama and his family vacationed during their summers in the White House at Marthas Vineyard, Patrick and his family made regular visits from Boston. As barrier-breaking African Americans, Obama and Patrick have also drawn comparisons throughout their political careers.

Another Democrat, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, is also weighing a last-minute bid for the partys nomination. We have enough candidates, said Kathy Sullivan, a Democratic National Committee member from New Hampshire, which hosts the partys first presidential primary following the Iowa caucuses. During the 2018 midterm elections, he traveled across the country in support of Democratic candidates, raising his national profile. Last year, some of Patrick's supporters and close advisers launched the Reason to Believe political action committee, which held meetups across the country, including in early presidential primary states. By December, however, Patrick cooled to the idea of a presidential bid.

Another Democrat, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, is also weighing a last-minute bid for the party’s nomination. We have enough candidates,” said Kathy Sullivan, a Democratic National Committee member from New Hampshire, which hosts the party’s first presidential primary following the Iowa caucuses. During the 2018 midterm elections, he traveled across the country in support of Democratic candidates, raising his national profile. Last year, some of Patrick's supporters and close advisers launched the Reason to Believe political action committee, which held meetups across the country, including in early presidential primary states. By December, however, Patrick cooled to the idea of a presidential bid.

Deval Patrick is considering making a late run for the Democratic presidential nomination. That's according to people with knowledge of Patrick's deliberations, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. Patrick ruled out a run earlier this year but has since been talking with Democratic operatives and donors about launching a campaign. Patrick has not made a final decision on whether to run and faces fast-approaching deadlines to get on the ballot in key states. He made history as Massachusetts' first black governor, serving from 2007 to 2015.