Early voting in Louisiana midterms ends Tuesday

The big picture: Nationwide, states with competitive races are seeing the biggest early turnouts, Axios' Herb Scribner reports, but Louisiana voters appear poised to beat their early turnout numbers for the 2022 midterms.

• That year, 377,428 people voted early, including 28,835 in Orleans and 26,523 in Jefferson parishes, Secretary of State data show.

• So far in 2026, Orleans and Jefferson are already more engaged, with 32,184 and 30,496 early voters, respectively.

Between the lines: Black voters made up a larger share of voters on the first day of early voting than nearly all other elections in the past 18 years, according to an analysis from the Louisiana Illuminator.

• That's led some Democrats to feel cautiously optimistic about Jamie Davis' chances against Rep. Julia Letlow in the race for Senate, the Illuminator's Julie O'Donoghue reports.

State of play: Davis, who aims to be Louisiana's first Black man elected to statewide office since Reconstruction, holds an early voting rally Tuesday in Duncan Plaza, across from City Hall.

• Actor Wendell Pierce and former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg will join him at 11am, according to campaign texts.
• Letlow spent time with New Orleans faith leaders over the weekend, according to her social media.

What's next: Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls will be open from 6am to 8pm.

• Here's your voting guide.