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Article snippet: Voters head to the polls across the country on Tuesday to decide a host of critical elections that will shape social and fiscal policy — and offer an early hint about the state of the electorate a year before the 2020 presidential election. Here are the critical races to watch as the results come in early next week: MISSISSIPPI Voters here will choose a new governor to replace term-limited Gov. Phil Bryant (R). Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves (R) is the favorite, both because of Mississippi’s red hue and because of an arcane law that requires statewide candidates to win a majority of state legislative districts, not just the popular vote, that favors Republicans in an age of hyper polarization. But recent polls have showed Reeves running only slightly ahead of Attorney General Jim Hood (D), one of the last Democrats to hold statewide office in the Deep South. Hood has won a majority of legislative districts before, so it’s not out of the question that Democrats could win back the governorship for the first time since Ronnie Musgrove won election in 1999. KENTUCKY A strong economy, a low unemployment rate and a rising Republican electorate should be propelling Gov. Matt Bevin (R) to a second term. But Bevin has gone out of his way to pick fights — with the Republican-controlled legislature, with teacher’s unions, and even with his own lieutenant governor. He faces a stiff challenge from Attorney General Andy Beshear (D), the son of Bevin’s predecessor in the governor’s mans... Link to the full article to read more