-- Top political contests to be decided on Election Day:
GOVERNORS:
NEW JERSEY: Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine and Republican businessman Doug Forrester both ran negative campaigns for a seat left open by acting Democratic Gov. Richard Codey. Spending totals broke records at $70 million.
VIRGINIA: An open seat spurred another nasty campaign here, with Democratic Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine and Republican Jerry Kilgore, a former attorney general, seeking to succeed popular Democratic Gov. Mark Warner. Spending records broken.
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MAYORS:
ATLANTA: City's first female mayor, Shirley Franklin, expected to easily win bid for a second term against two little-known challengers.
BOSTON: Three-term incumbent Mayor Thomas Menino faced longtime city councilwoman Maura Hennigan. If he wins and serves out a full term, Menino would become the longest-serving mayor in the city's history.
DETROIT: Polls showed Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick at risk of becoming the first Detroit mayor since 1961 to be defeated in a re-election bid. He was challenged by Freman Hendrix, a former deputy mayor under Kilpatrick's predecessor.
HOUSTON: Mayor Bill White was widely expected to be re-elected with as much as 90 percent of the vote.
NEW YORK CITY: Billionaire Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg has consistently led in polls in his bid for a second term in a heavily Democratic city against former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer.
SAN DIEGO: Donna Frye, a maverick Democratic councilwoman and surf-shop owner who nearly won the job last year after a write-in bid, faced Republican Jerry Sanders, a former police chief with the solid backing of the city's business establishment.
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STATEWIDE BALLOT MEASURES:
CALIFORNIA, four measures promoted by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to:
_Cap state spending, give governor more power to make budget cuts.
_Make teachers work five years instead of two to pass probation.
_Strip lawmakers of their power to deal with redistricting.
_Require public employee unions to get members' permission before dues could be used for political purposes.
