FiveThirtyEight’s top politics stories this week

[FiveThirtyEight]( Popular in Politics Thursday, November, 02, 2023 [1. Adam Kinzinger muses: 'I would love to run against Ted Cruz']( [Adam Kinzinger muses: 'I would love to run against Ted Cruz']( In an interview promoting his new book, "[Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty In Our Divided Country]( former Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger told [538 Politics podcast]( host Galen Druke, "I would love to run against Ted Cruz." He continued, "the most complete con artist in politics, like one of them, to be able to run against his face in public would be amazing." [Read more]( [2. The curious case of Dean Phillips's last-minute primary challenge]( [The curious case of Dean Phillips's last-minute primary challenge]( It looks like President Biden won't have perfectly smooth sailing to the Democratic nomination, after all. On Friday, Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips [announced a 2024 presidential campaign]( arguing that while Biden "has done a spectacular job" as president, the party "needs to look to the future" to ensure it can defeat former President Donald Trump. Phillips's move came nearly three weeks after erstwhile primary contender Robert F. Kennedy Jr. [dropped out of the Democratic primary to run as an independent](. While 2020 presidential candidate Marianne Williamson is also running, Phillips quickly moves to the front of the line as Biden's most notable opponent within his own party. [Read more]( [3. Abortion rights are on the ballot in Ohio this Election Day]( [Abortion rights are on the ballot in Ohio this Election Day]( After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, supporters of abortion rights came out on top in [every statewide ballot measure on abortion](. And even in races where abortion was only implicitly on the ballot, [abortion rights generally won out](. [Read more]( [4. Virginia's legislative contests may be the most important races in 2023]( [Virginia's legislative contests may be the most important races in 2023]( When Virginia Democrats didn’t lose a statewide election from 2012 through 2020, the conventional wisdom shifted toward viewing Virginia as [an out-and-out blue state](. But in 2021, the Old Dominion reaffirmed its purple bona fides when [the GOP narrowly swept]( all three state offices — governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general — as well as the House of Delegates, the lower chamber of the state’s General Assembly. This left Democrats in control of only the state Senate — which wasn’t on the ballot in 2021 — where their small advantage stood as [the main impediment]( to [Republicans’ ability to implement]( their [legislative priorities](. [Read more]( [5. The latest updates on the 2024 Republican presidential primary]( [The latest updates on the 2024 Republican presidential primary]( Today, 538 unveiled its [2024 Republican primary dashboard]( featuring all of 538's coverage and trackers of the presidential primary in one place. The dashboard shows, at a glance, which candidate is leading in national polls, endorsements and favorability among Republican voters. These numbers will be updated in real time as new polls and endorsements are announced. The dashboard also contains a news feed of all of 538's analysis of the primary as well as updates from the campaign trail via ABC News reporters. [Visit the dashboard here]( [Read more]( [FiveThirtyEight] [View in browser]( [ABC News]( [Unsubscribe](