4 states are voting on Tuesday, here's what to watch

Here are some races to watch:

— In Minnesota, a New Governor and Potential for a Muslim Representative in the House

At the top of the ballot is the open race to replace Gov. Mark Dayton, a Democrat who is not seeking a third term. On the Republican side, former Gov. Tim Pawlenty is trying to make a comeback after eight years away from the office. His opponent, Jeff Johnson, a tough-talking, Trump-supporting county commissioner, has said that if Pawlenty wins the primary, the general election in November “would be about the past.”

If a Republican wins the governor’s race in November and Republicans keep their majority in the state Legislature, the party will have full control of state government for the first time in a half-century.

At least four House districts in Minnesota are considered competitive in the general election. Republicans are hoping to pick up seats in the 1st and 8th Congressional districts, both of which President Donald Trump won in 2016. Democrats are targeting two seats in the Minneapolis suburbs: the 2nd and 3rd districts.

In the safely Democratic 5th District, several Democrats are vying to replace Rep. Keith Ellison, who is running for state attorney general. (It is not clear if Ellison will face political consequences in his own race after allegations surfaced over the weekend that he had emotionally and physically abused a former girlfriend.) One of the candidates, state Rep. Ilhan Omar, would be among the first Muslim congresswomen if she were elected.

— A Crowded Democratic Field in the Wisconsin Governor’s Race

Eight Democrats are looking to unseat Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican who is seeking a third term. The front-runner in the crowded Democratic field is Tony Evers, the state superintendent, who led Walker by as many as 13 points in one recent poll.

At the federal level, a handful of Republicans are hoping to unseat Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a first-term Democratic incumbent running in a state Trump narrowly won in 2016. Two front-runners on the Republican side — state Sen. Leah Vukmir and businessman Kevin Nicholson — are locked in a bitter battle, most recently over a familiar theme: who supports Trump more.

Two Republican-held House districts are considered competitive here, including one long occupied by Rep. Paul Ryan, the House speaker, who is retiring. Randy Bryce, a union organizer, and Cathy Myers, a school board member, are running for the Democratic nomination for Ryan’s seat in the 1st District, which has been held by a Republican for more than two decades. In the 6th District, which Trump won by 17 points in 2016, Democrats are hoping to oust Rep. Glenn Grothman, a two-term Republican incumbent.

— Connecticut’s Governor Candidates Include an Ex-Convict

The race for governor in this blue state has become heated, with a vast and varied field that includes businessmen and mayors competing on both sides to succeed Dannel P. Malloy, a two-term Democratic governor who is not running for re-election. Malloy’s deep unpopularity has made the state a potential Republican target despite its overall Democratic lean.

Republicans include David Stemerman, a Yale- and Harvard-educated former hedge fund manager; Bob Stefanowski, a business executive and former Democrat; and Mark D. Boughton, the mayor of Danbury. On the Democratic side are Ned Lamont, a prominent businessman who ran for governor in 2010 and lost, and Joseph P. Ganim, the mayor of Bridgeport, who was re-elected after serving seven years in prison on corruption charges. Lamont has become the favorite among Democratic leaders.

Another race to keep an eye on? The lieutenant governor primary. On the Democratic side, the race has become a classic test of establishment versus activist, with Susan Bysiewicz, the former Connecticut secretary of state, facing an unexpectedly intense challenge from Eva Bermudez Zimmerman, a young, Puerto Rican labor organizer.

None of the state’s House races are considered particularly competitive in the general election, and all five districts are expected to stay under Democratic control. Two Democrats are running in the 5th District, the only open seat: Mary Glassman, a former first selectman, and Jahana Hayes, a political newcomer. They are running to replace Rep. Elizabeth Esty, a Democrat, who said she would not defend her seat after she was accused of mishandling sexual harassment accusations against her former chief of staff.

— Potential First in Vermont: A Transgender Governor

Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican whose approval rating has plummeted, will have to defend his seat. Several Democrats are looking to replace him, including Christine Hallquist, a transgender woman and first-time candidate. Her main rival appears to be James Ehlers, a Navy veteran.

But the biggest name on the ballot belongs to Sen. Bernie Sanders, a progressive independent who will almost certainly retain his seat here. So sure is he of victory that he has spent time this summer campaigning with candidates in other states, including Maryland, Kansas and Michigan.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.