General Election

BOSTON - As Mitt Romney has plunged into the general election campaign, he has notably softened his message about issues as varied as abortion, immigration and healthcare. But while he has moderated his rhetoric, the GOP nominee's policies remain unchanged. Political observers say his measured tone during the first debate with President Obama was one reason his performance was viewed so positively - in one night, he neutralized months of the Obama campaign painting him as an extremist.

Wisconsin's embattled Republican governor, Scott Walker, has defeated an effort by labor unions and Democratic activists to end his tenure early, according to early results and exit polls. The state has been a center of political controversy for more than a year - ever since Walker pushed a bill through the Legislature that sharply limited collective bargaining rights for teachers and most other government workers. Public employee unions led an effort to oust him, and early this year turned in more than 900,000 signatures on petitions, setting up only the third recall election of a governor in U.S. history.

If Campbell wins the GOP nomination on Tuesday, then there will certainly be a liberal successor to Sen. Cranston, no matter who wins the general election. LARRY ADAMY, Los Angeles

WASHINGTON -- Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, the last of the World War II veterans in the Senate, is retiring at the end of this term, he said Thursday. Lautenberg, who turned 89 last month, had been planning to run for reelection in 2014. This year, however, Cory Booker, the mayor of Newark, indicated interest in the job and began forming a campaign committee to explore the option. Booker is not the only potential candidate, and the prospect of an open Senate seat could set up a scramble among Democrats.

I am sorry to read that George Skelton (Capitol Journal, Nov. 4) thinks the defeat of Proposition 62 has stopped momentum toward an independent redistricting commission. I voted against 62 because I believe it represented a false reform that might have increased moderate voices in the general election, but at the cost of restricting the number of voices heard in the general election and damaging the party system. I would strongly support real reforms, such as ranked-choice voting and an independent redistricting commission, and my opposition to Louisiana-style runoff elections should not be taken as unequivocal support for the status quo. Bob Kopp Pasadena

The tiny, land-locked Pyrenean state of Andorra announced Wednesday that it will hold its first general election Dec. 12 after more than 700 years of life based on semi-feudal laws and traditions. Andorra borders on France and Spain.

Gov. James J. Blanchard announced his candidacy Tuesday for a third term. Blanchard is unopposed in the Democratic primary. His likely opponent in the November general election is state Sen. John Engler, who faces token opposition in the GOP primary.

Voter turnout more than tripled, reaching 69%, in the first-ever consolidation of city and general elections on Nov. 6, according to final figures released by the county registrar of voters. More than 9,000 of the 13,239 registered voters in the city went to the polls this month, compared to only 22% during the last municipal election in April, 1988. It was shortly after the 1988 vote that the City Council decided to consolidate city elections with the general election in November.