With so much going on politically this year, the contests for downballot positions such as Secretary of State have had to struggle mightily for attention.

That’s true even in a year in which the coronavirus pandemic has forced major changes and controversies over how to cast ballots, a core responsibility of most Secretary of State offices. These offices are typically in charge of everything from implementing voting rules to running high-stakes recounts to defending against foreign cyber-intrusions.

By our reckoning, despite lots of discussion of election administration, the seven Secretary of State contests being decided in November haven’t changed in a fundamental way since we last handicapped them in late June.

We continue to rate only two of the seven races as competitive — either Toss Ups or leaning towards one party. We are keeping Montana’s open-seat contest as Lean Republican, and we’re doing the same for the reelection bid by Washington state Republican Kim Wyman.

In Oregon, the Republican-held seat looks likely to be flipped by the Democrats, who have become the dominant party in the state. By

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