A battle for control of several swing state capitols is playing out in the shadow of the presidential campaign. National groups aligned with Democrats and Republicans are planning to spend a couple hundred million dollars on state legislative races. The top targets include several states where control of a chamber is at stake, including Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Many of those states also are presidential battlegrounds. Parties are highlighting national political themes such as abortion rights, inflation and immigration. Some of the most closely contested races are occurring in the suburbs of big cities.
