RUFUS – Voters in New Shire State’s 19th Congressional District are already heading to polls to cast their ballots for their next Representative to fill the vacant seat left behind by Nolan Burmaster when he was appointed to the Jesstopian Senate following Sen. Larry Cofelt’s death. Voters will now determine who controls the seat after the election.

House Republicans are looking to ensure Republican control of the seat, but the seat has historically been won by Nationalists who experts predict will win the seat. Republican Allen Hallman and Nationalist Simon Victors are both strong candidates however; Victors has been polling higher since he was declared the party’s nominee.

“Simon Victors appears more likely to take the seat, given the historical record of the seat and the party that controls the seat more than the other,” said Tam Sung, a political correspondent for TAMES10. “If Hallman wants to win his voter base really needs to show up for the election today. Nationalists will take the seat easily if they don’t. Many people say that the district is heavily left leaning but recent maps show that it is a tossup district. So, what that means is it could go to any candidate but it is heavily favoring Nationalists.”

President Laylin endorsed Hallman for the seat and said that he would make an “exceptional and honorable Representative.” He also gave criticism of Victors calling him a “fascist loving,” “boot licking loser who will destroy Jesstopia.”

“I think Representative Allen Hallman has an incredible ring to it, and I urge Republicans get out and vote for Allen Hallman,” said President Jay Laylin. “We can’t afford any other Nationalists getting control of any more seats, and while we remain in the House Majority, we are borderline on the Majority in the Senate. So the House is the one place right now, at least, we can’t afford to lose.”

Experts say that Republicans could potentially take the seat from Nationalists if their voters show up in numbers. They say that right now the State’s Nationalist voter base is on shaky ground as the 2026 gubernatorial election was the closest contested race in the State’s history. Republicans gained significant ground in New Shire during the 2026 New Shire Gubernatorial Election.

“We saw during the 2026 New Shire gubernatorial election that New Shire could eventually flip given that more Republicans are turning out to vote and make their voices heard,” said Marianna Newmann. “If Republicans get out and vote in large numbers during this election, we can see a significant Republican gain and potential a seat flip that hasn’t been seen since 1950.”

Polls opened at 7:00 AM this morning and will close at 10:00 PM tonight with vote certification beginning immediately following the closure of all polls nationwide. New Shire poll workers will process ballots as they are completed so you will be able to verify that your ballot was counted. State elections workers says that you will be able to vote if you are already in line at the time of poll close and ask that you remain in line.