I use upcoming when I want to create a feeling immediacy. “I will run in the upcoming election” sounds like your will run in the election coming up next, not the one after; and that there are no elections between now and that one.

In some circumstances I prefer ongoing to continuing. Ongoing gives the impression that the thing (trial for example) has been happening and will continue to happen, whereas continuing can mean it stopped and is now starting over. I realize that in the second case resuming would be the appropriate word but it is not always used. Look at all televised mini-series. They “continue from yesterday,” never resume.