Midterm elections | Decisive races

Midterm election races are tight, particularly in the Senate, which currently consists of 48 Democrats, 50 Republicans and two Democratic-aligned independents. Eyes are also on the influential role of state governor. Eight places to watch out for.

Janie Gosselin
The Press

Nevada

Nevada is one of those key states that could determine who controls the US Senate. The first Latin American woman elected to the post of United States senator, Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto is seeking re-election, but is neck and neck in the polls with Republican Adam Laxalt, a former state attorney. Las Vegas, the gambling capital, has been particularly hard hit in recent years by COVID-19 restrictions and rising prices. The Republicans are also betting on the theme of the economy to reverse the color of the coveted positions, not only in the American Senate, but also in the post of governor. As for the post of Secretary of State, Republican candidate Jim Merchant, who has publicly denied Joe Biden’s victory, has a chance of being elected.

Arizona

Kari Lake thrills Democrats in Arizona. The former news anchor, backed by Donald Trump, hopes to succeed her Republican colleague as governor. She is fighting against current Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, decried by Trump supporters for confirming Joe Biden’s victory in the last election. The Republican who is running to succeed him, Mark Finchem, has also indicated that he would not have certified the result if he had been in office. In the Senate, retired astronaut Mark Kelly enabled the Democrats to obtain the seat left vacant by the death of John McCain, a Republican known for his opposition to Trump. Mr. Kelly is running again, against Blake Masters, another candidate who questioned Biden’s victory.

Wisconsin

Donald Trump had achieved a breakthrough in 2016 in this blue state. Joe Biden won it by less than a percentage point four years later. Divisions remain entrenched in different parts of the state. The seat of current Republican Senator Ron Johnson is on the line. The one who made controversial remarks during the pandemic is running again, but declined to indicate whether he would accept the results of the vote. His opponent Mandela Barnes spoke out in favor of a reduction or a reallocation of funds intended for the police force – a theme on which his opponent attacked him. The gubernatorial race is also tight, between Democrat Tony Evers, who is running for office again, and Republican Tim Michaels – who has said a Republican would ‘never lose an election again’ if elected. .

Michigan

Michigan is one of five states where an abortion question is up for a vote on Nov. 8 — in this case, voters must vote on a proposal to enshrine the right to elective termination of pregnancy in the law. State constitution. But that’s not the only reason this state is on analysts’ radar: Michigan pivots between red and blue, with stark differences from precinct to precinct. Donald Trump won the majority there in 2016, with a 0.2 percentage point lead. Like Barack Obama, he traveled to the state – where he failed to win a majority in 2020 – to galvanize supporters. Two women are competing for the post of governor: the current elected Democrat Gretchen Whitmer and the Republican Tudor Dixon.

Ohio

In 2020, Donald Trump won the favor of voters in Ohio, with an eight percentage point lead over Joe Biden. Republican candidate for United States senator JD Vance is courting middle-class white voters who are having a hard time – a reality he himself grew up with, as he repeats in his speeches. After criticizing the former president, he now has Trump’s backing and defending him. His opponent is a member of the House of Representatives who is running for the Senate, Tim Ryan. He participated in the nomination race to try to become the presidential candidate for the Democrats in 2020. The two men are neck and neck in the polls.

Georgia

The southern state of the United States is at the heart of an investigation, in which Donald Trump and his allies could be accused of interference with the electoral process. If the Republican targeted the “Peach State” for him “to find 11,780 votes”, it is because the differences there are slim. As of Nov. 2, current Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock led by 0.4 percentage points against Republican Herschel Walker – a former high-profile football player in recent weeks. In office since 2019, current Republican Governor Brian Kemp won the last election by one percentage point. He will again face Stacey Abrams, a prominent Democratic figure, who aspires to become the first African-American woman in this position.

Pennsylvania

Mehmet Oz became known to the general public as Dr. Oz, a doctor at the helm of a TV show. He has entered the race under the Republican banner to become a senator from this pivotal state, a position the party hopes to keep. He opposes John Fetterman, the state’s lieutenant governor, who appears to have suffered from a stroke in May – which is causing concern among Democrats. Urban centers have traditionally been Democrats, while rural areas have been more Republican, creating a tight race for office. The spotlight is also on the election of the state governor, currently a Democrat. Republican Doug Mastriano, a state senator, is running for the job. He is known for his positions aligned with conspiracy theories and for his participation in the Capitol events in Washington on January 6, 2021.

New Hampshire

Was the election stolen from Donald Trump or did Joe Biden win? New Hampshire’s Republican candidate for a senatorship, Don Bolduc, has seemed to swing between the two ideas since 2020. The retired general, a fan of conspiracy theories, is seen as particularly right-wing. This does not prevent him from hounding current Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan, who won the last election by some 1,000 votes. The abortion issue, however, could push more progressive undecided voters to vote for it. The Republican who currently sits as state governor, Chris Sununu, won the 2020 election by a comfortable lead and could be re-elected.

With the New York TimesCNN, the Guardian