US Midterm Elections: Five crucial states that will determine who will hold reins of Congress
Millions of Americans will cast their ballots in the crucial midterm elections on Tuesday, November 8. This time, citizens will vote to elect all 435 members of the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate. The crucial polls will determine the second half of Joe Biden’s term as the President and will determine the make-up of the 118th Congress.
With nerves fraying in the political circle, parties have been playing their moves and have managed to narrow the polling gap. Despite the fact that at least eight of the 35 Senate races are considered competitive, the battle for control of an equally divided chamber has come down to five crucial states, per NDTV. Here’s a closer look into the five states which are seen as crucial Senate battlegrounds in the midterm race.
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Nevada
The race in the silver state will witness Incumbent Democrat Catherine Marie Cortez Masto locking horns with Republican challenger Adam Laxalt, the former Nevada Attorney General. As per the polling average compiled by RealClearPolitics, Laxalt is currently in lead by a narrow 0.6 points.
Trying to diverge the voters’ interest, the National Republican Senatorial Committee launched Spanish language ad messages last summer, focusing on the Democratic candidate's criminal justice record during her time as the state general. In this neck-to-neck race, determining a clear leader is a tough job.
Georgia
In the peach state, Republican challenger Herschel Walker will face off against incumbent freshman Democrat and Pastor Raphael Warnock. During his campaign, Warnock focused more on addressing climate change issues, restoring abortion rights and cutting down prescription drug charges. On the other hand, Walker, using his fame as a former football player, focused on the economy and anti-abortion messages.
However, Walker’s campaign was tarnished by past domestic violence allegations. The Republican challenger was even slammed with allegations from two women claiming that he forced them to get an abortion.
Wisconsin
Another competitive race to determine the control of the Senate is expected in Wisconsin where Republican Senator Ron Johnson will face Democratic challenger Mandela Barnes. Johnson is currently up by 3.3 points in an average of the last 16 polls. Former US president Barack Obama also campaigned for Barnes and blasted Johnson as someone who "understands giving tax breaks for private planes more than he understands making sure that seniors who've worked all their lives are able to retire with dignity and respect."
Ohio
In Ohio, Republican venture capitalist, author, and lawyer JD Vance will go against his Democratic rival Tim Ryan to replace retiring Republican Rob Portman, who will not be going for a re-election after two terms. During the May 3 primaries, Ryan won the Democratic nomination with 70% of the vote, while Vance – endorsed by former president Donald Trump – gained the GOP’s nomination with 32%. Both candidates were essentially tied in a number of polls conducted late October.
Pennsylvania
One of the most heated races of the midterm election will take place in Pennsylvania. In this race, Democrat John Fetterman will go against Republican celebrity medic Dr Mehmet Oz. In the May 17 primary, Fetterman, who is recovering from a stroke, prevailed in the Democratic nomination with 59% of the vote, while Oz finished with just a 0.1% difference between him and David McCormick.
Fetterman is currently facing scrutiny over his health and has come under fire about his law enforcement record as lieutenant governor, which opponents say was overly lenient.