Voting Takes Center Stage During US Midterm Elections
The midterm election takes center stage on Tuesday, as Americans head to the polls to elect the next US president.
From California to Wisconsin, the presidential races may be most consequential in the midterm elections.
Democrats hoping to take control of the House of Representatives in the November midterms are hoping to win a number of seats, and to make gains in a handful of states that are considered red, such as Colorado and Wisconsin, but also, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Republicans, hoping to take back control of the Senate, are also hoping to win some of the more competitive seats up for grabs.
Voters head to the polls Tuesday to choose between Republicans — Donald Trump, and his vice-presidential candidate, Mike Pence; and Democrats — Hillary Clinton, and her vice-presidential candidate, Tim Kaine.
The midterms do not feature the same level of political intrigue as presidential elections, but they do feature a number of pivotal races. A handful of states — including California, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Colorado and Oregon — have races that may be most consequential in the midterm elections.
The midterms feature a number of key races that will shape the November 2018 election, and which have the potential to shift power in the country.
Here are some of the key races to watch on Tuesday.
Arizona
Democratic Senate candidate Kyrsten Sinema and Republican incumbent Martha McSally have been locked in a tight race for weeks, with Sinema pulling ahead of McSally in the latest survey of polls
If the race were just a contest between Democrats, a loss would be considered a disaster for the Democrats’ midterm efforts
But Sinema’s campaign, including her husband, former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, is largely funded by the Hispanic community, and Arizona’s demographics are largely based on Republican voters. McSally has built support across the state from Republican voters, and the national party has been trying to turn up the heat on the race.
McSally is not an ideal candidate for the Democratic party, whose base is largely made up of white voters, but she has run ahead of Sinema in several polls, and she has not faced an opponent with her name recognition.
In the 2018 midterm election, Republicans hold a majority in the House of Representatives, while Democrats are poised to take control of the Senate, and the state
