Seven Senate contests are drawing particular attention in the U.S. midterm elections, as races in Alaska, Texas, Kansas, Iowa, Ohio, Michigan and Maine could determine which party controls the chamber. One-third of the Senate’s 100 seats are up for election. Republicans currently hold 53 seats, compared with 47 held by Democrats and independents.
In Alaska, former Democratic representative Mary Peltola is challenging Republican Senator Dan Sullivan. The race has been complicated by the candidacy of Daniel Sullivan, a retired teacher whose name is nearly identical to the senator’s. The New York Times reported that Peltola’s campaign deliberately sought out the teacher as a candidate to cause voter confusion; her campaign denies the allegation. The Trump administration sought to have the election result voided if Sullivan lost but might have won with votes cast for the teacher, but a court rejected the request. Peltola is ahead in the numbers.
In Iowa, Republican Representative Ashley Hinson and Democratic state representative Josh Turek are competing in a race where the war in Iran has become a prominent issue. The conflict has affected farmers during harvest season, raised fuel prices and cost the state local service members. Turek criticizes Hinson’s support for Trump’s continuation of the war, arguing it conflicts with voters’ interests. He also links his own spina bifida to his father’s exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War, using his family’s experience to highlight the lasting effects of military conflict. Turek has a narrow polling advantage.
Kansas’s race pits Democratic pastor Adam Hamilton against Republican Senator Roger Marshall, a gynecologist. Hamilton, founder of one of the country’s largest Methodist congregations, is ahead in polls and has taken a flexible position on some issues, including abortion. Healthcare and medical debt are central topics. A New York Times investigation reported that Marshall had sued more than 700 patients over unpaid bills, with more than 80 reportedly ending up in jail. Kansas last elected a Democratic senator in 1932.
In Maine, Democratic candidate Troy Jackson is challenging Republican Senator Susan Collins, who has held the seat for 30 years. Jackson supports policies including free healthcare and ending the immigration police agency ICE, and leads by a substantial margin in polls. Collins faces a challenge in a state that did not support Trump in the last elections. A remaining question is whether Jackson can mobilize the voters who had backed his predecessor in the race, Graham Platner. Platner withdrew after allegations and details about a Nazi-related tattoo and hateful online comments emerged; he denied an ex-girlfriend’s rape allegation.
Michigan is the only one of the seven states where the Senate seat is currently held by a Democrat. Epidemiologist Abdul El-Sayed is facing former representative and FBI agent Mike Rogers. El-Sayed, the son of an Egyptian immigrant, is a vocal critic of U.S. military support for Israel. He could become the first Muslim senator if elected. Some Democrats have opposed his candidacy, while the party leads in pre-election polling. Haley Stevens, who lost the Democratic nomination to El-Sayed, has endorsed Rogers, citing the Israel issue. Donations to El-Sayed’s campaign surged after her announcement, though it remains to be seen whether that will translate into votes.
In Ohio, debate over the rapid growth of data centers has become a major issue. Public tax incentives have helped drive construction, while rising electricity costs have brought the impact on consumers into focus. Republican Senator Jon Husted, who took the seat in 2025 after J. D. Vance left to become vice president, is facing former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown. Brown calls Husted “the face of data centers” and argues that the facilities offer little benefit to Ohio workers. Public data show that billions of dollars in data-center incentives were released while Husted was lieutenant governor. Democrats are ahead in the race.
Texas Democrat James Talarico is leading polls against Republican Ken Paxton, the state’s attorney general. Talarico, a state representative, former high school teacher and Presbyterian seminarian, could become the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Texas since 1988. Although he is not Latino, he speaks Spanish and has strong ties to the state’s Latino communities. The contest is taking place as support among Latino voters has shifted back toward Democrats, amid concerns including the cost of living and the pursuit of immigrants without legal status. Talarico has criticized billionaires over the affordability crisis, and says he wants to rebuild unions and cancel medical debt. He is a progressive who advocates for a more inclusive church.
Together, the seven races feature different local concerns, from energy bills and healthcare costs to immigration and foreign policy, while each could contribute to the contest for control of the Senate.
Sources: Folha Mundo.