The candidates who will decide the US midterm elections

Abdul El-SayedDemocratic candidate for US Senate in MichiganAbdul El-Sayed, a former public health official on the left of the Democratic party, beat a moderate member of Congress to win the party’s nomination for US Senate in Michigan, in a race clouded by tens of millions in outside spending. He is facing Republican former congressman Mike Rogers in one of the country’s most-watched races. Michigan is a swing state: while the Senate seat they are fighting for has been held by a Democrat for 12 years, the state narrowly backed Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. El-Sayed’s brand of tough talk and the simplicity of his campaign slogan (money out of politics, money in your pocket, Medicare for All) have made him a progressive star – and a frequent punching bag on the right, where prominent figures led by the president have leaned into Islamophobia to criticize him.Susan CollinsRepublican US Senator from MaineSusan Collins isn’t new to the US Senate. She has been serving since 1997, and is now seeking a sixth term. A moderate Republican, she is a dying breed in the current Maga-tinged Washington during Trump’s second presidency. Maine is a battleground state: Kamala Harris won the state by a clear margin over Trump in 2024. Now Collins, 73, is trying to hang on to her seat in a race that Democrats have targeted as a key to winning back control of the Senate. She initially faced Graham Platner, a Democrat who dropped out of the race after facing rape allegations. Now, Troy Jackson – a former logger who served in the state legislature – is trying to topple the longtime senator.Adam HamiltonDemocratic nominee for US Senate in KansasKansas’ US Senate election wasn’t on the national radar as competitive at the start of the year. Why would it be? Kansans have not sent a Democrat to the US Senate since 1932. But Adam Hamilton, a megachurch pastor, won a crowded primary and has made the race one to watch this year. While Kansas typically leans right, voters in the state have shown frustration with Republican senator Roger Marshall over inaccessibility and his alignment with Trump, as they struggling to afford fuel and groceries, and grapple with sustained economic instability. Plus, Marshall, who practiced medicine for 25 years, was revealed to have sued hundreds of his patients for unpaid bills, resulting in the arrests of dozens of them. Enter Hamilton, who frequently calls for bipartisan politics that put Kansans first, even if that means standing up to Trump.Jon OssoffDemocratic US senator from GeorgiaOssoff, the youngest US senator at 39, is seeking a second term in what should have been a tight race in Georgia, the southern swing state. Polls are suggesting it will not be a close-run thing. The Democrat’s political glow-up and savvy speaking skills, captured in video clips meant to grab voter attention online, have made his reelection seem all but inevitable – and given rise to near-constant murmurs that he’ll run for president in 2028, with regular comparisons to Barack Obama, in tone and in youthfulness. The pair rallied together in Georgia last week. He has accused his opponent, Mike Collins, a Republican congressman, of being aligned with white supremacists – which Collins has vehemently denied.James TalaricoDemocratic nominee for US Senate in TexasCould Texas finally flip – and could it be a theological Democrat – who does it? James Talarico, a 37-year-old state lawmaker, has been generating buzz – and raising record-breaking sums – in his run for the US Senate. Having fended off the firebrand Democratic congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic primary, he now faces the state’s beleaguered Republican attorney general, Ken Paxton, in the general election. With Trump’s backing, Paxton beat incumbent US senator John Cornyn in the Republican primary. The nomination of Paxton – who has faced a host of fraud and misconduct scandals during his time in office – has prompted Republicans to drop tens of millions of dollars to defend a seat they typically win with a clear margin. Talarico, dubbed “Talafreako” by Trump and his allies, has sought to win over independents and Republicans in the red state by appealing to their faith and speaking against corruption in politics.Max MillerRepublican representative in OhioOhio’s seventh congressional district wouldn’t ordinarily be competitive; Trump won the district by 11 points in 2024. But damaging allegations surrounding Max Miller, the embattled Republican incumbent, have given Democrats hope that they might flip the red seat. The 37-year-old Republican, who worked on Trump’s first presidential campaign, was elected to the seat in 2022. His ex-wife, Emily Moreno, who is the daughter of Republican US senator Bernie Moreno, has alleged Miller physically abused her and their daughter, which he denied. Another of Miller’s ex-partners, former Trump press secretary Stephanie Grisham, has also accused Miller of physical abuse. He denied that allegation, too. The claims have featured heavily in ads against Miller in the district. Brian Poindexter, the Democratic challenger, is a union ironworker focused on addressing the cost of living.Mary PeltolaDemocratic nominee for US Senate in AlaskaMary Peltola is one of the few prominent Democrats who were deemed to pose a potential threat to incumbent Republican Dan S Sullivan. She entered the race hoping to capitalize on Alaska’s recent independent streak and broad anti-Trump feelings. But in the final stretch, she faced allegations of mistreating staff by using slurs and shoving one aide – which her campaign downplayed, attributing Peltola’s behavior to stress. Her campaign also faced accusations of ballot stacking by recruiting another candidate named Dan J Sullivan to run in the state’s open primary. The New York Times reported that Peltola’s staff worked with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to add another Dan Sullivan to the ballot, thereby drawing votes away from the Republican senator. Peltola has said she knew nothing of the plan. Her campaign also denied recruiting candidates into the race.Angie NixonDemocratic nominee for US Senate in FloridaMarco Rubio’s elevation from the Senate to Trump’s secretary of state in 2025 left an open seat in Florida, which was filled by Republican Ashley Moody. Now, in the race for a full term, Moody faces Angie Nixon – a progressive and democratic socialist – who staged a surprise victory in the Democratic primary. While the Florida race isn’t seen as super competitive, or a likely win for Democrats, the small business owner and state lawmaker has grabbed attention and seen prominent figures on the left, including congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders, campaigning for her. Progressives hope that Nixon can make the case that their candidates – and not just moderates – can have broad appeal in red states like Florida. Moody was the state’s attorney general before her appointment to the US Senate.Darline GrahamRepublican US senator in South CarolinaDarline Graham had minimal involvement in politics and had never run for or held public office until this year, when she was appointed to the US Senate seat in South Carolina after her brother’s death. Lindsey Graham served the state in Washington, first in the House and then in the Senate, for decades. She decided – after encouragement from Trump – to seek a full term, and won the Republican primary. But Darline Graham’s inexperience, both in office and with policy itself, has come into sharp focus. Voter frustration with political dynasties have also made the race in this typically red state a toss-up, according to polls. Dr Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, is running against Graham after previously making a run for the US House of Representatives in 2022.Juan CiscomaniRepublican US representative in ArizonaJuan Ciscomani, a 44-year-old Latino Republican congressman and former gubernatorial adviser, has faced close races for his US House seat in each election, narrowly beating out his Democrat opponent in 2022 and 2024 in the toss-up sixth congressional district in southern Arizona. Ciscomani, who was born in Sonora, Mexico and raised in Tucson, has sought to distance himself from Trump. His reelection campaign is a test of whether Latinos – some of whom swung toward Trump in 2024 and helped deliver his second term – will stick with the president, or side with Democrats, especially after Trump’s aggressive deportation scheme. JoAnna Mendoza, a US Marine Corps veteran and the Democratic challenger, has emphasized her local roots and called out Ciscomani for largely voting with Trump’s agenda.Rebecca BennettDemocratic nominee for US House in New JerseyRebecca Bennett’s odds of winning this toss-up seat increased when her opponent, the incumbent Republican Tom Kean Jr, disappeared for months from his public office. Kean, 58, was gone for more than three months from his job representing the seventh congressional district. He and his office declined to explain why until he returned, when he told people he had been hospitalized for depression. Before his prolonged absence, Bennett had flown under the radar. As New York Magazine put it: “Tom Kean Jr. needed to vanish to become interesting.” Bennett, a 39-year-old moderate Democrat and former navy helicopter pilot and aircraft commander, hopes to win over voters who are frustrated with Kean’s absence and Trump’s agenda. The district is known for split-ticket voting, whereby voters back candidates from different parties when electing figures to multiple offices in the same election. Bennett, a mother of two, has talked about how affordability concerns affect her household as well, including the cost of childcare.