Voters throughout the country head to the polls midterm elections, with control of Congress, dozens of governorships, and major policy proposals all on the line.
asserted
control → head → line
Beyond Washington, 36 states will choose their next governor, while voters also decide on ballot measures on issues ranging from redistricting to abortion rights to a proposed
in California.
asserted
voters → choose → California
Midterm elections get their name because they happen in the middle of a presidential term.
asserted
they → get → term
Although the president isn't on the ballot, the midterm elections often turn into referendums on the president and the party in power.
asserted
elections → turn → power
House of Representatives
Republicans hold a narrow, three-seat majority in the U.S. House as voters head to the polls on Tuesday.
asserted
voters → hold → Tuesday
Historically speaking, that could be a tall task for the GOP, as the party controlling the White House hasn't picked up seats in the House during the midterms since 2002.
uncertain
party → speak → 2002
The road to a majority for both parties runs through several key districts, the most prominent of which may lie in Pennsylvania.
uncertain
prominent → run → Pennsylvania
A cluster of four suburban Philadelphia, Lehigh Valley and central Pennsylvania districts are all held by Republicans in competitive territory.
asserted
cluster → hold → territory
With control of the House being decided by such narrow margins, Democrats can put themselves within striking distance of a majority if they're able to flip all four seats, potentially making Pennsylvania an early bellwether for how the night will go.
asserted
night → decide → seats
Just to the north, in New York's 17th Congressional District in the Hudson Valley, incumbent two-term Republican Rep. Mike Lawler faces Democratic challenger Cait Conley in a race that has focused a lot of time on foreign policy, immigration and data centers.
asserted
that → face → policy
Lawler has won this seat by less than 30,000 votes in the last two cycles and the district voted for Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024, but faces a much tougher hill to climb, with the national environment blowing strongly in the face of House Republicans.
asserted
environment → win → Republicans
Further to the west in Iowa, Republicans control all four House seats and have tight races expected in three of them.
asserted
races → control → them
In the 1st District in the southeastern part of the state, incumbent Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks will seek to defend herself in a seat that is no stranger to tight races, including in 2020 where Miller-Meeks won by just six votes.
asserted
Meeks → seek → votes
Another potentially vulnerable Republican incumbent lies in the 3rd District, where Rep. Zach Nunn seeks a third term in what has traditionally been Iowa's "bluest" district.
asserted
what → lie → term
The northeastern 2nd District, currently held by now-Senate candidate Ashley Hinson, is a slightly taller task for Democrats, and features two young candidates: 29-year-old GOP nominee Joe Mitchell, and 42-year-old Democrat Lindsay James.
asserted
District → hold → candidates
Arizona, long a bastion of tight elections, is set to feature two more in the 1st and 6th congressional districts.
asserted
Arizona → set → districts
In the state's 1st District, which includes parts of Phoenix, Scottsdale and other suburbs, GOP nominee Jay Feely, a former NFL kicker, will face Democrat Amish Shah, a physician.
asserted
Feely → include → Shah
Shah, who worked on the medical team for the New York Jets at the same time Feely played there, narrowly lost in 2024 to current Rep. David Schweikert.
asserted
Feely → work → Schweikert
In the 6th district near the border, incumbent Republican Juan Ciscomani is seeking a third term in a seat that he has held on to by less than 3 points in each of the last two cycles.
asserted
he → seek → cycles
In Colorado, two House races could potentially make headlines for very different reasons on Election Night.
uncertain
races → make → Night
In the deep-blue 1st Congressional District in Denver, 29-year-old Melat Kiros is a heavy favorite to become the first member of "Gen Z" to be elected to Congress, after she defeated longtime incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette in the primary.
asserted
she → become → primary
In the western part of the state, Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert faces an unexpectedly tight battle for reelection in the 4th District.
asserted
Boebert → face → District
This is a district with a strong Republican lean, as Mr. Trump won it by more than 17 points just two years ago, but recent polling shows Boebert in a close race with Democratic challenger Eileen Laubacher.
asserted
polling → win → Laubacher
California is also set to potentially play a major role in determining who may control the House, as Democrats try to capitalize on a set of newly redrawn districts.
uncertain
Democrats → set → districts
The new map, designed to help Democrats pick up five seats currently held by Republicans, is intended to offset gains made by the GOP redistricted states.
asserted
Democrats → design → states
Among them is the hotly contested Central Valley 22nd congressional district, where incumbent Rep. David Valadao faces Democrat Randy Villegas.
asserted
Valadao → contest → Villegas
In southern California, Republicans look to hold onto the seat in the 48th district, which is being vacated by retiring Rep. Darrell Issa.
asserted
which → look → Issa
But the most intriguing races may be in South Texas, where Republicans hope to hold on to their gains among Latino voters in 2024.
uncertain
Republicans → hope → 2024
In the Corpus Christi border 15th District, Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz faces Democratic challenger Bobby Pulido, a Latin Grammy-winning music artist.
asserted
Cruz → face → Pulido
President Trump has made gains among Latino voters in South Texas, but after the GOP-led push to redraw districts, most of the voters are unfamiliar with De La Cruz.
asserted
most → make → Cruz
A bit further north, in the newly-redrawn open 35th District near San Antonio, Johnny Garcia, a longtime county sheriff's deputy, will seek to flip the seat away from Republican candidate Carlos De La Cruz, Monica's brother.
asserted
Garcia → redrawn → Cruz
There are two other border districts that Democrats are hoping to hold onto that were drawn to be more friendly to Republicans: longtime Rep. Henry Cuellar's Laredo-area 28th District and Rep. Vicente Gonzalez's 34th District.
asserted
that → be → Republicans
The GOP is also looking to protect a 53-47 majority in the Senate.
asserted
GOP → look → Senate
While a total of 35 seats are on the ballot, the race is likely to come down to 11 battleground races.
asserted
race → come → races
Democrats look set to retain their seat in Georgia, as incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff appears to have a lead on his Republican challenger, Rep. Mike Collins, according to polling.
uncertain
Ossoff → look → polling
North Carolina, a longtime Democratic target, seems poised to turn blue, as popular former two-term Democratic governor Roy Cooper has been leading polls to take the seat currently held by retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis.
asserted
Cooper → seem → Tillis
In Maine, longtime Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins is facing one of the toughest reelection battles of her 29-year Senate career.
asserted
Collins → face → career
Collins, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, is seeking a sixth term in a state Kamala Harris won by three points in 2024.
asserted
Harris → chair → 2024
She faces former state Senate President Troy Jackson, who was chosen at the state party convention to replace scandal-plagued Graham Platner on the ballot.
asserted
who → face → ballot
In Alaska, Democratic challenger Mary Peltola faces not one but
, one of whom is the Republican incumbent.
asserted
one → face → whom
…and 49 more, not listed.
The Aporia
