Abdoul El-Sayed
Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Michigan
Abdul El-Sayed, a former public health official on the Democratic Party’s left, beat a moderate congressman to win the party’s U.S. Senate nomination in Michigan, in a race clouded by tens of millions in outside spending. He will face former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers in one of the most watched races in the country. 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 supported Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. El-Sayed’s 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 for the right, where prominent figures run by the president looked at Islamophobia to criticize him.
Susan Collins
American Republican senator from Maine
Susan Collins is not new to the U.S. Senate. She has been in office since 1997 and is now seeking a sixth term. A moderate Republican, she is a dying breed in today’s 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 hold on to her seat in a race that Democrats see as the key to regaining control of the Senate. She first faced Graham Platner, a Democrat who dropped out of the race after being accused of rape. Now, Troy Jackson – a former logger who served in the state Legislature – is trying to unseat the longtime senator.
Read more about midterm election coverage:
Adam Hamilton
Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Kansas
The U.S. Senate elections in Kansas were not on the national radar as competitive at the start of the year. Why would it be? Kansans haven’t sent a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1932. But Adam Hamilton, a megachurch pastor, won a crowded primary and made the race one to watch this year. While Kansas generally leans right, voters in the state have shown frustration with Republican Sen. Roger Marshall over inaccessibility and his alignment with Trump, as they struggle to afford fuel and groceries and grapple with ongoing economic instability. Additionally, Marshall, who practiced medicine for 25 years, revealed that he sued hundreds of his patients for unpaid bills, leading to the arrest of dozens of them. Enter Hamilton, who frequently calls for bipartisan politics that puts Kansans first, even if it means standing up to Trump.
Jon Ossoff
Democratic U.S. Senator from Georgia
Ossoff, the youngest U.S. senator at 39, is seeking a second term in what should have been a close race in Georgia, the southern swing state. Polls suggest it won’t be a close affair. The Democrat’s political brilliance and oratory skills, captured in video clips intended to grab the attention of voters online, made his reelection almost inevitable — and gave rise to near-constant murmurings that he would run for president in 2028, with regular comparisons to Barack Obama, in terms of tone and youth. The two men gathered in Georgia last week. He accused his opponent, Mike Collins, a Republican congressman, of being aligned with white supremacists — something Collins vehemently denied.
James Talarico
Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas
Could Texas finally swing – and could it be a theological Democrat – who does it? James Talarico, a 37-year-old state lawmaker, generated buzz — and raised record amounts of money — in his campaign for U.S. Senate. After fending off Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic primary, he now faces Republican state Attorney General Ken Paxton in the general election. With Trump’s support, Paxton defeated incumbent U.S. Senator John Cornyn in the Republican primary. The nomination of Paxton — who has faced a slew of fraud and misconduct scandals during his tenure — has prompted Republicans to spend tens of millions of dollars to defend a seat they typically win by a clear margin. Talarico, nicknamed “Talafreako” by Trump and his allies, sought to win over independents and red-state Republicans by appealing to their faith and speaking out against corruption in politics.
Max Miller
Republican Representative in Ohio
Ohio’s Seventh Congressional District would not normally be competitive; Trump won the district by 11 points in 2024. But damaging allegations about Max Miller, the embattled Republican incumbent, have given Democrats hope of flipping 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 U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno, has alleged that Miller physically abused her and their daughter, which he has denied. Another of Miller’s ex-partners, former Trump press secretary Stephanie Grisham, also accused Miller of physical violence. He also denied this allegation. These claims were widely publicized in advertisements against Miller in the district. Brian Poindexter, the Democratic challenger, is a union steelworker focused on fighting the cost of living.
Marie Peltola
Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Alaska
Mary Peltola is one of the few prominent Democrats seen as a potential threat to incumbent Republican Dan S Sullivan. She entered the race hoping to capitalize on Alaska’s recent independence streak and broad anti-Trump sentiments. But down the stretch, she faced allegations of mistreating staff by using slurs and shoving an aide — something her campaign downplayed, attributing Peltola’s behavior to stress. His 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, diverting votes away from the Republican senator. Peltola said she knew nothing about the plan. His campaign also denied recruiting candidates for the race.
Angie Nixon
Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Florida
Marco Rubio’s elevation from the Senate to Trump’s secretary of state in 2025 left an open seat in Florida, held by Republican Ashley Moody. Now, in the race for a full term, Moody faces Angie Nixon – a progressive socialist and Democrat – who scored a surprise victory in the Democratic primary. Although the race in Florida is not considered highly competitive, nor a likely victory for Democrats, the small business owner and state lawmaker has attracted attention and seen prominent figures on the left, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders, campaign for her. Progressives hope Nixon can make the case that their candidates — not just moderates — can have broad appeal in red states like Florida. Moody was the state’s attorney general before his appointment to the U.S. Senate.
Darline Graham
Republican U.S. Senator from South Carolina
Darline Graham had minimal involvement in politics and had never run for or held public office until this year, when she was appointed to the U.S. Senate seat in South Carolina after the death of her brother. Lindsey Graham has served Washington State, first in the House and then in the Senate, for decades. She decided – after encouragement from Trump – to run for a full term and won the Republican primary. But Darline Graham’s inexperience, both in office and in politics itself, became evident. Voter frustration with political dynasties has also made the race in the typically red state a toss-up, polls show. Dr. Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, is running against Graham after running for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022.
Juan Ciscomani
Republican U.S. Representative from Arizona
Juan Ciscomani, a 44-year-old Latino Republican congressman and former gubernatorial adviser, has faced close races for his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in every election, narrowly defeating his Democratic opponent in 2022 and 2024 in southern Arizona’s Sixth Congressional District. Ciscomani, born in Sonora, Mexico, and raised in Tucson, sought to distance himself from Trump. His reelection campaign is a test of whether Latinos — some of whom turned to Trump in 2024 and helped win his second term — will stick with the president or with Democrats, especially after Trump’s aggressive deportation plan. JoAnna Mendoza, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and Democratic challenger, emphasized her local roots and criticized Ciscomani for voting largely in favor of Trump’s agenda.
Rebecca Bennett
Democratic candidate for United States House of Representatives in New Jersey
Rebecca Bennett’s chances of winning this random seat increased when her opponent, Republican incumbent Tom Kean Jr., disappeared for months from public office. Kean, 58, has been away for more than three months from his post representing the Seventh Congressional District. He and his office refused to explain why until he returned, when he told people he had been hospitalized for depression. Before his prolonged absence, Bennett had gone unnoticed. As New York Magazine says: “Tom Kean Jr. had to disappear to become interesting. » Bennett, a 39-year-old moderate Democrat and former Navy helicopter pilot and aircraft commander, hopes to win over voters frustrated by Kean’s absence and Trump’s agenda. The district is known for split-ticket voting, in which voters support candidates from different parties when they elect figures to multiple offices in the same election. Bennett, a mother of two, explained how affordability issues also affect her household, including the cost of child care.
Gn headline
