These are the states where the mid-term elections will be defined

On November 8, it will be defined who will occupy the 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 seats in the Senate (a third of the total), as well as who will be in command of the 36 governorates and 34 of the 100 cities largest in the United Statesamong other local and state elections that will determine the country’s political agenda.

Democrats and Republicans have their focus on preserving or regaining majorities in Congress. And it is that the narrow margin that today gives the majority to the Democrats in the Senate and the House of Representatives could change with very few votes in seven states.

To regain control of the Senate, Republicans need to win 22 of the 35 seats up for grabs so they can hold 51 of the 100 seats in the upper house. The forecasts of ‘Inside Elections’ They predict that so far they only have 20 seats secured, but they need 22 to reach the majority.

For their part, Democrats need at least 50 seats to maintain control of the Senate, as Vice President Kamala Harris’ tie-breaking vote secures them a majority. According to ‘Inside Elections’, President Biden’s party has the favorability to win 12 seats, but needs 14 to maintain a majority.

To control the House of Representatives, a political party has to win at least 218 seats out of 435. Republicans are currently favorites to win 212 seats, while Democrats could win 205 seats. 18 seats are listed as a shot in the air.

The states that will define the midterm legislative elections are Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Nevada and Ohio. These are purple or hinge states, which are not controlled by the majority of any party and in each election they have to be disputed until the last vote in order to adjust the necessary seats.

To ensure they are in the swing states, the parties are appealing to issues that most drive people to vote. On the Republican side, the inflation blamed on the current Democratic Administration, the mismanagement of the economy, the immigration crisis and Biden’s health status are the issues that Trump’s party candidates emphasize to win supporters.

For their part, the Democrats have focused on the freedoms that women are losing after the decision of the Supreme Court to cede the power to the states to define abortion and not recognize it as a constitutional right.

Arizona

It has historically been a Republican-leaning state, but Joe Biden won electoral support for the first time since 1996. Republicans are doing everything they can to win back support and Donald Trump’s Super PAC, MAGA Inc.has spent more than $1.8 million on ads against Senator Mark Kelly, accusing him of lying about current conditions on the US-Mexico border.

In this state, Latinos, who represent 19% of the electorate, in the last presidential election supported Joe Biden with a wide margin. Democrats are seeking strong results in Maricopa County, which includes the city of Phoenix, and where most of the state’s voters are registered.

Georgia

One of the most watched states is Georgia. In 2020, Joe Biden won the electoral votes that secured him the Presidency, and Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock won both Senate elections and secured a majority in the Legislature for Democrats. On November 8, Raphael Warbnok faces former football player Herschel Walker, a pupil of Donald Trump. Walker, who declares himself “pro-life” and defends conservative values, has been accused by two women with whom he had intimate relationships of forcing them to have abortions.

The gubernatorial election between Democratic candidate Stacy Abrams and incumbent Governor Brian Kemp is another closely watched race, considering the media weight of Abrams, who did not recognize the results of the last election by losing by 55,000 votes. If she wins this time, Stacy Abrams would be the first African-American woman in US history to be governor of a state.

Michigan

Michigan’s gubernatorial race is tight between incumbent Democratic governor Gretchen Whitmer and conservative commentator Tudor Dixon, who hopes Trump’s endorsement will help her regain Republican control.

The state governor’s race has been clouded with threats against the current governor. In fact, two suspected members of far-right militias were arrested for plotting to kidnap Gretchen Whitmer.

It should be mentioned that more than 100 candidates to the midterm elections are linked to extremist organizations in the United States, according to the Anti-Defamination League’s Center on Extremism.

Pennsylvania

This state hosts the most anticipated contests in the midterm elections. The Senate seat is currently being contested between Democratic Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman and physician Mehmet Oz, a television personality, who, if won, would become the first Muslim senator.

The polls are in favor of Democrat John Fetterman, however, after the last debate he was widely criticized for his incongruous answers, which questioned his mental stability to assume the governorship. Fetterman noted during the debate that he had recently suffered a stroke and that he was recovering.

Wisconsin

Wisconsin, one of the most divided states in the country, has an election to Congress where Republican Senator Ron Johnson is seeking re-election against Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnesquestioned by conservatives for promoting the idea of ​​defunding the Police.

Democratic support in Wisconsin will be concentrated in urban centers like Milwaukee and Madison. For their part, the Republicans concentrate their favoritism in the prosperous suburbs of the cities and in the rural areas of the state.

Snowfall

It has been one of the states hardest hit by the pandemic in economic terms. Las Vegas, its capital, had to close its casinos and many businesses ended up going bankrupt. The prevention policies against Covid-19 were not well received by some, who built a narrative against the federal government for exceeding its functions and harming the economy.

Inflation, declining tourism and recession risks are economic realities that are not helping Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak or Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto in the race for re-election. Realities that also end up reinforcing the argument that Republicans know how to manage the economy better. However, political figures such as Barack Obama will be in Nevada this last week of campaigning to maintain Democratic control in this state.

Ohio

Although the recent polls they show favoritism towards the Republican candidate for the Senate JD Vance, who was also endorsed by Trump; Democratic candidate Tim Ryan continues to try to trim the lead.

The support of great figures of the Democratic Party will also be key in the final stretch of the campaign although Tim Ryan he has openly expressed that it is better not to be at a public event with President Joe Biden because he opposes several of the president’s policies and the president’s low popularity may not have a positive effect in attracting the center-right voter.

It is worth mentioning that to date more Democrats have voted early than Republicans.

What is at stake in these elections?

The mid-term elections are a thermometer that measures the acceptance of the Administration’s work in its first two years in office. The trend has shown that the opposition party tends to regain control of the Legislative in the mid-term elections to counterbalance.

These elections will also measure the extent of the power that Donald Trump has after having “dominated” the Republican Party, as President Joe Biden points out. “There is no doubt that the Republican Party today is dominated, driven and intimidated by Donald Trump and the Republicans of the MAGA (Make America Great Again),” Biden said, adding that this “semi-fascist” control of Donald Trump is a threat to democracy and to the country.

Currently, the Democrats have executive control and a majority in Congress. If the balance of powers were reversed, the Republicans would have a majority in Congress and in the Supreme Court for at least the next two years, two of the three branches of political power in the United States.