Summary The Republicans are favored to gain the six seats they need to gain the Senate majority.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. midterm elections are Tuesday, with a hard-fought battle for control of the Senate at stake. Buoyed by President Barack Obama s low approval ratings, the Republicans are favored to gain the six seats they need to gain the Senate majority, an outcome that could change how the United States moves forward on free-trade agreements, immigration, oil and natural gas exports and military policy in the Middle East. The Republicans are certain to maintain, and probably expand, their majority in the House of Representatives. A number of tight governor s races are also getting attention, some of them with implications for the 2016 presidential election.
Here are the races to watch:
SENATE
KENTUCKY: The highest-ranking Republican in the Senate, minority leader Mitch McConnell, is facing the strongest challenge of his career from Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes. If McConnell prevails and the Republicans win control of the chamber, McConnell would rise to the powerful post of Senate majority leader. McConnell has been increasingly upbeat about his chances, with recent polls showing Grimes at least 3 percentage points behind him.
NORTH CAROLINA: This has been considered the most expensive race in the nation, with Republicans pouring money and energy into toppling incumbent Democrat Sen. Kay Hagan. She holds a slim polling advantage over Republican Thom Tillis. Experts will be watching this race and the one in New Hampshire, where results will be known early Tuesday night as indicators of outcomes in races further to the west, where polls close later.
ALASKA: Incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Begich is in trouble, slightly trailing Republican challenger Dan Sullivan in the polls. Far-flung Alaska is heavily Republican, but it also has a lot of independents interested in local issues such as fishing quotas in this unique and tough race.
GEORGIA: An open Senate seat that was held by a Republican could prove one of the bright spots for Democrats. Michelle Nunn, daughter of the highly popular former Sen. Sam Nunn, is in a tight contest with Republican David Perdue.
COLORADO: Incumbent Democrat Sen. Mark Udall is trailing Republican Cory Gardner by a few points. Much hinges on the turnout of the state s growing Hispanic voters. If Udall wins big with Hispanics, he could hold the seat.
IOWA: Republicans see a good opportunity in this race for a seat left open by the retirement of a longtime Democratic senator. Republican Joni Ernst has the slimmest of margins over Democrat Bruce Braley.
KANSAS: There could be a big upset here. Veteran Republican Sen. Pat Roberts is in a virtual polling tie with Greg Orman, an independent. Orman, whose chances swelled after the Democratic candidate dropped out, has been coy about which party he would vote with should he win. He would join two other independents in the Senate who now side with Democrats.
LOUISIANA: Incumbent Democrat Sen. Mary Landrieu is a top target for Republicans in this conservative state. Landrieu is unlikely to gain the 51 percent she needs to outpace Republican Bill Cassidy. The vote would then go to a Dec. 6 runoff.
NEW HAMPSHIRE: Incumbent Democrat Sen. Jeanne Shaheen holds a small lead over Republican Scott Brown. Brown made a national splash in 2010 with his win to replace the late Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy, only to lose the seat two years later. He then moved one state north to New Hampshire for his latest bid to return to the Senate.
GOVERNORS
WISCONSIN: The stakes are huge for Republican Gov. Scott Walker, a conservative favorite who is considering a 2016 White House run. Walker now finds himself fighting to keep his job in a close race against Democrat Mary Burke, who has campaigned alongside Obama in one of the few states where the president remains popular. Walker has already survived a 2012 recall election motivated in part by his law that gutted collective bargaining rights for state employees. He is a hero to many conservatives for his willingness to slash spending and take on labor unions in a state that has not voted for a Republican presidential candidate since 1984. But losing Tuesday s race would all but doom his presidential aspirations.
FLORIDA: This toss-up contest is perhaps the most closely watched gubernatorial race. Incumbent Republican Rick Scott is facing a challenge from Charlie Crist, a former Republican governor who switched to the Democratic Party. Either would play a big role in the 2016 presidential election as the leader of the country s biggest battleground state.
KANSAS: Perhaps the biggest upset could be in deeply Republican Kansas. Incumbent Republican Gov. Sam Brownback is virtually tied in polling with Democrat Paul Davis. Brownback is an ultraconservative but his massive tax cuts and subsequent service cuts may move some Republicans to cross over to Davis.
