Washington, DC - The midterm elections in the United States are in full swing, with early voting starting in most states.
The results will set the tone of US foreign and domestic policy for the rest of President Donald Trump's term. Control of both chambers of Congress - the Senate and the House of Representatives - is at stake.
If the Democrats flip one of the two chambers, which are currently under the control of Trump's Republican Party, they can thwart Trump's legislative agenda.
And if they can gain control of the Senate, they can block his judicial nominees. The upper chamber is also responsible for confirming cabinet appointees, ratifying treaties and holding impeachment trials.
There are 35 seats in the 100-member chamber up for grabs in this year's election, which will conclude on 3 November.
The current makeup of the Senate is now 53-47, so the Democrats need to flip four seats without losing any to reclaim the majority in the legislative body.
In most Senate races, the results are all but known before the votes are cast due to the political makeup of the states where the contests are playing out.
Barring a miracle, Republicans will win in Alabama, and Democrats will win in Massachusetts. That leaves a handful of competitive states that will determine the fate of the Senate.
The New Arab looks at the candidates in five key close races and where they stand on the issues.
Michigan (open seat): Abdul El-Sayed (Democrat) v Mike Rogers (Republican)
The Senate contest in Michigan is one of the most closely watched races in the election. Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive public health advocate, is taking on Mike Rogers, a Trump-backed former Congress member.
In recent weeks, Rogers and his allies have tried to focus the race on El-Sayed's Muslim identity, smearing him with baseless accusations of ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, Hezbollah, Hamas, and Iran.
Trump has repeatedly mocked El-Sayed's name. "His name is actually Abduladadalalala. It's Adulbabababababa Mohammed Al-Sayed," the US president said at a rally last week.
El-Sayed has pushed to refocus the race on the issues - particularly the affordability crisis, tariffs and the rise in the price of gasoline linked to the Iran war and his support for universal healthcare.
The progressive Democrat opposes US aid to Israel and argues that Washington should focus on investing in communities at home.
He has accused Israel of carrying out a genocide in Gaza - an allegation backed by leading human rights groups and United Nations investigators.
"I oppose the illegal and unjustifiable war in Iran and demand an immediate end to the hostilities," El-Sayed says on his platform.
Rogers initially supported the war with Iran, calling the decision to launch the conflict the "right thing to do".
But the former Republican legislator curbed his enthusiasm for the conflict as it dragged on and proved unpopular with voters. "The war with Iran needs to end, and end quickly," he said in a campaign ad in September.
Rogers is a staunch supporter of Israel. "When I get to the United States Senate, I will continue to unconditionally support Israel's right to defend itself," he said earlier this year.
Texas (open seat): James Talarico (Democrat) v Ken Paxton (Republican)
In a sign that highlights the declining popularity of Republicans, Democrats are mounting a competitive Senate challenge in deep-red Texas, which has been a Republican stronghold for decades.
Public opinion polls have shown Democratic State Representative James Talarico neck-and-neck with Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Talarico has focused his campaign on fighting corruption, closing tax loopholes and lowering the cost of living. Paxton has presented himself as a defender of Trump's agenda, emphasising securing the southern border against irregular migration.
On foreign policy, Talarico calls for conditioning US aid to Israel. He broadly backs Israel's right to "defend itself", while focusing his criticism of Israeli atrocities in Gaza and the West Bank on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"As a former teacher, seeing the death and the destruction in Gaza, seeing what’s happening to children in particular, makes me sick to my stomach," he said at a CNN townhall last week.
Talarico has stopped short of calling the atrocities a genocide, saying that the issue is a legal determination that should be made by international courts.
He has pledged to work to "end the forever war in Iran that’s driving up the cost of gas and groceries".
In contrast, Paxton has backed Trump's military action in Iran, but in a recently leaked audio recording he bemoaned the war's impact on gasoline and diesel prices.
"It's the war, it's gas prices, it's diesel," he said when asked about the issues dragging his campaign, according to Axios, which first reported on the leaked remarks.
Paxton is a strong supporter of Israel. As attorney general, he has defended and enforced laws to penalise companies and individuals that boycott Israel.
Maine: Susan Collins (Republican incumbent) v Troy Jackson (Democrat)
Maine generally leans Democratic in presidential elections, but Republican Susan Collins has won five consecutive elections in the northeastern state, earning her a reputation as one of the most tenacious politicians in the country.
This time, Democrats are hoping to use the mounting anger against Trump to finally topple the 73-year-old senator.
But the Democratic push was off to a terrible start after the party's nominee, Graham Platner, stepped down due to allegations of sexual misconduct.
Platner was replaced by former state Senate President Troy Jackson.
Collins, who has shown willingness to break with Trump, has promoted herself as an experienced and hardworking "common sense" leader.
Jackson has focused on his deep roots in the state as a former logger and supporter of workers' rights.
The Democrat agrees that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. "When I'm in the US Senate, I’ll never vote in favour of US taxpayer-funded military aid to Israel," he wrote in a social media post in July.
Collins is an unflinching advocate for Israel and has backed continuing military aid to the US ally, calling herself a "strong supporter" of the assistance, which totals at least $3.8 billion annually.
On Iran, the Maine senator has been a rare Republican dissenter against the conflict, voting repeatedly with Democrats to curb Trump's war powers.
Jackson, however, has argued that Collins' presence in the Senate tilts the balance in favour of Republicans and enables Trump's agenda, including the Iran war.
"Senator Susan Collins says that she voted against [the war] nine times, but she didn’t have the votes," Jackson said during a debate earlier this month.
"Well that sounds like then we probably ought to have Democrats in charge of the US Senate so that we have the votes."
Alaska: Dan Sullivan (Republican incumbent) v Mary Peltola (Democrat)
Alaska is another traditional Republican stronghold where Democrats are making gains and hoping to stage a big surprise.
The race pits Trump-backed two-term senator Dan Sullivan against former Democratic Congresswoman Mary Peltola. The Democratic candidate's campaign slogan is "fish, family, freedom", focusing on lowering costs in Alaska.
Sullivan is running on his record of helping push large tax cuts and "historic investments" in the US military. The senator has voted consistently against Democratic efforts to restrict Trump's ability to continue the war with Iran.
Last week, he appeared to blame the Democrats' energy regulations for the rising fuel prices in an effort to defend the war with Iran.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the conflict in the Middle East is temporary. The true forever war is the national Democrats’ war against Alaska oil and gas and our jobs. That’s the forever war," he said, according to Alaska Public Media.
Peltola has been overtly critical of the war and Sullivan's votes in support of Trump's military campaign in Iran.
"This war is driving up our energy bills and hurting Alaskans with no end in sight," she said earlier this month.
Both Peltola and Sullivan are staunch Israel supporters. Sullivan has voted repeatedly on pro-Israel measures in Congress, including sponsoring a measure to deepen military cooperation with the US ally.
When she served in the House of Representatives between 2023 and 2025, Peltola was one of the most uncompromising pro-Israel Democrats.
In 2024, she joined Republicans in voting to ban then-President Joe Biden from withholding weapons from Israel. She backed a bill to impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court in response to the arrest warrant against Netanyahu.
Ohio: Jon Husted (Republican incumbent) v Sherrod Brown (Democrat)
Former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown is attempting to make a comeback in the Midwestern state that has been trending in Republicans' favour over the past decade.
He is taking on Jon Husted, who replaced Vice President JD Vance in the Senate after the Trump administration took office last year.
Beyond the single seat, the contest is of symbolic importance. It would restore the Democrats' competitive edge in the Midwestern state and serve as an early dig at Vance, who is expected to run for president in 2028.
Brown has made his opposition to the Iran war a key theme in his campaign.
"Jon Husted has voted 14 times to continue the reckless Iran war as gas and grocery prices continue to rise," he recently wrote in a social media post. "I’ll vote to end the war the first chance I get."
In March, Husted proclaimed that the war was going "much better than anyone thought it would".
But like other Republicans in competitive races, he has tempered his support for the conflict.
"The war needs to come to an end as quickly as possible so that we can lower gas prices," he told Politico earlier this month.
Husted and Brown are more closely aligned when it comes to Israel. Both are strong supporters of the US ally.
Ali Harb is a journalist based in Washington, DC. His work focuses on US foreign policy, elections, and Arab American communities
Follow him on X: @Harbpeace
Edited by Charlie Hoyle