Some states and stories to watch as US voters go to the polls

WASHINGTON – Canadian observers must monitor Tuesday's events and scenarios as US voters go to the polls for the mid-term elections:

WOMEN: Donald Trump might as well be on the ballot – that is why Democrats have focused their campaign efforts on white women graduating from college, arguably the most motivated segment of the world. American electorate after two years of a renowned and divine president of misogyny. Add to that the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh against all odds, despite allegations of badual badault at high school's credible Christine Blasey Ford, and you have a powerful voting block capable of overthrow the Republican Majority in the House of Representatives. Does Trump's total effort to mobilize its base, mbadively composed of men with no university education, break the so-called Blue Wave?

MICHIGAN: Thanks to term limits, Michigan arrives no matter the outcome. Former Democratic Senate Leader Gretchen Whitmer fights his rival Bill Schuette to succeed time-limited Republican Governor Rick Snyder, while some polls suggest Democrat Senator Debbie Stabenow faces a challenge from Republican challenger John James. Michigan is one of eight Great Lakes Lakes Great Lakes States 2008, an interstate agreement with Ontario and Quebec to monitor the quality and quantity of Great Lakes water. "It's usually a relatively bipartisan issue, but the winner especially in the governorship races could have an impact," said Capri Cafaro, executive-in-residence at the American University School of Public Affairs and former Democratic senator. from Ohio, another signatory.

MARIJUANA:

In Michigan, as well as in another key border state, North Dakota, there are also measures to legalize and regulate marijuana for recreational purposes. The drug remains illegal at the federal level, which is why border crossing has become more complicated for Canadians working or participating in the newly legalized pot industry. But as legalization seems about to spread to more and more states, it can only help speed up actions on the federal front, which some observers, particularly the former one, Trump spokesman, Anthony Scaramucci, expect the president after the elections.

S & # 39; PROVE: While the mid-term elections generally generate less interest from voters than their presidential counterparts, 2018 goes against the trend. In the 37 states plus Washington, DC, where some form of advance voting is allowed, 36 million ballots have already been cast on Monday, with 25 states and DC exceeding 2014 participation levels. 39, Utah, Texas, Arizona and Nevada, the number of votes cast to date exceeds the total number of mid-term votes cast four years ago.

OHIO: One of the most critical elements of Trump's remarkable victory in 2016 was his ability to topple Ohio's blue-collar, long battlefield Republicans won by eight points two years ago, largely thanks to his "America First" trade mantra. If Democratic rival Richard Cordray can pull the governorship from opposition leader Mike DeWine – two-term Republican Governor John Kasich has reached the limit of his term – depends to a large extent on whether Cordray's attention to human rights workers can reverse the attachment of the working clbad to the president.

NAFTA / USMCA: This is not a voting problem for Americans, who have been away for a long time. However, as the agreement still needs to be ratified in the three countries and that tariffs under Article 232 on steel and aluminum exports from Canada and Mexico are still in place, there is enough to settle to keep stakeholders at the limit of their seats. Few experts expect problems in Congress, even if Republicans lose their seats. it's less a question of "if" than "when". And when is important, given the ongoing impact of tariffs – deferred to some extent by a strong national economy – and US farmers eager to gain access to export markets in Mexico and in Canada.

WISCONSIN: When Canadians think of all their anxiety about NAFTA, we often think of the border state of Wisconsin, flooded with dairy – and the gratitude to Trump for a US-Mexico-Canada agreement providing better access to export markets could play an important role. But Wisconsin is intriguing for a different problem that is important to Canada: health care. Republicans like Trump ally Gov. Scott Trump, a vehement critic of the Obama-era Affordable Care Act, are desperately trying to convince voters that they will not remove Obamacare protection for people already suffering from mental health problems. health. Walker is in a fierce battle with his Democratic rival Tony Evers.

FLORIDA: Still at the center of US political speech, Florida will again be in the spotlight Tuesday. Experts believe Tallahbadee's governor campaign, Andrew Gillum, mayor of Tallahbadee, black Democrat, has mobilized young and minority voices. The Democrats are counting on these voters to help Bill Nelson, the outgoing senator, face a daunting challenge from Rick Scott, the outgoing Republican governor of the state.

TEXASAt the heart of this traditionally Republican bastion is one of the most remarkable battles of the 2018 intermediate events: the Canadian-born Republican senator and the tormented tormentor turned Ted Cruz against the young Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke. Cruz has a fairly comfortable lead in the polls, but the mere fact that O 'Rourke frightened her points to the fact that Democrats, fueled in part by O' Rourke's rise to power and voters' vibrancy young and Latino, defy Republicans everywhere the state of Lone Star more and more progressive.

GEORGIA: In addition to a number of important House races, Democrat Stacey Abrams is striving to become the first black housekeeper in the United States as she clashes with Secretary of State Brian Kemp.

VIRGINIA: The state's slogan may be "Virginia is for lovers," but nothing is lost here between Republicans and Democrats, who are considering a number of districts as ripe for doing so – especially that of the representative. Barbara Comstock, Trump's ally who is trying to repel a powerful opponent of Democrat Jennifer Wexton.