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WASHINGTON – Republicans have a huge advantage as they seek to maintain or expand their majority in the Senate (51-49). The battle for control rests mainly on the states that President Donald Trump won in 2016.
Of the 35 Senate competitions taking place on Tuesday, 10 involve Democratic candidates wishing to be re-elected in states that Trump won, often easily. He spent much of the last week before the elections going to those states in the hope that it will incite his supporters to go to the polls.
Meanwhile, the Democratic hopes of sitting in the Senate rest on the victory of almost all incumbents, which is a difficult task, as well as on overthrown seats in a few Republican meager states, including Arizona, Tennessee and Texas.
The key races to watch for the points scored are listed in the chronological order of the closing of the poll:
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INDIANA
Democratic Senator Joe Donnelly is trying to fend off Republican businessman Mike Braun in a state that Trump won by 19 percentage points. Donnelly is the only elected Democrat in the state of Indiana and has attempted to align with Trump on the crucial issue of extending the border wall with Mexico. He has introduced himself as a moderate who works with both parties to pass a law. "I go all the time against my party," he said recently.
Braun sought to question Donnelly's independence and described him as a career politician. He notes that Donnelly supported Hillary Clinton's candidacy for the presidency and supported the vast majority of Democratic senators by voting against the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
The polls close at 7 pm
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West Virginia
Democratic Senator Joe Manchin is a former governor seeking a second term in the Senate representing a state that supported Trump by 42 percentage points in 2016. His opponent is Patrick Morrisey, Attorney General of the State and ardent defender of Trump.
Manchin put health care protection for pre-existing illnesses at the center of his campaign and accused Morrisey of joining a lawsuit contesting the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. He was the only Democrat to vote for Kavanaugh. He also voted for Trump's first Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch.
Morrisey calls Manchin a liberal who only acts bipartisan around polling day.
The polls close at 19:30
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FLORIDA
Democratic Senator Bill Nelson is seeking a fourth term in the race against Republican Gov. Rick Scott. Scott spent millions of dollars with his personal fortune to finance his campaign. He stated that he would work to reduce taxes and regulations when he was sent to Washington.
The two men clashed over gun violence, a big problem in Florida after the February shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Nelson pointed out that he was in favor of the ban on military-style assault weapons and the establishment of a comprehensive system of background checks. Scott signed a law in Florida requiring anyone wishing to buy a firearm to be 21, but the bill did not include the prohibition of assault weapons.
The two also differed on health care, with Nelson asking to strengthen the Affordable Care Act, but Scott calling the law deeply flawed and expensive.
Polling stations close at 8:00 pm
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MISSOURI
Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill is running for a third term against Attorney General Josh Hawley. Trump won Missouri by almost 19 percentage points and the state moved from a battlefield to a strongly Republican regime in the last election.
McCaskill boasts of being a moderate: "Claire is not one of those crazy Democrats. It works in the middle and finds a compromise, "says one of his recent radio announcements.
Hawley tried to make McCaskill a "party Liberal."
The candidates were also embarrassed to see Hawley join a lawsuit filed by a group of Republican attorneys general to cancel the Affordable Care Act.
Trump has traveled to Missouri several times to campaign for Hawley, repeatedly portraying the 38-year-old state attorney general as a "star".
Polling stations close at 8:00 pm
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NEW JERSEY
Democratic Senator Robert Menendez faces a tough battle for re-election, which has nothing to do with Trump. On the contrary, allegations of corruption have alienated some voters in New Jersey. His trial for corruption ended last year with a suspended jury. Prosecutors decided not to retry the case, but the Senate Ethics Committee then released a report in which he declared that his actions, defending the personal and business interests of one of the main donors, "had undermined the Senate".
Democratic groups have spent millions of dollars in the state to reinforce Menendez in his race against Republican Bob Hugin, a former pharmaceutical executive who raised $ 24 million from his own portfolio to fund a campaign that scene of many TV commercials.
Democrats have more than 900,000 more registered voters than New Jersey Republicans, and Trump's low ratings in the Garden State could give Menendez a boost.
Polling stations close at 8:00 pm
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TENNESSEE
Republican Marsha Blackburn faces the former Democratic government, Phil Bredesen, who has served two terms in a state that Trump won by 26 percentage points.
Blackburn would be the first female senator from that state if she was elected. She has served eight times in the House and is considered one of the most conservative members of this House.
Bredesen tries to brand his credentials as a centrist. He said he would support or oppose Trump based on his specific ideas and how they affect Tennessee.
Both are vying to replace outgoing Senator Bob Corker, a Republican who has frequently clashed with Trump.
Polling stations close at 8:00 pm
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ARIZONA
Democrats have high hopes of changing seats in Arizona, where Democratic representative Kyrsten Sinema is running against Republican Representative Martha McSally.
Senator Jeff Flake, a bitter critic of Trump, decided to retire, recognizing that he could not win a primary group operation in the current political climate.
McSally is a former Air Force fighter pilot who represents a moderate district based in Tucson. Sinema is a neighborhood based in the Phoenix suburb of Tempe and is a former Green Party activist who has turned into a centrist Democrat. She has one of the most conservative voting records among congressional Democrats and presents herself as a non-partisan problem solver.
The polls close at 9 pm is
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NORTH DAKOTA
Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp is trying to fend off the challenge of Republican Representative Kevin Cramer in a state that Trump won by 36 percentage points.
Heitkamp sought to make a difference with Cramer in health and commerce. She says she is working to improve the Affordable Care Act as she works to eliminate it. Cramer argued that President Donald Trump's approach to trade must have time to work.
The Heitkamp campaign stumbled when it identified victims of domestic violence, sexual abuse and rape in an advertisement. Heitkamp apologized after learning that many of the women named in the advertisement were not allowed to do so or were not survivors of abuse.
The polls close at 9 pm is
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TEXAS
Republican Senator Ted Cruz stands for a second term against the Democratic Republic, Beto O'Rourke, a rising star of the Democratic Party who broke Senate campaign fundraising records, despite refusal of donations from political groups exteriors.
Mr. O. Rourke is trying to become the first Texas Democrat to win a statewide position since 1994, but he is likely to lose value given the advantage that he has. GOP candidates in elections at the statewide.
Cruz sympathized with Trump despite the ugly words they exchanged during the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump organized a rally for Cruz in Houston, calling the candidate "Beautiful Ted".
The polls close at 9 pm is
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MONTANA
Democratic Senator Jon Tester is seeking a third term against Republican Matt Rosendale of Montana.
Trump invested heavily in the race with four trips to a state where he won by more than 20 percentage points. Rosendale has made admiration, describing himself as a Trump Conservative.
Trump blamed Tester for derailing the appointment of White House doctor Ronny Jackson as the head of Veterans Affairs.
Facing all the firepower of the GOP, Tester remained true to the populist approach that marked him in his 2006 and 2012 elections, highlighting his life as a grain farmer and even the three fingers he has lost while he was a child in a meat grinder.
Polling stations close at 10 pm is
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NEVADA
Republican Senator Dean Heller is seeking a full second term against Democratic representative Jacky Rosen in the only real state of the battlefield that has a Republican president.
Heller and Trump kissed after a difficult start. They both stressed their desire to get more candidates for the president's judiciary, a top priority for many social conservatives.
Heller is the only Republican to run for office in a Hillary Clinton state adopted in 2016.
Rosen is a first-named Congressman and could benefit from a wave of Democratic and feminist activism fueled by opposition to Trump.
Polling stations close at 10 pm is
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For full AP coverage of mid-term elections in the United States: http://apne.ws/APPolitics
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, disseminated, rewritten or redistributed.
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