Voters in three states decide Senate seats as Election Day nears

Election Day arrives in hours, with the balance of power in Congress hanging on several tight Senate contests. Political experts are closely monitoring races in Texas, Michigan, and Ohio as the final votes are counted.

In Texas, Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton runs against Democratic state representative James Talarico. Paxton secured the party nomination after President Donald Trump endorsed him over incumbent Senator John Cornyn. The race is complicated by Paxton's history with the Republican-controlled Texas House, which impeached him on corruption charges before later acquitting him. A win for Talarico would mark the first time a Democrat from Texas served in the U.S. Senate in over thirty years.

Michigan voters choose between Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, a public health administrator, and Republican Representative Mike Rogers. The contest is for an open seat. El-Sayed's Muslim faith has become a central issue after Trump claimed without evidence that El-Sayed holds extremist ties. El-Sayed rejected those claims, stating his loyalty lies with the U.S. Constitution. On Sunday, Representative Haley Stevens, who lost the Democratic primary to El-Sayed, dropped her support for him and backed Rogers instead.

Senator Jon Husted faces former Senator Sherrod Brown in Ohio. Husted took office after J.D. Vance was appointed vice president. Brown seeks a return to the Senate after losing his 2024 reelection bid to Bernie Moreno. The victor in this race will fill the remaining two years of Vance's term.

All three states will determine their final Senate representatives on Tuesday.