What are most interesting down-ballot races in the country this fall?
As Election Day approaches on Nov. 5, we focus on some high-profile down-ballot races in Congress. At stake: One-third of the U.S. Senate's 100 seats (34) and all 435 members of the House of Representatives are up for re-election.
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Arizona
The Grand Canyon State is the backdrop for one of the most high-profile races in the U.S. Senate and who will replace Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Arizona, who is not seeking re-election this November. Progressive Democratic candidate U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego will face off against leading GOP candidate Kari Lake, who has the backing of former President Donald Trump. The primary is scheduled for July 30.
Michigan
Michigan's 7th Congressional District, anchored by Lansing, saw its district lines redrawn in 2022 courtesy of the 2020 census redistricting, making the race to replace Rep Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) in the House one of the most competitive elections of the 2024 cycle.
More: How many house seats are up for election in 2024? These are the U.S. House races to watch.
Republican candidate Tom Barrett, who lost to Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Michigan, in 2022, is attempting to retake the seat, challenging Democratic candidate Curtis Herel.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District has three candidates: Democrat Susan Wild, Republican Ryan Mackenzie, and Independent candidate Lewis Shupe. Wild, the incumbent, won the seat in 2018. The district was previously the 15th Congressional District but was redrawn after the 2020 Census, allegedly gerrymandered in favor of Republican candidates.
Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright, the incumbent in the Keystone State's 8th Congressional District, is also facing a Republican opponent, Rob Bresnahan Jr.
More: Will Joe Biden be on the Ohio ballot? What you need to know about the current situation
Texas
Sen. Ted Cruz, R- TX, will face off against Rep. Collin Allred, D- TX. The former NFL player turned House member previously flipped Texas' 32nd congressional district in 2018, defeating incumbent Pete Sessions. He defeated opponents Genevieve Collins in 2020 and Antonia Swad in 2022.
Cruz narrowly defeated his opponent, Beto O'Rourke, by 3% in 2018.
Virginia
Former President Donald Trump endorsed a primary election challenger to fellow Republican Representative Bob Good of Virginia, the chair of an influential House caucus that had endorsed a Trump challenger in this year's presidential primaries, according to Reuters.
Trump endorsed Virginia state Senator John McGuire, a former Navy SEAL, in his challenge to Good in the party's June 18 primary. Good, who has led the House Freedom Caucus since January, has had a rocky relationship with Trump since he endorsed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in the primary.
"Bob Good is BAD FOR VIRGINIA, AND BAD FOR THE USA," Trump said in a social media post on Tuesday. "He was constantly attacking and fighting me until recently, when he gave a warm and 'loving' Endorsement - But really, it was too late."
Good won his district, which runs along the state's southern border with North Carolina east of the state capital, Richmond, with 57% of the vote in 2022.
West Virginia
Sen. Joe Machin, D- WV, announced he would not seek a third term after initially filing to run, leaving the state's lone Democratic congressional seat up for grabs. Republican candidate Jim Justice will face off against Democrat Glenn Elliott in November.
Victor Hagan is the Alabama Election Reporting Fellow for the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at vhagan@gannett.com or on X @TheVictorHagan. To support his work, subscribe to the Advertiser.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: 2024 down-ballot races from Arizona to Texas and West Virginia
