Every Senate, House and Governor Race Americans Should Follow

Countless battleground races will capture attention this November, but a few remain toss-ups in the truest sense

During a presidential election year, down-ballot races are easily overlooked as all eyes turn toward the Electoral College. But a president can’t legislate without a like-minded Congress, and the Supreme Court’s recent push toward states’ rights has made gubernatorial and local races more important than ever.

Heading into the election, the United States Congress is narrowly divided. Democrats currently control the Senate 51-49, and Republicans control the House of Representatives 220-211, with a few seats vacant.

Republicans have a likely path to winning the Senate majority in November, and Democrats are on strong footing to retake control of the House, but neither side has room for error in an election cycle where razor-thin voting margins will determine Washington’s priorities for years to come.

Related: Joe Manchin Won’t Seek Reelection in 2024, Jeopardizing Democrats’ Control of Senate

Countless battleground races are in play this November — from the Senate to the House to statehouses around the country — but a few remain toss-ups in the truest sense. Here are the most competitive 2024 election races to watch, regularly updated with the latest developments.

U.S. Senate

Michigan — Slotkin vs. Rogers

Longtime Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow, 74, decided not to seek reelection in Michigan in 2024, giving Republicans an opportunity to pick up a critical swing state seat.

Democrats quickly lined up Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin — who has proved an invaluable asset to her party by winning three congressional toss-up elections — to run in Stabenow’s place, hoping that she can continue her streak. Slotkin, 48, faces former Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers, a 61-year-old Republican who retired from the House in 2015.

Slotkin is a former CIA analyst who worked with George W. Bush’s National Security Council and was tapped to oversee international security as an assistant defense secretary in the Obama administration. Rogers is an Army veteran and former FBI agent who spent 14 years in Congress before taking a decade-long hiatus from politics.

Montana — Tester vs. Sheehy

Control of the Senate could come down to the firmly Republican state of Montana, where moderate Democrat Jon Tester has defied the odds since 2006, securing three consecutive terms in Congress’ upper chamber. Now Tester, 68, is considered the most vulnerable Senate incumbent running for reelection in 2024. Though the farmer and former music teacher has enjoyed high approval ratings for most of his tenure, today’s hyper-partisanship puts him in a trickier spot with conservative voters.

The Democratic incumbent faces a challenge from Republican Tim Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL from Minnesota who relocated to Montana in 2014 to start an aerial firefighting company. Sheehy, who will be 37 years old on Election Day, quickly eliminated Tester’s onetime advantage, and is seen as the favorite to win by some pollsters.

Ohio — Brown vs. Moreno

Democratic Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, 71, may be looking at the toughest reelection battle of his three-term Senate career, seeking victory in a state that has turned comfortably Republican since his last campaign. Trump won Ohio by 8 points in 2020, and freshman Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance defeated his Democratic opponent by 6 points in the 2022 midterms.

Brown is the only Democrat who still holds a partisan, statewide office in Ohio. He faces a challenge from Republican car dealership owner Bernie Moreno, 57, who began to embrace far-right views in the lead-up to his campaign. Moreno has the backing of Trump and the rest of the MAGA machine, and has gained ground in one of multiple races that Democrats need to win in order to retain control of Senate.

U.S. House

MI-07 — Hertel vs. Barrett

Democrat Curtis Hertel Jr. and Republican Tom Barrett — two former colleagues in the Michigan state Senate — are vying for the same House seat in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District this year, as incumbent Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin seeks higher office.

MI-07 is one of the most purple districts in the nation. In 2022, Barrett’s well-funded attempt at defeating Slotkin failed; with a new Democrat in the race this time around, he hopes to have more success. Unlike last time around, Barrett is running with Trump’s endorsement.

Barrett, 43, is an ex-Army helicopter pilot who worked as an analyst for the Michigan Department of Treasury. Hertel, 46, comes from a well-known family in Michigan politics and has held multiple elected positions. Hertel hopes to thwart his opponent’s momentum in the race by spotlighting his bridge-building record in comparison to Barrett’s hyper-partisan approach to politics.

NY-17 — Lawler vs. Jones

Republican Rep. Mike Lawler unseated a longtime Democratic congressman in a 2022 upset, contributing to his party’s narrow takeover of the House after the midterms. In his first reelection battle, though, Lawler’s ability to retain the seat appears uncertain — his biggest asset is that he has a relatively bipartisan voting record that could appeal to a divided constituency.

Lawler, 38, finds himself in a close race against former Democratic Rep. Mondaire Jones, 37, a progressive who was ousted in a different district in 2022 after just one term in Congress. While New York’s 17th Congressional District has a slight liberal tilt on the Cook Partisan Voting Index, Jones doesn’t seem to have an automatic advantage; the little polling available hints at another nail-biter on Nov. 5.

NY-22 — Williams vs. Mannion

Partisan control of the House may very well come down to New York, where another swing district has a Republican incumbent fighting for his political life. In New York’s 22nd Congressional District, which contains Syracuse and part of the Finger Lakes, 57-year-old Rep. Brandon Williams finds himself in an uphill battle to defend his seat. He was elected to the House by only 1.5% in 2022, and the state’s recently redrawn congressional map doesn’t help his chances.

Williams’ Democratic opponent this year, New York state Sen. John Mannion, has had a strong showing in local polls. Syracuse University political science professor Grant Reeher previously explained to Spectrum News 1 that Mannion, 56, is more visible in the community than Williams, which exposes a weak spot for the incumbent. But Reeher also cautioned that Williams has already exceeded expectations on Election Day once before and shouldn’t be underestimated.

PA-08 — Cartwright vs. Bresnahan

Northeastern Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District is the most Republican-leaning district in the nation that is represented by a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright, 63, was first elected to the House in 2012, and his incumbent advantage has seemingly helped him hold the seat thus far in an increasingly conservative district that voted for Trump in 2020.

In his bid for a seventh term, Cartwright faces a challenge from Republican businessman Rob Bresnahan, 34, who runs the electrical contracting company that his grandfather founded. Local infrastructure has become a key issue in the race, with Cartwright having campaigned from day one on a specific goal to revive the rail system in the area.

WA-03 — Gluesenkamp Perez vs. Kent

Two years after Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez flipped a House seat blue in a district that voted for Trump in 2020, she’ll rematch with the same man she defeated before — far-right Army veteran Joe Kent.

Kent, 44, rode Trump’s endorsement to Election Day in 2022, ousting the incumbent congresswoman at the time in the Republican primaries. Though he was popular enough to win his party’s nomination, his promotion of conspiracy theories and association with far-right extremists made him less appealing to a general election audience, allowing Gluesenkamp Perez to slide in with an upset victory.

This time around, Gluesenkamp Perez has a bipartisan record to run on. The 36-year-old former auto repair shop owner is a Blue Dog Democrat who has broken from her party on several occasions in Congress and proven that neither party owns her vote. Still, after winning in 2022 by less than 1%, she can’t assume that reelection is guaranteed.

Governor

New Hamsphire — Ayotte vs. Craig

Two lifelong New Hampshirites are fighting for the governor’s seat after a drawn-out primary season concluded in September in the race to replace outgoing Republican Gov. Chris Sununu. New Hampshire is unique in that its congressional delegation is entirely blue, but its state-level government is entirely red.

Related: Republican Gov. Chris Sununu Gets Laughs, Applause for Calling Trump ‘F—ing Crazy’ at D.C. Roast

GOP nominee Kelly Ayotte, 56, has experience as a former U.S. senator and New Hampshire attorney general, which gives her a head start in a state that’s known to look beyond party lines. Ayotte is facing former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig, 57, who only narrowly secured the Democratic nomination after a bitter primary battle that divided the liberal base.

In the Senate, Ayotte had a moderately conservative record, aligning with Republicans on most issues — including pushing to pass a national abortion ban — while taking left-of-center stances on some issues, like LGBTQ+ rights. Now that governors have a strong influence on issues like reproductive rights post-Roe v. Wade, Craig will aim to keep Ayotte’s more staunchly conservative positions at the front of voters’ minds as they head to the ballot box.

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