[Edaily Reporter Bang Sung Hoon ] The main focus of the U.S. midterm elections, set for the 3rd (local time), is whether the Democratic Party will retake control of the Senate and House of Representatives. However, analysts suggest that there are “hidden battlegrounds” that will shape the future of U.S. politics just as much as the outcome of the majority party races.

On the 1st, the U.S. political news outlet Politico asked 17 of its reporters and editors to each select one of the most significant races on this year’s ballot. Politico noted that the results of these races will reveal the direction of the Democratic Party’s internal factional struggle, shifts in the voter landscape that propelled Trump to power, and the contours of the 2028 presidential election map.

◇AI, Wealth Tax, Tariffs… Policy Issues on Trial
The most attention-grabbing races are those where artificial intelligence (AI) has become a key issue. In California, two Democratic candidates are vying for the House seat vacated by former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. They are State Senator Scott Wiener, who introduced the nation’s first AI safety bill, and City Councilmember Connie Chan, who is campaigning on a platform of suspending data center construction. Wiener is backed by a super PAC (special political action committee) funded by AI industry figures, including Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic. It remains to be seen whether Democratic voters will choose to prioritize safety measures for AI or to restrict the industry’s growth itself.

In Tennessee, Republicans redrew House districts last May to turn them into areas where President Trump holds a strong advantage. Despite this, 31-year-old Democratic State Representative Justin Pearson made it a close race by campaigning against the data center proposed by Elon Musk, CEO of xAI. Politico viewed Pearson’s narrow loss as a sign that the data center could become a political “poison pill.”

In California, a ballot initiative to tax billionaires once to fund healthcare will also be put to a vote. This will serve as a litmus test to gauge the extent of voter backlash against the growing influence of the ultra-wealthy, who are now contributing one-fifth of the political funds for the 2024 federal election. In the New Hampshire Senate race, which borders Canada, a Democratic candidate who pledged to abolish President Trump’s tariffs is facing off against a Republican candidate who advocates eliminating only certain tariffs, such as those on Canadian imports.

◇Voter Sentiment Shifts in Both Democratic and Republican Strongholds… A Barometer of Changing Public Opinion
In the Kansas Senate race—a Republican stronghold—Democratic candidate Adam Hamilton, a former pastor, is waging a close contest with a campaign centered on prayer and Bible verses. In the Florida House of Representatives race, incumbent Cuban-American Republican Representative María Elvira Salazar, who ran ads arguing that President Trump’s immigration deportation policies went too far, is facing a test of the Hispanic vote.

In North Carolina, a Republican-led redistricting effort has backfired, putting an incumbent Republican at risk. In California, Democratic-led redistricting has forced a progressive lawmaker to take on a new constituency of conservative rural voters in a region dominated by the timber and livestock industries.

In the Ohio House of Representatives race, Republican Rep. Max Miller—who faces allegations of domestic violence from his ex-wife—is running despite calls for his resignation, putting the patience of the Republican base to the test. In Maine, the re-election prospects of moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins are seen as a barometer for the survival of centrist politics.

The Democrats are also struggling in states that have long been their strongholds. In New York, Governor Kathy Hochul holds a lead but her approval ratings are lackluster, which could pose an obstacle to Democratic House Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ ascension to Speaker of the House. In California, while candidate Javier Becerra’s victory is all but certain, his low-profile campaign is seen as a weakness.

◇Will This Be a “Prelude” to the 2028 Presidential Election?
In the Ohio Senate race, 73-year-old former Senator Sherrod Brown is challenging Republican Representative John Hursted, who was appointed to fill the seat vacated by Vice President J.D. Vance. If Brown wins by a wide margin by recapturing the working-class vote, Ohio—once the most hotly contested state—could reemerge as a key battleground in the presidential election.

The Michigan Senate race is a microcosm of the Democratic Party’s internal strife. If the progressive Abdul El-Sayyed wins, the progressive camp’s voice is expected to grow louder. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is weighing a run for the 2028 presidential election, said, “If El-Sayyed can win in Michigan, anyone can win anywhere.” Internal strife also surfaced on the 1st, two days before the election, when Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens—who lost to Elsayed in the August primary—declared her support for Republican candidate Mike Rogers.

In Texas, Democrat James Talarico is challenging to become the state’s first Democratic senator in nearly 40 years. The 2028 presidential campaign of Senator Ted Cruz, who has backed Republican candidate Ken Paxton, also hinges on the outcome. If the Republicans win the Georgia gubernatorial election, redistricting could increase the number of Republican seats.

In Iowa, Democrats are aiming for their first gubernatorial victory since 2006 and their first Senate victory since 2008. Politico stated, “If you want to know how strong the Democratic wave will be, look to Iowa.”