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US midterms predictions: The top US Senate races to watch
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US midterms predictions: The top US Senate races to watch

In a Senate split 50-50 between two parties, every race counts. Here are the six closest ones.

Politics

Mark 8 November on your calendars: America's going to the polls again.

Control of the US Congress is up for grabs in these midterm elections, including 35 Senate races that will decide who calls the shots in the upper chamber.

Currently the Senate is split 50-50 between the two parties, with Democrats in charge because they can call on the vice-president to cast tie-breaking votes.

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If Republicans flip even one Democrat-held seat, they will gain the power to thwart President Joe Biden's agenda.

Here's a guide to the six states to watch, and the drama unfolding there.

Georgia

Two upset victories in this traditionally conservative southern state ultimately gave the Democrats control of the Senate after the 2020 election - and Georgia could prove pivotal again.

One of the winners was Raphael Warnock, 53, who became the state's first-ever black senator thanks to African American voters turning out in huge numbers. This time, Republicans have also nominated a black candidate, Herschel Walker, 60.

The two men both come from humble roots, but the paths they've taken - and their politics today - could not be more different. Senator Warnock is a Baptist preacher who rose to prominence as the senior pastor at Martin Luther King Jr's church. Mr Walker is an American football legend who was lured into the race by his old friend Donald Trump.

Walker's campaign has been plagued by a series of personal scandals - yet conservative voters appear to like his plea for redemption and his rejection of liberal policies.

Warnock hopes his campaign to protect abortion and voting rights will inspire liberals - but high inflation, a slowing economy and the unpopularity of President Joe Biden threaten his narrow lead.

If neither candidate gets 50% - a possibility because there is a third-party Libertarian candidate - then there will be a run-off election on 6 December.

Pennsylvania

Close contests have become the norm here. The last two presidential elections were each decided by barely 1% - and this Senate race could also come down to the wire.

Perhaps that's why it's got so personal. Or maybe it's because of the larger-than-life characters.

John Fetterman, 53, is the tattooed 6ft 8in (2m) Harvard-graduate-turned-small-town mayor who usually dresses in shorts and a hoodie. The progressive Democrat had a commanding lead until he suffered a stroke a few months ago that required him to use closed captioning technology to answer questions.

His Republican opponent, Mehmet Oz - best known to TV viewers as "Dr Oz" from the Oprah Winfrey Show - has capitalised, repeatedly challenging him to public debates and even suggesting Mr Fetterman would not be ill if he "had ever eaten a vegetable in his life".

In return, the Fetterman campaign has trolled the celebrity heart surgeon on social media as a carpetbagger from New Jersey, a peddler of disproven miracle cures and even a puppy killer.

Strap in for more election drama in this campaign's final stretch.