From Maine to Texas: Inside 5 Senate races that could threaten Trump’s majority

WASHINGTON, DC: The Republicans currently enjoy a 53-47 Senate majority, and Democrats need only to win four of the toss-up races on November 3 to gain control, which would allow them to block President Donald Trump's nominees and agenda items for the remaining two years of his term.

The map this cycle initially appeared to be working in their favor, since most of the 22 seats the GOP is defending are in states that Trump won by comfortable margins in 2024. But the unpopular war with Iran and persistent affordability issues have helped make several Republican-held seats increasingly competitive, while Democrats are trying to defend a handful of other seats from possible GOP flips.

Maine: Susan Collins vs Troy Jackson

One of the last genuinely contested Senate seats in New England, and a toss-up Democrats once thought they had in their back pocket for this election cycle.

The candidates are five-term GOP Sen Susan Collins, 73, of Maine, a chair of the powerful Appropriations Committee, and one of the most independent-minded members of the chamber.

Her Democratic challenger, Troy Jackson, 58, is a fifth-generation logger and former president of the Maine Senate who has positioned himself as a middle-class champion.

Sen Bernie Sanders endorsed Jackson, a former unsuccessful gubernatorial nominee. Democrats' initial pick, oyster farmer Graham Platner, withdrew in July after an assault allegation he denied, leaving Democrats to scramble to endorse Jackson at the last minute.

Michigan: Abdul El-Sayed vs Mike Rogers

An open seat, left by the retiring Sen Gary Peters, in a presidential-election battleground state that hasn't elected a Republican senator since 1994.

The candidates: Progressive Abdul El-Sayed, 41, a former health official in the state of Michigan, who narrowly won the Michigan Democratic primary last year against a national-level moderate and is seen as fueling the split in his party between more progressive Democrats and those who felt he was too left-wing; his harsh criticism of Israel and endorsement of left-wing, social media "influencer" Hasan Piker fueled the former and alienated some Black and Jewish voters.

He now faces off against Republican Mike Rogers, 63, a former FBI agent and congressman who came up well short in a separate 2024 Michigan Senate race.

Donald Trump and his allies have seized on El-Sayed's coalition of left-wing voters as an example of Democrats drifting away from the state's working-class voters, while Rogers hasn't centered Trump in his campaign for the Senate seat, but has drawn from his supporters' votes.

Texas: James Talarico vs Ken Paxton

A seat Democrats haven't won in Texas since 1988, but one they've made truly competitive for the first time in decades.

The candidates: Democratic state Re. James Talarico, 37, a former teacher and Presbyterian seminarian, is running neck-and-neck with Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Trump's last-minute endorsement of Paxton played a huge part in him ousting four-term incumbent Sen John Cornyn in a contentious primary by 28 points, essentially anointing him as the nominee, but Paxton's fundraising has been way behind Talarico's, forcing national Republicans to throw huge sums of money at the race to defend a seat that Trump's handpicked nominee may have already jeopardized.

Iowa: Ashley Hinson vs Josh Turek

An open seat in a state that has gone solidly Republican is suddenly a toss-up after years of being one of the most GOP-friendly states in the country.

The candidates: Trump-endorsed Rep Ashley Hinson, 43, a former local news anchor who has vowed to be the president's "top ally" in the Senate, faces Democratic state Rep and former wheelchair basketball Paralympian Josh Turek, 47, in the election to fill the seat being vacated by Sen Joni Ernst.

The president endorsed Hinson early and often, and she has made that relationship a centerpiece of her campaign, but Trump's own tariffs on fuel and their impact on farm incomes have become a plus for his opponent, who has zeroed in on the president's economic policies as a factor in voters' discontent.

Georgia: Jon Ossoff vs Mike Collins

The sole Senate seat that Democrats are defending in a state won by President Trump in 2024, representing a vital referendum on whether Georgia is genuinely going red.

The candidates are Sen Jon Ossoff, 39, a potential presidential nominee in 2028, against Rep Mike Collins, 59, a trucking businessman whose campaign has been tainted by scandals.

Collins has positioned himself as a Trump acolyte and has leaned into his association with the president to rally the GOP base, but Democrats argue that his alignment with an increasingly unpopular leader, especially on the Iran war, has actually benefited Ossoff, who holds a consistent poll lead, with analysts considering the race to be a toss-up in favor of the Democrats.