🔺 U.S. midterm elections; fateful contests in the battle for control of Congress

◾ In total, 470 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate are up for vote in this year’s midterm elections, but control of both chambers is likely to be determined only by the outcome of a small number of tight, sensitive races. Democrats and Republicans each have a number of seats they consider “safe”; because, based on long-standing voting patterns in those districts, voters usually support one of these two parties.