ABC News' '14 For 14': The 2014 Midterm Election Races That Matter
The 2014 elections are providing a valuable snapshot of a changing nation. With a colorful and ambitious cast of candidates, they offer a wild ride of colliding ambitions -- with control of the national agenda on the line.
Throughout the year, ABC News' "14 for 14" project will document 14 races that matter between now and November. It will be a dynamic list of the campaigns -- limited to 14 at any given time -- that individually and collectively provide the big picture of where the country stands, and where we are headed.
All 435 House seats will be filled this year. So will 36 Senate slots, and 36 governors are scheduled to be elected, too. The 500-plus big nationally significant races are fascinating in their smallest details, for the personalities and issues that animate individual elections more than the ultimate scoreboard results.
ABC News Political Director Rick Klein: Why We Chose These Races
Listed below are the slate of 14 races chosen by the ABC News Political Unit:
| Senate -- Kentucky Incumbent: Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell |
The Kentucky Senate race will be the most watched 2014 contest of them all, and the stakes could not be higher.
| Senate -- Arkansas Incumbent: Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor |
Vulnerable incumbent Sen. Mark Pryor takes on a well-funded GOP opponent with a central-casting resume, Rep. Tom Cotton, in a battle that could determine control of the Senate.
| Senate -- Georgia Open Seat: Replacing Retiring Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss |
A crowded Republican primary could produce a far-right nominee, leaving an opening for Democrat Michelle Nunn, the daughter of a former senator.
| Senate -- Louisiana Incumbent: Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu |
Sen. Mary Landrieu, a three-term Democrat, fights to hold on in the South in a must-win Senate contest for Democrats.
| Senate -- New Hampshire Incumbent: Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen |
Sen. Scott Brown, the all-but-declared challenger to incumbent Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, has turned a sleeper race into what is likely to be one of the most hotly contested battles in the country.
| Senate -- Iowa Open Seat: Replacing Retiring Sen. Tom Harkin |
The race is on to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin in Iowa, with the GOP increasingly eyeing this contest as a potential pick-up opportunity.
| Senate -- Mississippi Incumbent: Republican Sen. Thad Cochran |
The dirtiest primary this year has turned into one of the most hard-fought runoffs between a long-time GOP senator and a Tea Party insurgent.
| Governor -- Florida Incumbent: Republican Gov. Rick Scott |
Republican-turned-independent-turned-Democrat Charlie Crist's political evolution has him trying to retake the governor's office from a tea party force, Gov. Rick Scott.
| Governor -- Texas Open Seat: Replacing Retiring Republican Gov. Rick Perry |
An epic battle in the most populous red state pits new Democratic star Wendy Davis against well-regarded Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott.
| Governor -- Wisconsin Incumbent: Republican Gov. Scott Walker |
Gov. Scott Walker looks to burnish his national resume by winning the governorship for the third time inside of four years, but Democrats would love to scratch his name off the 2016 list.
| House -- Colorado's 6th Congressional District Incumbent: Republican Rep. Mike Coffman |
A pure Western tossup, with liberal and conservative pockets of voters squaring off in a battle for who can turn out its side, in a state at the forefront of new social policies.
| House -- California's 7th Congressional District Incumbent: Democratic Rep. Ami Bera |
A freshman Democrat who's a medical doctor seeks to hang on in a hyper-competitive central California district, as Obamacare goes into effect nationwide.
| House -- Arizona's 2nd Congressional District Incumbent: Democratic Rep. Ron Barber |
It's round two for Democrat Rep. Ron Barber of Arizona and his 2012 Republican challenger, retired Air Force Col. Martha McSally in the seat once held by former Rep. Gabby Giffords.
| Land Commissioner -- Texas Open Seat |
The Bush dynasty extends to a new generation, with George P. Bush -- the son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and the grandson of former President George H.W. Bush -- seeking his first political office, with his Hispanic heritage a potential asset in changing Texas.
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