Walker Wildmon of AFA Action, the American Family Association's (AFA) governmental affairs and lobbying affiliate, recently joined "The Stand Radio" to emphasize the importance of every race, from the U.S. Senate to local school boards.
"The control of Congress has a lot of influence and a lot of effect on the country, for better or worse," Wildmon said. "For example, every federal budget has to go through Congress. The U.S. Senate approves every single federal executive branch nominee and federal judge."
The Republican Party currently holds 218 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, giving them a slim majority over the Democrats' 214 seats, with one independent caucusing with Republicans and two vacancies.
While presidential contests and national headlines dominate the news, Wildmon noted that relatively few of the 435 U.S. House seats are truly competitive.
"I would say there's roughly 15-20 of the 435 that are truly at play where a Democrat or Republican might could flip it," he said.
The Cook Political Report agrees that control of the House could hinge on a relatively small number of competitive districts. Republican-held seats in states such as New York, California and Arizona are among those drawing attention, alongside vulnerable Democratic-held seats.
Republicans also face a closely contested battle for control of the U.S. Senate, where they currently hold a 53-47 majority. Democrats must gain a net of four seats to secure control because Vice President JD Vance would break a 50-50 tie in Republicans' favor.
Of 13 competitive Senate races identified by The Cook Political Report, nine involve Republican-held seats, including contests in Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Ohio and Texas. Democrats must also defend vulnerable seats, including in Michigan.
PBS News has outlined several possible paths for Democrats to take control of the Senate in November. One scenario involves winning North Carolina and at least four of six Republican-held toss-up states.
Republicans could retain control if Democrats gain only two or three net seats.
Historical midterm trends, President Donald Trump's approval ratings and voter dissatisfaction with the economy are among the factors cited in the report as potentially affecting the outcome as Democrats have leads in the polling averages for most of these competitive races.
But polls do not guarantee election results, and Wildmon encouraged Christian voters to look beyond short-term political promises and consider the country's long-term future.
"Conservatives and Republicans will never be able to outbid the socialists; the Democrats and the socialists will always have another government program, another dollar they're going to send you, another carrot that they're going to put out to draw you in to vote for them. But that's not what we should be thinking about as voters," he said. "We should be thinking more adult-like and long term about … what's best for the country as a whole."
To help voters navigate complex ballots, Wildmon reminded listeners that they can consult resources such as iVoterGuide.com and bring printed evaluation sheets into the voting booth.
Editor's Note: AFA Action is an affiliate of the American Family Association, the parent organization of the American Family News Network, which operates AFN.net.
