Greek-Americans in the US midterm election battle

A number of Greek-American candidates are running for office in US congressional midterm elections Tuesday, widely seen as a referendum on Donald Trump’s controversial presidency.

The eyes of the community are set on the reelection of New Jersey’s Democratic Senator Robert Menendez who, although not of Greek descent, has been the staunchest ally of Greece and Cyprus for over two decades, both now in the Senate and before that during his tenure in the House of Representatives.

Republican incumbent Gus Bilirakis, cochair of the Hellenic Caucus, will need to beat Democratic rival Chris Hunter, a former FBI agent and federal prosecutor, in order to serve a seventh term for Florida’s 12th Congressional District.

Also seeking re-election are John Sarbanes, the Democratic representative from Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District, and Dina Titus, a Nevada Democrat that has represented the state’s 1st Congressional District since 2013.

Meanwhile, latest polls show Democrat Chris Pappas leading his Republican challenger Eddie Edwards in the battle for New Hampshire’s 1st District. The vote has been described as “historic,” as New Hampshire is set to pick either its first openly gay or its first black member of Congress.

Michael Waltz, a former Green Beret commander who served in Afghanistan with Greek roots, is running against Democrat Nancy Soderberg, a former Ambassador to the United Nations during Bill Clinton's administration, for Florida’s 6th Congressional District in what has been described as a “toss-up” race.

Finally, in Wisconsin, despite earlier predictions of a competitive race, Republican Senate candidate Leah Papachristou Vukmir is polling far behind Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin.