THE ISSUES

This year, the election is being held on Tuesday, November 7, 2006. New Jersey residents will be choosing their U.S. Senator as well deciding various local races.

For information on New Jersey's senatorial election, click here. For information on the other races, click here.

Gay Marriage

At the center of the gay marriage debate are questions about the boundaries between state and federal laws, conflicting views on the role marriage — and religion — plays in American life, and how to define marriage. In June, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, with President Bush's backing, proposed an amendment to the U.S. Constitution defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman, but the amendment failed to secure the necessary two-thirds majority needed for approval. Many Senate Democrats said they opposed gay marriage, but also opposed a constitutional amendment essentially banning it, and some political observers say the majority of Americans believe in preserving marriage for a man and woman.

This election cycle, six states — Idaho, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin — have ballot initiatives that would ban same-sex marriage. The issue also could play a role in competitive Senate campaigns in Pennsylvania, Montana, Missouri and Ohio.

Immigration

Much of the immigration issue's focus is on the estimated 11.5 million to 12 million "unauthorized" immigrants — comprising 3.8 percent of the U.S. population — who have either overstayed temporary work visas or entered the United States illegally. The availability of jobs is seen as the main force behind their arrival, but immigrants — mostly from Mexico and Latin America — also enter the country to reunite with family or escape persecution. With the federal government unable to reconcile a comprehensive immigration policy, state legislatures have taken their own actions, now considering whether they should provide certain social benefits for illegal immigrants; federal laws already ban illegal immigrants from receiving many benefits.

At the start of July, about 500 pieces of legislation had been introduced in state legislatures in 2006 to address the issue of illegal immigration. Nine states advocating on illegal immigrants' behalf have passed legislation granting them in-state tuition rates. Eleven states allow illegal immigrants to receive driver's licenses or certificates.

President Bush

With President George W. Bush's approval rating hovering around 40 percent, some members of the Republican Party continue to distance themselves from Bush's national agenda as they fight uphill re-election battles at home. Polls show about 30 percent of Americans believe the country under President Bush is headed in the right direction, and only 25 percent approve of the job Congress is doing. With many in the electorate upset at the president, Congress, high energy costs, the situation in Iraq, and the economy, some analysts are comparing this year's election cycle to 1994 when Democrats lost control of the House. Others, however, point out that the approval ratings for Congressional Democrats are as low as the overall approval ratings for Congress, and there aren't nearly as many open seats this fall as there were in 1994.

With the exception of Bill Clinton, the president's party has consistently lost seats during the sixth year of service. Democrats, hoping to capitalize on the electorate's mood, will try to turn midterm elections into a referendum on the Republican Party with President Bush at the helm.

Iraq

With the threat of sectarian violence spinning into all-out civil war and American casualties exceeding 2,500, the war in Iraq has emerged as a dominant issue in many of the 2006 congressional campaigns. Public opinion polls indicate growing opposition to the president's handling of the issue. Democrats have sought to capitalize on the flagging support by hammering on Republican candidates from Connecticut and Virginia to Ohio and California.

However, the Democrats have been unable to settle on one position on Iraq. Some, led by former presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry, have called for an immediate timetable and withdrawal of U.S. forces, while others have urged plans for leaving but on no announced schedule. GOP strategists have countered that the paths the Democratic Party advocates would cede Iraq to the Islamic extremists and leave the geopolitically critical nation embroiled in civil war. President Bush, meanwhile, has remained committed to maintaining American forces in Iraq until the new government has the ability to secure itself.

Energy

This past July, the cost per barrel of oil topped $78 and stayed near record highs, fueled by intensifying violence in the Middle East which raised concerns of supply disruptions despite attempts by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to calm fears of a supply cutoff. Republicans and Democrats alike are attempting to use energy policy to appeal to voters and to discredit their opponents.

Proposals by Democrats include temporary suspension of the federal gas tax, investigations of oil company profits and possible "windfall profits" taxes, and more investment in alternative energy sources. Meanwhile, Senate Republicans have renewed calls to drill in the coastal region of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to ease dependence on foreign oil and vowed to prevent price gouging by major oil companies which have posted record profits.