Factbox-The nine midterm races that will decide control of the US Senate

Democrats need to net four Senate seats in the Nov. 3 midterms, but analysts consider only nine of the 35 contested races genuinely competitive.
Texas has surprisingly become a toss‑up — Democrat James Talarico vs. Attorney General Ken Paxton, whose scandals and fundraising problems have made a normally safe GOP seat competitive.
Alaska is a quirky race to watch: Democrat Mary Peltola could benefit from ranked‑choice voting while incumbent Dan Sullivan faces a challenge partly complicated by another ballot candidate with the same name.