With President Bush's approval rating hovering around 40 percent, some members of his Republican Party continue to distance themselves from his national agenda as they fight uphill re-election battles at home.

	State-by-state approval ratings

From city halls to Washington, D.C., supporters from both sides of the same-sex marriage debate are pressuring lawmakers to take action.

With Hispanics comprising both the largest minority and the fastest growing group in the United States, midterm election campaigns that focus on immigration reform could hold the key to winning over voters in many states.

	Estimates of unauthorized migrants

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.

	Troop deaths by state

As the price per barrel of oil continues to rise, energy policy, gas prices and America's dependence on oil are top on the list of campaign topics heading into a heated midterm election year.

	Gas prices

Despite decreases in energy prices, low unemployment levels, surging stock markets and domestic production that has outpaced other major industrialized nations, polls show Americans are still most concerned about the future of the economy.

	State unemployment
	State economic production