It wasn’t long ago that political insiders were predicting little more than a routine off-year election in 2006. Well, voters aren’t buying it.

The election has been transformed into what can only be described as a referendum on the direction of the nation. And you don’t have to look far to figure out why. Voter approval ratings for President Bush and Congress are scraping historical lows. Much of the anger seems to stem from a lack of accountability among congressional leaders. These facts weighed heavily on the AFT and its affiliates when they interviewed candidates to recommend this fall.

Here are some key races. AFT-recommended candidates appear in bold type.

Senate races

■ Connecticut: AFT members in Connecticut are backing Democrat Ned Lamont, who has vowed to stand up to the Bush administration. Lamont’s strongest challenge comes from Sen. Joe Lieberman who, having lost the Democratic primary, is running as an independent.

■ Maine: Republican incumbent Olympia Snowe is one of the strongest GOP contenders this year. Snowe, an AFL-CIO endorsed candidate, compiled one of the strongest AFT voting records among Senate Republicans in the last Congress. She faces Democrat Jean Hay Bright.

■ Maryland: Democratic Senate candidate Ben Cardin has compiled a stellar
97 percent AFT voting record over 18 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. He has fought to protect workers’ pensions and healthcare benefits. Cardin is leading against Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, the GOP candidate who is an outspoken supporter of the Bush agenda.

■ Minnesota: CAFTA (The Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement) has put more than 30,000 Minnesota jobs at risk. Democratic candidate Amy Klobuchar has been a tough critic of CAFTA and other trade laws that have threatened good jobs. Polls show her leading U.S. Rep. Mark Kennedy, the GOP contender.

■ Missouri: Democratic challenger Claire McCaskill’s competitive campaign includes healthcare access and lower prescription drug costs at the top of the agenda. McCaskill, the state auditor, has criticized incumbent GOP Sen. Jim Talent for refusing to support a higher minimum wage and for votes that left 40,000 Missouri children without health insurance.

■ Montana: Many Washington insiders are paying for their dealings with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff—and Conrad Burns is no exception. Burns, the incumbent Republican senator, was by many accounts the biggest Capitol Hill beneficiary of Abramoff’s influence peddling. He is trailing Democratic challenger Jon Tester, president of the state Senate. Tester has run an inspired grass-roots campaign to restore integrity to the Senate seat and to fight for healthcare and labor legislation.

■ New Jersey: Incumbent Democrat Bob Menendez has broad support from AFT affiliates, thanks to his 100 percent AFT voting record spanning 14 years in the House and Senate. He faces a challenge from GOP state Sen. Tom Kean Jr. in a race where turnout will hold the key.

■ Ohio: Affordable health insurance and pension protection are central to Democrat Sherrod Brown’s bid to become the next senator from Ohio. Brown has served in the U.S. House since 1992. Facing him is GOP incumbent Mike DeWine.

■ Pennsylvania: Sen. Rick Santorum has become a vulnerable GOP incumbent, thanks in large part to his wall-to-wall approval of the Bush agenda. He is trailing Democratic challenger and state treasurer Bob Casey, who opposes Social Security privatization and supports healthcare, schools and labor-friendly trade agreements.

■ Rhode Island: Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse says his first acts as a senator would be to vote against privatizing Social Security, gutting overtime pay and outsourcing jobs. The message is resonating, with Whitehouse running neck and neck with GOP incumbent Lincoln Chafee.

Incumbents running strong include Democrats Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts and Herbert Kohl of Wisconsin.

Governors races loom large

Races for governor all have one thing in common: There is no other public office with a greater say on workers’ quality of life. Here’s a thumbnail sketch of the issues driving AFT-backed candidates.

■ Alaska: Gov. Tony Knowles built a strong record in his two terms as governor on economics, education and health. Knowles faces GOP challenger Sarah Palin, former mayor of Wasilla.

■ Colorado: Denver’s district attorney Bill Ritter has taken the Democratic nomination and the full backing of AFT affiliates. Ritter has made education and pensions key planks in his campaign against Bob Beauprez, a Republican congressman.

■ Maine: Expanded health coverage and competitive union employment in Maine have won Democrat John Baldacci labor support in his re-election bid against GOP challenger Chandler Woodcock, a Republican state senator.

■ Maryland: Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley has mobilized the AFT rank and file in campaigning for education funding and assistance for children who lack health coverage. GOP incumbent Robert Ehrlich cut Medicaid health benefits for children, fought collective bargaining for public employees and allowed university tuition to skyrocket.

■ Massachusetts: AFT affiliates rallied behind Deval Patrick’s impressive victory in the Democratic primary. His issues include pensions, competitive jobs and expanded healthcare coverage. Recent polls show him leading GOP candidate Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey.

■ Minnesota: Help for middle-class families is key to Democrat Mike Hatch’s bid for governor. He has drawn strong labor support in a competitive race against GOP incumbent Tim Pawlenty, who has cut K-16 funding and persuaded legislators to take health coverage away from 38,000 Minnesotans.

■ New York: AFT members are mobilized around the gubernatorial bid of Eliot Spitzer. As state attorney general, Spitzer has pushed pharmaceutical companies to fully disclose information on drugs and has championed such issues as pensions and curbs on Wall Street scams. Spitzer holds a substantial lead in the polls over GOP challenger John Faso, a former state legislator.

■ Ohio: This gubernatorial race pits Democrat and U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland against the GOP’s Ken Blackwell, Ohio’s secretary of state. AFT affiliates are out in force for Strickland.

■ Oregon: A former union member, Democratic incumbent Ted Kulongoski has received strong backing from labor, thanks in large part to his support of a level playing field for union organizing. Polls show Kulongoski with a substantial lead over Ron Saxton, a corporate attorney who pledged to roll back a minimum-wage increase.

■ Rhode Island: Democratic challenger Charlie Fogarty has mobilized labor by pledging to fight state special interests that have jeopardized healthcare access, competitive jobs and education. Polls show him building a lead against GOP incumbent Don Carcieri.

■ Wisconsin: Incumbent Jim Doyle is running a strong bid for re-election, thanks to his Grow Wisconsin economic development agenda. The Democrat also has advocated for expanded health coverage for children and seniors. He faces Republican congressman Mark Green.

Democratic incumbents who appear to be gaining include Rod Blagojevich in Illinois, Ed Rendell in Pennsylvania and Kathleen Sebelius in Kansas. The GOP is seeing incumbent strength from Jim Douglas in Vermont and M. Jodi Rell in Connecticut.