Hernandez, 43, works a night shift at a factory in Denver, Colorado. She does not have a college degree, is married, and lives in a predominantly Latino area. According to a Washington Post analysis, she embodies nearly all demographic characteristics of the voter group that will determine the outcome of this year's midterm elections.

Hernandez's home is in Colorado's 8th Congressional District, considered a competitive battleground in this election. Such districts constitute about 10% of the US population but have a higher-than-national-average proportion of Latino residents.

Jen Hernandez, a voter in Colorado's 8th Congressional District, a key battleground in the House race. Photo: Washington Post

In past campaigns, candidates often sought to win over voter groups known as "soccer moms", suburban mothers who frequently take their children to sports activities, or "NASCAR dads", fathers who enjoy motorsports.

In this year's midterm elections, the decisive role is placed in the hands of people like Hernandez. She describes them as "the group in the middle that doesn't belong to either side". She also uses a shorter term: "overtime mom", referring to mothers who are constantly busy working extra hours to support their families. This is how she describes herself, as most of Hernandez's free time is dedicated to overtime shifts to make ends meet.

Hernandez does not consider herself a supporter of any party. She has voted for Democrats, Republicans, and third-party candidates in previous elections.

Many voters in her neighborhood are "overtime moms" like Hernandez, who have not yet decided which candidate to support in the congressional races.

Jen and her husband Daniel Hernandez at their home. Photo: Washington Post

In Colorado's 8th Congressional District, candidates from both parties are striving to persuade voters to cast their ballots for them.

Incumbent Representative Gabe Evans, a Republican in his first term, has appeared on Spanish radio shows to introduce services supporting residents in the district. In some cases, he has also sought to differentiate his stance from President Donald Trump, whose approval ratings in polls are near record lows.

His opponent, Democratic candidate Manny Rutinel, highlights bipartisan cooperation efforts during his time working in the Colorado state legislature.

Both deploy bilingual campaign advertisements and emphasize that they are also millennial Latino Americans, raised in working-class families. Evans is 40 years old, while Rutinel is 31 years old. This demographic group has a higher presence in competitive electoral districts.

Hernandez is trying to thoroughly understand the candidates before making a decision. She notes each person's policy views in a notebook. The issues Hernandez cares about most are ensuring border security, affording medication for migraine, and finding ways to save on food costs.

Hernandez's large family partially reflects the diverse political landscape locally.

Her husband, Daniel, an oil rig manager, is a "staunch Republican", as Hernandez describes. Their eldest son, a plumber, leans conservative. Her daughter, who helps the homeless in Greeley, is loyal to the Democratic Party. The youngest child, who coaches middle school basketball and is considering becoming a deacon or pastor, has not yet determined his political stance.

Hernandez herself has changed her choices multiple times in presidential and congressional elections.

When Colorado shifted from a battleground state to a Democratic-leaning trend, Hernandez followed that trend and voted for Barack Obama two times.

In the 2016 presidential election, she wrote in comedian Roseanne Barr's name on the ballot, believing no better option existed. Four years later, Hernandez supported Joe Biden, and in the most recent presidential election, she chose Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate.

However, in congressional elections, she has supported Republican candidates, including Ken Buck in 2020, before Colorado redrew the district boundaries.

This year, Hernandez is still undecided. She does not have a favorable impression of President Trump, but she is also skeptical of Democrats, believing many of their politicians' views are too far-left.

She researched the candidates' stances and records through local newspapers and state legislative information websites. She pays special attention to policies that directly affect her family's life.

Recently, she often prepares large batches of carnitas, a Mexican stewed or fried pork dish, for rotating meals with neighbors. This approach helps everyone reduce food purchasing costs.

Even her indoor potted plants are affected by her savings efforts. She turned off some grow lights to reduce electricity costs, making some plants less vibrant than before.

Medication costs are also a burden. Despite having company-provided health insurance, she sometimes foregoes buying certain prescription drugs at the supermarket pharmacy due to excessively high prices.

Hernandez's Volkswagen Passat is currently parked, as diesel costs for commuting once reached USD 150 per week. Instead, she borrows her father-in-law's Ram pickup, saving about one-third on fuel costs.

On healthcare policy, Hernandez leans towards Rutinel, the Democratic candidate. She supports the government-managed medicare for all model.

But on energy, Republican candidate Evans holds an advantage in her assessment.

As a third-generation Mexican American, Hernandez strongly criticizes President Trump's immigration deportation policies. However, she positively views Evans's somewhat differentiated stance from the Republican Party's general line on this issue.

What tires Hernandez most is the candidates' constant attacks on each other during the campaign. If she had the choice, Hernandez would want the US to have more political parties and a different government structure, with more space for people with views between the two extremes, like herself.

Hoang Lan (According to Washington Post, AP)