As a freelancer, I don't usually travel too far beyond the borders of my beloved home state of Kentucky. However, this fall The New York Times enlisted me to work on a project called States In Play. From August through October I was able to travel to six states in four timezones. The midterm races in these state were too close to call, making them battlegrounds in the year-long struggle for political control of the U.S. Senate. Instead of focusing on the individual candidates and their campaigns, each story examined a long-term cultural or economic issue that influenced local voters in 2014. Thank you to The New York Times for the assignment and sincerest gratitude to my dear wife Elizabeth for caring for our infant son during my absence.

ALASKA:  

An old Alaska Railroad car sits on a stub track in Anchorage, Ak. on Friday, September 26, 2014. Luke Sharrett for The New York Times.

Flightline mechanics with the VMA 311 Avionics unit prepare a U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier for a training exercise in a hangar at Eielson Air Force Base in Eielson Air Force Base, Ak. on Friday, September 26, 2014. The Marine fighter wing based in Yuma, Arizona traveled to Eielson along with a members of a Republic of Korea F-16 fighter squadron to take part in the annual Red Flag Alaska war games training exercise. Despite the threat of closure due to defense cuts, Eielson remains and plays host to Red Flag Alaska and various Alaska Air National Guard units. Luke Sharrett for The New York Times.

Tim White drives an all terrain vehicle onto the bank of the Tanana River underneath the Trans Alaska Pipeline after hunting Moose with Bill Smith in the wilderness near Delta Junction, Ak. on Thursday, September 25, 2014. White grew up on a homestead living off the land in the Alaska wilderness Luke Sharrett for The New York Times.

The Trans Alaska Pipeline runs above ground near Coal Mine Road in Delta Junction, Ak. on Thursday, September 25, 2014. Some experts have questioned how much longer Alaska's oil boom can sustain the state's economy. Luke Sharrett for The New York Times.

Welding student Rheanna Freese, 21, stands for a portrait at the Local 375 welding shop on the grounds of the Fairbanks Pipeline Training Center in Fairbanks, Ak. on Thursday, September 25, 2014. "It's good work," said Freese, whose father and grandfather worked in the oil industry in Alaska. "It's really physical." Luke Sharrett for The New York Times.

COLORADO: 

A natural gas well is drilled on farmland near County Line Road in Weld County, Colorado.

A woman examines the price of a Ruger LCP-CT pistol on display at a gun show in Loveland, Colorado. Colorado gun magazine manufacturer Magpul recently relocated their corporate headquarters and production to Wyoming and Texas due to restrictive gun control measures passed by the state of Colorado. Luke Sharrett for The New York Times.

Tires weigh down plastic waterproofing atop piles of silage at a large dairy farm in Morgan County, Colorado. Luke Sharrett for The New York Times.

IOWA:  

A trucker walks back to his big rig at Iowa 80, the world's largest truck stop on Interstate 80 in Walcott, Iowa on Monday, September 29, 2014. Luke Sharrett for The New York Times.

A rainbow arches over a grain silo after a thunderstorm in Laurens, Iowa on Tuesday, September 30, 2014. Luke Sharrett for The New York Times.

Sophomore defensive lineman Brandon Beyer walks to the boys locker room after practicing with the football team in the rain at Laurens-Marathon High School in Laurens, Iowa on Tuesday, September 30, 2014. Due to their shrinking student body, the team downgraded to a smaller eight-man squad. Luke Sharrett for The New York Times.

2014 homecoming king and queen Tre Seiler and Brooke Runneberg are introduced to the student body during the Laurens-Marathon High School homecoming coronation on Tuesday, September 30, 2014 in Laurens, Iowa.

(L-R) Former homecoming queen and king Taylor Zurek and Ben Kenobbie greet students alongside 2014 winners Tre Seiler and Brooke Runneberg in the gym at Laurens-Marathon High School in Laurens, Iowa on Tuesday, September 30, 2014. Luke Sharrett for The New York Times.

A Westbound Union Pacific coal train rumbles through Dow City, Iowa on UP's transcontinental line on Wednesday, October 1, 2014. Luke Sharrett for The New York Times.

LOUISIANA:

Downtown Crowley, La., is reflected in a storefront window on Thursday, October 23, 2014 in Crowley, La. The town of Crowley is know as "The Rice Capital of America" and is home to the annual International Rice Festival. Luke Sharrett for The New York Times.

Gregory "T-Rouge" Mouton stands for a portrait in Red Dog's bar on Thursday, October 22, 2014 in Egan, La. Mouton plays bass and drums in a Cajun zydeco band that often performs at Red Dog's. Luke Sharrett for The New York Times.

Hayward McCullers III, 17, wrangles a water hose onto his father's leased shrimping boat, the M.V. Pumpkin, before setting sail on Bayou Carlin on Wednesday, October 22, 2014 in Delcambre, La. Luke Sharrett for The New York Times.

The shrimp boat M.V. Pumpkin is pictured before setting sail in Bayou Carlin on Wednesday, October 22, 2014 in Delcambre, La. Luke Sharrett for The New York Times.

A pumpjack oil well stands in a rice paddy along Atteberry Road on Friday, October 24, 2014 in Eunice, La. Luke Sharrett for The New York Times.

NORTH CAROLINA:

City Service tire repair shop owner Kenny Clark, 74, and his son Hal Clark stand for a portrait at the old Gulf service station in Siler City, N.C. on Friday, August 29, 2014. "I've been a Democrat all my life," said the elder Clark. "Born and raised." "You've got the lesser of two evils on both sides, and I don't think one man is gonna straighten it out anyhow," said Clark. Luke Sharrett for The New York Times.

Mechanic Brian Barnett fires up a 1945 Willys Jeep at East Coast Willys Restorations in Siler City, N.C. on Friday, August 29, 2014. Luke Sharrett for The New York Times.

A Sunday morning service is held at Evans Metropolitan AME Zion Church in Fayetteville, N.C. on Sunday, August 31, 2014. Luke Sharrett for The New York Times.

GEORGIA:

Straightway Full Gospel Church stands in Douglasville, Ga. on Sunday, August 24, 2014. Luke Sharrett for The New York Times.

Shoppers enter Assi Market, an international grocery store, in Duluth, Ga. on Saturday, August 23, 2014. Luke Sharrett for The New York Times.

Dot Padgett sits for a portrait on the front porch of her house in Douglasville, Ga. on Monday, August 25, 2014. Padgett, who is good friends with former President Jimmy Carter, has been involved in Georgia Democratic politics for most of her life. Luke Sharrett for The New York Times.

A pedestrian walks along Campbellton Street in downtown Douglasville, Ga. on Sunday, August 24, 2014. Luke Sharrett for The New York Times.

Carhops Milton Tye and Antwoin Williams wait to serve customers at The Varsity Drive-In in Atlanta, Ga. on Sunday, August 24, 2014. Luke Sharrett for The New York Times.

Visitors walk atop Stone Mountain at Stone Mountain Park in Stone Mountain, Ga. on Saturday, August 23, 2014. Luke Sharrett for The New York Times.

Thanks for looking!

**Photos copyright Luke Sharrett and The New York Times**