As Americans prepare to vote in the US midterm elections, candidates with their eye on Congress are not just competing on policy. In our social media age, they're using their personal style to attract attention and project their message. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing BBC News.

"Politicians are dressing for two jobs at once: to look capable of holding office but to also look connected to the people they want to represent," said Joe Zee, a celebrity fashion stylist.

From Alaska to Texas, here is a look at how some candidates have been standing out on the campaign trail.

Some candidates, like Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, who represents Washington's 3rd Congressional District, are embracing a relaxed, outdoorsy image. The former car repair shop owner is up for re-election on a platform focused on support for small businesses and working families, after capturing a Republican-held seat in her state in 2022. She favours low fuss, low-key work jackets, flannel shirts, jeans and practical footwear.

Robert Ordway, conservative public policy adviser and former owner of Capitol Hill Clothiers, says Gluesenkamp Perez is probably the most "spot-on" when it comes to "authenticity and where you come from". "Also it really vibes with the Pacific Northwest, which has trees and forests and a little bit more of an outdoor vibe," he says.

Her style also "shepherds a message championing the working class", says Tashira Halyard, an attorney, content creator, and public policy expert based in Washington DC.

Democratic lawmaker Mary Peltola, running for a Senate seat in the battleground state of Alaska, takes a similar approach. She made headlines for wearing traditional boots of the Yup'ik people while being sworn in as a congresswoman in 2022. During this election cycle, her rugged outdoor gear nods to her days working on a fishing boat on Alaska's Kuskokwim River and her "fish, family and freedom" campaign slogan. The flannels, puffer jackets and indigenous-inspired details seem designed to remind voters that Peltola is a native (and Native) Alaskan, says conservative author and journalist Bonnie Kristian.

Other candidates, such as Republican Senate candidate Ashley Hinson of Iowa, have been opting for a bolder, patriotic image. While polished and conservative, her style of dress has included classic, arguably nostalgic touches, including denim and bandanas for more casual appearances. In a tight race against her Democratic opponent, Hinson has tried to separate herself from specific policy decisions made by the Trump administration but has still expressed loyalty to the president. She slipped into pumps with the American flag bedazzled across them at a primary election party in Iowa in June. The look, reminiscent of the style worn by Trump supporters at rallies, is quintessential American patriotism, according to Halyard. "Ashley's American flag high heels, denim dress and bright red blouse worn with a bandana around her neck are classic Americana," she says. "It's this idea that… I'm literally going to wear my patriotism on my sleeve."

Journalist Bonnie Kristian says there is "a strategic advantage" to Hinson's look, one in which she is "cultivating a visual identity that cannot possibly be misinterpreted" in an era where social media presence, if only for a split second, is crucial. "Her denim dress, red bandana and sparkly American flag shoes all signal that she's a Republican wooing rural voters - and indeed she is."

Once a reliable Republican stronghold, Texas has become a battleground between top prosecutor Ken Paxton, 63, who was controversially endorsed by Trump over a longtime senator, and Democratic state lawmaker James Talarico, 37. On the campaign trail, both contenders have been making similar clothing choices, wearing relaxed blazers and cowboy boots. "The necktie is dead on the campaign trail in both parties," says Ordway.