When a Democrat running for U.S. Senate in South Dakota bitterly attacks his own party and a Republican runs an advertisement in the Virginia Senate race about the name of Washington's NFL franchise, maybe we've jumped the shark for the 2014 elections.
One race that hasn't been on the radar much of late is the Senate race in Virginia, where Republican Ed Gillespie came up with a unique ad in his quest to defeat Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA).
Yes, it's about how Gillespie will fight efforts to force the Washington Redskins to change their name, and it ran last night during the Redskins-Cowboys game on Monday Night Football.
But for some Redskins fans, Gillespie's push might be better aimed at the owner of the NFL team.
Meanwhile in South Dakota, the Senate race there took an odd turn on Monday, as Democrats found themselves pointing fingers at each other - which might be an indicator of where that race is going.
Republicans continue to have the edge overall - but with very close races in a number of states, nothing is guaranteed for the GOP as yet.
As for turnout so far, the latest figures from the Elect Project webiste show that 8.6 million people have already returned their ballots - and millions more may follow in the next week.
And as usual, there are different views on who is ahead.
Very tight in races for Governor
Whether it is in Florida or a number of other states, there are Governors in both parties who are in trouble with seven days to go; as many as a dozen of these races are in 'toss up' territory at this point.
President Obama will be going to one of those battlegrounds on Tuesday, as he heads to Wisconsin to stump for Democrat Mary Burke.
Credit: Jamie Dupree
Credit: Jamie Dupree
If you follow the Real Clear Politics poll averages, there are 11 races for Governor that are considered toss ups at this point; they include not only Wisconsin, but also Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts and Michigan.
President Obama in coming days will not only stop in Wisconsin, but also stump for votes in Connecticut, Maine and Michigan.
Nothing certain in battle for Senate
While President Obama has no plans to campaign in any key states for Senate, it doesn't mean that election fight is over, as both parties keep pressing for a late advantage.
Toss ups for the Senate include Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Louisiana - and as in the races for Governor, there's a lot going on for Senate as well.
Republicans push to enlarge their House majority
While there are examples that cut both ways in the 2014 elections, when it comes to the House, both parties agree that Republicans should pick up extra seats in November.
The only question is how many.
A new poll in one New York district had Republicans way ahead in the race for an open Democratic seat:
Out in Nevada, indications are the early vote could spell big trouble for Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV):
There's just a small taste of the crazy world of the 2014 elections. Check back tomorrow to see where I turn up on the campaign trail.
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