7 important election night bellwethers

A handful of key races today will not only decide which party controls Congress for the next two years, but will also tell us a lot about where politics is going after the midterms.

The big picture: These bellwethers will indicate whether Republicans are gaining a foothold in parts of the country that have long eluded them, for example, and the types of Democrats who can win even when the odds would seem to be stacked against them.

1. The best early bellwether: Rep. Abigail Spanberger's (D-Va.) race against Republican Yesli Vega, in the...