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In case you haven't been following this year's election that much (don't worry, we're not judging you), we've rounded up a list of big ideas in play in the 2014 midterms.

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You're likely to see fewer of these cast this year than there were two years ago. YinYang/iStockphoto hide caption

itoggle caption YinYang/iStockphoto

You're likely to see fewer of these cast this year than there were two years ago.

YinYang/iStockphoto

Turnout: In a nutshell, it likely will be lower than in 2012. The Pew Research Center says voter turnout in the midterms has been lower than in presidential election years as far back as the 1840s.

NPR politics editor Charlie Mahtesian says that "[low] turnout in a midterm election also means the composition of the electorate looks different. In a midterm like this one, demographically the electorate tends to be older and whiter. That tends to be a recipe for a good Republican year." Pew's got a little more background on GOP engagement here. It says Republicans are more excited than Democrats about this election.

Voter turnout also could be affected by a number of voting law changes in several states that some think could hurt Democrats. NPR's Pam Fessler has a roundup.

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If past is prelude, President Obama's party may be in for a rough time. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Evan Vucci/AP

If past is prelude, President Obama's party may be in for a rough time.

Evan Vucci/AP

The 'Six-Year Itch': This is the idea that the election in the sixth year of a president's two terms tends to be very bad for the party in power.

PBS Newshour says all seven presidents elected since the Great Depression have seen their parties lose seats in both the House and Senate during their second terms. This will probably hold true for President Obama, as well. According to Gallup, Obama's job approval rating has been under 50 percent for well over a year.

Money: The Center for Responsive Politics says almost $4 billion will be spent on this election — making it the most expensive midterm ever, with Republicans spending a bit more than Democrats. Some of that stems from the Supreme Court's controversial decision in Citizens United in 2010 that made it legal for corporations and unions to spend as much as they want to support or attack candidates.

ABC News has a nice roundup of the most expensive races of this election. The North Carolina Senate battle between Democrat Kay Hagan and Republican Thom Tillis tops the list, with $113 million spent so far. Another interesting tidbit: NPR's Peter Overby reports that the number of TV ads running this election is actually down from 2010.

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Sen. Mary Landrieu, whose family has deep political roots in Louisiana, and former President Bill Clinton, whose wife may have her eye on the White House in 2016. Gerald Herbert/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Gerald Herbert/AP

Sen. Mary Landrieu, whose family has deep political roots in Louisiana, and former President Bill Clinton, whose wife may have her eye on the White House in 2016.

Gerald Herbert/AP

Dynasties: Several big-name politicians running for office this year — and some rumored to be running soon — come from families with other successful politicians. NPR's Mahtesian calls this the recurring theme of dynasty politics. "For a country that was founded in rebellion," he says, "we really have a soft spot for political royalty."

He's right. You've got Sen. Mary Landrieu, the Louisiana Democrat whose father and brother have been mayors of New Orleans. Then there's Sen. Mark Pryor, an Arkansas Democrat whose father was also a senator. And Democratic Sen. Mark Udall of Colorado comes from a long line of political royalty. His cousin Sen. Tom Udall, a fellow Democrat from New Mexico, is also running for re-election this year.

In Texas, GOP candidate George P. Bush, son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, and nephew of George W., is running for land commissioner. (Wyoming Republican Liz Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, dropped her Senate bid earlier this year.)

And the 2016 presidential race already has outlines of dynastic politics – with prospective candidates such as Jeb Bush, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and, of course, Hillary Clinton.

Mahtesian says this phenomenon isn't new: Until Obama won the presidency in 2008, every single winning presidential ticket since 1980 featured either the son of a U.S. senator or the son of a U.S. president.

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Who will win congressional seats that are in play? Odds are they will be incumbents. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption

itoggle caption J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Who will win congressional seats that are in play? Odds are they will be incumbents.

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Incumbency: There are some sitting House and Senate members who should be worried about holding onto their seats, but for the most part, incumbents stay put. "Few things in life are more predictable than the chances of an incumbent member of the U.S. House of Representatives winning reelection," says the Center for Responsive Politics. The way that districts are drawn — at its most extreme, that's called gerrymandering — to put lots of like-minded people in the same districts plays a part. Another factor is the tremendous advantages of incumbency: Sitting lawmakers are more established and better able to raise money.

When incumbents do get upset, they're likely to be the most junior members of the House and Senate. When more seasoned incumbents fall, it's often because they are politically wounded or haven't put enough time toward the hard grind of retail politics back home.

Mahtesian says that sometimes "they just can't do the rubber chicken circuit anymore." Just look at GOP Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas, who's in trouble in his conservative state.

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Knowing all of these things, what should you expect on Tuesday?

Well, Mahtesian says that when you look at all of the closest House races nationwide, there are more Democrats in trouble than Republicans. He says Republicans seem poised to win between 4 and 14 seats, strengthening their grip on that chamber.

As for the Senate, several political forecasters and handicappers think Republicans will wrest control.

Republicans need a net gain of six seats to win the majority. Of the 36 Senate seats on the ballot this year, Democrats are defending 21 of them — seven in states that Mitt Romney won — which is good news for the GOP. And of the Republican senators up for re-election, only one is running in a state that Obama won, which is also good for Republicans.

If Republicans do win the majority, the South will help pave the path: Louisiana, Arkansas and North Carolina have key races featuring vulnerable Democratic senators. Republicans, however, will need to hold onto their seats in Georgia and Kentucky. Other important Senate races to watch: Colorado and Iowa.

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Texas politics is about to take another big step to the right. While nobody outside Texas would describe Gov. Rick Perry or Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst as moderate Republicans, their likely replacements are considerably more conservative — especially in the powerful lieutenant governor's office.

The eyes watching Texas have mostly focused on the governor's race between Wendy Davis and Greg Abbott. But the contest between former conservative radio talk show host Dan Patrick and state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte from San Antonio likely will be of more political consequence.

Texas has what's known as a "weak governor" system, which Rick Perry overcame only because of his historically long occupation of the chair. But lieutenant governor is president of the Texas Senate and Republican Dan Patrick will lead an unprecedentedly conservative Senate, which is mirrored by an equally conservative Texas House.

As a former conservative shock jock, Patrick's politics fit that vein. He wants to teach creationism in public schools, end popular election of U.S. senators, and outlaw abortion including cases of rape. But what's got establishment Republicans particularly concerned is Patrick's plan to do away with the state's property taxes. Texas already doesn't have income taxes. That means property taxes and sales taxes are high to compensate. If Texas were to stop collecting property taxes too, the state's school system — and indeed many elements of local government — would have to be drastically cut back while sales tax would soar.

The regressive consequence could be similar to what has happened in Kansas under the leadership of Republican Gov. Sam Brownback.

But Texas is not Kansas. If it were a sovereign nation, it would have the 14th largest economy in the world. For decades, the conservative Dallas Morning News editorial board has been the voice of the state's Republican business establishment. It tends to endorse a Democrat only when it feels the GOP candidate is refusing to serve the state's business interests. And in the lieutenant's governor's race, the News endorsed Van de Putte, Patrick's opponent.

In its endorsement editorial the News said of Patrick, "Some of his ideas are singularly disruptive. Taken together they could destabilize state government, the enemy of sound business practices." The News called a vote for Patrick, "reckless" and described Patrick's primary m.o. for governing Texas as "fear and division."

Compared to some of the other more liberal newspapers' descriptions of Patrick's politics, the News' editorial language was toned down. Be that as it may, the latest poll has him leading Van de Putte by 17 percentage points. It's very likely Dan Patrick is Texas's future.

And that is expected to intensify the ongoing power struggle between Tea Party Republicans like Patrick and the state's business elite. But in Texas, after this election the Tea Party wing may well have the votes. Still don't count out the state's millionaires and billionaires, there are many. It is apt to become a test case of conservative politics — big money's self-interest vs. grass roots right wing ideology, Texas style.

2014 elections

Texas

This Tuesday, NPR is hosting a virtual election viewing party, and we want you to join us.

NPR's politics team has put together a nifty little web-based app designed to let listeners at home follow the results of races around the country along with our hosts on their TVs, Google Chromecast, iPads or laptops. You'll tap into the same real-time results that our hosts and reporters see.

Still, you can't have a party without good grub. So the Washington desk asked us to put together a suggested tasting menu for those of you joining us at home, inspired by the politics in play. Call it a taste-bud tutorial to what's at stake.

About NPR's Election Night Party

On Tuesday, give the cable box a break and gather friends to watch NPR's live midterm elections coverage, from around the tube. NPR News' on-air and online election special will be available through a web-based app built for television and optimized for Google Chromecast iPads and laptops. Here's how you can join NPR's party and invite your friends. The party begins at 7 p.m. Eastern.

Ten Senate seats* are considered to be up for grabs this November – Republicans need to win six of them to take control of that chamber. If you're hankering for poultry, you could give jerk chicken a try in homage to the Senate race in Iowa. OK, so this dish has nothing to do with corn country, but it does speak to one reason why Democratic candidate Bruce Braley has seen his lead in this race erode: Critics allege he's not a very nice guy. Fueling that image is a flap over a dispute with a neighbor — apparently, a neighbor's chickens wandered onto his property and Braley was forced to deny that he threatened litigation over the episode.

For those of you in a pork sort of place, look to North Carolina, where Democratic incumbent Sen. Kay Hagen is hoping her chances of re-election amid anti-Obama sentiment aren't as smoked as the state's famous barbecue.

What about drinks, you ask? Kentucky bourbon, of course. While the GOP is hoping to win the Senate, their leader in that chamber, Mitch McConnell, finds himself fighting to keep his own seat back in Kentucky. He and his Democratic challenger, Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, were projected to spend enough on the race to buy just about every man, woman and child in that state a bottle of Maker's Mark.

And for dessert, you could turn to Alaska, where, in part thanks to President Obama's unpopularity in this red state, Democratic Sen. Mark Begich is in hot water. Why not capture some of that heat and serve up baked Alaska?

Or, there's always New Hampshire, where Democratic incumbent Jeanne Shaheen is facing off against Republican Scott Brown. Name ring a bell? That's because Brown used to be a senator in Massachusetts – he shook the Democratic establishment by winning the seat left empty by Sen. Edward Kennedy's death in 2010, then lost it in 2013. Brown's family ties to New Hampshire go back generations, but critics see him as nothing but a carpetbagger. In his honor, we humbly suggest you top off the night with some Boston cream pie.

*The 10 battleground states in the Senate are: Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Hampshire, North Carolina. We didn't hit all these races with our menu – so suggest your own politically themed dishes in the comments section below.

election night

Michael Alsbury, the co-pilot killed during a test flight of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo is being described as an expert pilot and engineer who had 15 years of flying experience, much of it on experimental aircraft.

Alsbury, 39, was killed Friday when the prototype of the reusable space plane, designed for suborbital tourist flights, apparently broke apart in mid-air over the Mojave Desert. Pilot Peter Siebold, 43, managed to eject and parachuted to safety. Siebold is described as alert and talking.

Our thoughts are with Mike Alsbury's family, and we wish for a quick and complete recovery for Pete Siebold. http://t.co/5tTvgA569R

— Virgin Galactic (@virgingalactic) November 1, 2014

Alsbury was "a respected and devoted colleague," according to a statement Saturday from Scaled Composites, the company developing the spaceship for Virgin Galactic.

"Without mincing words or really embellishing anything ... I consider Mike Alsbury the renaissance man," Brian Binnie, another test pilot who worked at Scaled Composites for 14 years before leaving the company in February, according to The Associated Press. "He could do it all. He was an engineer. He was a pilot. He worked well with others. He had a great sense of humor. I never heard him raise his voice or lose his cool."

At a news conference on Saturday, the acting chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, Christopher Hart, said the investigation of the crash could take up to a year, a time frame that is certain to set back plans by Billionaire Richard Branson's company to begin commercial flights next year.

Hart said the test flight had been "heavily documented" and that it could take "about 12 months or so" to pore through "extensive data."

Space.com quotes witness Doug Messier, managing editor of Parabolicarc.com, as saying he saw the spacecraft's engine sputter when it first ignited after being released from the WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft.

"It looked like the engine didn't perform properly," Messier told Space.com. "Normally it would burn and it would burn for a certain period of time. It looked like it may have started and then stopped and then started again."

Branson, whose company has reportedly taken deposits on some 700 advance bookings at $250,000 a seat – including from such celebrities as Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber, said he is "determined to find out what went wrong."

Last year, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, who spent five months as commander of the International Space Station, questioned the value of the Virgin Galactic venture, saying so-called space tourists are "just going to go up and fall back down again."

The Guardian reports: "Hadfield nonetheless praises the Virgin Galactic concept, under which passengers who have booked seats with a $250,000 deposit will fly to 68 miles above Earth and experience zero gravity. He says the Virgin chief, Richard Branson, has been in touch with him for advice."

Virgin Galactic