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With less than 24 hours left until polls open, Democrats and Republicans scrambled Monday to turn out every possible vote for their candidates. Party strategists in key states scrutinized early vote statistics and weather reports ahead of what both sides expect to be a number of nail-bitingly close contests.

Live updates: Election 2014

In the final hours before Election Day, it is clear that both parties believe that the midterm election has become a referendum on those now holding power. On the federal level, that works for Republicans, who need a net gain of six seats to recapture control of the Senate for the first time since the 2006 elections.

On the state level, that works for both Democrats and Republicans, each of whom see the opportunity to knock off unpopular governors in key states.

Polling in recent months has shown Republicans leading consistently in Senate races in five states West Virginia, South Dakota, Montana, Arkansas and Louisiana. More recent surveys have shown the Republican nominee in Alaska, former attorney general Dan Sullivan (R), pulling ahead of Sen. Mark Begich (D), though some surveys show Begich with a lead. In North Carolina, Sen. Kay Hagan (D) holds the narrowest of leads over state House Speaker Thom Tillis (R) in what has become the most expensive Senate race in history.

The Fixs Chris Cillizza breaks down how close the battle for the Senate really is. (The Washington Post)

The Senate seats that are up for grabs this year favored Republican gains: President Obama lost six of those seven states by wide margins, and lost North Carolina by a slimmer margin.

But Democrats are most nervous about polling and early voting data that show Senate contests in two states that Obama won Colorado and Iowa moving against them.

In Colorado, polls have shown Rep. Cory Gardner (R) leading Sen. Mark Udall (D) for months. Republicans hold a distinct advantage in the early voting statistics: Data released by the secretary of states office show that registered Republicans account for 40.5 percent of the 1.3 million people who have cast a ballot, compared with 32.5 percent who are registered Democrats.

Democrats tend to vote later in Colorado, so that eight-point Republican advantage is likely to shrink. On Election Day 2010, Sen. Michael Bennet (D) trailed his Republican opponent by six points and made up enough ground to win by one. This year, Republicans have spent much more on a ground operation aimed at collecting ballots from voters who might not otherwise vote, a decision that appears to have paid off.

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Democrats, Republicans scramble to round up last-minute votes