While races for Congress or governors' mansions may dominate the airwaves, some of the most competitive and significant contests are farther down the ballot.More than 6,100 seats are up for election in state legislatures, which make most of the laws on education, taxes, reproductive rights, crime and social media access, among other things."The fact of the matter is the day in, day out basis, state governments, state lawmakers, state governors have a greater impact on our everyday lives than what takes place in Washington D.C.," said John Kennedy, a political science professor at West Chester University in Pennsylvania.Republicans control the legislature in 28 states, while Democrats have control of 18 legislatures.The remaining four are divided or run under power-sharing deals.Committees for both national parties are picking their races to promote, with Democrats trying to seize on the anti-incumbent mood and low popularity of President Trump."By taking advantage of this once-in-a-generation opportunity and environment to build power, we can capture new majorities," said the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee in listing its target districts around the country.The Republican State Leadership Committee acknowledged in an April strategy memo that 2026 poses, "a political environment that is likely to be one of the most challenging for state Republicans in recent years." It said it's taking a "defensive-first posture" to hold onto seats already held by the GOP.Democrats are pouring millions of dollars into trying to flip Republican-held chambers in several states, especially Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, New Hampshire, Minnesota and Pennsylvania.That would give some Democratic governors greater power to pass their policy priorities or let Democrats block GOP initiatives.For example, in Arizona Republicans hold a four-seat majority in the state Senate and a six-seat advantage in the House of Representatives, giving Democrats a chance to take one or both chambers...