Here are the 11 House races to watch on Election Day

WASHINGTON — With so much focus on the presidential race and battle for the Senate, it's easy to lose sight of the key contests for control of the House.

So we've got you covered.

With Republicans needing to flip a net 17 seats to regain control of the House, and with the Cook Political Report saying it's more likely than not that Democrats add to their majority, here are the 11 House contests we'll be watching.

Suffice it to say that the party that wins a majority of these 11 House races will end up having the better Election Night/Week/Month.

Endangered GOP incumbents (3)

Arizona 06: (GOP incumbent David Schweikert is running against Democrat Hiral Tipirneni)

Pennsylvania 01: (GOP incumbent Brian Fitzpatrick is running against Democrat Christina Finello)

New Jersey 02: (Party-switching GOP incumbent Jeff Van Drew is running against Democrat Amy Kennedy)

The GOP-held open seats (3)

Indiana 05: (Democrat Christina Hale is running against Victoria Spartz in the Indianapolis suburbs)

Texas 24: (Democrat Candace Valenzuela is running against Republican Beth Van Duyne in the Dallas/Ft Worth burbs)

Virginia 05: (Democrat Cameron Webb is running against Republican Bob Good)

Democrats holding big Trump seats (1)

Minnesota 07: (Democrat incumbent Collin Peterson is running against Republican Michelle Fischbach)

Freshmen Dems running to hold on to their seats (4)

Georgia 06: (Democrat Lucy McBath is running against Republican Karen Handel)

New Mexico 02: (Democrat Xochitl Torres Small is running against Republican Yvette Herrell)

Oklahoma 05: (Democrat Kendra Horn is running against Republican Stephanie Bice)

South Carolina 01: (Democrat Joe Cunningham is running against Republican Nancy Mace)

Day 2 of the Amy Coney Barrett hearings

After yesterday’s opening statements in the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, today begins with the actual questions from senators.

Per NBC’s Julie Tsirkin, all 22 senators on the committee will get 30 minutes to ask questions. And with its 9:00 a.m. ET start, plus breaks for lunch and dinner, today’s hearing could last until 10:00 p.m. or 11:00 p.m. ET, Tsirkin says.

And there will be a second round of questions tomorrow.

Data Download: The numbers you need to know today

7,845,338: The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States, per the most recent data from NBC News and health officials. (That’s 42,061 more than yesterday morning.)

216,281: The number of deaths in the United States from the virus so far. (That’s 343 more than yesterday morning.)

116.43 million: The number of coronavirus tests that have been administered in the United States so far, according to researchers at The COVID Tracking Project.

74 percent: The share of Americans who say the pandemic has either had a “very” or “fairly” major impact on their lives, per a new NBC News|SurveyMonkey poll.

An hour and 15 minutes: The shortest line to vote at one of nine voting locations in Gwinnett Co, Ga., yesterday at 5pm, according to the county website.

More than 50: The number of misleading “official” ballot drop boxes placed around California by the state Republican Party, which claims it’s legal to do so because the state does not explicitly forbid ballot harvesting.

65 minutes: The length of the president’s speech last night in Orlando.

108: The age of John McCain’s mother, Roberta, who passed away yesterday

2020 Vision: Maskless in Orlando

The latest NBC News|SurveyMonkey tracking poll shows that 68 percent of Americans are worried that they or someone in their family will be exposed to the coronavirus; 74 percent say the pandemic has had an impact on their lives; and 86 percent say they wear a mask every time or most of the time when they leave the house.

So if you want to know why President Trump is trailing, look no further than his first official campaign event after being hospitalized for the coronavirus.

“They say I’m immune. I feel so powerful,” Trump told assembled crowd right outside of Orlando, Fla. “I’ll walk into that audience, I’ll walk in there, kiss everyone in that audience. I’ll kiss the guys and the beautiful women.”

Our NBC team reports that at least 5,000 to 7,000 supporters were tightly packed together with few wearing masks during the rally. And one of Trump’s surrogates, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, made fun of the press for wearing masks.

On the campaign trail today

Joe Biden stumps in Florida. President Trump holds a rally in Johnstown, Pa., at 7:00 p.m. ET.

Tweet of the day

Ad Watch from Ben Kamisar

South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham is playing a central role in the nomination fight over Judge Amy Coney Barrett. Thus, the Supreme Court fight is playing a central role in Graham’s tight re-election fight.

As Politico observed Monday, the Barrett nomination is helping Republicans paper over the deep divisions within their party. And by focusing on the confirmation battle in his Senate fight, Graham looking for the court to be a similar unifier in his ever-tightening race against Democrat Jaime Harrison.

“Liberals like Jaime Harrison see the world in a radically different way,” Graham says in the spot. “They want to expand the court with liberal justices, fundamentally change who we are.”

Harrison’s come out against adding justices to the Supreme Court, but Graham is tying him to the progressive push nonetheless, leaning on an issue that’s typically a unifier for Republicans in a state that hasn’t had a Democratic senator since 2005 or voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since Jimmy Carter.

ICYMI: What else is happening in the world

Johnson & Johnson has paused vaccine trials over an “unexplained” illness in a participant.

Trump is back on the trail, and he’s playing defense.

Here’s where you can keep up with all the developments in Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation hearing.

California is a Democratic state — but progressives keep hitting roadblocks for their top agenda items.

Mitch McConnell and Amy McGrath sparred in a debate last night.

Asked yet again about the courts, Biden said yesterday “I’m not a fan of court-packing.”

Michigan Sen. Gary Peters — who’s in a competitive reelection race — shared for the first time a story about his ex-wife having an abortion to save her life.

POLITICO looks at how the election could be called on Election Night.