The final full week of campaigning has begun after a weekend of bitter attacks on all sides. This week, more red states are entering the conversation for being potentially competitive and so are legal challenges from the Trump administration.

President Donald Trump is heading to Mississippi Monday, another traditionally conservative state that few talked about as being competitive earlier this year.

But after a number of high-profile visits by Democrats to campaign for Democrat Scott Colom, including former Vice President Kamala Harris, it has entered the conversation.

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While current Mississippi Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith is still favored, she has faced criticism for months after being asked about beef prices and suggesting there are other proteins to eat.

Trump told reporters he thinks his frequent rallies are helping.

"I have heard we have turned the whole thing around and for whatever reason presidents don't win the midterms and I think we really turned it around and I think the rallies have turned it," Trump said.

Trump and Obama duel on the campaign trail

Trump is also dueling with former President Barack Obama on the campaign trail this week, with Obama campaigning in Ohio and Michigan and mocking the former president in the process.

"Guy's building a ballroom bigger than White House, paved over the Rose Garden, put a helipad on the south lawn," Obama said at one rally. "And there is gold everywhere. What's up with the gold? He has got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory."

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Polls show Democrats maintaining an edge in both House races and many Senate races with 8 days to go. But Republicans remain very skeptical of polling.

A closely watched race in Alaska

One of the biggest races is in Alaska, where Democratic nominee Mary Peltola was involved in a car accident over the weekend, sustaining minor injuries.

This comes after the Department of Justice has sued to block Alaska certification, citing concerns that incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan is facing another Dan Sullivan on the ballot.

"That is very unfair, that's just outright cheating," Trump said.

While control of Congress is drawing much of the attention heading into Election Day, voters across the country will also decide the fate of dozens of consequential ballot measures that could influence policy well beyond their states.

According to Ballotpedia, 145 state ballot measures are on this Novembers ballot, touching on issues ranging from taxes and abortion to transgender rights and voting requirements.

Even for voters who don't see certain questions on their ballots this year, the outcomes could matter. Policies approved in one state can become models for ballot campaigns and legislation elsewhere.

Taxes take center stage

Some of the biggest questions facing voters involve their wallets.

In Tennessee, voters will consider a measure that would restrict the state from ever imposing a statewide property tax.

Florida voters, meanwhile, will weigh a significant expansion of the state's property tax exemption. The exemption is currently $50,000, but the proposal would increase it to $150,000, with the amount potentially rising in future years.

Supporters argue the change would allow homeowners to keep more of their money.

I would love to get a tax break on my property, Scott Adams, a Florida taxpayer, told the Scripps News Group.

But local governments have raised concerns about the potential effect on the revenue used to provide public services.

This will be something that will completely upend services in our state, Harry Cohen, a Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners member, said.

Other states are considering tax changes aimed specifically at wealthy residents.

In California, voters will decide whether billionaires should face a one-time 5% tax to help pay for health care and other services.

Colorado voters will also consider raising taxes on high-income earners, including those making more than $500,000.

Its wrong that a teacher pays the same tax rate as a billionaire, Lisa Weil, with Great Education Colorado, said.

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Opponents warn the higher taxes could prompt some wealthy residents to leave the state.

Transgender rights and abortion on the ballot

Culture war issues will also feature prominently in several states.

Voters in Arizona, Nebraska, Colorado and Washington will consider measures involving sex-based requirements for participation on school athletic teams, putting the national debate over transgender athletes directly before voters.

Abortion rights are also on the ballot.

Idaho, Nevada and Virginia will consider measures aimed at establishing a right to abortion, while Missouri voters will decide on a measure that would restrict abortion access.

Voters will decide the future of voting

Election rules themselves will also be put to a vote. Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, North Carolina and Ohio have ballot measures involving new voter identification requirements.

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Michigan voters, meanwhile, will consider limiting political donations from utility companies and government contractors, a proposal intended to restrict certain sources of money in politics.

The outcomes of these measures could resonate beyond the states voting on them. Successful initiatives can provide a blueprint for supporters elsewhere, potentially putting similar questions before voters in future elections.

A campaign ad in Ohios governors race is drawing criticism from Democrats and some Republicans and raising questions about how far negative campaigning should go.

The ad, paid for by Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamys campaign, features Democratic nominee Amy Actons birth mother calling her daughter a liar.

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The ad has drawn particular attention because Actons mother lost custody of her when Acton was a child amid sexual abuse allegations involving the man her mother was with at the time.

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina sharply criticized the ad, calling it the most shameful, disgusting, offensive ad this election season.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said the ad needs to come down, but he would not be rescinding his endorsement of Ramaswamy. Acton worked for DeWine as the state's health director during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance were also asked about the controversy but did not condemn the ad.

I know nothing about it, Trump said. But I hear the mother went very rogue on the daughter, doesn't have a lot of respect for the daughter.

Trump later added, It's a very unusual situation to have a mother hate a daughter that much. But I don't think that has anything to do with Vivek.

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Vance defended Ramaswamys decision to air the commercial.

Vivek Ramaswamy had the audacity to run a TV commercial which calls it out like it is and calls Amy Acton a liar, Vance said.

Acton herself condemned the ad, telling CNN that it has "crossed everyone's boundaries."

The controversy has extended beyond Ohio, prompting a broader debate about negative political advertising. There was no indication that Ramaswamys campaign planned to pull the ad.

Republican Sen. John Husted of Ohio also criticized the decision, telling The Associated Press he would not have aired the commercial.

Voters in Michigan and Kansas saw their Senate candidates square off in high-stakes debates, with control of the Senate potentially hanging in the balance.

In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers traded sharp attacks in one of the countrys most competitive Senate races.

El-Sayed sought to tie Rogers closely to President Donald Trump, repeatedly arguing that a vote for Rogers would effectively be a vote for Trump. Rogers, meanwhile, portrayed El-Sayed as too extreme for Michigan.

The candidates also clashed over several major policy issues.

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El-Sayed said he supports changes to the U.S. Supreme Court and Medicare for All. On Social Security, he has called for raising the cap on income subject to Social Security taxes.

Rogers opposes Medicare for All and previously voted against the Affordable Care Act, though he has said he wants to reform the law. On Social Security, Rogers said he wants lawmakers to work together on a solution but did not outline a specific plan during the debate.

The debate also featured a heated exchange over foreign policy, campaign funding and national security, with Rogers questioning El-Sayeds positions and El-Sayed criticizing Rogers ties to Trump.

Meanwhile, Republican Sen. Roger Marshall and Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton also faced off in Kansas, a state that has become more competitive than many observers expected earlier in the election cycle.

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Hamilton sought to distance himself from national Democratic leadership, saying he would not support Sen. Chuck Schumer as majority leader if elected. Marshall emphasized his relationship with Trump, arguing that he would be able to work with the president to deliver results for Kansas.

The candidates also sparred over tariffs and the economy. Marshall argued that tariffs are helping bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States, while Hamilton said uncertainty surrounding tariffs is making it harder for businesses to operate and increasing costs.

With Election Day approaching, both Michigan and Kansas remain closely watched Senate contests.