The 2016 cycle will be unlike any Minnesota election in over a decade, but the messages voters hear might sound pretty familiar.

For the first time since 2004, there’s no statewide race — for U.S. Senate, the governor's office or constitutional offices — anchoring the top of the ticket. Instead, all 201 state legislators up for election this fall will be on the same ballot as the presidential contest between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

Presidential races always give a big boost to races lower down on the ballot, but the Trump-Clinton matchup also has potential negatives for both parties in Minnesota. Trump, the Republican nominee, isn’t popular in the Twin Cities suburbs, where local Republicans are struggling to make gains. Likewise, Clinton isn't very popular in Greater Minnesota, where Democrats need to pick up more votes.

The stakes are high: Democrats control the Senate and the governor’s office and are hoping to win back the House, giving them complete control of government for the next two years. Republicans, who took over the state House in 2014, are fighting to maintain control of the chamber and win back a majority in the Senate.

Legislative campaign operatives on both sides hope their fate this fall isn’t directly tied to the presidential race, so they’re crafting a localized message. For Republicans, that means talking about many of the same issues as they did in 2014: MNsure, the problem-plagued healthcare insurance exchange; a metro-focused Democratic Party; and a need for balance in government. For their part, Democrats will talk about gridlock in government when Republicans are in power, including the 2011 government shutdown, back-to-back special session negotiations the last two sessions and a lack of movement on transportation funding.

And though all 201 seats across the state are on the ballot, only a handful will be truly competitive and provide any real opportunity for the parties to make gains.

In the House, Republicans hold a 73-61 majority, meaning Democrats need to pick up at least seven seats to take back control. Republicans see a few pickup opportunities in open seats in Rochester and Minnetonka, where Democrats now in office are retiring, but they are mostly playing defense on the 10 Greater Minnesota seats and one suburban seat they picked up in 2014 to win a majority. Likewise, Democrats want to capitalize on a few open Republican-held seats and are setting up a handful of rematches and competitive races outstate to try and get a majority back.

In the Senate, Democrats hold a 39-28 majority, meaning Republicans need pick up at least six seats to win back control, and are focusing on seats that normally lean conservative but that the DFL managed to pick up in 2012. Democrats, meanwhile, hope to expand their majority by picking up a seat in an open race in St. Cloud and a competitive contest in Eden Prairie.

In an effort to sort this all out, MinnPost used election data and intel from campaign operatives in both parties to compile a list of 25 races — 15 in the House and 10 in the Senate — that could decide control of the Legislature this fall.

All 25 races to watch are displayed below. To more easily compare, contrast and explore the races, click the "Show only" links to toggle the various filters on and off.