Here's today's rundown on the Congressional races.

Franken: My Ads Are About Norm Coleman's Record -- So They're Negative
Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) debated last night against Al Franken and Independency Party candidate Dean Barkley. Franken got off this zinger when asked what he would do about negative ads that have taken over the race on all sides: "We've been running ads against Norm Coleman's record. So they're negative."

Franken: I'll Keep On Impersonating Wellstone
At a rally over the weekend featuring Al Gore, Al Franken declared that he would not be deterred from doing his goofy impression of the late Sen. Paul Wellstone, who would manically shout "You can take this guy!" at his son's track and field meets. The GOP has been using video of Franken impersonating his departed friend and twisting it to look like Franken himself was being crazy and unstable.

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Here's tonight's run-down on the Congressional races.

Minnesota GOP Accused Of Playing Up Racial Angle In House Race
Now this is awkward. The Minnesota Dems are circulating this tracker video of a state GOP press conference from Tuesday, in which reporters asked some very tough questions about wether the party was using race as an issue in saying that their House candidate Erik Paulsen better fits the "demographic" of the district than Democrat Ashwin Madia, who is Indian-American:

"I'm just saying from a demographic standpoint, Erik Paulsen fits the district very well," said state party chairman Ron Carey. A spokesperson for the state party declined to speak to Election Central when approached for comment.

Endangered GOP Senator Links Himself To Ted Kennedy In New Ad
Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR), who has fallen behind in the polls against Democrat Jeff Merkley in this blue state, has this new ad touting his support for gay rights -- and his work with Ted Kennedy on the issue:

Smith has previously run ads tying himself in with Barack Obama and John Kerry -- the latter of whom he'd previously called a socialist back in 2004.

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Here's today's run-down on the Congressional races: Democrats are running strong in some key races, thanks to the economic crisis -- but some other opportunities could be slipping away.

Senate GOP Ad Bashes Bailout Supported By Incumbent Senator, Opposed By Dem
The NRSC has this new ad in the Oregon Senate race that is strongly critical of Wall St. and Washington, then says Dem candidate Jeff Merkley would make things worse:

"Our economy in trouble, Wall St. and Washington gambling with our money, piling up more government debt," the announcer says. It should be noted here that incumbent GOP Sen. Gordon Smith voted for the bailout, and Merkley is opposing it. And then there are the two chief leaders of the GOP, George W. Bush and John McCain, who both support it.

Al Franken's Wife Talks About Alcoholism In New Ad
The Franken campaign has this new ad out presenting an image of a very human and compassionate Al Franken, at odds with the idea of a manic and angry person that the GOP has worked to project. In this spot, Franken's wife Franni talks about her struggle with alcoholism, and Al's work to help other people with this problem:

"The Al Franken I know stood by me through thick and thin," Franni Franken says. "So I know he'll always come through for Minnesotans."

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Here's tonight's run-down of the Congressional races: The bailout and the economic crisis continue to dominate the campaigns -- which is never good news for the GOP -- while the Republicans are fending off the attacks by charging that the Dems don't have any solutions, either.

Al Franken Opposes Bailout Bill
Al Franken has put out a press release strongly opposing the bailout bill, which incumbent GOP Sen. Norm Coleman voted for: "Last night the United States Senate voted to take $700 billion from taxpayers who did nothing wrong and offer it as a sacrifice at the altar of financial mismanagement."

Smith And Merkley Joust Over The Bailout
Senate candidate Jeff Merkley (D-OR) is criticizing the bailout package, as well: "I have dedicated much of my life to advocating for consumers and I believe it is just wrong to spend $700 billion of taxpayer money to bailout the very Wall Street financiers who created this crisis." Incumbent Sen. Gordon Smith (R) has fired back at Merkley, saying Merkley has "shamefully placed his partisan ambitions ahead of the retirement, financial and economic security of the people he seeks to serve."

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Here's today's run-down on the Congressional races: Republicans are reacting to the economic crisis and the bad poll numbers with some apparently twisted and phony attacks against the Dems.

GOP Accused Of Twisting Video Of Franken
It looks like the NRSC, in their zeal to paint Al Franken as angry and unstable, have seriously twisted some key video out of context. Minnesota blog MNPublius found that the NRSC repeatedly used in their TV ads video of Franken yelling out, "You can take this guy!" in a manic fashion -- but it looks like he was doing an impression of the late Sen. Paul Wellstone at his son's track and field meets. Here's the original video:

McConnell Campaign Accused Of Lying To Veteran For Campaign Ad
Oh boy. Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (KY) has been airing attack ads charging that a chain of veterans' clinics run by Dem opponent Bruce Lunsford have offered inferior care. However, it turns out one of the veterans in the ad now says he was lied to and his words taken totally out of context. Now that same veteran is doing a Lunsford ad:

"Tricking veterans, twisting their words -- how low will Mitch McConnell go?" the announcer says. In response, McConnell has a revised ad without that particular veteran, and with other veterans who directly blast Lunsford by name.

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Here's today's run-down on the Congressional races: The Democrats are barreling ahead with more attacks against the GOP for the financial crisis, and more polling data is showing the economy dragging the Republicans down in key races.

House Dems Drop Almost $4.6 Million In One Day
The DCCC spent an enormous amount in yesterday's FEC filings, shelling out almost $4.6 million in 37 races. The Dems are spending $450,000 on offense for three seats in Ohio, $300,000 for two GOP seats in New Mexico, and half a million each in Arizona and Pennsylvania on both offense and defense -- a serious leveraging of their huge financial advantage over the House GOP.

Franken Ad Blasts Coleman For The Wall St. Crisis
Al Franken has this new ad against Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN), tying Coleman to the financial crisis and the unpopular economic policies of George W. Bush:

"Who was looking out for us? Not Norm Coleman," the announcer says. "He's taken $2 million from Wall St. and financial interests -- more than any other Senate candidate in the country."

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Here's tonight's run-down on the Congressional races: The Democrats are aggressively exploiting the political opportunities presented by the economic crisis -- while the Republicans are running in the other direction as they watch their numbers fall.

Mitch McConnell Turning Down Debates
Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (KY), who has found himself in some uncomfortably close polls against Dem businessman Bruce Lunsford, is refusing to debate. The campaign has rejected an invitation from the League of Women Voters and has not responded to one from Kentucky Educational Television, saying only that they'll hold a debate with the Paducah Sun in late October.

Dems Launch Ads About Social Security Privatization And Wall St.
The DCCC has a whole new wave of ads running in Pennsylvania and Indiana about Social Security -- and specifically, what would be happening if Social SEcurity were tied to the stock market in the middle of the banking crisis. Here's one of them in Pennsylvania:

"Barletta wanted to follow Bush right into this mess," the announcer says. "And with the markets in free-fall, where would our safety net be now?"

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With the economy continuing to dominate the political discourse, Republicans are taking two tacks: Proclaiming their heroism in killing the bailout, or just plain changing the subject.

Bachmann: Pelosi's Speech Did Not Make Us Vote No
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) is directly contradicting the party leadership's notion that Nancy Pelosi's speech yesterday led to Republicans voting against the bailout. "I want to assure you that was not the case," Bachmann said at a Republican Study Committee press conference yesterday. "We are not babies who suck our thumbs. We have very principled reasons for voting no."

Davis Iglesias Bashes GOP House Nominee
Here's a video making the rounds, in which former U.S. Attorney goes after Darren White, the Republican nominee for the close open seat of Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM), for overzealously wanting to prosecute accusations of voter fraud:

"So I've been very disappointed in Darren. He doesn't understand his duties as a sheriff," Iglesias says. "He put -- and this is why I'm very critical about people like Gonzales -- they put loyalty to the party at a higher plane than their loyalty to the Constitution. Darren did the same thing. So I hope the voters understand that come November."

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Here's tonight's run-down on the Congressional races: The GOP may be panicking in the face of more poll numbers showing serious losses from the economic crisis, with a new round of nasty attack ads against the Dem candidates.

Another Poll Shows GOP Sen. Dole Losing Re-Election
The new survey from Public Policy Polling (D) shows Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) trailing her Dem opponent Kay Hagan by a 46%-38% margin. PPP has tended to be the most favorable for Hagan, but even this lead is the widest one they've registered yet -- and on top of that, they've received corroboration from Rasmussen polls showing a narrow Hagan lead.

GOP Ad: Dem Challenger Is So Irresponsible, She Should Be On Wall St.
The NRSC is trying to make the economic crisis work for them in an odd place: The North Carolina Senate race, where economic anxiety has put incumbent Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R) behind Dem challenger Kay Hagan in the polls:

"Balanced? That's a hoax -- Hagan just borrowed the money," the announcer says. "Maybe Hagan should skip Washington -- and go straight to Wall St."

One is reminded of a line from the fictionalized Pappy O'Daniel in O Brother, Where Art Thou?: "How we gonna run reform when we're the damn incumbent?"

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Here's today's rundown on the Congressional races: The Wall St. bailout is dominating the discussion in the down-ticket races, with many Republicans taking political damage from the bad economic news.

Bailout Could Sink McConnell
The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that the political fallout over the Wall St. bailout is damaging the political standing of Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, due in part to his fellow GOP Senator Jim Bunning undercutting McConnell's support with his own outspoken opposition. On top of that, the new Mason-Dixon poll has McConnell with a bare 45%-44% lead over Dem businessman Bruce Lunsford, and SurveyUSA has it as a 49%-46% lead.

Coleman Ad: Don't "Play The Blame Game" On Bailout
Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) has this new ad out reassuring voters on the Wall St. bailout, asking voters not to assess blame to anybody for the mess:

"We can point fingers, play the blame game, or pull together, restore confidence, and turn this country around," Coleman said. One is reminded of what Jon Stewart said after Katrina: Those people who say we shouldn't play the blame game are usually the people we should blame.

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Here's tonight's run-down on the Congressional races: The economy continues to dominate the down-ticket races, and it's looking more and more like Dems stand to make significant gains off the crisis.

Cook Report: Dems Could Potentially Reach 60 Senate Seats
Charlie Cook writes in his latest column that although it remains a long-shot, the chances have gone up considerably for Democrats to reach 60 seats in the U.S. Senate. "Today, holding its losses down to four seats would be manna from heaven for the GOP," Cook writes. "Party leaders would take a five- or six-seat loss in stride, given the circumstances."

Dem Ad: Social Security Privatization A Roller-Coaster Ride On Wall St.
Check out this ad from the DCCC, reminding voters that GOP candidates who want to invest Social Security funds in the stock market don't exactly have a strong case in light of the current financial crisis. This one targets Blaine Luetkemeyer, the Republican nominee for an open GOP-held seat in Missouri:

"But Luetkemeyer supports privatizing Social Security, risking your retirement on the Wall St. roller-coaster," the announcer says, as the camera progresses to the top of a roller-coaster. "So if you or a loved one plan to depend on Social Security, hold on tight."

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Here's today's run-down on the Congressional races: With GOPers scrambling to staunch the political bleeding amid the meltdown, all signs point to Dems gaining in multiple down-ticket races.

Bachmann Blames Loans To Minorities For Financial Crisis
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) is laying the blame for the financial crisis on loans made to minorities, saying in a hearing that the Clinton Administration encouraged the granting of mortgages "on the basis of race and often on little else." Roll Call reports that Bachmann stepped back from her comment just a bit, saying that the policies were "well-intentioned."

Cheney Cancels Campaign Stop For House Candidate, Citing Economic Crisis
Vice President Cheney has canceled a scheduled campaign stop today for Ed Tinsley, the Republican nominee or an open GOP-held House seat in New Mexico, and is instead staying in Washington to assist in negotiations on the financial bailout.

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Here's tonight's run-down of the Congressional races: More polls show that the Democrats have a very good chance of picking up some tough seats, thanks to the economic crisis and anti-incumbent fervor -- but they might also lose a few of their own.

Poll: Dems' New Hampshire House Seats in Danger
A new Univ. of New Hampshire poll shows that former Rep. Jeb Bradley (R) is leading incumbent Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D) by a 45%-42% margin, in his comeback attempt after she defeated him two years ago. In the state's other district, freshman Rep. Paul Hodes (D) is leading his challenger Jennifer Horn (R) by a 38%-33% margin, with a very high undecided number that should be of serious concern to the incumbent.

Poll: Alaska Senate Race Close, House Race Getting Closer
A new Ivan Moore poll of Alaska shows challenger Mark Begich (D) leading incumbent Sen. Ted Stevens (R) by a 48%-46% margin, compared to 49%-46% three weeks ago. The same poll shows Ethan Berkowitz (D) losing his once 17-point lead over incumbent Rep. Don Young (R) from just three weeks ago to now just a 49%-44% lead.

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Here's that awkward moment from today when Sarah Palin refused to answer a reporter's question about whether she supports the re-election of Alaska's indicted Sen. Ted Stevens or the scandal-plagued Rep. Don Young:

"Ted Stevens' trial started a couple days ago. We'll see where that goes," Palin said. When she was asked again whether she would vote for Stevens and Young, Palin simply turned away and took another reporter's question.

Palin is in a real bind here. She can't say she doesn't support the re-election of her state's GOP members of Congress -- she's the Republican nominee for vice president. On the other hand, saying she does support these mucky pork-dealers would really damage the brand that the McCain campaign has manufactured for her as a supposed anti-pork ethics crusader.

Here's today's run-down on the Congressional races: The Dems are hammering away at Republicans over the financial crisis, raising questions on everything from regulation to the potential impact on Social Security -- and it may be working.

Dems Blast Sununu For Anti-Regulation History
New Hampshire Democrats are hitting Sen. John Sununu (R) on the market crisis, circulating to local media tapes of Sununu in 2006 and 2007, praising hedge funds and badmouthing regulation of the financial markets:

Dems Keep Up Spending On House Race Attack Ads
The DCCC spent $1.8 million on a round of attacks against GOP candidates in last night's FEC filings, covering 20 races in 14 states. Most signifiant is the spending of over $450,000 in three Ohio races. Here's one of those ads:

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Here's tonight's run-down on the Congressional races: National Democrats are spending big, but a new round of polling could give the GOP some hope in key races.

Lieberman Defends GOPer Norm Coleman From Dem Attacks, Says Iraq War Had Proper Oversight
Joe Lieberman has put out a statement on behalf of Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN), disputing Al Franken's attack that Coleman didn't do enough to provide oversight over Iraq contracts while he chaired an important subcommittee. "It is simply untrue, and irresponsible, to suggest that while Norm Coleman was investigating corruption here at home, that investigations in Iraq were not going on," Lieberman wrote.

National Dems Shell Out Big Bucks For Attack Ads Today
The DCCC has spent over $1.5 million today for their new wave of attack ads, according to the FEC newest filings. Money is being spent in 14 races across ten states, most notably $310,000 for three seats in John McCain's home state of Arizona. Here's one of those ads, targeting the Republican challenger against freshman Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ):

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Here's today's run-down on the Congressional races: GOP candidates are on the defensive on the economic crisis in a big way -- and in their fumbling efforts to respond are digging themselves in deeper and deeper.

Coleman Keeps Saying Government Could Net Huge Profit On Bailout
Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) is defending his bizarre statement on Monday that the proposed $700 billion bailout for Wall St. could make the government a profit of 10 or 20 times the principal. "If you buy assets at close to fire-sale prices and the market stabilizes, you'll see an improvement in assets," Coleman said -- forgetting that this bailout is structured in such a way as to specifically avoid buying assets at fire-sale prices, and the securities being bought would be unlikely to return to their hypothetical maturity valuations.

GOP Candidate's Staffer Uses Fake Name At Dem Candidate's Press Conference
The press secretary for House candidate Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) has been caught calling into a press conference by Democrat Gary Trauner, using a fake name and identifying herself as a Trauner supporter so as to better asked a pointed question about the Dems' energy policies. This seat has been in GOP hands since the 1978 election, but Trauner's near-win back in 2006 makes this a very competitive race for the open race this time around.

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Here's tonight's run-down on the Congressional races: The Dems are leveraging their big financial advantage over the GOP into an extensive round of attack ads against the Republicans, in order to pick up some usually-tough seats this November.

National Dems Launch New Wave Of Attack Ads In House Races
The DCCC has launched a major TV attack ad offensive in districts across the country, some of them defending Dem-held seats but others running in GOP-held areas that are traditionally very difficult for the Dems. Ads will be running in Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin. Here's one of the ads, running in a deep-red New Mexico district:

New York GOP Trying To Dump Candidate For Key House Seat
The race for the open seat of scandal-plagued Rep. Vito Fossella (R-NY) just keeps getting weirder, with Manhattan Republicans now nominating unpopular GOP nominee Bob Straniere for an open judgeship as a means of getting him to drop out of the race -- but Straniere is refusing. National Republicans feel that their chances of holding the seat could potentially improve if they can substitute Fossella himself as the new candidate, but they're not optimistic that it will actually happen.

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Here's today's rundown on the Congressional races: An avalanche of polls shows the Democrats running ahead or close behind in several seats that have been in GOP hands for years -- suggesting the possibility of major Dem gains.

GOP Rep's Ad: I'm Sorry I Went On An Abramoff Trip
This ad needs to be seen to be believed. Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL), who is facing a spirited challenge from Democrat Suzanne Kosmas, has this new ad in which he speaks to the camera and abjectly apologizes for going on an Abramoff-sponsored trip five years ago:

"I embarrassed myself, embarrassed you, and for that I'm very sorry," Feeney says.

Polls Show Big House Races In Ohio This Year
A new set of SurveyUSA polls in Ohio show Dems poised to pick up two out of four contested GOP-held district. In the First District, incumbent Rep. Steve Chabot (R) is holding a small lead over challenger Steve Driehaus (D) 46%-44%. In the Second District, Rep. Jean Schmidt (R) is holding an 8-point lead over challenger Victoria Wulsin (D) 48%-40%. But in the open 15th and 16th Districts Mary Jo Kilroy (D) has a 47%-42% lead over Steve Stivers (R), and John Boccieri (D) has a 49%-41% lead over Kirk Schuring (R).

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Here's tonight's run-down of the Congressional races: The political attacks today have been particularly rough, with candidates being charged with exporting jobs, crafting legislation to benefit themselves financially -- and writing pornography.

NRSC Ad: Al Franken Jokes About Rape, Physically Assaults People
Wow. The NRSC's new ad against Al Franken doesn't pull any punches, calling him "unfit for office" due in part to the many sick jokes he's told over the years as a comedian:

"Franken writes about committing rape," the announcer says. "Franken writes pornography so vile, Democrats denounced it."

Poll: Minnesota Senate Race A Dead Heat
A new Rasmussen poll confirms just how close the Minnesota Senate race is -- and explains why both sides are busy running the nastiest attack ads they can think of. The numbers: Sen. Norm Coleman (R) 48%, Al Franken (D) 47%, within the ±4% margin of error. Last month, the two of them were tied 45%-45%.

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Here's this morning's run-down on the Congressional races: The Dems' chances of taking a key Senate seat have just gone up considerably, and the party overall is spending heavily in key races.

Polls Show GOP Sen. Dole Losing Re-Election
Two new polls show that Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) is trailing her Democratic opponent Kay Hagan, a rare opportunity for a Democratic pick-up in a Southern Senate seat. The numbers from Public Policy Polling (D): Hagan 46%, Dole 41%, with a ±3% margin of error. And from Rasmussen: Hagan 51%, Dole 45%, with a ±4.5% margin of error.

Coleman: Bailout Isn't Really A Bailout
Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) is praising the proposed Wall St. bailout, in which the government would buy $700 billion in mortgage debts with little or no oversight or penalties for the firms that made that loans in the first place. Coleman alleges that the buyout is "not an infusion of cash" to the firms, but is in fact an investment by the government: "The government could make 10 or 20 times what it pays on this, possibly." Needless to say, this is economic nonsense.

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Here's today's rundown on the Congressional races: The momentum so far today seems to be with the Dems, with some decent poll numbers and strong ad campaigns.

Stevens Tries To Get Ads Against Him Pulled
Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) has called upon local TV and radio stations to stop running DSCC ads that attack him for getting an unreasonably good deal on a car thanks to a wealthy donor, and for steering private consultant jobs to his son Ben. Only a few stations honored his complaints that the ads are deceptive, but even they are once more continuing to run them.

Poll: Dems Winning Both Congressional Races In Deep-Red Alaska
A new Research 2000 poll has the Dems winning both the Senate and House races in Alaska, despite the presence of Gov. Sarah Palin on the national ticket. Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich is beating Sen. Ted Stevens by a 50%-44% margin, and former state Rep. Ethan Berkowitz is beating scandal-plagued GOP Rep. Don Young by a 53%-39% margin, with a ±4% margin of error.

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Here's tonight's rundown on the Congressional races: It wasn't a good day for the GOP, with a mixture of legal defeat, the wrong candidate winning the nomination for a key seat, and tough counter-attacks from the Dems.

Democrats Win Court Battle In Mississippi Senate Race
In a surprise victory for the Dems, the Mississippi Supreme Court has ruled against the efforts by GOP Gov. Haley Barbour to bury the hotly-contested special election for Senate at the bottom of the physical ballot used on Election Day, where lower-information voters might have overlooked it. Oddly enough, though, the court declined to issue a formal order that Barbour must change the ballot, but only threatened to issue one if he did not comply from here on out.

Late Update: Barbour's office says he will comply with the ruling.

NY Conservatives: No, We're Not Nominating Fossella
A leader of the New York Conservative Party is ruling out the possibility of subbing in scandal-plagued retiring Rep. Vito Fossella (R) as their new nominee for Congress. "No, absolutely not," said Brooklyn party chairman Jerry Kassar, in an interview with Election Central. "He is not under consideration, nor has he requested consideration."

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