Leading Off:
• IA-Sen: On the GOP side, Freedom Partners continues to hammer Democrat Bruce Braley on his "farmer from Iowa" gaffe. The spot features a husband and wife arguing that Braley hates all farmers.
The NRSC also goes after Braley, resurrecting a story from a few months ago in which Braley allegedly threatened to sue a neighbor after her chickens took a dump on his property. American Crossroads also throws down $1,082,000. But weirdest of all, a group called "Protect the Harvest" is spending $104,000. The group exists to fight "the radical animal rights movement" and it's no surprise they'd make common cause with Republican Joni Ernst, who's famously talked about castrating pigs.
On the other side, the DSCC has two new spots (here and here). The first features a woman on a sexual assault response team hitting Ernst for wanting to ban abortion, even for victims of rape and incest. The second ad briefly hits Ernst on education before praising Braley on his humble background and plans to make college more affordable. The national party committees haven't run very many positive ads this cycle, and this may be a sign the DSCC thinks Braley's image needs to improve for him to win.
Also for Team Blue, NARAL links Ernst to the Susan B. Anthony List, which it portrays as anti-women. Until the very end, it's the same ad they ran in North Carolina. The American Hospitals Association spends $264,000, SEIU throws in $285,000, and AFSCME chips in $314,000.
Head below the fold for a roundup of ads from races from across the country.
Senate:
• AK-Sen: Republican Dan Sullivan features his old boss former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Rice praises Sullivan's record on security, portraying him as someone America needs in the Senate as threats grow overseas.
• AR-Sen: The conservative group Crossroads GPS spends $441,000, while Freedom Partners shells out $644,000 for the GOP.
• CO-Sen: On the Democratic side, NextGen Climate spends $216,0000 while AFSCME spends $1,009,000. For the GOP, Freedom Partners throws in $714,000 while Ending Spending is out with $1,519,000.
• GA-Sen: Democrat Michelle Nunn features a local businessman going after Republican David Perdue on outsourcing. For the GOP, the NRA spends $157,000.
• KS-Sen: Republican Sen. Pat Roberts does some more Obamacare demonetization, linking independent Greg Orman to the program and arguing he'd just be another vote for Obama. Freedom Partners also spends $582,000 against Orman, while the National Association of Realtors shells out $350,000 for the GOP.
• KY-Sen: Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell emphasizes his work expediting DNA testing in crimes.
• MT-Sen: This contest has gotten very little attention since Democratic Sen. John Walsh dropped out of the race over plagiarism. The new Democratic nominee Amanda Curtis is hoping to change that, and is airing her first spot. Curtis narrates the ad, arguing she's a regular person who can help change Washington.
• NC-Sen: Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan has two spots (here and here). Both of them go after Republican Thom Tillis on women's healthcare, while EMILY's List also hits Tillis on this. The Environmental Defense Fund accuses Tillis of being in the pocket of polluters, while AFSCME spends $1,526,000. On the other side, the NRSC continues to hit Hagan for missing hearings on ISIS.
• NH-Sen: Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen has two spots (here and here). The first portrays Shaheen as a champion for the middle class. The second has Shaheen contrasting his record with Republican Scott Brown on equal pay and women's health.
• SD-Sen: Democrat Rick Weiland narrates a positive spot, where he talks about how he'll stand up for the middle class. He doesn't name Republican opponent Mike Rounds directly but features his picture when he argues other people want to help the rich get richer while letting "the rest of us" suffer.
Also on the Democratic side, MAYDAY PAC features a family friend of Weiland praising him, before the narrator talks about his middle class agenda. EveryVoice Action also spends $160,000 against independent Larry Pressler.
• VA-Sen: Republican Ed Gillespie hits the "Obama-Warner policies."
• NRSC: Expenditures.
Gubernatorial:
• FL-Gov: Republican Gov. Rick Scott argues that as governor, Democrat Charlie Crist did nothing as joblessness increased.
• GA-Gov: Former Democratic Gov. and Sen. Zell Miller appears in a spot for Republican incumbent Nathan Deal. Miller talks about how Deal helped save the HOPE scholarship, a program he started. While Miller still calls himself a Democrat he almost always backs Republicans nowadays, though he did recently cut an ad for Democratic Senate nominee Michelle Nunn.
• HI-Gov: The RGA continues to hit Democrat David Ige for voting for a problematic health exchange. The Republicans have been working hard to link Ige to unpopular departing Gov. Neil Abercrombie, whom Ige beat in the August primary.
• ME-Gov: Democrat Mike Michaud features a retired general and life-long Republican praising him as someone who will bring people together while casting Republican Gov. Paul LePage as divisive. The DGA-backed Maine Forward also hits LePage on education, with the narrator quoting LePage saying, "If you want a good education, go to private schools. If you can’t afford it, tough luck." LePage himself goes positive, featuring a lifelong Democrat praising LePage's record and determination.
• MI-Gov: The DGA continues to hammer Republican Gov. Rick Snyder on his taxes and education cuts. This time they mention the raises he gave his staff while he was making harmful cuts, accusing him of having the wrong priorities.
House:
• CA-10: Democrat Michael Eggman.
• CA-52: AFSCME spends $299,000 for the Democrats.
• CO-06: Democrat Andrew Romanoff continues to hit Republican Rep. Mike Coffman on equal pay for women.
• FL-02: Freedom Partners spends $146,000 for Republican Rep. Steve Southerland.
• IL-17: Democratic Rep. Cherri Bustos.
• MA-06: The National Association of Realtors spends $228,000 for Republican Richard Tisei.
• MN-08: The DCCC continues to paint Republican Stewart Mills as a heartless rich guy. On the other side of the aisle, the NRA spends $160,000.
• NH-01: Democratic Rep. Carol Shea-Porter hits Republican Frank Guinta on women's rights: As stereotypical 1950s music plays, Shea-Porter argues Guinta wants to take the country back to the Fifties.
• NV-03: Democrat Erin Bilbray.
• NY-21: Democrat Aaron Woolf pushes back on GOP attempts to portray him as a carpetbagger, while going after Republican Elise Stefanik on Social Security.
• NY-24: The DCCC goes after Republican John Katko on abortion.
• TX-23: The American Action Network calls Democratic Rep. Pete Gallego "Obama's top Texas sidekick." Gallego himself goes positive, talking about the sacrifices his father made.
• VA-02: The American Hospital Association spends $201,000 for Republican Rep. Scott Rigell.
• WV-03: Republican Evan Jenkins has two negative spots (here and here). The first argues Democratic Rep. Nick Rahall got rich killing coal, while taking bribes doing it. The second claims Rahall did favors for Obama and made money, while hurting seniors.
• DCCC: Expenditures.
• NRCC: Expenditures.