Leading Off:
• CO-Gov: The DGA jumps on a recent controversial spot run by Republican Bob Beauprez.
Here's the background: Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper is considering commuting the death sentence for convicted murderer Nathan Dunlap to life in prison. Beauprez and his allies have been attacking Hickenlooper over it, with Beauprez arguing that this is another sign the governor is weak. A different RGA ad focusing on Dunlap also made news recently and led to a great deal of controversy in its own right.
The DGA is now jumping on the controversy. The spot blames Beauprez for the ad, saying he "falsely exploits a murder," and mentions that the victim's widow asked Beauprez to stop using the tragedy in his ads. Needless to say, this is a very delicate situation. The Republicans are saying that Dunlap is a valid issue; the RGA's recent spot starred the father of one of his victims calling Hickenlooper a coward.
If voters agree with the Democrats that Beauprez and his allies are exploiting the deaths of innocent people, it could definitely backfire for Team Red. However, if they side with the GOP and decide that Hickenlooper's actions show weakness, it could very well hurt the governor. In a close and unpredictable race like this, it's not unreasonable to say that this whole matter could decide the election.
Head below the fold for a roundup of ads from races across the country.
1:13 PM PT: As of Thursday afternoon, the DGA's spot was no longer available on YouTube. It's possible that this was unintentional, but given how hot-button the topic of the ad is, it's also possible that Democrats want to keep as low a profile as possible when discussing it. We'll see if we learn more.
Senate:
• AR-Sen: Republican Tom Cotton pets his dog to prove he's not the monster Democrats are portraying him as.
• CO-Sen: Democratic spending by Fairshare Action and GOP expenditures from the NRSC and Ending Spending.
• GA-Sen: GOP spending from Ending Spending.
• IA-Sen: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce features Rand Paul vouching for Republican Joni Ernst in a 15-second spot. The NRA also shells out more dough for Team Red.
• KS-Sen: Republican Sen. Pat Roberts rolls out a rare positive ad. This one stars Bill Snyder, Kansas State's football coach. Snyder's not a bad surrogate to have: An August PPP poll found that he has an 85-1 favorable rating among Kansas State fans. The NRA also spends for Roberts, while the Committee to Elect an Independent Senate spends against him.
• MI-Sen: The Humane Society spends for Democrat Gary Peters.
• NC-Sen: The NRA spends for Team Red.
• NH-Sen: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has another 15-second spot starring Rand Paul praising Republican Scott Brown. On the other side, the American Federation of Teachers describes Brown as only out for himself.
• OR-Sen: The American Future Fund is one of the very few outside groups that hasn't given up on Republican Monica Wehby. Their $200,000 attacks Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley as ineffective.
• SD-Sen: EveryVoice Action continues to go after independent Larry Pressler, while praising Democrat Rick Weiland.
• DSCC: Democratic expenditures.
• NRSC: GOP expenditures.
• Senate Majority PAC: Democratic expenditures.
Gubernatorial:
• HI-Gov: The RGA airs another spot against Democrat David Ige, calling him part of the failing political system. The DGA has also been running ads here, indicating that neither party thinks Ige has this locked up even though he leads in the polls.
• KS-Gov: Republican Gov. Sam Brownback argues that his welfare programs are working for Kansas, while Democrat Paul Davis doesn't want a work requirement for welfare recipients.
• MA-Gov: Democrat Martha Coakley features a clip of her rally with Bill Clinton, ending with the two exchanging a hug.
On the GOP side, Charlie Baker offers some platitudes. The RGA goes negative, targeting Coakley on taxes and spending.
• ME-Gov: Democrat Mike Michaud's spot stars former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, who is also the last Democrat to win a Senate seat in Maine.
• NH-Gov: Polls have been all over the map in this contest, showing everything from a tie to a 15-point lead for Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan in the last few days alone. The RGA seems to think they have a live one here, and their new ad accuses Hassan of trashing the state economy while trying to tax everyone.
• WI-Gov: Greater Wisconsin hits Republican Gov. Scott Walker on ... basically everything they can fit into 30 seconds.
House:
• AR-02: The NRA spends a hefty $924,000 for the GOP.
• CA-17: Californians for Innovation spends another $250,000 for Ro Khanna, who faces Rep. Mike Honda, a fellow Democrat, in the general election.
• CA-52: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce gives us a rare anti-Republican general election ad. The spot attacks Republican Carl DeMaio as corrupt, while praising Democratic Rep. Scott Peters as a responsible representative. For the GOP, American Unity PAC spends $563,000.
• FL-26: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce blasts Democratic Rep. Joe Garcia over Obamacare.
• GA-12: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce praises Democratic Rep. John Barrow, who is one of the very few vulnerable Democrats they actually like. The American Future Fund attacks Barrow, who is one of the many vulnerable Democrats they very much dislike.
• IA-03: Mayday PAC spends for Team Blue.
• MA-06: Democrat Seth Moulton's closing spot emphasizes his military career.
• MI-06: Republican Rep. Fred Upton has been on the wrong end of millions of dollars worth of ads from Mayday PAC. According to a recent poll from Democratic foe Paul Clements, the entrenched Upton now has a real race on his hands. The American Future Fund appears to confirm that Upton needs some eleventh hour help, with them spending $300,000 on his behalf. Unlike almost all their commercials nationwide, this one is positive.
• MN-08: Another pro-GOP expenditure from the NRA.
• NV-04: The DCCC is now on the air here, where poor Democratic early vote turnout is putting Rep. Steven Horsford at risk. The spot attacks Republican Cresent Hardy on education.
• DCCC: Democratic expenditures.
• NRCC: GOP expenditures.
• Patriot Majority: Democratic expenditures.