For what it's worth: I think the Wrap-Up looks fantastic in olive green. But, what the heck, your mileage may vary...
LA-Sen: Rasmussen Gives Vitter Modest, But Not Decisive, Lead in Poll
Though the headline reads "GOP Leads by Double Digits", you can guess that the GOP has a little trepidation looking at the new poll by the GOP-friendly folks over at Rasmussen. Ras gives incumbent Senator David Vitter a ten-point edge over Democratic challenger Charlie Melancon, but the poll also has a fairly solid number of undecideds (46-36). Interestingly, Republican Secretary of State Jay Dardenne actually performs a little bit better (46-33) against Melancon, but there is little-to-no sign that Vitter will not be the GOP nominee.
MO-Sen: Dem Carnahan Narrowly Ahead in GOP Open Seat
In a poll that was conducted on behalf of private clients not associated (apparently) with either campaign, the team at Momentum Research found that the Democrats have a slight edge in their bid to flip the Senate seat currently held by Republican Kit Bond. Democratic Secretary of State Robin Carnahan holds a 48-45 lead over GOP Congressman Roy Blunt, according to the poll. Rasmussen polled here last week, and found the race tied, so the narrow Carnahan lead is certainly plausible.
MA-Sen: Coakley Internal Poll Gives Her Decisive Dem Primary Edge
With the common caveat that this poll finding should be accompanied with many grains of salt, as it is an internal campaign poll, new numbers from Lake Research on behalf of state Attorney General Martha Coakley show her with a solid lead over the four-candidate Democratic field in the special election to replace the late Senator Edward Kennedy. Coakley leads with 47%, well ahead of Congressman Mike Capuano (with 12%). Two other candidates, businessmen Steve Pagliuca and Alan Khazei, are in single digits. Given that the GOP field is still devoid of varsity-level talent, this special election is exceedingly likely to be decided in December's Democratic Primary.
NH-Gov: Dem Lynch A Solid Prospect For Re-Election, According to UNH
According to a survey from the University of New Hampshire (a poll whose Senate race was covered in the Wrap-Up previously), Democratic Governor John Lynch is a decisive favorite (PDF file) for re-election in 2010. His job approval and personal favorabilities are both in the 60s, and even when paired against well-known former Republican Senator John Sununu, Lynch maintains a double-digit lead (50-37).
THE MONEY CHASE: More Numbers Come Rolling In
As we get ever close to October 15th, third-quarter fundraising numbers are leaking from campaigns around the country. The good people over at Swing State Project compiled a bunch of them last night, including some impressive candidates (Democrat Bryan Lentz in PA-07, for example). Today, we got a few more new totals: most notably, Republican Pat Toomey in Pennsylvania, where he took in $ 1.5 million. Also, Republican Bill McCollum is reporting he banked "over a million" in his bid to be Florida's next Governor, which is well behind the $ 1.6 million that Democrat Alex Sink reported earlier in the week. Meanwhile, in Colorado, Democratic Senate candidate Andrew Romanoff raised $ 200,000 in three weeks, which probably will be far less than incumbent Senator Michael Bennet raised in the full quarter. The least impressive report probably goes to Chris Dodd's primary challenger, Merrick Alpert, who brought in just $ 19,000 for the quarter.
IA-Gov: GOP Goes Back to The Future For Its Candidate
Iowa Republicans, eager to challenge incumbent Democratic Governor Chet Culver, have gone into the wayback machine for their top choice. Terry Branstad, who served as the state's governor from 1983 until 1999, is apparently seeking a political second act. The Democratic Governors Association wasted little time in welcoming Branstad into the race. Polls show Branstad with a solid lead over Culver, but his long career in Iowa politics will mean that there is much for the Culver campaign to mine as they head into 2010. The man, of course, is far from an unknown quantity.
NY-23: Republican Wants Status Quo on Health Care
Apparently nobody told NY-23 Republican candidate DeDe Scozzafava that for
every three weeks we go without health care reform, 1,265 people die.
(--Laura Clawson)