Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Mark Pryor (D-AR) and Kay Hagan (D-NC) “are trying to distance themselves from a president who is deeply unpopular among white voters. But if they have any hopes of winning, they also must try to lock down the voters most loyal to Mr. Obama : African-Americans,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“How Southern Democrats walk this tightrope will help determine whether their party maintains control of the Senate. Sens. Landrieu, Hagan and Pryor are among the party’s last lines of defense in a region that has become a Republican stronghold.”

The latest New York Times/CBS News/YouGov polls of key Senate races show that Republicans “lead by at least four percentage points in enough races to finish with 50 seats — just one short of the 51 seats they need to overcome Joe Biden’s tiebreaking vote and take the Senate.”

“The Republicans’ likely gains include six seats currently held by the Democrats: in South Dakota, Montana, West Virginia, Arkansas, Louisiana and Alaska. If those leads hold up, Republicans have four opportunities to capture the 51st seat they need in Colorado, North Carolina, Iowa and Kansas.”

“Nonetheless, the data suggests that the Democrats retain a clear, if difficult, path to victory. Perhaps most notable, the data offers reason to question the conventional wisdom that Republicans have recently made substantial gains in Colorado and Iowa.”

A new NBC News/Marist Poll in Iowa finds Joni Ernst (R) edging Bruce Braley (D) in the U.S. Senate race, 46% to 44%.

A new NBC News/Marist poll in Kansas finds Greg Orman (I) is leading Sen. Pat Roberts (R) by 10 points in the U.S. Senate race, 48% to 38%.

A new NBC News/Marist Poll in North Carolina finds Sen. Kay Hagan (D) has a slight advantage over challenger Thom Tillis (R), 44% to 40%.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) “is working to show voters he’s more than a wooden wonk by loosening up on the campaign trail,” The Hill reports.

“Now, with a new and improved, more relaxed demeanor, some conservatives are taking a second look at the Louisiana governor for 2016 after largely writing him off as a major contender for the White House. Jindal surprised many last week when he gave a strong speech at the Values Voters Summit in Washington. The half-hour address drew both laughs and strong applause from the social conservatives gathered, and Jindal showed a dynamic style as he paced across the stage.”

“With the battle for the Senate tilting toward Republicans and President Obama’s approval ratings hovering near his all-time low, Democrats are more reliant than they have ever been on the very kind of big-money groups they have spent years trying to outlaw,” the New York Times reports.

“They are countering the Republican Party’s expansive and formidable outside spending network this fall with a smaller but more tightly knit alliance of groups that share donors, closely coordinate their advertising and hit harder than their conservative counterparts.”

Forrest Dunbar (D) told the Alaska Dispatch News he had a backstage altercation with Rep. Don Young (R-AK) before their debate Friday night.

When the two were walking near each other, Young said angrily, “You’re not from Cordova any more than I’m from Fort Yukon. I had you looked into.”

Dunbar said he was puzzled and touched Young on his arm lightly and asked: “What are you talking about?”

Then Dunbar said Young, “freaked out. There is no other way to describe it. He kind of snarled at me and said, ‘Don’t you ever touch me. Don’t ever touch me. The last guy who touched me ended up on the ground dead.'”

“I’m just sad I’m not able to be there either. I’d like to be in the White House.”

— Mitt Romney, quoted by the Marietta Daily Journal.

A new Gravis Marketing poll in Kansas finds Greg Orman (I) leading Sen. Pat Roberts (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 47% to 40%.

In the race for governor, Paul Davis (D) leads Gov. Sam Brownback (R), 48% to 40%.

Hillary Clinton “has mapped out much of her political schedule through Election Day, an itinerary that focuses on helping Senate candidates and includes trips to a half-dozen states, including Kentucky and presidential early states Iowa and New Hampshire,” Politico reports.

“The final stretch of the midterms will mark Clinton’s most extensive political activity since she left the State Department early last year and requests for her to appear began pouring in from all corners of the country.”

“I feel comfortable, and I feel free. I feel completely liberated. But, you know… I was a lot better senator after I ran for president because I had done it. I had run. I came within 59,000 votes in one state, so for three hours I was president.”

— Secretary of State John Kerry, quoted by Vogue.