Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) tells the Washington Post he’s in no hurry to make a decision on running for president in 2016.

Said Ryan: “I’ve got all the time in the world. I don’t have some calendar with a red circle. I don’t feel the pressure to do it any other way. I have my own timeline and I don’t let stuff that’s happening around me get to my head. That’s dangerous.”

He added: “I’m not dying to be this or that. I’m more of a cause guy. So I come at this thing from that perspective. I don’t have this insatiable political ambition. But I know how to flip the switch. If you flip the switch, you flip the switch. I know how to do it and what I need to do if I choose to flip it. Right now, the switch has tape over it until 2015.”

Peter Hamby: “Democrats of all stripes, including Clinton allies, have predicted for months that the former Secretary of State — who was campaigning for midterm candidates in Iowa on Wednesday — will face some kind challenge in the race for the Democratic nomination if she decides to run. The prospect of a Clinton campaign seems more likely with each passing day.”

“But with the presidential race set to lurch into gear after next week’s midterm elections and no clear alternative to Clinton emerging, there are questions about whether she will be the sole candidate on the ballot.”

A new American Research Group poll in New Hampshire finds Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D) and Scott Brown (R) are tied at 49% each in the U.S. Senate race.

Arizona Republic: “Democrats are mailing campaign fliers featuring a Libertarian candidate to conservative voters in a competitive Phoenix congressional race. The effort could help U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) stay in office.”

Wesleyan Media Project: “Spending on television ads in federal and gubernatorial races in the 2013-14 election cycle has now topped $1 billion, with an estimated $1.19 billion spent from January 1, 2013 to October 23, 2014. That spending paid for over 2.2 million ad airings.”

A new University of Arkansas poll finds Tom Cotton (R) leading Sen. Mark Pryor (D) in the U.S. Senate race by a wide margin, 49% to 36%.

Staten Island Advance: “On one side is the sometimes hot-headed Republican incumbent who is facing a 20-count federal indictment. On the other is a career Brooklyn Democratic pol, who, term-limited out of his high-ranking post in the City Council, thought about other city offices before he settled on the idea of the job representing in Congress a borough he knows little about, his claims of deep ties here notwithstanding.”

“That’s the choice voters have. And that’s the choice we have in making an endorsement in a race that could not be much uglier.”

“That choice for us is Michael Grimm. Surprisingly, if a choice is to be made, Mr. Grimm should be that choice, even under these circumstances.”

Politico: “Most of the time, it’s not so hard to tell what Biden’s thinking — he’s just said it. But even his inner circle doesn’t seem to know where his head is on 2016 — whether he is actually going to get in the game or stay on the sidelines, dreaming of his glory days.”

“Throughout the midterms, he has been helping out candidates all over the country. It’s not clear to anyone, though, that there’s been the kind of strategy to help himself he’d need if he were serious about a White House run.”

Wonk Wire: Narrow edge in partisanship Is bad election sign for Democrats

A new Quinnipiac poll in Colorado finds Cory Gardner (R) leading Sen. Mark Udall (D) by seven points in the U.S. Senate race, 46% to 39%.

New York Times: “Washington’s bad habit these days is nail-biting as the two parties nervously execute their midterm endgames and try to navigate the path to power. But political players and election watchers might want to take a moment to savor the uncertainty.”

“Five days before the 2014 election and after $4 billion in spending, we still don’t know for certain what’s going to happen next Tuesday – or beyond… At least six states in the struggle for control of the Senate – Alaska, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, North Carolina and New Hampshire – remain truly up for grabs with runoffs likely in Georgia and Louisiana. Nearly a dozen governor’s races are within the polling margin of error.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who is toying with the idea of a presidential bid, joked in a private gathering this month that “white men who are in male-only clubs are going to do great in my presidency,” according to an audio recording of his comments provided to CNN.

Graham also cracked wise about Baptists, saying “they’re the ones who drink and don’t admit it.”

Nate Cohn: “Polls show that the Republicans have an advantage in the fight for control of the Senate. They lead in enough states to win control, and they have additional opportunities in North Carolina and New Hampshire to make up for potential upsets. As Election Day nears, Democratic hopes increasingly hinge on the possibility that the polls will simply prove wrong.”

“But that possibility is not far-fetched. The polls have generally underestimated Democrats in recent years, and there are reasons to think it could happen again.”

A new Elon University Poll finds Sen. Kay Hagan (D) with an edge over challenger Thom Tillis (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 45% to 41%.

A new EPIC-MRA poll in Michigan finds Gary Peters (D) opening a wide lead over Terri Lynn Land (R), 50% to 35%.

“It is Peters’ best margin in any EPIC-MRA poll to date and, significantly, it shows him not only with a 20-point lead among women voters but a 10-point lead among men, who had been trending toward Land in earlier polls.”

A new Quinnipiac University poll in Florida finds Charlie Crist (D) inching in front of his Gov. Rick Scott (R) in the gubernatorial race, 43% to 40%.