“Control of the Senate is potentially at stake in Kansas, and the GOP is beginning to double down,” The Hill reports.

“With a two-man race now looking all but certain, national Republicans are planning a scorched-earth offensive to frame Sen. Pat Roberts’s (R-Kan.) independent opponent, Greg Orman, as a shady businessman…. Kansas Republicans say to expect more information on his business dealings to come out in the coming weeks — likely as a systematic drip-drip of information, to keep the issue alive throughout the race.”

“The family of Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dan Sullivan has given another $300,000 to an independent group supporting Sullivan’s campaign, after donating more than $350,000 in advance of the Aug. 19 Republican Party primary,” the Alaska Dispatch News reports.

Mike Allen: “As Jeb Bush plunges into a frenzy of fall travel for Senate candidates, his allies insist a presidential campaign is becoming more of a possibility than even they thought a few months ago. He’s doing a lot of under-the-radar prep, including foreign policy tutoring and meetings with tech gurus. And several of his friends think he is leaning more yes than no. The more opaque his plans, the greater the clamor – a ‘Greta Garbo strategy’ that has amped up demand for the former Florida governor.”

A new High Point University poll in North Carolina finds Sen. Kay Hagan (D) just ahead of challenger Thom Tillis (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 42% to 40%, with Libertarian Sean Haugh at 6%.

A new Public Policy Polling survey in Michigan finds Gary Peters (D) leading Terri Lynn Land (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 47% to 40%.

In the race for governor, Gov. Rick Snyder (R) edges challenger Mark Schauer (D), 46% to 44%.

A new Public Policy Polling survey in New Hampshire finds Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D) leading challenger Scott Brown (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 50% to 44%.

In the governor’s race, Gov. Maggie Hassan (D) leads Walt Havenstein (R), 52% to 43%.

Jeb Bush (R) will come to Wichita on Sept. 29 to stump for Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS) in a tight Senate race that has drawn national attention, the Wichita Eagle reports.

On Thursday Roberts will be joined by a special guest. A source close to the campaign confirmed that guest is Sarah Palin.

Rep. Vance McAllister (R-LA), the married lawmaker who was caught on camera earlier this year kissing a congressional staffer, is airing a new forgiveness-themed TV ad featuring his wife, NBC News reports.

In the 30-second spot, the McAllisters sit side by side as the congressman’s wife Kelly says that she is “blessed to have a husband who owns up to his mistakes.”

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The Wall Street Journal looks at Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) as a possible 2016 presidential candidate.

“The Hoosier chief executive isn’t as well known nationally, and some will question whether his record is too far right to be a plausible general-election candidate. But he’s generating a small groundswell, particularly among GOP social-policy activists, some of whom think Mr. Pence hits the sweet spot for 2016.”

“He is reliably conservative on fiscal and social policies, and rose to a position of power in Washington, where he led the conservative Republican Study Group in the House of Representatives and helped found the tea-party caucus. Yet he deployed a more soothing style and wasn’t as polarizing as some House conservatives… Now, as a heartland governor for the last two years, he has a record outside of Washington, in a state that’s surging economically.”

Hillary Clinton “will attend a fund-raiser later this month for a prominent New Hampshire Democrat, the latest indication that the former secretary of state is laying the groundwork for a second presidential run,” CNN reports.

Morning Line: “Back in April, we wrote that outside spending was on a record-breaking pace. Well, on this first day of fall — and with 43 days still to go until Election Day — outside spending has now surpassed the mark for most money ever spent in a midterm election. In fact, the $228 million (and climbing) spent by outside interest groups is not only the most ever spent in a midterm, but it’s also more spent in any election except the 2012 presidential election… The fact is: this is a whole new world. There should be a red line drawn on anyone’s timeline when reporting on election spending to signify Jan. 21, 2010, the date the Citizens United Supreme Court ruling was handed down, opening up unlimited money to flow into elections from unions and corporations.”