A new Fox Detroit/Mitchell Poll in Michigan finds Gov. Rick Snyder (R) just one point ahead of challenger Mark Schauer (D), 47% to 46%.
In the U.S. Senate race, Gary Peters (D) leads Terri Lynn Land (R) by five points, 48% to 43%.
Michelle Obama Gets Candidate Wrong 7 Times
Michelle Obama repeatedly mispronounced U.S. Senate candidate Bruce Braley’s (D) name during her speech in Iowa, the Des Moines Register reports.
She referred to the Iowa congressman as “Bruce Bailey” seven times before people in the crowd pointed out the mistake.
Said Mrs. Obama: “Braley. What did I say? I am losing it. I am getting old. I have been traveling too much.”
Turnout Fears Mount for Democrats
“The Democratic Party’s worst fears about the midterm election look to be coming true,” The Hill reports.
“Polling in recent weeks suggests turnout on Election Day could be very low, even by the standards of recent midterms. That’s bad news for Democrats because core groups in the liberal base are more likely to stay home than are people in the demographic segments that lean Republican.”
Details of Bush ‘Drinking Duel’ Finally Surface
“John Newcombe, an Australian former tennis champion, has finally revealed the details of an infamous ‘drinking duel’ with George W Bush that nearly cost the young Texan the presidency,” the Telegraph reports.
“The drinking bout near the Bush family’s Kennebunkport summer home in Maine, in which the two matched each other beer for beer, ended with Bush’s arrest for drink-driving, which he then kept secret for 24 years. But five days before winning his first presidential election in 2000, the story of the arrest broke on United States television, prompting Bush to confess to the traveling press pack that he had been arrested for drink-driving during his ‘party boy’ days. ”
5 Big Revelations in New Clinton Documents
The Daily Beast sifted through the latest document dump from the Clinton Library to find the most interesting items.
Staffer Says Candidate Masturbated in Front of Him
CNN says new accusations by a former campaign aide could derail the career of “up-and-coming” congressional candidate Carl DeMaio (R).
“DeMaio’s former campaign policy director is accusing the candidate of sexual harassment, even saying DeMaio masturbated in front of him. DeMaio vehemently denies the allegations, saying they’re the cover story of a plagiarist and suspected criminal.”
“This is not the first time DeMaio has been accused of sexually inappropriate behavior. Last year, a fellow city councilman said he twice caught DeMaio masturbating in a city hall restroom — an allegation DeMaio denied.”
Nastiest Ad of the Year?
Walsh’s Master’s Degree Voided
The Army War College revoked Sen. John Walsh’s (D-MT) status as a graduate, citing plagiarism in his final paper submitted for a master’s degree, the Missoulian reports.
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“You know at this point, I think we’re past that… I think at this stage what we should do is a number of bills that would fix flaws in Obamacare. I think we’re past the point of being able to repeal the bill altogether.”
— Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), in an interview with WCSH-TV, on GOP efforts to repeal Obamacare.
What is a Wave Election?
From the political dictionary: “wave election”
David Perdue’s ‘Money Grab’
The New York Times digs deeper into the bankruptcy document that has roiled Georgia U.S. Senate candidate David Perdue’s (R) campaign in recent days.
“Though most of the attention — and the attacks from his opponent, Michelle Nunn — have focused on comments he made about outsourcing, a close reading of the 186-page deposition… paints Mr. Perdue as a hard-charging hired gun who was so aggressive in claiming his compensation perks from his failing textile company that other executives accused him of a ‘money grab’… In page after page, Mr. Perdue… expresses more concern with his own financial security than with the tanking business and the 7,600 jobs that were going down with it.”
Clinton Library Releases Final Batch of Files
“The last batch in a series of previously-undisclosed Clinton White House records went public Friday, spilling secrets on the creation of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, high-profile controversies involving Whitewater and the White House Travel Office, and then-First Lady Hillary Clinton’s unsuccessful health care reform drive,” Politico reports.
Pressler’s Home is in Washington, DC
Larry Pressler (I), who is running for Senate in South Dakota, has his principal residence in Washington, DC, according District of Columbia tax records, Politico reports.
Pressler, who served as a Republican in Congress from 1975 to 1997, and his wife receive the homestead deduction, a generous tax break meant for people who use their D.C. home as their “principle residence.”
Democrats Make Gains in Governor’s Races
A new set of New York Times/CBS News/YouGov polls finds there are 11 governor’s races within five percentage points, and 16 races within 10 percentage points.
“It appears the Democrats have made slight gains over the last month. They now lead in three states held by Republicans: Pennsylvania, Michigan and Maine. An independent candidate, Bill Walker, leads the Republican Sean Parnell in Alaska.”
The Impact of Voter ID
Wonk Wire: New study finds voter ID laws reduce turnout among blacks, young people and college students.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“Listen, I’m the one running for governor.”
— Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Tom Wolf (D), quoted by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, after the crowd erupted with cheers after he mentioned Hillary Clinton.
GOP Tries to Make Election About Fear
First Read: “Less than a month out before November’s midterm elections, the Republican Party has had a simple message on the campaign trail and in TV ads: fear.”
“And frankly, they come when there’s no evidence of ISIS coming across the border and when (remarkably) there’s still been just one confirmed case of Ebola in the United States. Now we understand why Republicans are picking up this theme — they want to nationalize the election, and they have every incentive to. (The more they get voters going into the voting booth upset at Washington, the more likely they are to get Republicans defeating Democratic incumbents in Senate races.) But some of these candidates are walking a fine line; there is a Chicken Little aspect here regarding Ebola and it can border on the irresponsible.”
New York Times: “Darkness is enveloping American politics.”
Still a Toss Up in Iowa
A new Lukens Company poll in Iowa finds Bruce Braley (D) barely ahead of Joni Ernst (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 39% to 38%.
