A new Quinnipiac poll in Connecticut finds Gov. Dannel Malloy (D) is tied with challenger Tom Foley (R) in the race for governor, 43% to 43%.
Former GOP Official Suggests Executing Ebola Victims
Todd Kincannon, the former executive director of the South Carolina Republican party, said that people infected with the Ebola virus “need to be humanely put down immediately.” WPIX reports.
Said Kincannon: “The protocol for a positive Ebola test should be immediate execution and sanitation of the whole area. That will save lives.”
Quote of the Day
“Defend it? I’m proud of it. This is a part of American business, part of any business.”
— Georgia U.S. Senate candidate David Perdue (R), quoted by the Atlanta Journal Constitution, when asked about a statement that he “spent most of my career” outsourcing.
Supreme Court Will Review Arizona Redistricting
The Supreme Court said it will “consider a challenge by Arizona Republicans to the state’s congressional districting map,” the AP reports.
“Arizona voters created an independent redistricting commission in 2000 in an effort to take politics out of the process. But the GOP-led state legislature complained in a lawsuit that the Constitution exclusively gives power to draw maps for congressional districts to elected state lawmakers. A divided panel of federal judges dismissed the lawsuit, but justices said they will review the lower court ruling.”
4 Reasons We May Not Know On Election Night
It’s increasingly likely that we won’t know which party controls the U.S. Senate on Election Night:
- The Louisiana Senate race may go to a December runoff.
- The Georgia Senate race may go to a January runoff.
- It may take time to count all the votes in Alaska.
- If Greg Orman (I) wins in Kansas, he may wait for the best offer before deciding which party he’ll caucus with.
GOP Pulls Plug on Michigan
“Republicans are canceling TV ad spending planned for the final two weeks of Michigan’s U.S. Senate race, signaling that the GOP is investing in other races in its drive for the Senate majority,” the AP reports.
“Other outside groups, too, are bailing on Michigan, suggesting it’s fallen out of reach” for Terri Lynn Land (R) in her race against Gary Peters (D).
Nunn Keeps Race Close in Georgia
A new Public Policy Polling survey in Georgia finds David Perdue (R) just ahead of Michelle Nunn (D) in the U.S. Senate race, 45% to 43%.
Key finding: “Libertarian Amanda Swafford is polling at 5%, which would be enough to send the contest into a January runoff if it remains this close. Swafford’s support could reflect residual unhappiness among voters who supported one of Perdue’s opponents in the Republican nomination contest- 70% of them voted for Mitt Romney in 2012 compared to only 16% of them who voted for Barack Obama. They say they would support Perdue over Nunn 43/12 if they had to choose between the two, which would push Perdue’s overall lead to 48/45.”
Who is Joe Biden?
Jimmy Kimmel asks Americans on the street.
Crist Holds Small Edge in Florida
A new 0ptimus poll in Florida finds Charlie Crist (D) edging Gov. Rick Scott (R) in the race for governor, 40% to 39%.
A new Public Policy Polling survey shows Crist leading 45% to 43%.
A new SurveyUSA poll shows Crist ahead 44% to 42%.
Pryor Flubs Question on Ebola Crisis
Huffington Post: “A reporter on Monday asked Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR) whether President Barack Obama was doing enough to contain the spread of Ebola. It, um, did not go well.”
Quinn Leads in Illinois
A new We Ask America poll in Illinois finds Gov. Pat Quinn (D) leading challenger Bruce Rauner (R) by four points in the race for governor, 44% to 40%.
Tweet of the Day
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#5pts4jobs → http://t.co/DR9MAb4X5d
— Speaker John Boehner (@SpeakerBoehner) October 7, 2014
Panetta Details Frustrations with Obama
The New York Times reviews Leon Panetta’s new memoir, Worthy Fights.
“Typically frank, occasionally feisty and finally free of the constraints of clearing opinions with the White House, Mr. Panetta is re-emerging with a blunt account of his time in the Obama administration. In a new memoir to be published on Tuesday, Mr. Panetta draws a largely respectful portrait of a president who made important progress and follows a ‘well-reasoned vision for the country’ but too often ‘avoids the battle, complains, and misses opportunities.'”
Very interesting: “Obama grew more reticent, in Mr. Panetta’s view, because his legitimacy has been challenged more than any of his predecessors by accusations like the unsubstantiated claim that he was not born in the United States.”
Franken Pulls Away in Minnesota
A new SurveyUSA poll in Minnesota finds Sen. Al Franken (D) has doubled his lead in his race against challenger Mike McFadden (R) and now leads 55% to 37%.
Republicans Mostly Silent on Gay Marriage
First Read: “After the U.S. Supreme Court yesterday decided not to review gay-marriage cases, effectively making it legal in a handful of additional states, Republicans were mostly silent… We’re now four weeks out from a national election and this isn’t going to be an issue anywhere. Can anyone find a single race where same-sex marriage will be a decider?”
Early Voting Underway
Morning Line: “Increasingly, more and more states are moving toward some form of early voting. In all, 43 states have some form of early voting, and Connecticut, one of the seven states that still does not allow it, has an initiative on the ballot this year to change that. As of today, early in-person voting is already underway in 10 states, including Iowa with its all-important Senate race, which began last week, Sept. 25. Two more states begin voting today — Ohio and Indiana. Arizona — with its key House races — and Georgia — with its closely watched Senate race — will begin voting within the next week.”
Obama Likely to be a Factor in Midterms
Gallup: “Registered voters are more likely to view their choice of candidate in this year’s midterm elections as a message of opposition (32%) rather than support (20%) for President Obama. That 12-percentage-point margin is similar to what Gallup measured for Obama in 2010 and George W. Bush in 2006, years in which their parties performed poorly in the midterm elections.”
How Democrats Can Hang On to the Senate
Stu Rothenberg expects Republicans to flip seven Senate seats but he says there’s still a chance in the final weeks for Democrats to retain control.
“First, Democrats still may be able to localize elections in a few states — the most likely prospects are North Carolina and Alaska, which were carried by Romney, and two swing states won by Obama, Iowa and Colorado. Doing so would inoculate the Democratic nominees (three incumbents and one open seat hopeful) from Obama’s near-toxic political standing.”
“Second, Democrats may be able to register and turn out additional voters, who could change the arithmetic of the elections.”
