Though the district held by GOP Rep. John Doolittle is one of the most reliably Republican enclaves in the state, the combination of the Jack Abramoff scandal and Dem foe Charlie Brown's spirited campaigning has turned the race into "one of the year’s surprise hotly contested races," according to CQ Politics. CQ has just changed its rating of the race between Doolittle and Dem challenger Charlie Brown from "Republican Favored" to "Leans Republican." The change reflects the fact that that this year Dems have been able to compete seriously in deep red districts by combining attacks on the GOP culture of corruption with hard-hitting counterattacks on national security issues -- something Brown is doing by aggressively highlighting his own military background. More from CQ after the jump.

CQ:

The stage was set for a Brown surge by the repeated questions Doolittle has faced about his past ties to now-convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Doolittle received campaign money from Abramoff and his associates, and Abramoff once contracted with a company at which Doolittle’s wife was employed.

Doolittle consistently has denied any ethical misconduct and deflected efforts by Brown and his Democratic allies to tie him to an alleged Republican “culture of corruption.” He in turn has sought to make Brown unacceptable to voters in a district that gave 61 percent of its votes to President Bush in 2004, describing the Democratic challenger as too liberal to represent the district.

Recently Doolittle centered his attacks on the pivotal issue of the war in Iraq, with the aid of key national Republican Party proxies.

Speaking at a rally in Rocklin Thursday, First Lady Laura Bush spoke of Doolittle’s accomplishments from his seat on the Appropriations Committee, as well as his commitment to those serving in the war. “John Doolittle stands with our troops,” said Bush. “He understands that this election is critical to the future of our country. And he knows that America faces challenges too big to be reduced to just politics.”...

Brown responded to this criticism in an ad this week that contrasted his own military background — including service during the Vietnam War — with Doolittle’s lack of a military record. “While John Doolittle rode out the war at [University of California] at Santa Cruz, Charlie Brown was decorated for valor. Doolittle became a career politician. Charlie Brown a career Air Force officer,” says the announcer. “Shame on John Doolittle for attacking a man of honor.”

CQ's full analysis here.