Here's today's rundown on the Congressional races: The momentum so far today seems to be with the Dems, with some decent poll numbers and strong ad campaigns.

Stevens Tries To Get Ads Against Him Pulled
Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) has called upon local TV and radio stations to stop running DSCC ads that attack him for getting an unreasonably good deal on a car thanks to a wealthy donor, and for steering private consultant jobs to his son Ben. Only a few stations honored his complaints that the ads are deceptive, but even they are once more continuing to run them.

Poll: Dems Winning Both Congressional Races In Deep-Red Alaska
A new Research 2000 poll has the Dems winning both the Senate and House races in Alaska, despite the presence of Gov. Sarah Palin on the national ticket. Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich is beating Sen. Ted Stevens by a 50%-44% margin, and former state Rep. Ethan Berkowitz is beating scandal-plagued GOP Rep. Don Young by a 53%-39% margin, with a ±4% margin of error.

National Dems Spent $190,000 On House Races Yesterday
The DCCC spent over $190,000 yesterday on expenditures in eight House races, with a mixture of offense and defense, according to FEC filings. The most significant item was $80,000 on an ad buy for Dan Maffei, who is running for an open GOP-held seat in upstate New York. The NRCC, which has much less money, did not have any filings yesterday.

Outside Groups Spend Big On Colorado Senate Race
The Colorado Senate race between Rep. Mark Udall (D) and former Rep. Bob Schaffer (R) really is shaping up as one of the most contested in the country. All totaled, outside groups have now spent $15.3 million on the race, mostly on attack ads that either savage Schaffer as a dishonest oil man or Udall as a liberal extremist.

Schaffer Campaign: Okay, Our Attack On Udall Was False
The campaign of Senate candidate Bob Schaffer (R-CO) has admitted that it made a false attack against Democrat Mark Udall. The campaign claimed Wednesday that Udall voted for an energy plan that would strip Colorado of any share of royalties on oil-shale production -- when it turns out the bill does not do any such thing.

Poll: Tie In North Carolina Senate Race
Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) is in a dead heat with her opponent, state Sen. Kay Hagan (D), as both have the support of 35% of respondents in the Elon University poll. There is strong dissatisfaction with Dole, and 51% of respondents say it's time for a new person in the Senate.

Dem Chances Improve In Three House Seats, Go Down In One
CQ has downgraded the re-election chances on the seats of three three Republican House members -- Rep. Lee Terry (NE) and the open seats of Rep. Ron Lewis (KY) and Rep. David Hobson (OH) -- from "Safe Republican" to "Republican Favored.", according to Congressional Quarterly, moved from "safe" to "favored." On the bright side for them, incumbent Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-PA) has been upgraded from "Leans Republican" to "Republican Favored."

Lame-Duck GOP Congressman Endorses Obama
Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD), who was defeated in his primary this year as a result of his opposition to the Iraq War, has now come out in favor of Barack Obama for president. Gilchrest previously endorsed the Dem nominee for his House seat, and also cut an ad for him.

Bachmann Opposes Bank Bailouts
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has come out against the new rash of government bailouts for failing banks, despite the potential dangers to the monetary system posed by a widespread bank panic. "What's next," Bachmann asked rhetorically, "Starbucks too big to fail?"