Here's tonight's run-down of the Congressional races: Dems are continuing to hammer the Republicans on the economy, as the GOP faces some more bad poll numbers.

GOP Rep: I Wouldn't Have Picked Palin
Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) told the Chicago Tribune, "Quite frankly, I don't know" whether Sarah Palin is qualified to be president. In a very frank admission, Kirk added, "I would have picked someone different." As the Tribune noted, Kirk was initially a vocal supporter of Palin's nomination when it was first announced. (Via Progress Illinois)

Dem Ad: Coleman's Attacks Against Franken Are Ridiculous
The DSCC has this funny ad out, mocking the GOP's attacks against Al Franken:

"Al Franken sank this ship! Crashed these trains! And he hates puppies!" the announcer says. There is one problem, though: This ad is reminiscent of the humorous "Steele hates puppies" ad from the 2006 Maryland Senate race -- and Michael Steele lost by ten points.

GOP House Campaign Hits Young Veteran Dem Candidate For Not Having Wife And Kids
Minnesota state Senator Geoff Michel (R), speaking at a press conference for state Rep. Erik Paulsen's campaign for an open GOP-held seat, made this criticism of Democratic candidate Ashwin Madia: "Raising a family in the district, sending your kids to the public school, owning a home, working in the 3rd District, paying property taxes in the 3rd District. Erik Paulsen has done all these things. And Ashwin Madia has not." Madia is a 30-year old veteran of the Iraq War.

New Hampshire Senate Candidates Debate The Economy
Sen. John Sununu (R-NH) and Dem candidate Jeanne Shaheen held their first debate of the cycle earlier today, and the economic crisis was a big topic. Sununu, who trails in the polls, defended his economic record by saying he has sponsored legislation to reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But Shaheen fired back that Sununu has backed the whole Bush economic agenda, and thus can't get out of his share of the responsibility for the current panic.

Poll: GOPer Wicker Narrowly Ahead In Mississippi Senate Race
A new Rasmussen poll in Mississippi finds appointed Sen. Roger Wicker (R) with a narrow lead of 49%-47% over former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove (D), within the ±4.5% margin of error, down from Wicker's 52%-43% lead five weeks ago. If the Dems were to win the Senate race in this deep-red state it would be a very big event indeed -- and it would mean we're in the kind of political environment where they might just get to 60 seats.

Another Dem Ad Targets Social Security Privatization
The DCCC is keeping up the assault on Republicans over Social Security and the Wall St. crisis, reminding voters what the GOP's proposals on privatization would mean in the middle of a market crash. This ad targets Sydney Hay, the GOP nominee for seat of retiring Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ):

"And we have another loser," a casino worker is heard saying, as Social Security dollars are lost at a craps table.

Dem Ad: GOP Candidate Personally Ships Jobs Overseas
The DCCC has this ad against Brett Guthrie, the Republican candidate for an open GOP-held seat in Kentucky, featuring some audio of him personally describing how his company's products get shipped to Mexico for further assembly, then back to America to be completed:

The Guthrie campaign and the NRCC had previously called for another Dem ad on this subject to be pulled from the air on the grounds that it was false. So the Dems have just upped the ante with audio of Guthrie himself.