Here's our final nightly run-down of the Congressional races:

GOP Senator's Campaign Denies Distributing Sample Ballot Implying He's A Dem
Check this out. The campaign of Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), who is running in a special election that won't have party affiliation listed on the ballot, is being accused by the Dems of circulating this misleading sample ballot that asks recipients to vote for the Democratic candidates in every race -- except his own:

As Phil Singer remarks: "I can't remember the last time a Mississippi Republican pretended to be a Democrat in a statewide election."

Late Update: In an interview with Election Central, Wicker spokesman Ryan Annison denied any involvement by the campaign. "The honest to goodness truth is this is the first time we've seen it," said Annison. "At five o'clock the night before the election, I can't say that our opponent's press releases are a priority."

Obama Cuts Radio Ad For Wicker's Opponent
Meanwhile, the campaign of Wicker's Democratic opponent Ronnie Musgrove has this radio ad targeted at Democratic voters, featuring Barack Obama reminding listeners who it is that he'd like them to support:

Click To Play

The trouble that these candidates have gone to in order to inform people of their party affiliations -- and perhaps to obfuscate that point -- is as good an argument as any against non-partisan elections.

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Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ), a stalwart conservative who ran unsuccessfully for majority leader and minority whip in 2006, has reversed his decision from last week to retire. Shadegg's decision was seen by many as a sign of lost confidence among the House GOP, and many of his fellow Republicans asked him to stay on.

"I am overwhelmed and humbled by the reaction of my colleagues," Shadegg told National Review. "When the conservative movement asks you to stick around, that's a pretty tough request to turn down."

The influential conservative Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ) now has some reason to reconsider his decision this week to retire from the House, Roll Call reports, and it's because of some very intense lobbying by his Republican colleagues. In an extraordinary move, the paper says, over 130 House Republicans signed a letter asking him to stay on.

The most interesting aspect of this is that Shadegg represents a relatively safe Republican district, which voted 58% for President Bush in 2004. So while there isn't too much risk of the GOP losing this seat, they're obviously very concerned about the appearance of so many members dashing to the lifeboats.

In a sign of further discontent among House Republicans, Roll Call is reporting that Congressman John Shadegg (R-AZ) will be announcing his retirement.

Shadegg ran for House Majority Leader in early 2006 and then for Minority Whip later that year, after the Republicans lost control of Congress. The abrupt departure of such a vocal and ambitious conservative, absent any compelling personal reason, won't exactly be a cause for optimism among party activists.