Here's today's run-down of the Congressional races:

GOP Releases Excerpt From The Kentucky Voice Recorder
The Kentucky voice-recorder saga -- involving a criminal complaint by the NRSC that the campaign of Dem Senate candidate Bruce Lunsford allegedly erased content from a voice recorder they secretly planted at his podium -- just keeps getting weirder. The NRSC has released this piece of audio recovered from the recorder after its return, of what appears to be an angry Lunsford telling his staffers not to give the recorder back:

This has got to be one of the most bizarre allegations of a dirty trick ever: That a campaign secretly planted a bug on an opposing candidate, then complained when the bug was not initially returned and may have been erased.

Murtha's Opponent Blasts Him On Racist/Redneck Comments
Check out this new ad from William Russell, the GOP candidate against Jack Murtha, hammering Murtha for referring to his western Pennsylvania constituents as rednecks and racists:

Murtha is usually a safe bet for re-election, but this gaffe may have landed him in serious trouble. A recent Susquehanna poll shows Murtha just edging out Russell 46%-41%. A fun part of this ad is its use of a computer interface to show videos of Murtha -- as if to say that the people of western Pennsylvania do in fact know how to read and use a computer.

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New GOP Ad: Al Franken "Writes Pornography," "Laughs At The Disabled"
The NRSC, facing more poll data showing Al Franken taking the lead in Minnesota, is pulling out all the stops with their new ad against Franken's dirty humor:

Both the NRSC and the Coleman campaign have been attacking Franken's toilet-humor for months now, but Franken has nevertheless managed to take the lead in most of the recent polls. This increase in the intensity of the attack does come off as desperate, if it's meant to be a real closing argument against Franken and the Democrats.

Coleman Ad: I Work Really Hard For You!
Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN), who is trying to keep it positive in his own new ads, has this new one-minute ad in which the incumbent seems to be begging Minnesotans to realize how hard he works for them:

"In times as thought as this, it's really easy to kind of be on the sidelines and cast stones, and say, you know 'This is the problem and that's the problem," Coleman says. "I think people know we've got problems, but I think what they're looking for is solutions."

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Here's today's run-down on the Congressional races:

House Dems Spend Millions In One Day, GOP Way Behind
The DCCC spent a whopping $8.25 million yesterday, according to FEC records, with the vast majority of it being spent on offense in GOP-held districts. By contrast, the NRCC only spent $746,106.17, with most of it coming from an expenditure of over $500,000 to defend Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL).

Dems Going On The Air In Deep-Red Districts
The DCCC has been feeling bold thanks to strong national poll numbers and a huge cash advantage over the NRCC. The Dems' latest spending shows that they're intervening in some usually GOP districts: Against Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ), Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN), and Rep. Lee Terry (R-NE). Here's their ad in Souder's district, which voted 68%-31% for George W. Bush in 2004:

"For too long now, Souder has been been looking out for himself," the announcer says. "Hoosiers need to look in a new direction."

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Two Republican Congressman from Florida, brothers Lincoln and Mario Diaz-Balart, could both be in serious fights to hold on to their districts, according to new polling.

The polling from Bendixen and Associates, a Florida-based firm that specializes in surveying areas with large percentages of Spanish-speakers, finds Lincoln ahead of Democratic candidate Raul Martinez by a 41%-37% margin, within the ±5% margin of error. Mario leads Dem candidate Joe Garcia by 44%-39%, also with a ±5% margin of error.

Both brothers have had pretty easy rides to re-election during their time in Congress, but this year might just be different.