It looks like we'll still have Michele Bachmann to kick around. CNN and NBC are now projecting that the controversial GOP Congresswoman from Minnesota, who put her once-certain re-election in danger after she went on Hardball and called for a media investigation of Barack Obama and Congressional Dems for having anti-American views, has been re-elected.

With 81% reporting, Bachmann leads Democratic candidate El Tinklenberg by a margin of 47%-43%.

Look on the bright side: It sure will be entertaining to watch her squirm at the agenda of President Obama and the Democratic Congress.

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

DSCC Ad: Coleman Refuses To Answer Questions About Lawsuit Allegations
The DSCC ad is closing out the Minnesota Senate race with this new TV ad calling GOP Sen. Norm Coleman flagrantly corrupt, focusing on last-minute lawsuits alleging that a donor funneled $75,000 to the Senator via his wife:

The most recent polling has shown the momentum swinging back to Coleman after a period in which Al Franken had taken the lead. But if the local news media ends up being focused in the last few days on corruption allegations against Coleman, it's possible that the undecideds and soft supporters of third-party candidate Dean Barkley could break to Franken.

Coleman Ad Fires Back, Accuses Franken Of Being Behind The Suit
Norm Coleman had his own ad, accusing Al Franken of being behind the lawsuits and conspiring to attack Coleman's wife:

"This time, Al Franken's crossed the line," Coleman says, his wife by his side. "My name's on the ballot -- I'm fair game for his ugly smears. My wife and family are not." The Franken campaign has strongly denied any involvement in the lawsuits.

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

Bachmann Rolls Out Attack Ads Against Tinklenberg -- With Fake Citations
Michele Bachmann has unleashed a new wave of attack ads against El Tinklenberg, the relatively-conservative Democrat who has taken a narrow lead in the polls in the wake of her disastrous appearance on Hardball. Here's one of them, alleging that he broke the law and rigged contracts when he was the state's commissioner of transportation:

Meanwhile, Minnesota Public Radio says the facts contradict Bachmann's claims, right down to the claim that the Minneapolis Star-Tribune said Tinklenberg broke the law: "But the stories did not claim Tinklenberg broke the law." Furthermore, a 2003 report from the state's legislative auditor, which looked into the bidding processes of several government agencies, never mentioned Tinklenberg himself or alleged any crimes.

CQ: Dems Poised For Historic Second Wave
CQ's latest House race ratings show the Democrats headed for a historic second consecutive wave election, with double-digit gains in the House. If the 25 races currently rated as toss-ups are split evenly between the two parties -- an essentially neutral and cautious assumption -- the Dems would have an overall net gain of 18 or 19 seats, for a total of 254 or 255 seats.

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

Hagan Files Lawsuit Against Dole Over Atheism Attack Ad, Launches Rebuttal Spot
Senate candidate Kay Hagan (D-NC) has announced that she is filing a defamation lawsuit against the campaign of GOP Sen. Elizabeth Dole, over an attack ad that accused Hagan of selling out to the Godless atheist agenda. Hagan also has this new rebuttal spot:

"I'm Kay Hagan, and Elizabeth Dole's attacks on my Christian faith are offensive. She even faked my voice in her TV ad to make you think I don't believe in God," Hagan says. "Well I believe in God. I taught Sunday school. My faith guides my life, and Senator Dole knows it. Sure,politics is a tough business, but I approve this message because my campaign is about creating jobs and fixing our economy -- not bearing false witness against fellow Christians."

Two More Polls Have Dole Losing
Meanwhile, two separate polls today show Hagan leading Dole by six points: Hagan is up 52%-46% in Rasmussen, with a ±4% margin of error, and Hagan is ahead 43%-37% in National Journal, with a ±4.9% margin of error.

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

GOP Ad: "We Know John Murtha Doesn't Respect Us"
Here's the NRCC's new ad against Jack Murtha, replaying the video of Murtha calling his constituents racists and rednecks:

The latest polls show the once-safe Murtha now locked in a tight race with his unknown GOP opponent. If Murtha loses, this will end up being remembered as the Democratic version of a "Macaca Moment."

Dem Ad: Bachmann's Claims About Financial Regulation Are Literally Laughable
The DCCC has this new ad against the notorious Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), featuring video of her getting laughed at by a debate audience when she said the financial crisis was caused by too much regulation of Wall St.:

Bachmann was well on track for victory before her McCarthyist rant on Hardball, but the DCCC really smells blood in the water -- the latest FEC filings showed them buying up over half a million dollars in advertising against her.

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Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has gone into damage-control mode, rolling out a new ad in which she subtly acknowledges that the controversy surrounding her McCarthyist rantings about Barack Obama, which have put her narrowly behind conservative Democrat El Tinklenberg in the polls in this Republican-leaning district:

"I may not always get my words right, but I know that my heart is right," Bachmann says. "Because my heart is for you, for your children, and for the blessings of liberty to remain for our great country."

Make no mistake -- Bachmann could still win this thing, as she has the luxury of running in a district that voted 57%-42% for George W. Bush in 2004. The key indication of this ad is that she's realized there is a serious problem here, and may stop some of her public buffoonery and focus on patching things up with offended constituents.

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

AFL-CIO Takes Aim At Bachmann
The AFL-CIO is now going into the race against Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), smelling blood in the water thanks to her McCarthyist rant on Hardball and new poll data showing her narrowly losing to conservative Democrat El Tinklenberg. Here's their new mailer:

"Michele Bachmann helped break the economy," the mailer says sternly. "Working families can't afford another term."

Obama Tapes Ad For Merkley
Barack Obama has taped an ad for Jeff Merkley, the Dem nominee against Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR), asking the voters in this blue state to "choose real change" with Merkley:

This is the first ad that Obama has done for a down-ticket candidate during the general election, and was likely done in direct response to Smith's own efforts to tie himself to Obama and other major Dem names like Ted Kennedy and John Kerry.

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We now have a second independent poll showing Democratic candidate El Tinklenberg narrowly ahead of Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), whose once-safe re-election bid has been seriously complicated by her McCarthyesque comments on Hardball.

The new numbers from the University of Minnesota: Tinklenberg 45%, Bachmann 43%, with a ±4.7% margin of error. This corresponds closely with last night's SurveyUSA poll, which put Tinklenberg ahead 47%-44%.

This is still very much a conservative district, with GOP Sen. Norm Coleman holding a 44%-30% lead over Al Franken in the three-way Senate race, even as Franken has taken a narrow lead statewide. But it turns out that Bahcmann's blatant extremism isn't playing well here: Nearly 40% of respondents say Bachmann's comments make them less likely to vote for her, compared to only eight percent who say they're more supportive because of it.

The first independent poll is out in Minnesota's Sixth District, which has been put into contention thanks to Rep. Michele Bachmann's (R-MN) McCartheyesque rant on Hardball last week -- and it shows a race that could be tightly contested all the way to Election Day.

The new numbers from SurveyUSA: Democratic candidate El Tinklenberg 47%, Bachmann 44%, and Independence Party candidate Bob Anderson 6%, with a ±4% margin of error.

Bachmann could still win this thing, as the district voted 57%-42% for George W. Bush in 2004. But the race has really been upended. After Bachmann's remarks on national television, and then her ham-fisted attempts to deny she ever said them, Tinklenberg has raised $1.45 million from donors across the country -- and the DCCC committed $1 million on top of that. And the NRCC has pulled their ad reservations, leaving Bachmann to fight this one out on her own.

Meanwhile, the Family Research Council's PAC put out a statement condemning the NRCC for pulling out of this race and that of Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO), another champion of the Christian Right: "It appears that the NRCC is abandoning social conservative candidates and the issues for which they stand, particularly if they are championed by some of the most promising female legislators in the Congress. This is no time to cut and run from a fight."

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

New Tinklenberg Ad: "Michele Bachmann Represents The Worst Of Washington"
El Tinklenberg, the Democrat running against Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), has this new TV ad declaring that Bachmann "represents the worst of Washington," and replays part of her McCarthyesque comments on Hardball:

Tinklenberg has already rolled out a positive ad introducing himself, and now has an interesting challenge: How to spend the $1.45 million he's received in online donations since her Hardball appearance, with less than two weeks to go in the election. The campaign is confident they can get in their spending through TV, radio and expanded phone banks.

Charlie Cook: House Dems On Track For Gains In The Mid-Twenties
The Cook Political Report released its latest set of ratings, notably moving three open GOP-held seats in Minnesota, New Jersey and New Mexico from "Toss Up" to "Lean Democratic." Cook's analysis also points to another big years for the Democrats: "All the signs of another big 'wave' election are apparent, and our current outlook is a gain of 23 to 28 seats for House Democrats."

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Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has developed an intriguing habit amid her efforts to deal with the fallout over her McCarthyesque rant on Hardball last week.

In mainstream public forums, she either tries retract the things she said or denies she said them. But then she turns around and goes on right-wing media outlets, where she repeats various versions of the original whacked-out McCarthyite stuff in order to gin up winger support and money.

This kind of thing might have been doable as recently as five or six years ago. But these days, it's a bit tougher to get away with, what with little innovations like YouTube and The Google.

Check out our examples, after the jump.

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

Bachmann Doubles Down On Obama = Anti-America
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has dug in further on her position that Barack Obama is against America. Bachmann appeared today on the Hugh Hewitt radio show, and had this to say: "And so, he [Chris Matthews] was using the word "Anti-American" and I told Chris, what I question are Barack Obama's views. Because Barack Obama's views are against America." And here's what she said on the Mike Gallagher show: "What are Barack Obama's policies? Are they for America, or will they be against traditional American ideals and values?"

House GOP List Sees Double-Digit Losses
U.S. News has obtained the NRCC's internal "Death List" of seats they consider to be probably lost to the Democrats. Ten seats are listed as "likely gone," another nine are tagged as "leaning Democratic," and another 22 are "pure toss-up." It's unknown whether this list was drafted before or after the party cut off support for Michele Bachmann.

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A Republican source has confirmed to Election Central that the NRCC is indeed pulling all its advertising for Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), whose antics since her McCarthyist rant on Hardball have quickly put this once-safe incumbent in serious danger. Several hundred-thousand dollars worth of TV time had previously been reserved on Bachmann's behalf, but now it has all been cancelled, as Huffington Post first reported.

Bear in mind that Bachmann was heavily favored to win re-election before this whole mess happened, but since then her Democratic opponent has received $1.3 million in online donations and another $1 million in commitments from the DCCC. The national party is now directing its attention to other races.

Bachmann could still potentially win, as this district voted 57%-42% for George W. Bush in 2004. But she's now on her own. It's a rare thing for a national party to totally cut off an incumbent, so this should give you an idea of just how unpopular Bachmann is among Washington Republicans right now.

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), whose re-election has been put in serious danger thanks to her McCarthyist rant on Hardball -- not to mention her ham-fisted attempts at denying she ever said it -- is now admitting that she misspoke.

But it gets even better: Bachmann is blaming Chris Matthews for her gaffe, telling a Rotary Club event in her district yesterday that she had never seen Hardball and should have avoided the trap Matthews laid for her:

"When I was on Hardball with Chris Matthews last week, I do believe firmly that a trap was laid, but I stepped into it," Bachmann said. "And I made a misstatement, and I made a comment that I would take back."

Oddly enough, Bachmann admitted to misspeaking, but still said that she did not question Barack Obama's patriotism -- not that she didn't mean to question his patriotism, but that she didn't do it.

National Republicans are feeling very frustrated with Bachmann right now, worried that her public buffoonery could end up costing them a seat that they barely had to worry at all about even one week ago.

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

National House Committees Shell Out Big Money, NRCC Finally In The Game
Both parties' national House committees shelled out big bucks in the newest federal filings. The DCCC spent nearly $4 million in yesterday's FEC filings, with the biggest expenditure going for $450,000 against Rep. Robin "Liberals Hate Real Americans" Hayes (R-NC). The NRCC, which has held on to its much smaller war chest until the home stretch of the campaign, spent $4.1 million, with the biggest payment going for over $450,000 to defend Rep. Dave Reichert (R-WA).

DCCC Going On The Air Against Bachmann
The DCCC will be going on the air against Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), with this ad attacking her for blaming the financial crisis on too much regulation of Wall St. -- and pointing out how much money she's received from Wall St. interests:

The DCCC has committed to spending $1 million on this race, sensing an opening in the wake of Bachmann's statements on Hardball that the media should investigate Barack Obama and other members of Congress for possible anti-American views, followed by her truly awkward attempts at denying she said it.

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

Bachmann: It Is "Absolutely A Lie" That I Questioned Obama's Patriotism
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) told the Washington Times that people are lying about her McCarthyite rant on Hardball last week. "I did not question Barack Obama's patriotism, I did not say he was anti-American," Bachmann said. "And the other accusation is that I was calling for members of Congress to be investigated on their anti-American views. That's absolutely a lie."

House GOPer's Ad: Dem Opponent Favors Driver's License For 9/11 Hijacker
Check out this new TV ad from Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL), who is facing a very tough re-election battle. The ad accuses Democratic challenger Suzanne Kosmas of favoring driver's licenses for illegal-alien terrorists -- using a picture of 9/11 hijacker Muhammad Atta:

Feeney's problems here stem from his having been implicated in the Jack Abramoff scandals, and he's gone so far as to tape an ad in which he abjectly apologized for it. The Democrats have released internal polling showing him losing in a landslide, but he clearly thinks that playing the terrorism card could help him recover in this GOP-leaning district.

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

Bachmann's Challenger Goes On The Air
Rep. Michele Bachmann's (R-MN) Democratic opponent El Tinklenberg is taking advantage of the huge windfall of donation he's gotten in the wake of Bachmann's Red-Scare-inciting Hardball appearance -- he's raised $700,000 in the last few days, and counting -- and is spending $188,000 to air this new spot introducing himself to voters:

This is very much a GOP district -- it voted 57%-42% for George W. Bush in 2004 -- but the Tinklenberg campaign hopes to capitalize on voter backlash against Bush Republicanism in general and against Bachmann's extremism in particular. Meanwhile, CQ has changed its rating on the race from "Republican Favored" to "Leans Republican."

Bachmann Denies Questioning Obama's Patriotism
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) is firing back at critics of her McCarthyite statements on Hardball last week. "Despite the way the blogs and the Democratic Party are spinning it, I never called all liberals anti-American, I never questioned Barack Obama's patriotism," Bachmann writes in a guest op-ed for the Politico. Here's what Bachmann said, via Nexis: "Absolutely. I'm very concerned that he may have anti-American views."

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

Dems Preparing For Major Offensive Against Bachmann
The DCCC now plans to spend $1 million against Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) in the wake of her McCarthyite rant on Hardball, sensing that voters back home might end up turning against her extremism. A TV ad should be coming in the next few days. Meanwhile, the Cook Political Report has changed its rating on Bachmann, downgrading her by two whole positions from "Likely Republican" to "Tossup."

Democracy Corps: Congressional Dems Poised For Another Wave
A new set of polling from Democracy Corps, the strategy firm headed up by James Carville and Stan Greeberg, finds Democrats running strong in the 50 most-competitive House seats currently held by the GOP. Democrats lead 48%-46% in the full set of battleground district, and lead 51%-43% in the tier making up the most competitive seats of the 50. At the rate things are going, Democrats could pick up even more seats in the cycle right after they already enjoyed a wave -- a rare occurrence in politics.

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Bachmann Challenger's Fundraising Skyrockets
The campaign of Elwyn Tinklenberg, the Democratic challenger against Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), tells Election Central that they've raised $650,000 online since her now-infamous McCarthyite appearance on Hardball. This is an astonishing number for a House race by any measure, and even more special in light of the fact that this is nearly twice his cash-on-hand at the end of September.

McConnell: I Would Still Back Iraq War, "Regardless Of The Initial Justification"
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (KY) reaffirmed that he would have voted to authorize the Iraq War, even knowing now that there were no weapons of mass destruction. "Regardless of the initial justification, I don't think the Middle East or the world would be better off if he was there," McConnell told the Courier-Journal editorial board. "I think that is a substantial improvement."

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The campaign of El Tinklenberg, the Democratic challenger against Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), announced today that they've raised about half a million dollars in the time since she let loose on Hardball with her claims that Barack Obama may be anti-American and that the media should undertake a full investigation into which members of Congress are anti-American.

Tinklenberg still faces an up-hill battle, though, as this district voted 57%-42% for George W. Bush in 2004. So the question for him is whether there has been enough of a turn against Bush Republicanism -- and especially against Bachmann's extreme version of it -- for him to pull off an upset.

This is a must-watch: On MSNBC just now, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), who has been a prominent McCain-Palin supporter on the cable talk shows, went on perhaps the most bizarre and McCarthyite rant about Obama that we've seen from a supposedly-respectable politician in this entire election.

Check out these clips:

Bachmann said she's "absolutely" concerned that Obama is anti-American. She attacked him for his association with, um, his wife, which she said raises questions about Obama's love for America. And -- in true Red-Scare form -- she called on reporters to investigate which members of Congress are secretly against America.

On top of all this, she also alleged that Saul Alinsky was a teacher to Obama in Chicago. Alinsky died in 1972.

Hmmm, maybe Bachmann has been writing all of McCain's robocalls in her spare time?

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

Bachmann Separates Herself From Bush, Both Physically And Figuratively
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), who famously hugged President Bush at his 2007 State of the Union and didn't seem to want to let go, is now making some distance between herself and the unpopular president. At a debate earlier today, Bachmann boasted that she opposed Bush on the Wall St. bailout, and attacked her Democratic opponent El Tinklenberg: "He is more line with President Bush's policies than I am."

Smith Airs Another Ad With Wyden, Obama and Kennedy
Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR), whose ads have connected him to liberal icons like Ted Kennedy and Barack Obama as he seeks re-election this blue state, has yet another ad using video footage of Ron Wyden, his Democratic co-Senator, praising him and appearing to endorse him:

Wyden previously called on Smith to can the first ad that pulled this trick, because it incorporated Wyden's signature to really make it look like Wyden was for Smith. Now Smith has met Wyden halfway -- he's dropped the signature, but kept the video.

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