The Democrats have now knocked off a particularly nasty Republican incumbent, the atheist-baiting Sen. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina, according to projections from Fox and CBS.

Dole, you might remember, put up a series of last-minute attack ads accusing Democratic challenger Kay Hagan of selling out to the "Godless Americans" atheist agenda.

Hagan, a church-goer and Sunday school teacher, responded with her own ads lambasting Dole for attacking her faith. And the subsequent polling showed that the attack backfired right on Dole -- she went from narrowly trailing Hagan to badly trailing Hagan.

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 tonight's run-down of the Congressional races:

GOP Candidate's Ad: Democrats Have Blown Up Our (Fiscal) Houses
Wow. Check out this truly amazing new ad from former Rep. Melissa Hart (R-PA), who lost her re-election in an upset in 2006, and is now in a rematch against Democratic Rep. Jason Altmire. The ad accuses the Democratic Congress of blowing up America's fiscal house:

Unfortunately, it looks like no real explosions were used in the making of this ad. Hart's campaign manager informed Election Central that the ad was most likely done with computers.

Franken's Closing Argument: Coleman Is "Trying To Fool You"
Here's Al Franken's new attack ad against Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN), accusing him of running a "fake positive campaign" and lying about his political record and personal scandals:

"Norm Coleman really did take 52 trips paid for by special interests -- remember Alaska?" the announcer says. "Norm Coleman really does live in a million-dollar home owned by his special-interest friend. Norm Coleman really has voted with George Bush almost 90% of the time."

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Senator Elizabeth Dole (R-NC), who's trailing in the polls, is up with another nasty TV spot attacking her Dem opponent as a tool of "Godless Americans" and the atheist agenda -- in fact, Hagan is criticized for even going to a party with atheists:

"If Godless Americans threw a party in your honor," the announcer says, "would you go?"

Here's the basis of the Dole camp's claim that Hagan has sold out to the atheist agenda: Hagan attended a fundraiser up in Boston hosted by literally dozens of donors, two of whom happen to head up a little-known atheist group on the side called the Godless Americans PAC. The PAC itself never even donated to Hagan, who for her part is a regular church-goer and Sunday school teacher.

"I just think Elizabeth Dole is trying to top out her desperation day by day," Hagan spokesperson Colleen Flanagan told Election Central.

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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A last-minute attack ad from Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-NC), who is narrowly trailing Democratic challenger Kay Hagan in all the polls, has the Hagan campaign accusing the Dole team of crossing the line from ordinary mud-slinging into legal defamation -- and the Dole campaign accusing Hagan of trying to deny her allegiance to the Godless atheist agenda.

Here's that ad, which hammers Hagan for holding a fundraiser at the Boston home of a donor who also happens to head up a group called the Godless Americans PAC, a group that stands for pretty much what you'd expect from the name:

"Godless Americans and Kay Hagan -- she hid from cameras, took Godless money. What did Hagan promise in return?" the announcer says, followed by a photo of Hagan mixed with the voice of one of the atheist activists declaring, "There is no God!"

The Hagan campaign has now announced they're seeking a cease-and-desist order, charging that the ad would lead a viewer to believe that it's Hagan herself declaring there is no God -- when in fact she's a regular churchgoer and Sunday school teacher. "Elizabeth Dole is attacking my strong Christian faith," Hagan told reporters.

And the mud-slinging only gets nastier from there.

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

Another Poll Shows Tight Race For Murtha
A new poll from the Las-Vegas based Dane & Associates, commissioned by GrassrootsPA.com, shows Jack Murtha with a bare lead of 46%-44% over GOP opponent William Russell, within the ±3% margin of error. GrassrootsPA.com is a right-wing site, but it should be noted that Dane is a non-partisan firm that has done polling work for politicians of both parties from across the country.

New Mahoney Ad: He's A Jerk, But Look At The Other Guy
Rep. Tim Mahoney (D-FL), whose sex scandal has probably doomed his bid for re-election, has this new ad in which constituents admit he's been a personal disappointment, but his opponent's positions on the issues would damage the country:

One line in particular seems poorly written for a politician in Mahoney's situation: "He (Rooney) doesn't have Congressman Mahoney's experience."

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

NRSC's New Mailer Invites Children To Read About Pornography, Rape
The NRSC has this new mailer against Al Franken, presented in the format of a goofy children's book about what an obscene human being Franken is. The mailer invites unsuspecting children to open the pages, and then read about pornography and rape:

To his credit, GOP Sen. Norm Coleman has distanced himself from this one. "A piece of direct mail, dealing with this subject matter, that could be viewed as a comic book by children is something that is just not acceptable," Coleman wrote in a letter to NRSC chairman John Ensign. "I'm astonished that anyone would have used such poor judgment."

Poll: GOP Sen. Smith Already Losing Badly With Half The Vote In
The new SurveyUSA poll shows Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR) trailing Democrat Jeff Merkley by a 49%-42% margin -- and the internals are even worse. Half of the voters have already turned in their ballot, the poll says, and this group has given Merkley a 51%-41% win. Time is running out for Smith to get the landslide win among the remaining voters that he would need in order to pull of a victory.

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

Mahoney's Re-Election Chances Downgraded
In a move that shouldn't really surprise anybody, the pundits are reclassifying Congressman Tim Mahoney's (D-FL) re-election chances in the wake of revelations that he had an affair with a former staffer and allegedly paid over $121,000 in hush money. Stuart Rothenberg has changed the race from from "Toss-UP/Tilt Democratic" to "Pure Toss-Up," and Charlie Cook has shifted it from "Lean Democratic" to "Lean Republican."

Another Poll Shows Al Franken Ahead In Minnesota
The new Quinnipiac poll in Minnesota gives Al Franken a slender lead in the Minnesota Senate race: Franken 38%, Sen. Norm Coleman (R) 36%, and Independence Party candidate Dean Barkley at 18%, with a ±3% margin of error. Quinnipiac's previous poll from three weeks ago gave Coleman a 49%-42% lead in a two-way race, but a lot has happened since then with the economy. It should also be noted that a recent Rasmussen poll did not show Barkley definitively siphoning more votes from one major candidate or the other.

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

Chambliss Spokesperson: "Bomb Obama" Remarks By Supporters "Inappropriate"
Michelle Grasso, the campaign spokesperson for Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), gave Election Central this statement late on Friday in response to reports that a Chambliss supporter yelled "Bomb Obama" at a local Senate debate: "Last night was definitely a rowdy crowd and lots of inappropriate things were said by some people in attendance, Senator Chambliss believes that we must focus on the issues - our economy is hurting and we must focus our energy on helping our citizens who are loosing their jobs, savings, and homes."

DSCC Ad Has Stevens Saying He Might "Serve A Little Time In Jail"
A new DSCC TV ad features the audio of FBI tapes from Sen. Ted Stevens' (R-AK) corruption trial. Stevens says in a worst case scenario he "might have to serve a little time in jail."

"The worst that can happen to us is we run up a bunch of legal fees, and might lose," Stevens is heard saying. "We might have to pay a fine, we might have to serve a little time in jail."

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Palin Lies About Ethics Report's Finding
Sarah Palin falsely told reporters this morning that the Alaska legislature's ethics report on Trooper-Gate clears her of any wrongdoing. "And if you read the report, you'll see that there was nothing unlawful or unethical about replacing a cabinet member. You got to read the report, sir," Palin said. In fact, the report says that Palin violated the state's ethics codes in bringing pressure upon cabinet members to take retaliatory actions against her ex-brother-in-law.

Obama Thanks McCain For Calling Him A Decent Man
At a stop in Philadelphia this morning, Barack Obama thanked John McCain for telling his own audiences to be respectful, and that Obama is a decent man. "I want to acknowledge that Senator McCain tried to tone down the rhetoric in his town hall meeting yesterday, and I appreciated his reminder that we can disagree while still being respectful of each other," Obama said.

Obama In Philadelphia
Barack Obama is touring through Philadelphia, today, holding multiple rallies around the city. Obama held an 8:15 a.m. ET rally at Progress Plaza, a 9:30 a.m rally at the Mayfair Diner, an 11:15 a.m. rally at Vernon Park, and he has one more scheduled for at 1:10 p.m. ET, at the intersection of South 52nd Street and Locust Street. Joe Biden does not have any public events.

McCain In Iowa, Palin In Pennsylvania
John McCain has a 12:30 p.m. ET rally in Davenport, Iowa -- an odd choice for a visit, considering how polling right now has Barack Obama winning Iowa by a more than double-digit margin. Sarah Palin held a rally at 10 a.m. ET this morning in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

Poll: McCain Has Narrow Edge In North Carolina
A new North Carolina poll from Marshall Marketing gives John McCain a 48%-46% lead in this new swing state, within the ±4.5% margin of error. The same poll also shows Democratic Senate candidate Kay Hagan with a 44%-43% edge over Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole, within the same margin of error.

Dem Senator To GOPer: Take Down Ad That Features Me
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) has called upon fellow Oregon Sen. Gordon Smith (R) to take down an ad that used old video of Wyden praising Smith, so as to make it appear as if Wyden was endorsing him. In fact, Wyden just recently did a commercial for Democratic nominee Jeff Merkley.

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

Coleman Suspends Negative Ads, Sort Of
Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN), who has fallen behind in the polls against Al Franken thanks to the economic crisis and voter backlash against the negative turn that the campaign has taken, has announced that he is pulling all of his negative ads, and will only run positive spots. There is a loophole here, though: The Coleman campaign can cancel its own negative advertising, but the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee and outside groups will still be able to run as many attacks against Al Franken as they want.

Franken Camp: Our Ads Against Coleman's Record Are Staying
In a statement released to the media, Al Franken's campaign declared that they'll keep their attack ads against Norm Coleman running: "Given that this week's polls are clearly showing that Minnesotans are sick of Norm Coleman's campaign of character assassination, today's stunt rings as a cynical ploy designed to change the subject and avoid scrutiny of his own record. It's like an arsonist burning down every house in the village and then asking to be named fire chief."

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

McConnell Ad Ties Lunsford To Schumer And New York
Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, who is facing a tough challenge from Democratic businessman Bruce Lunsford, has this incredible ad out tying Lunsford to the New York liberalism of DSCC Chairman Chuck Schumer:

"And this guy wants to put a New Yawk Senadduh in Kentucky," the announcer says, in a hammed-up New York City accent. "Fuggedaboudit."

Gordon Smith: Palin Is A Great Governor For California
Some Republicans have taken to exaggerating Sarah Palin's qualifications, but this is just ridiculous. In a funny verbal slip-up in last night's Senate debate in Oregon, incumbent Republican Gordon Smith referred to Sarah Palin as an effective governor for California:

"I've met Sarah Palin once, she's a lovely person," Smith said. "She's a great governor of California, she's a strong executive."

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

The Worst Press Conference Ever?
You really have to watch this excruciating press conference given by Sen. Norm Coleman's (R-MN) campaign manager, in which he struggled to (not) answer questions about reports that his boss' clothes were paid for by one of his campaign contributors. Give it a look -- it's well worth your time.

House GOP Gets Huge Loan
In a sign of just how desperate things are going for the House Republicans, Roll Call reports that the NRCC has obtained an $8 million loan in order for them to be able to compete against their much better-funded Democratic counterparts. Deep thought: In this economy, one can only wonder what kind of interest rate they're being charged.

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

Dems Shell Out $7 Million In One Day On House Races
The DCCC latest FEC filings from last night show that the Dems put down over $7 million for ads in 39 races across the country, in a mix of offense and defense. The single most notable expenditure: The Dems are spending $777,000 to go after scandal-plagued Rep. Don Young (R-AK), an astonishing amount for a small and very red state.

Poll: Franken Ahead In Minnesota
A new University of Minnesota poll is giving Al Franken a narrow lead in his bid to unseat Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN). The numbers: Franken 41%, Coleman 37%, and Independence Party candidate Dean Barkley at 14%, within the ±5% margin of error.

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

New Dem Ad Dramatizes FBI Monitoring Ted Stevens
Check out this stunning new ad from the DSCC, depicting fictional FBI agents monitoring indicted Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) and listing his alleged crimes:

"And I voted for him," says a disappointed fictional agent.

Poll: Stevens Regains Narrow Lead In Alaska
A new Rasmussen poll has indicted Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) taking a narrow 49%-48% lead over Democrat Mark Begich, helped in now small part by the presence of the state's favorite daughter Sarah Palin on the GOP ticket. But Uncle Ted is hardly out of the woods yet -- there's a chance he could be convicted of a felony before Election Day, which would probably impact his numbers in a negative fashion.

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Veterans Group To McConnell: Take Down Ad That Uses Our Name
The Military Order of the Purple Heart is demanding that the campaign of Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell pull an ad in which a McConnell supporter identifies himself as a member of the organization and appears to speak on its behalf:

"I am a member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the official organization of combat-wounded veterans," says Lee Moore. "Our veterans demand an investigation into the negligent care that Bruce Lunsford's clinics provided." Moore then goes on to accuse Lunsford of manipulating an 83-year old veteran who appeared in a Lunsford ad defending the candidate. Lee Moore is not a spokesman for the group, and furthermore its bylaws forbid it from being involved in partisan politics.

Poll: Dem Narrowly Ahead For Heather Wilson's House Seat
A new Albuquerque Journal poll shows a close race for the open seat of Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM), who left the seat open when she ran unsuccessfully in the GOP primary for the Senate. The numbers: Democratic Martin Heinrich 43%, Republican Darren White 41%, within the ±4.9% margin of error.

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

Poll: GOP Senator Chambliss In Dead Heat For Re-Election
In a very interesting development, a new Research 2000 poll gives Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), who was believed to be more or less invulnerable going into this campaign, a statistically insignificant lead of 45%-44% over Democrat Jim Martin. This corroborates a SurveyUSA poll taken last week, which put Chambliss ahead 46%-44%, as the economy continues to take a toll on Republicans even in seemingly safe places.

Dem Candidate Ties GOP Incumbent To Bush -- And Tuxedo-Wearing
This new ad from Senate candidate Jeff Merkley (D-OR) launches one of the most novel attacks on the economy that I've ever seen: It depicts incumbent Sen. Gordon Smith (R) standing next to George W. Bush -- and they're both wearing tuxedos:

Maybe next, Merkley will run an ad tying Gordon Smith to the Monopoly Man.

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