Here's today's rundown on the Congressional races: The momentum so far today seems to be with the Dems, with some decent poll numbers and strong ad campaigns.

Stevens Tries To Get Ads Against Him Pulled
Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) has called upon local TV and radio stations to stop running DSCC ads that attack him for getting an unreasonably good deal on a car thanks to a wealthy donor, and for steering private consultant jobs to his son Ben. Only a few stations honored his complaints that the ads are deceptive, but even they are once more continuing to run them.

Poll: Dems Winning Both Congressional Races In Deep-Red Alaska
A new Research 2000 poll has the Dems winning both the Senate and House races in Alaska, despite the presence of Gov. Sarah Palin on the national ticket. Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich is beating Sen. Ted Stevens by a 50%-44% margin, and former state Rep. Ethan Berkowitz is beating scandal-plagued GOP Rep. Don Young by a 53%-39% margin, with a ±4% margin of error.

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NYT: Obama Donors Not Rushing To Relieve Hillary's Debts
The New York Times reports that many of Barack Obama's donors aren't joining in on the candidate's request to donate money to retire Hillary Clinton's campaign debt. "Not a penny for that woman. Or her husband. Or -- god forbid -- Mark Penn," one donor said -- an ungrateful reaction, when you consider how much Mark Penn did to help Obama win the nomination.

Obama With Hillary In New York City, McCain In Michigan
Barack Obama Will be coming to New York City tonight for a big-money fundraiser, featuring one other than Hillary Clinton -- a further step in forging an image of Democratic unity. John McCain will be in Michigan, a swing state that has not gone Republican since 1988, but where he's hoping to make inroads.

McCain Jokes About Killing Iranians
Oh, boy. John McCain was asked yesterday about a report that exports to Iran have increased in recent years, including such products as cigarettes. "Maybe that's a way of killing them," McCain joked.

Obama: No More Malia And Sasha Interviews
Barack Obama has had a change of heart regarding the media attention surrounding his daughters, after watching the recent Access Hollywood interview with his whole family. "I don't think it's healthy and it's something we'll be avoiding in the future," Obama told ABC's Good Morning America.

Dem Chances Go Up In New York House Seat
CQ has changed its rating for New York's 25th Congressional District from "No Clear Favorite" To "Leans Democrat," citing the strong fundraising and ad campaign from Democratic candidate Dan Maffei. The seat is currently held by Republican Jim Walsh, who just narrowly fended off Maffei in 2006, and is now retiring.

Mark Penn Teams Up With Bush Insider
Mark Penn has acquired an interesting new staffer at his public relations firm: Karen Hughes, a former top staffer in George W. Bush's White House. "Karen and I have had so many of the same experiences in the White House and campaigns," Penn said.

Representative Jim Walsh (R-NY) has returned from a trip to Iraq with a strong message: There is little evidence of any real progress being made there, and America should get out.

"Before I went, I was not prepared to say it's time to start bringing our troops home," said Walsh. "I am prepared to say that now. It's time."

GOP Rep. Jim Walsh, who narrowly prevailed over Dem challenger Dan Maffei to hang on to his seat in New York's 25th District, has a message for voters who didn't cast their ballots for him: He's "disappointed" in them. In an interview with the Syracuse Post-Standard, Walsh complained that he was upset because he didn't carry Syracuse, even though it's his home town:

"I was very disappointed in the people of the city," Walsh said. "I've worked harder in the city of Syracuse than I have in any other part of the district. I have given my heart and soul to that city. And I'll continue to do that, but I've got a little hole in my heart."

Note to Walsh: You serve at the pleasure of the voters. If they weren't as impressed with your performance as you are, this is an indication of failure on your part -- not theirs.

A day after a new poll came out showing that once-flailing NRCC chief Tom Reynolds had retaken the lead over Dem challenger Jack Davis, the NRCC has opened fire on Reynolds with a new, hard-hitting spot. Script: "When Tom Reynolds had the opportunity to give our soldiers a $1,500 bonus, he voted no. `No' to a bonus for our troops, but `yes' to six difference pay raises for himself. Tom Reynolds, `no' to our troops, `yes' to himself. Just the kind of bad judgment we’ve come to expect from him."

The Capitol Confidental blog notes that this is a pretty standard DCCC attack ad that's been used in other New York races. At the same time, though, it contains a hard-hitting, albeit somewhat vague, Foleygate dig in the "no judgement" line. And any DCCC help will be welcomed by the Davis camp, which is getting badly outspent by Reynolds and the tons of cash he's getting from national Republicans.