With the economy continuing to dominate the political discourse, Republicans are taking two tacks: Proclaiming their heroism in killing the bailout, or just plain changing the subject.

Bachmann: Pelosi's Speech Did Not Make Us Vote No
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) is directly contradicting the party leadership's notion that Nancy Pelosi's speech yesterday led to Republicans voting against the bailout. "I want to assure you that was not the case," Bachmann said at a Republican Study Committee press conference yesterday. "We are not babies who suck our thumbs. We have very principled reasons for voting no."

Davis Iglesias Bashes GOP House Nominee
Here's a video making the rounds, in which former U.S. Attorney goes after Darren White, the Republican nominee for the close open seat of Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM), for overzealously wanting to prosecute accusations of voter fraud:

"So I've been very disappointed in Darren. He doesn't understand his duties as a sheriff," Iglesias says. "He put -- and this is why I'm very critical about people like Gonzales -- they put loyalty to the party at a higher plane than their loyalty to the Constitution. Darren did the same thing. So I hope the voters understand that come November."

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Here's today's rundown on the Congressional races: An avalanche of polls shows the Democrats running ahead or close behind in several seats that have been in GOP hands for years -- suggesting the possibility of major Dem gains.

GOP Rep's Ad: I'm Sorry I Went On An Abramoff Trip
This ad needs to be seen to be believed. Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL), who is facing a spirited challenge from Democrat Suzanne Kosmas, has this new ad in which he speaks to the camera and abjectly apologizes for going on an Abramoff-sponsored trip five years ago:

"I embarrassed myself, embarrassed you, and for that I'm very sorry," Feeney says.

Polls Show Big House Races In Ohio This Year
A new set of SurveyUSA polls in Ohio show Dems poised to pick up two out of four contested GOP-held district. In the First District, incumbent Rep. Steve Chabot (R) is holding a small lead over challenger Steve Driehaus (D) 46%-44%. In the Second District, Rep. Jean Schmidt (R) is holding an 8-point lead over challenger Victoria Wulsin (D) 48%-40%. But in the open 15th and 16th Districts Mary Jo Kilroy (D) has a 47%-42% lead over Steve Stivers (R), and John Boccieri (D) has a 49%-41% lead over Kirk Schuring (R).

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Okay, here are two new twists on the GOP myth that China is drilling for oil off America: We now have a GOP Rep. who is apparently raising campaign cash off the tall tale -- and as an added bonus, her campaign tried to deny she ever did this!

The culprit is good old Rep. Jean Schmidt, the Ohio Republican who famously called Jack Murtha a coward. In her fundraising letter -- which you can read here -- she blasts unnamed liberals who have "decided to come after me because I stood on the House Floor and pointed out that Cuba was drilling off our shores."

"Now whether they are drilling on the coast of Cuba or offshore less than 60 miles from Florida," Schmidt later adds, "it doesn't change the fact that the Communists in China understand the laws of supply and demand more than the Democrats."

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Every now and then we like to check in on the latest antics surrounding GOP Rep. Jean Schmidt -- the Ohio Republican who called Jack Murtha a coward on the House floor. And boy oh boy, her latest doesn't disappoint.

Schmidt is now enmeshed in a bitter feud with another Ohio Republican, who's so furious with her that he called her a "lying b----" and a "despicable person" who would "sell her mother" -- and expressly told us we could print that!

The issue? GOP State Rep. Tom Brinkman, who founded an anti-tax government watchdog group, is charging that Schmidt's House staffers frequently work on her campaign for re-election.

"You can quote me anywhere you like. Jean Schmidt is a lying b----," said Brinkman, who lost his primary challenge to her this year by a 58%-40% margin, in an interview with Election Central. "She would sell her mother to promote herself. She is a despicable person. She will go any length possible to win, to get what she wants."

Yikes!

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Last time we checked in on Rep. "Mean Jean" Schmidt, the Ohio Republican facing a tough challenge from Dem Victoria Wulsin, she was busy demonizing her opponent as someone who conducts grisly scientific experiments on innocent human victims.

Now she's outdoing herself again, spreading a tall tale that even other Republicans know is bogus: The notion that China is supposedly drilling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico.

She's pushing this fiction in order to whip up fear about high gas prices and Democrats wanting to sell the country out to the Communists -- a clear effort to boost her base turnout against Wulsin, who nearly beat Schmidt two years ago and very well could unseat her this time around.

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Remember "Mean Jean" Schmidt, the Ohio Republican who famously called retired Marine Jack Murtha a coward for advocating withdrawal from Iraq?

Now she's lived up to her "Mean Jean" nickname name again, with a new snarling line of attack: Accusing her Democratic opponent, a medical doctor, of doing "grotesque medical experiments" on innocent people.

A source sends us a fundraising letter that Schmidt sent out in her district against Dem nominee Victoria Wulsin, who narrowly lost two years ago and is now mounting a second tough challenge being closely watched by national Dems. From the letter:

Wulsin's contempt for the culture of life has even led her to participate in grotesque medical experiments. Wulsin was paid for her work in medical "studies" where victims of AIDS in Africa and China were, without their consent, injected with the malaria virus, all in the name of "scientific inquiry."

Wow. This is, to put it mildly, a very serious accusation. And according to the Wulsin camp, it's also false -- Wulsin has never participated in this sort of human vivisection, and in no case was anyone injected with anything without consent.

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"Mean Jean" Schmidt — who earned the eternal enmity of liberal activists for calling decorated Marine John Murtha a "coward" on the House floor over his Iraq War opposition — will be facing a rematch.

Dr. Victoria Wulsin — who lost to GOP Rep. Jean Schmidt by roughly one percentage point in 2006 — will take on Rep. Schmidt again in 2008, the local Ohio press is reporting. According to The Cincinnati Enquirer, Wulsin has just sent out a press release announcing that she's definitely in the race. From her release:

"When Americans are fighting in Iraq, going without affordable health care, and struggling to support their families, we need an independent voice in Congress, not a rubber stamp for special interests and the Bush Administration. The people of the Second District deserve a Congresswoman who will be honest with her constituents."

Schmidt previously drew national attention from Democratic activists during her successful 2005 special election against Iraq War veteran Paul Hackett, which she won by a 52%-48% margin in a district that President Bush won by a landslide 64%-36% over John Kerry. The rematch between Schmidt and Wulsin is a contest that's all but certain to attract major national money and attention.

So "Mean Jean" has pulled it out, after all, putting an end to one of the last undecided House races of 2006. Dem candidate Victoria Wulsin has conceded the race to GOP Rep. Jean Schmidt, local 9 News TV is reporting. Wulsin's concession ends what was a protracted and surprisingly tight 51-49 race in a usually solid GOP district. "Wulsin has called a noon news conference at her medical office in Walnut Hills," according to 9 News.

GOP Rep. "Mean Jean" Schmidt -- the woman whose claim to fame is that she called antiwar John Murtha a "coward" on the House floor -- has hung on to win reelection after facing a fierce challenge from Dem Victoria Wulsin. The Associated Press reports that additional ballot counts have expanded Schmidt's lead to 3,200 votes. With the vote counting not quite complete, Wulsin has still refused to concede, but as the AP notes, in order to prevail, "Wulsin would have to win remaining votes by more than a 2-to-1 ratio."

Here's a rundown of the latest developments in the yet-to-be officially decided House races:

Fl-13: Problems still abound in this district, where about 15 percent of all Sarasota County voters using touch-screen machines didn't register a choice in the Congressional race. Lawyers for Dem Christine Jennings recently complained that GOPer Vern Buchahan is purposely stalling the audit of the voting machines by failing to offer up his an expert to participate in the process. A manual recount is underway, but the audit by the state is Jennings only real chance to successfully contest the election. Paul Kiel has more on this race over at TPMMuckraker.

LA-02: The runoff election between two Democrats, Rep. William Jeffereson and Karen Carter, will occur on Dec. 9.

NC-08: GOP Rep. Robin Hayes' lead over Dem Larry Kissell narrowed to 400 votes Friday after six counties reported official election results. Four more counties still need to report their official results. The Hayes campaign has petitioned for the majority of provisional ballots to be thrown out.

NM-01: Republicans are again claiming victory for Rep. Heather Wilson as the final tally is expected to be finished Friday afternoon.

OH-02: Local boards of elections will begin counting more than 8,200 provisional ballots on Monday. Democrats are complaining that confusion of voter ID laws will cause many votes to not be counted.

OH-15: The final count will be delayed until Nov. 27 because of new rules for counting provisional ballots. About 19,500 absentee and provisional ballots remain to be counted in the district. GOP Rep. Deborah Pryce currently leads Dem Mary Jo Kilroy by 3,536 votes.

TX-23: The runoff election between GOP Rep. Henry Bonilla and Dem Ciro Rodriguez has not been officially scheduled yet, but will occur no sooner than Dec. 12.

WY-AL: Dem Gary Trauner has officially decided against seeking a recount solidifying GOP Rep. Barbara Cubin's victory.

For a complete look at all the results of the midterms, check out TPM's Election Central Scoreboard here.

The current Dem pickup stands at 28 House seats, with no losses and 10 races still undecided — and the latest is that no one has conceded their races since late last week. A full rundown of where the outstanding races stand right now after the jump.

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The current Dem pickup stands at 28 House seats, with no losses and 10 races still undecided. Here's where they are now:

Dem-Leaning:

CT-02: Dem challenger Joe Courtney has declared victory with an 167-vote edge, but the miniscule margin automatically triggers a recount. The 167-vote margin includes absentee and military ballots, but not provisional ballots, which need to be verified before being counted. The recount must be completed by midnight next Wednesday.

GA-12: Incumbent Dem John Barrow leads by less than 1,000 votes, with a recount being likely. Barrow has declared victory. If Dems hold this seat, they will have completely shut out the GOP on House, Senate and governorship pick-ups.

Republican-Leaning:

FL-13: The race for Katherine Harris's open seat is potentially going to the courts. Dem Christine Jennings trails by less than 400 votes, with reports of voting-machine problems.

NC-08: Down by 346 votes, Dem Larry Kissell is calling for a recount in his race against GOP Rep. Robin Hayes, who has already declared victory. Provisional ballots won't be counted until Nov. 17, and the official result will not be certified until Nov. 28. In North Carolina, recounts have traditionally favored the candidate who leads going in.

NM-02: GOP Rep. Heather Wilson leads by 1,395 votes, with provisional and absentee ballots yet to be counted.

OH-02: GOP Rep. Jean Schmidt has declared victory, but Dem Victoria Wulsin is waiting for all provisional ballots to be counted before conceding. Though a Wulsin victory is still a possibility, she seems to be facing a statistical uphill battle.

OH-15: With a lead of 2,835 votes GOP Rep. Deborah Pryce has declared victory, but Dem opponent Mary Jo Kilroy will not concede until some 20,000 uncounted absentee and provisional ballots are tallied, a sum which she feels could tilt the election towards her. Pryce has also announced she will not seek re-election for Chair of the House Republican Conference if she wins.

WA-08: GOP Rep. David Reichert holds a two-point lead over Dem Darcy Burner with three-fifths of the district's ballots now counted. If the final vote count ends with the candidates a half a percentage point or less apart, state law requires a recount.

WY-AL: Dem Gary Trauner, trailing Rep. Barbara Cubin by 970 votes, might request a recount after canvassing is completed. However, his current deficit is a few dozen votes larger than the margin that would provide for a state-paid recount. Cubin has declared victory.

Runoff:

TX-23: GOP Rep. Henry Bonilla fell short of 50 percent, and faces a runoff with former Dem Rep. Ciro Rodriguez

Though the Democrats have conclusively gained control of the House with a pick up of at least 27 seats, 13 races have yet to be officially called by at least two major news sources. Here's why:

Update: CNN and NBC have both called GA-08 for Dem Rep. Jim Marshall and PA-06 for GOP Rep. Jim Gerlach.

Update 2: In PA-08, GOP Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick concedes.

* CT-02: Democrat Joe Courtney leads, but still too close to call, waiting for a recount. A Courtney victory would be another Dem pick up.

* FL-13: GOPer Vern Buchanan declared victory in this race to succeed GOP Rep. Katherine Harris, but Dem Christine Jennings won't concede until a recount, which won't be completed until Nov. 18. Voting problems are suspected to have occurred in the district.

* GA-08: Dem Rep. Jim Marshall leads GOPer Mac Collins by 2,048 votes — outside the 1% recount zone — but the race won't be certified until Friday. Called for Marshall.

* GA-12: Dem Rep. John Barrow declared victory, but it has not been confirmed by GA election officials due to server problems in one county.

* NC-08: GOP Rep. Robin Hayes declared victory, but a recount is expected as he only leads Dem Larry Kissell by 468 votes. A Kissell victory would be a surprise pick up for the Democrats.

* NM-01: No winner declared in this close race where provisional and absentee ballots are still waiting to be counted. A victory by Patricia Madrid would be another pick up for the Dems.

* OH-02: Dem Victoria Wulsin has refused to concede, but GOP Rep. Jean Schmidt leads by slim margin.

* OH-15: Fox News called it for GOP Rep. Deborah Pryce, but Dem Mary Jo Kilroy will not concede, waiting for absentee ballots to be counted.

* PA-06: The Philadelphia Inquirer has called it for GOP Rep. Jim Gerlach, but no other official source has followed suit. Called for Gerlach.

* PA-08: Dem Patrick Murphy declared victory, but GOP Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick refuses to concede. A Murphy victory would be another Dem pick up. Fitzpatrick concedes.

* TX-23: There will be a run-off election between GOP Rep. Henry Bonilla and Dem Ciro Rodriguez because Bonilla failed to win more than 50% of the vote.

* WA-08: GOP Rep. David Reichert leads Dem Darcy Burner, but more than 10,000 absentee ballots still need to be counted.

* WY-AL: Race between GOP Rep. Barbar Cubin and Dem Gary Trauner is too close to call and a recount is expected. A Trauner victory would be another Dem pick up.

From the Election Protection coalition's morning update email:

EP volunteers and the EP hotline received widespread [reports] of voting machine problems leading to delays, as well as problems with confusion implementing the state’s photo ID requirement. Additionally, one polling place opened late because of an overnight break in. A local TV station aired footage of Congresswoman Jean Schmidt’s battle with an optical scan voting machine, which repeatedly rejected her ballot.

In another sign that the GOP implosion in Ohio continues apace, CQ Politics has just shifted its rating of two Ohio races -- in the first and second districts -- from "Leans Republican" to "No Clear Favorite." The races are Dem John Cranley's challenge to GOP Rep. Steve Chabot, and Dem Victoria Wulsin's effort to knock off GOP Rep. Jean "Mean Jean" Schmidt." CQ: "The Democrats have the momentum in Ohio. Their nominee in the open-seat race for governor, Rep. Ted Strickland, is a solid favorite to win on Tuesday, and their Senate nominee, Rep. Sherrod Brown, holds a lead, though a somewhat less dominant one, over Republican incumbent Mike DeWine." As noted below, today's Columbus Dispatch predicted a Dem sweep in Ohio. CQ's full analysis of both races here.

Jack Murtha is coming to Ohio to campaign for Dem Victoria Wulsin -- and against Wulsin's GOP opponent, "Mean Jean" Schmidt, the woman who memorably called Murtha a "coward" a year ago. Today's Cincinnati Post reports that Murtha will invade Mean Jean's district on behalf of Wulsin this coming Saturday. For Murtha, this may amount to more than run-of-the-mill campaigning. Last November, after Murtha called for withdrawal from Iraq, Mean Jean said: "Cowards cut and run, Marines never do." Murtha, of course, was a Marine. For old time's sake, we're hauling out the video of Mean Jean's "coward" moment. View it here.

CQ Politics has just changed its rating of the race between GOP Rep "Mean Jean" Schmidt and Dem challenger Victoria Wulsin from "Safe Republican" to "Republican Favored":

Among the factors contributing to CQ’s ratings change is the National Republican Congressional Committee’s independent expenditure of $22,000 on Oct. 9 on mail pieces that criticize Wulsin...

The NRCC’s payment is a meager outlay, but the party’s national House campaign unit surely would not have expended those funds if it believed Schmidt was politically safe...

Wulsin has little political experience but an interesting resume. She holds a doctorate in public health, specializing in epidemiology, and was the runner-up in the June 2005 Democratic primary election won by [Iraq vet Paul] Hackett.

CQ's full analysis here.

Another House GOP incumbent fighting for her political life? A new poll out from SurveyUSA says that GOP Rep. Jean "Mean Jean" Schmidt is hanging on to a bare three point lead -- 45%-42% -- over Dem challenger Amy Wulsin, a statistically insignificant edge.

A 6-0 unanimous vote by the Ohio Elections Commission has cleared Rep. Jean Schmidt (R) of false statement charges levied against her by write-in candidate Nathan Noy. The Commission is now considering whether Noy should be sanctioned for bringing a frivolous case and ordered to pay all legal fees of the proceedings. Noy was scolded by Commission members for lacking evidence and witnesses to support his case.

It seems some clarification may soon come to the case of Rep. Jean Schmidt(R) and the mysterious missing shadow.

The man,Dennis Hayslett of Montana, seen finishing two places ahead of Rep. Schmidt(R)in the disputed photo of her completion of the 1993 Columbus Marathon is offering to sell his photos and videos of the finish to Schmidt's campaign, write-in candidate Nathan Noy, or the news media, according to Politics Extra.

Hayslett claims to have footage of the finish line with the clock reading one second before the infamous Schmidt photo. However, he did not tell the Cincinnati Enquirer whether Schmidt appears in the photo or not.

Rep. Jean Schmidt's lawyer is admitting he can't explain a suspicious missing shadow on a photo allegedly depicting Schmidt finishing a 1993 marathon. Questions have been raised about whether Schmidt's claim to having finished the race is a falsehood.

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Rep. Jean Schmidt (R) -- you know, the "Mean Jean" Schmidt who recently called former Marine Jack Murtha a "coward" -- is now saying that she has just struck her very own blow for this country's war on terror. How? She announced that she bought an ethanol-powered SUV.

And how did this strike a blow for the war on terror, you ask? Easy! As Schmidt put it to the Cincinnati Enquirer: "I'd rather give my money to a farmer in Ohio than a Saudi sheik or an Iranian terrorist."

Needless to say, the comment didn't go over well with readers. For some reason, they think she shouldn't be showboating about the war when young Americans are dying overseas. Schmidt's Dem challenger, Dr. Victoria Wulsin -- who's tied in the polls with the incumbent at 44% -- didn't think much of Schmidt's remarks, either.