Palin: My Comments About The Country Of Africa Were "Taken Out Of Context"
Sarah Palin is defending herself from the allegation that she thought Africa was a single country, and not a continent: "If there are allegations based on questions or comments I made in debate prep about NAFTA -- about the continent versus the country when we talk about Africa there -- then those were taken out of context." Note: There is no such country that is simply called "Africa."

McCain To Do Post-Election Appearance With Leno
John McCain will do his first post-defeat TV appearance on Jay Leno, going a similar route as Bob Dole's 1996 appearances on comedy shows in order to give the public a positive and light-hearted image. McCain will stop by the show on Tuesday, in honor of Veteran's Day.

Bill Ayers Speaks: McCain And Palin Lost Points From Attacking Me
In a new essay for In These Times, Bill Ayers comments on how his past associations with Barack Obama became a spectacle in this election. "The good news was that every time McCain or Palin mentioned my name, they lost a point or two in the polls," Ayers writes. "The cartoon invented to hurt Obama was now poking holes in the rapidly sinking McCain-Palin ship."

GOP Rep. Reichert Narrowly Wins Re-Election
Rep. Dave Reichert (R-WA) has been projected the winner in his rematch against 2006 Democratic opponent Darcy Burner, who has now conceded the race. With 81% of votes counted, Reichert leads by a 52%-48% margin, and the remaining votes are not likely to change the situation significantly.

Goode's Opponent Declares Victory, But Recount Looms
Tom Perriello, the Democratic challenger against right-wing Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA), has declared victory with current results showing him ahead by 745 votes out of over 316,000 total votes cast. Goode has not conceded, and a recount is likely to occur, which would delay an official verdict on the race for several weeks.

Democrats Pick Up GOPer Gilchrest's Seat In Maryland
Democrats have picked up a deep-red House seat in Maryland, with Democrat Frank Kratovil defeating Republican Andy Harris by a narrow margin. Harris won the Republican nomination in a primary challenge against the incumbent moderate GOP Rep. Wayne Gilchrest, who then turned around after his defeat and campaigned for Kratovil.

McCain Headed To Georgia For Chambliss
Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) will be getting some major help in his upcoming runoff against Dem challenger Jim Martin: John McCain, who carried Georgia 52%-47%, and will be coming to the state to campaign for Chambliss' re-election. The runoff could potentially have lower turnout than the November election, so it will become all about which party can better energize and bring out its base.

Chambliss Uses 9/11 Imagery In New Ad
Check out this ad from Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), as he heads into his December runoff against Democrat Jim Martin:

"When our country was under attack, we trusted Saxby Chambliss," the announcer says to images of 9/11. What's next -- will Chambliss redo his old ads from 2002 tying Dem incumbent Max Cleland to Osama bin Laden, and just Photoshop in Jim Martin?

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

Dems Throw Over $12 Million Into House Races
The DCCC launched a massive financial assault on the Republicans yesterday, with over $12.6 million in spending for over 50 races in the latest set of FEC filings. The single biggest expenditure was $643,000 against Rep. Jon Porter (R-NV). Six-figure amounts were spent on an astonishing 40 House races. By contrast, the NRCC only spent $1.07 million in the latest filings.

Poll: Murtha Now In Tight Race
A new Susquehanna poll shows that Jack Murtha could be in trouble in his usually-safe seat in the wake of his public comments about his constituents being racist rednecks. The numbers: Murtha 46%, retired Army Lt. Col. Bill Russell (R) 41%, with a ±4.9% margin of error.

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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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As you may have heard today, Washington state Dem Congressional candidate Darcy Burner's home was destroyed in a fire. Everyone made it out safely.

Campaign spokesman Sandeep Kaushik told Election Central that the cause is believed to be faulty wiring in a lamp. "We'll just have to wait for a final determination, but the indications are that that was the cause," said Kaushik.

Kaushik also told us that Burner's dedication to her very competitive House race against incumbent Republican Dave Reichert has not been affected: "She'll take a couple days off, obviously, to deal with the issues surrounding the fire. But she'll be back on the campaign trail shortly."

Washington State Democrats have filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission against two-term Congressman Dave Reichert (R). Reichert is a top target for 2008, facing a rematch with 2006 Democratic nominee Darcy Burner.

At issue is whether Reichert violated the law in depositing money from an August 27 fundraiser with President Bush directly into his own campaign account, rather than a joint account held by the Reichert campaign and the state GOP, and whether they took in contributions over the $4,600 limit.

Big news out of Washington State: Netroots heroine Darcy Burner's primary opponent has just dropped out of the race and thrown his support to Burner, reports the Seattle Times.

In a clear victory for Atrios, Kos, OpenLeft and other liberal blogs and bloggers who have been pushing her candidacy and raising cash for her, Burner's opponent even cited her Web-fueled fundraising as a key reason for his decision:

"Our fundraising was going great, but Darcy Burner's campaign has been phenomenal," Tom said. "Darcy has over 3,200 contributors, an incredible statement to her broad base of support."

Dem Darcy Burner has conceded defeat to GOP Rep. Dave Reichert in the fiercely fought battle for Washington's eighth district. Today's Seattle Times reports that Burner's decision came last night as Reichert extended his lead to a total of 4,727 with some 20,000 ballots uncounted. "Burner called Reichert on Monday night to congratulate him and will hold a news conference today in Bellevue," the Seattle Times says. "She had hoped for a miracle comeback, but her lead in King County evaporated Monday and she fell further behind Reichert in Pierce County." That leaves the total of undecided House races at nine.

So it looks as if there still remain up to 20,000 votes to count in the excrutiating race between GOP Rep. Dave Reichert and Dem Darcy Burner. According to the Seattle Times, up to 20,000 votes have yet to be counted because some 100 bags of absentee ballots went uncounted because of problems relating to the bags being overstuffed. That means more waiting for a final outcome. Though Reichert's lead now stands at 3,514, Burner tells the Seattle Times she's heartened by the outstanding ballots: "If you were going to have a Democrat win this district ... this would be the way it would play out," she said.

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.

A few days ago, a story broke out of Washington state saying that a school bus driver got fired by a local school board last June for giving the finger to President Bush. The story's set off a lot of buzz in Washington political circles, because of an unanswered question at the center of the tale: Did Rep. Dave Reichert (R-WA), who was with Bush during the incident, engineer the driver's firing behind the scenes as retribution for insulting the President? His spokesman has been saying that he didn't. But now Reichert -- who's fending off a tougher-than-expected challenge from Dem Darcy Burner -- has been caught on tape boasting to an audience of Republicans that, yes, he did engineer the driver's firing as retribution for the insult to Bush.

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CQ Politics has changed its rating for the race between GOP Rep. Dave Reichert and Dem Darcy Burner from "Leans Republcian" to "No Clear Favorite":

Democrat Darcy Burner’s challenge to freshman Republican Rep. Dave Reichert in Washington’s 8th District has become one of the year’s key battleground races -- as evidenced by the fact that the national parties poured nearly $1 million dollars into this contest in the last two weeks...

Independent polls indicate that Burner, a former Microsoft executive making her first bid for public office, is gaining ground in this partisan swing district in suburban Seattle.

Reichert has positioned himself as a moderate from the beginning of his tenure, but recently boldly underlined his reputation as a “centrist” in his releases...

The National Republican Congressional Committee -- the GOP’s national House campaign unit — spent at least $728,000 from Sept. 29 through Oct. 9 on an independent expenditure campaign opposing Burner.

CQ's full analysis here. Meanwhile, CQ has also changed the ratiing in Oregon's 5th District race between Dem Rep. Darlene Hooley and GOPer Mike Erickson from "Safe Democratic" to "Democrat Favored."

The campaign of GOP incumbent Dave Reichert has agreed to fix one of their attack ads on Dem challenger Darcy Burner over the misquoting of an article from the Seattle Times. The issue at hand is the use of this article that critiqued the campaign ads from both camps. The ad states that, “after weeks of Darcy Burner’s negative campaigning, the Seattle Times cried foul for falsely attacking Dave Reichert’s support of veterans.” The proof of this is a quote from the Times piece that says, “Burner’s charges hurt by inaccuracies.” The only problem is that no such quote appears in the article. Nowhere in the article does it say that the Seattle Times is crying foul, but instead states that the Reichert campaign was objecting to a characterization made in a Burner ad about Reichert’s support of veterans. For a full rundown of the ad see here.

The NRCC is out in full force in Washington’s 8^th district, sending out a direct mailer that badly distorts the record of Dem challenger Darcy Burner. Among typical attacks that she would raise taxes, take money out of your pocket, and ironically, that she is running a negative campaign, comes the charge that she, “may want to give tax breaks to oil companies rather than helping hard working consumers who are being gouged at the pump.” This claim is not only false, but doubly dishonest, because it was her opponent Dave Reichert who actually voted for $14 billion in tax breaks for oil companies. On the mailer this claim was sourced to KOMO AM’s The Commentators, a Crossfire style talk radio show. For the Burner campaign’s full response to this latest mailer see here.

The race in Washington’s 8^th district is heating up. In the last month, Republican incumbent Dave Reichert has dropped a 13 point lead and is now running in a dead heat with Democratic challenger Darcy Burner.

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