(Newser)
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Michele Bachmann's path to re-election has gotten a lot bumpier than you might expect, reports Politico. It digs into the Minnesota rep's bid to hang onto her seat against a challenge from hotel exec Jim Graves, and finds that even with "off-the-charts" name recognition, more than $12 million in campaign cash, and a freshly redrawn district that bears "an 8-point Republican registration edge," the race is far from a slam-dunk. A recent poll shows her up 51% to 45%, perhaps in part due to Graves' efforts: He's called her "distracted by her own celebrity," swung at her presidential-primary emphasis on her Iowa birthplace, and has flooded the district with pamphlets claiming she "burns bridges"—though he acknowledges he's a "serious underdog."
Politico looks at other tight and "nasty" races, with a specific eye on the Senate, which could flip to GOP control if the party can achieve a net gain of four seats (three if Romney wins):
- In Nevada, GOP Sen. Dean Heller has called challenger Shelley Berkley the "most unethical, corrupt person I’ve ever met in my life." For her part, Berkley has run ads tying Heller to a drug trafficker.
- In Arizona, Rep. Jeff Flake is battling Democrat Richard Carmona in a close race for the retiring GOP Sen. Jon Kyl's seat. GOP ads note that a perk-obsessed Carmona made his staff collect his dry cleaning; Democratic ads claim Flake "voted to kick cancer patients out of the hospital."
- In Montana, Democrat Sen. Jon Tester is hitting at challenger Rep. Denny Rehberg by way of a report containing fresh details on a 2009 boating accident. (Rehberg was a passenger on a boat driven by former state Sen. Greg Barkus, who had a blood alcohol level of 0.16.) Rehberg has called Tester an Obama "twin."
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more on the heated Wisconsin race between Tammy Baldwin and Tommy Thompson, who have each attacked the other's post-Sept. 11 behavior.
