Dole's Foe Set to Sue Over 'No God' Ad

Dems could pick up 8 seats; GOP could oust Landrieu in La.

(NEWSER) - With 35 Senate seats up for grabs Tuesday, Chris Cillizza, in the Washington Post, predicts Democrats will flip eight. Two more are close calls for the Dems, while the GOP has one hope for a pickup. Starting with the most likely:

1. Virginia is in the bag for Mark Warner; he might even get 60% of the vote.
2. New Mexico will fall easily to Tom Udall...
3. ...while his cousin, Mark Udall, has pulled away in Colorado.

GOP incumbent says comedian rival's ads are defamatory, false

(NEWSER) - Minnesota's tight Senate race has turned litigious. Incumbent Norm Coleman sued opponent Al Franken today for character defamation, the Hill reports. Coleman’s campaign says ads claiming he is the “fourth most corrupt senator in Washington” are false and violate Minnesota campaign law. “Our ads are factual and true, even if Norm Coleman doesn't like being held accountable for his conduct,” said a Franken spokeswoman. More»

Some races tipping $30M mark, inundating voters with 'cacophony'

(NEWSER) - Senate races in 11 hotly contested states are drawing record sums in spending on TV advertising, the Washington Post reports. Both parties stick to repeated attacks: Democrats and their backers tie Republicans to Bush and aid for big corporations, while GOP supporters say Democrats will tax and spend freely. “It's very difficult for anybody to get a message across” amid the cacophony, says one campaign manager. More»

NC senator falls back amid GOP doldrums, Democratic onslaught

(NEWSER) - In 2002, Elizabeth Dole easily claimed the rock-solid Republican seat in North Carolina once held by Jesse Helms. But in 2008, Dole's seat has become a prime target for a Democratic pick up, reports the New York Times, and the party's senatorial fund has spent more there than in any other race. Once up by double digits, Dole now faces defeat at the hands of Kay Hagan, a relatively unknown state politician. More»

(NEWSER) - Kay Hagan defeated Elizabeth Dole in North Carolina and at least four other Democrats captured Republican seats in the Senate as the party inched toward a filibuster-proof goal of 60 seats, ABC News reports. It's going down to the wire. Democrats now have 56 seats, and four races remain undecided, including Al Franken's in Minnesota. Republicans got help with victories from Mitch McConnell in Kentucky and Roger Wicker in Mississippi. More»