North Carolina: Senate race tightens. It’s 40% for US Sen. Kay Hagan (D) to 40% for state House Speaker Thom Tillis (R), according to a poll of likely voters released last week by SurveyUSA/High Point University (HPU). Moreover, the Real Clear Politics average for the Tar Heel race shows Hagan’s lead is down to 2 points, the lowest since the summer. “Voters make two basic decisions: whether to vote and for whom they will vote when they get there,” said Dr. Martin Kifer, director of the HPU Poll, in a statement. “This particular race will likely hinge on how partisans make that first decision.”
Virginia: Gillespie attacks Warner on Puckett appointment. Ed Gillespie, the underdog Republican challenger to US Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), has zeroed in on revelations that a top aide to Warner discussed offering a job to the daughter of state Sen. Phillip Puckett (D) to keep him from resigning and creating a GOP-controlled state senate. The first version of the ad replayed a clip from a TV channel that said “Warner is accused of trying to bribe a former state senator.” The station later retracted the newscast and Gillespie withdrew that portion of its TV spot. The race has heated up, but Warner remains a strong favorite.
Georgia: Nunn hits Perdue on jobs. Michelle Nunn, Democratic candidate for US Senator who is in a tight race with businessman David Perdue (R), is attacking her opponent for his role in “outsourcing” jobs. Democrats contend the practice sends US jobs overseas. Republicans, including Perdue, insist it helps US companies grow and hire more Americans. Meanwhile, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has shifted money from Kentucky to Georgia in hopes of picking up the Peach State seat currently held by Republican Saxby Chambliss.