The Fix - Chris Cillizza's politics blog on washingtonpost.com - October 5, 2008

Rank	Race	Current Party	Change
1	Connecticut	Democrat	Up
2	New Hampshire	Republican	Up
3	Missouri	Republican	Up
4	Kentucky	Republican	Down
5	Pennsylvania	Democrat	Up
6	Ohio	Republican	Down
7	Colorado	Democrat	Down
8	Illinois	Democrat	Up
9	Louisiana	Republican	Up
10	Delaware	Democrat	None

Rank	Race	Current Party	Change
1	LA-02	Republican	None
2	ID-01	Democratic	None
3	DE-AL	Republican	Up
4	NH-01	Democrat	None
5	MD-01	Democrat	Down
6	NY-23	Republican	Up
7	PA-06	Republican	Up
8	AL-02	Democrat	Down
9	MS-01	Democrat	Down
10	CA-44	Republican	None

Rank	Race	Current Party	Change
1	Kansas	Democrat	None
2	R.I.	Republican	None
3	Hawaii	Republican	Up
4	Nevada	Republican	Down
5	Tennessee	Democrat	Up
6	Michigan	Democrat	Up
7	Oklahoma	Democrat	Down
8	Virginia	Democrat	Up
9	Florida	Republican	Down
10	N.J.	Democrat	Up

Rank	Race	Primary	Change
1	Texas Gov.	Republican	Up
2	Pa. Senate	Democrat	Up
3	Calif. Gov.	Republican	None
4	N.Y. Senate	Democrat	Down
5	Fla. Senate	Republican	Up
6	Michigan Gov.	Republican	Up
7	Ky. Senate	Democrat	Up
8	Utah Senate	Republican	Up
9	S.C. Gov.	Republican	Down
10	Kan. Senate	Republican	Down

VIDEO: Milbank Wants To Hug It Out

Dana Milbank is funny. Really funny. (Trust us: he sits right next to The Fix in the Post newsroom.) And, his Washington Sketch is a must-read -- as Dana trains his rapier-like wit on the political culture of Washington. Milbank...

Palin Probe Concludes

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin speaks in Wisconsin. Photo by Joshua Lott -- Getty Images The investigation into Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's role in the firing of the Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan ended late today with a report that...

MN-Senate: Coleman Puts the Kibosh On Negative Ads

Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman has decided to pull negative ads, but is it too late to make a difference? (Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg News) The Minnesota Senate race -- already one of the most high-profile statewide contests in the country --...

Ad Wars: Yellow Kansas?

A new ad for former Rep. Jim Slattery, who is taking on Sen. Pat Roberts(R) in Kansas, is sure to get attention but maybe for all the wrong reasons. It speaks for itself so let's take a look: Betcha didn't...

McCain Opens Pandora's Box

UPDATE, 3:15 pm: John McCain's campaign is pushing hard on Bill Ayers today. Following the release of an ad that seeks to tie Ayers to Barack Obama this morning, the campaign organized a conference call featuring Yonkers City Councilman, and...

Friday Senate Line: 60 in Sight?

New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak) What was once only a pipe dream is starting to look like a real possibility. We speak not of Britney Spears' musical comeback but...

RNC Uses Ayers in New Ads

The Republican National Committee is launching television ads tomorrow in Indiana and Wisconsin that invoke the name of former Weather Underground member Bill Ayers and detail his ties to Barack Obama, the first such ads from either the national party...

Rothenberg Warns of GOP "Bloodbath"

The horizon looks bleak for House and Senate Republicans. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite UPDATE, 4 pm: The Cook Political Report is also amping up their predictions of Democratic gains in the House and Senate next month. In the latest...

The Problems With the Ayers Attack

The McCain campaign has tapped vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin to lead the Obama-Ayers attack. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) John McCain's campaign released a nearly-two minute Web video this morning detailing the connections between Barack Obama and former Weather Underground...

Wag the (Video) Blog: Can McCain Win?

Consider the following: • Polling nationally and in key battleground states shows John McCain falling further behind Barack Obama. • Obama is outspending McCain at a rate of three to one on television -- an advantage that many political...

The Political Take: Breaking Down the Nashville Debate

The Fix and Newsweek managing editor Dan Klaidman got together this morning to discuss the debate that was and what to look for out of John McCain's campaign in the next few days. The "Political Take" follows....

McCain Changes Tactics?

Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., right, speaks as Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., listens during a townhall-style presidential debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2008. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite Heading into...

VIDEO: The Fix Breaks Down the Debate

Check out the Debate Decoder for an interactive video and transcript annotated with analysis, fact-checking and opinion....

The Nashville Skyline Debate: First Thoughts

Tonight's townhall debate didn't yield much news -- which is probably a good thing for the candidate ahead in the polls. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) RESOLVED: There was no game changer. Tonight's second presidential debate between Barack Obama...

The Nashville Skyline Debate: The Fix Twitters!

The Fix will be twittering tonight's debate -- LIVE from Nashville, Tenn. (the debate, not The Fix) -- beginning around 9 p.m. ET tonight. Want to follow our observations, Simpsons references and other juvenalia? You can either sign up for...

Nashville Knockout: What To Watch For

Riggers lift scaffolding into place in front of the Curb Events event site at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., Monday, Oct. 6, 2008, as preparations continue for Tuesday's presidential debate. (AP Photo/J. David Ake) Expectation is building in advance...

Obama Outspending McCain Nearly 3 to 1 on Television

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., waves as he arrives for a technical walk through before a scheduled townhall-style presidential debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2008. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak) Barack Obama is outspending...

Knockout in Nashville?

John McCain and Barack Obama debate in Oxford, Mississippi on Sept. 26. Photo by Linda Davidson of The Washington Post The Fix is doing finger-stretching exercises and drinking protein shakes in expectation of our live twittering of tonight's second...

The Fix: October 5, 2008 - October 11, 2008