The Fix - Chris Cillizza's politics blog on washingtonpost.com - October 26, 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

The Fix's Crystal Ball Predictions

Long ago, when The Fix was nothing but a twinkle in the eye of John Harris, Russ Walker and Jim Brady, we expectantly waited for the Sunday before the election for the Post's Crystal Ball Contest. Starting way back in...

Did the Debates Matter?

Barack Obama and John McCain squared off in the third and final debate at Hofstra University. Photo by Gary Hershorn of Getty Images Although there are still three days before the presidential election, some already are looking back at...

The Dole Ad: Over the Line?

UPDATE, 8:35 pm: Unbowed by the criticism over her first ad attacking state Sen. Kay Hagan (D) for her connections to the Godless Americans PAC, North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R) is up with a new commercial tonight that doubles...

The FINAL House Line: The Top 50!

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Who's Got The Momentum?

Which candidate has the momentum? It depends on where you look and whom you ask. In the last 96 hours of any election, both parties seek to cast themselves and their candidate as the ones closing strong with a...

The FINAL Senate Line: The Fix Predicts

After two years of ranking the Senate races most likely to switch parties, we have reached the last Senate Line of the 2008 election. (Can you believe it?) Below you'll find our final rankings of the races; we've included 11...

The Fix Ad Competition: The Best (and the Worst)

It's just five days before the election and, for The Fix at least, the wistfulness has already set in. In an attempt to stave off the almost certain post-election depression that will set in, we are gathering our favorite commercials...

Florida, Florida, Florida! (In Honor of Tim Russert)

Barack Obama can win the White House next Tuesday over John McCain without carrying Florida and its 27 votes but it has become increasingly clear that the Democratic nominee and his campaign see the Sunshine State as a critical symbolic...

Wag the Blog: Does Drudge Matter?

Internet newsman Matt Drudge No Fix post in recent memory has provoked the sort of reaction -- some of it good, but mostly bad -- generated by the two pieces we did on the influence of Matt Drudge (and...

Parsing the (Tracking) Poll: October Surprise

Although there are only two days left in October, there are still many people in the political world waiting for an "October Surprise" -- some sort of game-changing event in the final moment before the general election that could fundamentally...

The Obama Informercial: Good, Bad or Indifferent?

For those of you who missed the 30-minute infomercial paid for by Barack Obama's presidential campaign, which ran across nearly every television network between 8 and 8:30 pm eastern tonight, here it is: What did you think of it? It...

Political Take: On Tightening In A Center-Right County

The Fix and Newsweek boss Jon Meacham got together this morning to chat about the next six days and what comes next. It's the Political Take:...

IL-Senate: Who Would Step Into Obama's Shoes?

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has a tough choice in front of him if Obama wins the White House -- one on which his own political future could hinge. The 2008 presidential election may not be over for another week...

Is McCain Coming Back? (Revisited)

John McCain at a rally in Dayton, Ohio. Photo by Melina Mara -- The Washington Post Nine days ago, we asked in this space whether John McCain was cutting into the lead -- both nationally and in key battleground...

Parsing the (Tracking) Poll: The White Catholic Weathervane

Looking for a bellwether group to focus on in the final week of the presidential race? Look no further than white Catholics, who have gone for the winner in every single presidential election for which exit polling exists. That means...

RNC Borrows $5 Million For Senate Races

The Republican National Committee has taken out a $5 million line of credit to help fund last minute efforts to keep Senate Democrats from winning a filibuster-proof 60 seat majority, according to an official with the committee. Of the $5...

Should Republicans Cut Bait?

Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., greets supporters as he enters a campaign rally at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2008. AP Photo/Stephan Savoia With each passing day the political outlook...

Parsing the (Tracking) Poll: Are We A Center-Right Country?

The latest Washington Post/ABC News tracking poll -- using interviews conducted Thursday through Sunday -- shows Barack Obama leading John McCain 52 percent to 45 percent. Almost every other internal measure in the survey also provides good news for Obama;...

RNC Takes to the Airwaves in Montana (!)

The Republican National Committee will begin running television ads in Montana beginning on Wednesday, a sign of how heavily the playing field is tilted against the GOP with just eight days left in the presidential election. Montana has been a...

Corruption Conviction of Sen. Stevens Enhances Democrats' Prospects

Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) UPDATE, 10/28 10:15 am: John McCain released a statement this morning in which he called for Stevens to step aside from the Senate. Calling the verdict "a sign of the corruption and...

Obama: The Final Frame

Barack Obama will return to the stage today with a major speech to present his case for why voters should put him in the White House. (Photo by Nikki Kahn -- The Washington Post) Seeking to frame the final...

Updated Fix Electoral Map Picks: An Obama Landslide?

Barack Obama stands on the cusp of an electoral vote blowout over John McCain with just eight days left in the 2008 general election. On our latest Fix electoral map, we have Obama at 349 electoral votes -- his...

Wag the Blog Redux: Palin's Shopping Spree

Earlier this week, the report by Politico's Jeanne Cummings that the Republican National Committee dished out $150,000 to clothe and provide makeup for Alaska Gov. Sarah Palinset off a barrage of media coverage. In yesterday's Wag the Blog, we layed...

The Dean Does New Hampshire

Continuing his tour of battleground states, the Post's own David Broder -- the Dean of the political press corps -- spent a few days in New Hampshire late last week, taking soundings on both the presidential race and the hotly...

The Fix: October 26, 2008 - November 1, 2008