Down to the Wire in N.J., Va. and N.Y.
As Election Day nears next week in Virginia, New Jersey and New York, here's a look at the latest news on the races, as compiled by CBS News Political Director Steve Chaggaris. A portion of this appeared in this morning's Politics Today, CBSNews.com's inside look at the key stories driving the day in politics:
"Even with a new Quinnipiac University Poll showing him behind, Christie said he and his running mate, Monmouth County Sheriff Kim Guadagno, were headed to Trenton to 'turn it upside down' to cut government spending and taxes…
"Obama is due to make his third campaign visit to the state on Sunday as the Quinnipiac Poll showed Corzine up by 5 percentage points, beyond the polls' margin of error. But nearly one in five likely voters also said they might change their mind before Election Day."
"[Independent Chris] Daggett, who has his own bus tour planned this weekend, visited a handful of Morris County diners [Wednesday] to explain his property tax plan and argue for a third-party alternative," adds the Newark Star-Ledger's Claire Heininger and Lisa Fleisher.
"'People want someone who is more centrist,' Daggett said during a break from handshakes and between mouthfuls of a grilled chicken sandwich with fries. 'The two parties have cast themselves to extremes.'"
Virginia Governor:" A day after President Barack Obama rallied Democrats in Norfolk for gubernatorial nominee R. Creigh Deeds, national Republican headliners hopscotched Virginia for front-runner Bob McDonnell," report the Richmond Times-Dispatch's Olympia Meola and Jeff E. Schapiro.
"Former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, a once and future presidential prospect, appeared with McDonnell, Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling and attorney general hopeful Ken Cuccinelli, stopping in Henrico County to echo the campaign's jobs-and-economy theme and help pad campaign coffers…
"Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, another Republican presidential candidate in 2008, also blitzed Virginia for the GOP ticket.
"Meanwhile, Deeds rolled out a two-minute video on his Web site recapping the Obama visit Tuesday and imploring volunteers to join the get-out-the-vote effort that Democrats say can salvage Deeds' struggling campaign."
NY-23 Special Election: "Two of the three candidates running for the 23rd Congressional District spent about 75 minutes fielding questions on a myriad of issues at a forum Wednesday night," reports the Plattsburgh Press Republican's Joe Lotemplio. "But the biggest news from the event might have been the one candidate who did not show up.
"Douglas Hoffman, the Conservative Party candidate, was in Plattsburgh on Wednesday but didn't attend the forum in E. Glenn Giltz Auditorium at Plattsburgh State. Republican Dierdre 'Dede' Scozzafava and Democrat William Owens both participated, before a crowd of about 400 people...
"Rob Ryan, Hoffman's campaign spokesman, made comments to the Press-Republican about 30 minutes before the event that suggested North Country Public Radio's involvement was the reason Hoffman did not attend.
"'North Country Public Radio is the perfect venue to decide who is the most liberal candidate in the race,' Ryan said, adding that Hoffman would participate in a televised debate in Syracuse today. 'And he will win that debate,' Ryan said."
Washington Post's Dan Balz, "Squabbles in both parties pit ideals vs. realities": " Is politics about standing for principles and fighting for them? Or is politics about winning elections and passing legislation? In an ideal world, politics is both of those things, but at the moment, Republicans and Democrats face internal debates about what it really means to be a political party. A once-obscure special House election in Upstate New York and the high-profile wrangling over health-care reform illustrate the uncomfortable choices that accompany building stable governing coalitions."
And finally, CBS News' Anthony Salvanto and Mark Gersh take a look at the makeup of this congressional district: "Most recently Republican [John] McHugh took 65% of the vote in 2008 here against 35% for the Democrat, suggesting that – if one transfers that same Republican support to this year - a split of GOP voters between Hoffman and Scozzafava would indeed make this profile as an election winnable by a candidate getting something north of one-third of the overall vote.
"It is important to note, though, that McHugh's success does not necessarily mean the electorate in NY-23rd was automatically Republican going into this. On one hand, registered Republicans outnumber registered Democrats here by around 45,000 votes. However, President Barack Obama won in this district (52% to 47% for John McCain) even as McHugh was carrying it comfortably, while four years earlier in 2004, President Bush won it narrowly. So it profiles as more of potential swing district – and certainly one that might be highly competitive for a Republican in a two-way race.
"As with any special election, this could be an electorate different from 2008 or 2006 – though with all the attention on the race some speculate turnout could approach mid-term levels, and turnout in the New York 20th district's special election, which took place earlier in the year, was historically high for a special election."