Campaign committees

Obama to attend "Get out the vote" rallies in Philadelphia, Chicago and Bridgeport, Conn.

The House campaign chief said Pelosi has an "enormous reservoir of goodwill within the Democratic Caucus."

The NRSC went up with its first TV ad in Nevada on Tuesday and criticized Reid for his D.C. address.

Democrats have seized on allegations that foreign money is helping fund campaign ads from organizations such as the Chamber.

Part of the strategy is luring national Democrats into contests they'd rather not spend in from now until Election Day.

There was a reason the Republican Governors Association delayed the release of its fundraising numbers — they were still counting the checks.

The committee announced Thursday it had raised a whopping $31 million in the third quarter. To put that in context, the Democratic Governors Association announced last week it raised $10 million in the same period.

Both committees are tasked with helping their party's nominees in gubernatorial contests. The RGA is headed by Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R), a former lobbyist noted for his fundraising prowess. The DGA is headed by first-term Delaware Gov. Jack Markell.

The RGA has now raised more than $59 million this cycle and ended September with $31.5 million cash on hand. Its Democratic counterpart has $13 million cash on hand.

The Republicans have set a goal of controlling 30 governorships after Election Day. To do that, the RGA will have to win 24 of the 37 gubernatorial elections taking place this year. Democrats control 19 of the governors' mansions up for grabs.

Dems have $41.6 million in the bank to spend on House races compared to GOP's $19 million.

Rep. Mark Critz (D-Pa.) continues to keep the Obama administration at arm's length, even as he accepts its fundraising help.

Critz represents Pennsylvania's 12th district, but traveled to Pittsburgh, which is in the 14th, on Monday for a fundraising event with Vice President Joe Biden.

During the special election earlier this year that saw him succeed the late Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), Critz benefited from a fundraiser that was also staged in the city.

Biden is thought to be unpopular in Critz's coal-country district because of comments he made about building coal power plants during the 2008 campaign.

During the midday event at the Rivers Club in downtown Pittsburgh, Critz acknowledged his differences with the Obama administration on coal issues.

"Although I'm at odds with the administration over this issue, he is
 willing to come here and campaign for me,'' Critz said of Biden.

Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper (D-Pa.) also attended the event. "We do have a very tough race in front of us, both Mark and I,” she said, according to the pool report.

President Obama, meanwhile, was also helping his party raise money. He spoke at a fundraiser hosted by former NBA star Alonzo Mourning at his Coral Gables home. The $1 million expected to be raised from the event is going to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Florida Rep. Ron Klein (D).

A handful of Senate races that were once considered toss-ups have shifted considerably in the direction of the GOP in recent weeks, while at least one other Senate contest has become a somewhat unexpected toss-up. 

In the latest update of our race ratings, three Senate races have shifted from "toss-up" to "lean Republican," and 15 House seats move further in the direction of the GOP.  

The one bit of good news for Democrats comes from Delaware, where a Senate seat that was once considered safely Republican now appears solidly in the Democratic column ahead of November. 

See the Ballot Box's complete race ratings here.

Senate: 

Pennsylvania Senate (OPEN): from "TOSS-UP" to "LEAN REPUBLICAN." Pennsylvania’s open seat now appears destined to fall into Republican hands. Former Rep. Pat Toomey (R) has consistently led in recent polls. Some surveys show him ahead of Rep. Joe Sestak by as many as 9 points, and he’s even within the margin of error in the Democrat’s House district. Without a major momentum swing, the admiral could go down with the ship. 

Florida Senate (OPEN): from "TOSS-UP" to "LEAN REPUBLICAN." Republican Marco Rubio is expanding on his lead in recent Florida polls and took in a whopping $5 million in contributions in the third quarter. Democrat Kendrick Meek’s problem was highlighted this week when the Sierra Club co-endorsed him and Gov. Charlie Crist (I). With Meek and Crist splitting the left-leaning vote, this seat leans toward Rubio. 

Ohio Senate (OPEN): from "TOSS-UP" to "LEAN REPUBLICAN." In Ohio, Democrat Lee Fisher’s campaign has been hamstrung by staff shake-ups and weak fundraising. A campaign memo that was leaked recently showed nothing’s changed — Fisher was actually considering cutting staff to free up money for more TV ads. Former Rep. Rob Portman (R) is a formidable candidate, despite his ties to George W. Bush’s unpopular administration. Ohio and Florida aside, there is some good news for Democrats.

Delaware Senate (OPEN): from "LEAN DEMOCRATIC" to "LIKELY DEMOCRATIC." Republican Christine O’Donnell has yet to solidify her base, and with so little time left before Election Day, Democrat Chris Coons is likely to hold Vice President Joe Biden’s former seat. 

West Virginia Senate (OPEN): from "LIKELY DEMOCRATIC" to "TOSS-UP." Gov. Joe Manchin's (D) lead has completely evaporated in the special election to fill the seat of the late Sen. Robert Byrd (D). The latest polling shows Republican businessman John Raese in the lead as he continues to hammer Manchin with TV ads tying him to President Obama. Former President Bill Clinton is heading to the state to campaign for Manchin next week, though, and the Democrat was handed an opening given a still unfolding controversy over the language in a casting call for a GOP campaign ad, which called for actors with a "hickey" look.  

House:

On the House side, eight Democratic incumbents move from our "lean Democratic" category into "toss-up": Reps. Bobby Bright (Ala.-2), Harry Mitchell (Ariz.-3), Gabrielle Giffords (Ariz.-8), Suzanne Kosmas (Fla.-24), Bill Foster (Ill.-14), John Adler (N.J.-3), John Boccieri (Ohio-16) and Patrick Murphy (Pa.-8).

In all of these districts, Republicans have touted internal polls that show the incumbents in trouble, and public polling data has confirmed these members are very much on the ropes ahead of November. 

In Ohio's 16th District, new numbers from The Hill midterm poll show Boccieri trailing his Republican challenger Jim Renacci 42 percent to 39 percent.

In New Jersey, a Monmouth University/Gannett poll from the end of September showed Republican challenger and former NFL football player Jon Runyan within 3 points of Adler, whose reelection campaign was thrown into turmoil Friday after a report that his campaign helped a manufactured Tea Party candidate get on November's ballot to siphon away votes from Runyan. 

Our "lean Republican" category on the House side has grown by another five races. Democratic Reps. Ann Kirkpatrick (Ariz.-1), Kathy Dahlkemper (Pa.-3), Debbie Halvorson (Ill.-11), Mary Jo Kilroy (Ohio-15) and Glenn Nye (Va.-2) have all shifted to "lean Republican" given public polling data that has shown their reelection contests increasingly imperiled. 

In the latest round of numbers from The Hill midterm poll, all five members trail their Republican challengers and show weaknesses with independents. In Illinois, Halvorson is down 18 points to Republican Adam Kinzinger, and in Pennsylvania, Dahlkemper trails by 13 points.   

The Republican Governors Association is holding off on releasing its third quarter fundraising numbers until next week, a spokesman said. The RGA's delay comes as the Democratic Governors Association announced Friday it had raised a "record" amount in the last quarter.

The DGA raised $10 million in the third quarter, its "third consecutive record-breaking quarter," according to a release. The committee now has $13 million cash on hand.

Moreover, independent groups the DGA supports — including Lone Star First in Texas, Building a Stronger Ohio and Bay State Future in Massachusetts — have an additional $3 million on hand.

In the second quarter, the DGA trailed its Republican counterpart in fundraising. It pulled in $9.1 million, which was less than half of what the RGA raised. The RGA raised $18.9 million in the second quarter, when it reported having some $40 million banked.

The DGA spent only $14 million in 2006.

The DGA's chairman said voters will have a clear "choice" in November. "In one, we will help middle class families continue to recover from this economic crisis. In the other, our country will revert to the same policies that caused this mess in the first place," Delaware Gov. Jack Markell (D) said in a statement.