tonight, from our decision 2010 election headquarters in new york, the final hours before the vote. the candidates try to close the deal. tonight, we look at the numbers, the trends, where this race may be headed from coast to coast. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good evening from our election headquarters in new york. studio a-g. our decision 2010 studio. and tonight, the time can be measured in hours until americans go to the polls in one

of the most important and contentious midterm elections in memory. as you will hear on our coverage all night tomorrow night, it's all about the math and two important numbers. 39 and 10. the republicans need 39 house seats to take control. 10 in the senate. tonight, we'll look at where the election stands. the last polling. and the big races. we start off here with our white house correspondent savannah guthrie. savannah, we are used to seeing our presidents out there campaigning till the last minute. we didn't see that today. >> the president spent the last day of the campaign out of public sight. he spent the weekend campaigning. took some radio interviews today and tonight will call activists. out on the trail today, michelle obama, the one they used to call "the closer." making a last push, the first lady in nevada campaigning for senate majority leader harry reid, hanging onto his seat by a thread. >> we're not just here because

of an election. we're not just here because we support harry, and we do -- [ applause ] we are here today to renew that promise. >> west virginia, how is everybody! >> reporter: on the eve of a potentially history making election, candidates from coast to coast called in high profile reinforcements. former bill clinton hitting four states today alone. >> please help him. thank you and god bless you all. >> reporter: president obama made his closing pitch yesterday in ohio, but even a joint appearance with the vice president couldn't quite fill the stadium at cleveland state university. >> if everyone who fought for change in 2008 shows up to vote in 2010, we will win this election. i am confident of that. >> reporter: today, activists worked to get people to the polls. democrats hoping to hold back losses by getting their core

voters. young people, women, seniors lashgs tinos and african-americans out tomorrow. ♪ ♪ having a party across america ♪ >> reporter: energized by the rise of the tea party movement, republicans are on the brink of major gains likely to take control of the house of representatives. >> your government is out of control. do you have to accept it? >> no! >> reporter: republicans hold a significant money advantage, too. the party and outside groups outspending democrats and forcing them to defend seats in more places. by far the most decisive factor, an enduring frustration with the economy. >> this is about an american public dissatisfied about the lack of jobs and going to send a message about the president's performance. >> reporter: tonight, the man who could be speaker, john boehner is making his closer argument at a rally outside cincinnati. the president today tried to head off one potential line of attack, saying that he had been wrong to use the word "enemies"

to describe political opponents in an interview the other day. john boehner saying to the president, you call us enemies, we call ourselves patriots. the president said today, he should have used a different word other than "enemies." >> we'll see you here tomorrow night, savannah guthrie covering politics tonight. tonight, we know more about the voters heading into the polls tomorrow. and what motivates decision 2010. from our new nbc news wall street journal election eve poll, and with that, debuting the numbers tonight, our political director chuck todd is here. where is this election, if you can say so, and where is the electorate? >> first of all, let's remember how historic this election is about to be, whether republicans win 30, 40, 50 seats, this has happened exactly once this generation. it hasn't happened since right after world war ii. right before that, the great depression. they're very concerned about the future of the country. it's not just about their job

but whether their children are going to have a job. now, that's the big backdrop. let's look at the numbers. in the control of congress, republicans have a 49-43 lead at this point among likely voters. translate that to the national vote tomorrow night, what that means, it's a minimum of 50-seat pickup for republicans in the house level. if undecideds break for republicans, that's why you're hearing smart analysts say maybe 70 seats is there. we did ask them, send us a message, tell us what message you would love to send with your vote tomorrow. well, most people said, tell these members of congress to focus on jobs and the economy. however, look at what republicans and tea party members said. they said, yes, we're focused on the economy, but we also want you to return to the principles of the constitution. what this means is, limited government. they're using this language, though, about the constitution, because they didn't like health care, they didn't like the expanded government. and that is sort of the backdrop.

that's what is motivating the tea party. what's motivating a lot of vote sers the economy. this back and forth that the new members of congress are going to have to deal with, satisfying the tea party folks when it comes to limited government but also figuring out if they have to spend more money on the economy, can these two sides work together? that's the challenge. >> chuck todd on the big picture with 24 hours to go until our coverage of the election tomorrow night. we'll see you here tomorrow, as well. chuck todd, thanks. our coverage from this room tomorrow night will go all night from primetime through late night on nbc. we'll have close to 50 live remotes, dozens of correspondents and camera crews. much of our team already fanned out, in place tonight for a preview of some major races. let's start in alaska. kristen, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. the story out of alaska is a heated three-way senate race.

tea party candidate joe miller struggling in his effort to unseat incumbent lisa murkowski. he beat her during the gop primary. that's when she decided to run as a write-in candidate, touting herself as a moderate republican. now, all of this chaos might serve to benefit the democrat here, scott mcadams, if the republican vote is split, he could eke out a victory. making matters more interesting, sarah palin reentered the fray this weekend, lashing out at the media, accusing them, as she said, unfairly treating her candidate, joe miller. if this race is close, we might not know the results here for weeks. brian? >> kristen welker, we'll be checking in with you tomorrow night, as well. some big races in california, including the race for senate. lee cowan on duty in los angeles. good evening. >> reporter: here it is all about california's sour economy and it's a race between a career politician and career businesswoman. carly fiorina is trailing in the

polls behind senator barbara boxer. although she says she is confident she still may be able to catch this anti-incumbency wave. but it's the exact same dynamic in the governor's race where you have the former ceo of meg whitman trailing behind jerry brown. whitman has spent millions in her own money arguing he has the business experience to fix this mess here. whereas brown argues that he has the political experience to fix it. brian? >> some great races to cover out there. lee, thanks. a nasty tight race in nevada as the senate majority leader struggles to hang on to his day job. john yang is in las vegas. john, good evening. >> reporter: you've got tea party in alaska, unemployment in california. here in nevada, you have both and more. harry reid instrumental in passing president obama's stimulus and health care reform. republican sharron angle, a tea party candidate, who wants to

repeal health care reform and phase out social security. running in the state with the highest unemployment rate in the nation, and the highest bankruptcy rate in the nation. this is going to come down to turnout. sharron angle has the intensity of the tea party movement on her side. harry reid's got the get out the vote operation on his side. this one is going to be a nail biter. >> what happens in vegas this year will be heard across the country. john yang in nevada for us tonight. to the rockies we go. it could be a long night in california. colorado, rather. a crucial senate race in colorado. one of the tightest in the country. tom costello covering out of denver. hey, tom, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. john talked about voter turnout. that's what it's all about here. talking about the tea party favorite, ken buck, up against the incumbent michael bennett. most polls show buck has a point or so advantage.

he's benefiting from a very strong republican voter turnout. however, analysts say he has what they say boot in mouth disease. on the other side, the democrats are desperate to hold on to a state obama held two years ago. they're pouring money into the state. total so far, $40 million spent on the senate race. more outside money than any other senate race in the country. >> we'll be watching it tomorrow night. tom, thanks. to the east we go to illinois. a pitched battle for the senate seat once held by president obama. carol marine of our nbc station wmaq standing by in chicago with that. hey, carol. >> reporter: hello, brian. late polls give republican congressman mark kirk a razor thin edge over alexi giannoulias in this battle for the obama senate seat. the president himself came here to rev up his troops, but in his own home state, obama's approval rating is just 46%. this race has been nasty and it's been embarrassing. kirk has had to apologize for embellishing his military record. giannoulias' bank failed and there was loans to mobsters.

there was conviction of a former democratic governor. the mood of voter here in illinois, brian, sour. >> sounds like you're describing illinois politics. carol, thanks. we'll check in with you again tomorrow night as we go east. another very tight contest we're watching closely. the senate race in pennsylvania. our own ron allen in philadelphia tonight. ron, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, to you, brian. the first lady michelle obama is here on the campus of the university of pennsylvania, because pennsylvania looks like it could be a big problem for the democrats. the president has been here three times himself. despite that, it looks like the republicans are going to win a senate seat and the governorship. that despite the fact that president obama won the state by ten percentage points just two years ago. and the democrats have 1.2 million more voters than the republicans. on the republican side, the senate candidate pat toomey has been running a campaign that says everything the obama administration has done needs to be reversed. that message seems to be resonating.

>> all right, ron, we'll be checking back in with you tomorrow night. ron allen in philadelphia. given the size of delaware, their senate race has captured a lot of press and public attention. janet, good evening. >> reporter: brian, we have more drama tonight in this contest here, in the final hours of this campaign which has democrat chris coons leading in the polls over tea party candidate christine o'donnell. a 30-minute commercial for o'donnell did not air as scheduled. her campaign questioned whether bias was involved. the tv station simply said this commercial had come in late, and it has since aired. vice president biden just finished a rally just a few minutes ago for chris coons in a race some are calling the most contentious in delaware history. brian? >> janet in wilmington, tonight. and finally, complicated politics. a lot at stake in florida. a three-way race for senate, ron mott covering from miami. ron, good evening.

>> reporter: brian, good evening to you. unlike that race janet is covering up in delaware, the tea party backed candidate republican marco rubio has a big lead. a new poll out shows him at 45%. governor charlie crist hat 31%. democratic congressman kendrick meek pulling up the rear at 18%. they're trying to get the democratic vote out here to turn out. hopefully they can keep people coming to the polls to stay close in the governor's race. president bill clinton coming in to rally tonight up in orlando. >> ron mott in miami, florida tonight. and with that, our fleet of correspondents, our thanks to them all. believe it or not, a small fraction of the races we will be covering for real here tomorrow night. when we continue from our election head quarter studio here tonight, the latest on the big story this past weekend. was a plot to bomb a commercial airliner discovered and stopped as officials have said? and have you had enough yet?

the long strange trip that has been campaign 2010. has been campaign 2010. on medicare fraud. the new healthcare law gives us powerful new tools to fight it.... to investigate it... prosecute it... and stop criminals. our senior medicare patrol volunteers... are teaching seniors across the country... ...to stop, spot, and report fraud. you can help. guard your medicare card. don't give out your card number over the phone. call to report any suspected fraud. we're cracking down on medicare fraud. let's make medicare stronger for all of us. [ but aleve can last 12 hours. tylenol 8 hour lasts 8 hours. we're cracking down on medicare fraud. and aleve was proven to work better on pain than tylenol 8 hour. so why am i still thinking about this? how are you? good, how are you? [ male announcer ] aleve. proven better on pain. a $100 cream. flabbergasted when we creamed a $500 cream! for under $30 regenerist micro-sculpting cream hydrates better than 23 of america's most expensive luxury creams.

fantastic. phenomenal. regenerist. [ susan ] i hate that the reason we're always stopping is because i have to go to the bathroom. and when we're sitting in traffic, i worry i'll have an accident. be right back. so today i'm finally going to talk to my doctor about overactive bladder. [ female announcer ] if you're suffering, today is the day to talk to your doctor and ask about prescription toviaz. one toviaz pill a day significantly reduces sudden urges and accidents all day and all night. and toviaz comes with a simple, 12-week plan with tips on training your bladder. if you have certain stomach problems or glaucoma or cannot empty your bladder, you should not take toviaz. toviaz can cause blurred vision and drowsiness, so use caution when driving or doing unsafe tasks. the most common side effects are dry mouth and constipation. [ susan ] today, i'm visiting my son without visiting every single bathroom.

[ female announcer ] why wait? ask about toviaz today. a lot of folks still on edge tonight about the safety of air travel and air cargo for that matter just days after those two mail bombs were intercepted from yemen before they could reach this country. and there is a new twist tonight, word that a source who helped uncover this plot, was actually once held by the u.s. military at guantanamo bay, cuba. our justice correspondent pete williams continues to follow this story out of our washington newsroom. pete, good evening. >> reporter: the federal government has been criticized in the past for releasing detainees in guantanamo who end up joining al qaeda. now officials in yemen say it was a former gitmo detainee who helped alert intelligence officials that an attack was being planned. yemeni officials say information that played a role in launching a frantic search for the two packages was provided by a

detainee who had been held by the u.s. at guantanamo about four years. a 35-year-old saudi, released three years ago, and sent to a saudi rehabilitation center like this one, where former terrorists are taught to abandon their old ways. he escaped to yemen and was thought to have joined al qaeda there. the saudi government announced last month he had surrendered and returned. >> he was one of saudi arabia's most wanted individuals, a former gitmo detainee who rejoined al qaeda. his decision to surrender to the saudis was of tremendous significance. >> reporter: now yemeni officials, who are eager to demonstrate their cooperation with the u.s., say he provided useful information about the plot. the white house and cia refused to discuss what role if at all he played in discovering it. investigators say one of the bombs held nearly a pound of petn, a high explosive powder. an explosive an expert in england demonstrated the destructive power in roughly

that amount of petn. >> two, one -- >> reporter: the u.s. has stopped accepting any packages from yemen and sent experts there to improve cargo security. while the u.s. has no authority to examine cargo overseas, it's urging other countries to improve their screening. >> we always learn from these incidents and we will make adjustments as this attempt warrants. >> reporter: as for the bombs themselves, u.s. officials say there's no clear idea how they were supposed to work, whether they were in fact fully functional and if so, what the targets actually were. it may be several more days before any of that is known, brian. >> pete williams in our washington newsroom tonight. pete, thanks. here in new york, little change on wall street today. the dow industrials gained just over six points on this election day eve. when we come back here tonight, jfk might have spoken the words, but tonight we remember the man who wrote a good many of them. ♪

i love my grandma. i love you grandma. grandma just makes me happy. ♪ to know, know, know you grandma is the bestest. the total package. grandpa's cooooooooool. way cool. ♪ grandpa spoils me rotten. ♪ to know, know, know you ♪ is to love... some people call us frick and frack. we do finger painting. this is how grandpa and i roll. ♪ and i do [ pins fall ] grandma's my best friend. my best friend ever. my best friend ever. ♪ [ laughing ] [ boy laughs ] ♪ to know, know, know you after this we're gonna get ice cream. can we go get some ice cream? yeah. ♪ and i do ♪ and i do ♪ and i do ♪ and i do

this holiday, do you really want to cut corners by using a broth with msg? swanson chicken broth has no added msg. so for a perfect holiday meal, the secret is swanson, 100% natural chicken broth. stuffing. the side dish that makes people take sides. take a stand at greatstuffingdebate.com. affect wheat output in the u.s., the shipping industry in norway, and the rubber industry in south america? at t. rowe price, we understand the connections of a complex global economy. it's just one reason over 75% of our mutual funds beat their 10-year lipper average. t. rowe price. invest with confidence. request a prospectus or summary prospectus with investment objectives, risks, fees, expenses, and other information to read and consider carefully before investing. and other information to read and consider carefully

desperate for nighttime heartburn relief? for many, nexium helps relieve heartburn symptoms caused by acid reflisease. and for the majority of patients with prescription coverage for nexium, re it can cost $30 or less per month. headache, diarrhea, and abdominal pain are possible side effects of nexium. other serious stomach conditions may still exist. ask your doctor if nexium can help relieve your heartburn symptoms. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help.

quick followup to a story we told you about here friday night. that the girl scouts were planning to have their uniforms made in china instead of here in this country as a way to save money. a lot of people reacted with, "say it ain't so." the news caused a big uproar. as you might imagine. today, the girl scouts said it ain't so. they've reconsidered and will continue to have the uniforms made here in the u.s. after all. he was remembered in full on our broadcast last night, but for those who perhaps missed it, we wanted to note the death tonight of ted sorensen. he died yesterday here in new york days after a severe stroke. he was have lincoln, nebraska, a self-described danish russian

jewish unitarian. and after college, as a young man, he moved to washington, hired as a researcher by a young senator named john f. kennedy. what followed was a great relationship. sorensen supplied the words to what later became known as "camelot." >> ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. >> ted sorensen was credited with writing much of "profiles." and encouraged the book that won jfk the pulitzer prize. he was special counsel to the president, with emphasis on "special." sorensen was inconsolable after jfk's assassination, admitting that life was never the same. he went on to a life in the law, and later published his own life story. ted sorensen was 82 years old. when we come back here tonight, with just hours to go, taking the pulse of the people who will vote tomorrow in this year we're told is all about voter anger. year, we're told is all about

voter anger. [ deb ] people don't just come to ge capital for money. they come to us for help. at ge capital, we've been financing taylor guitars for over eight years, helping them build a strong dealer network. bringing music to people... i like that. ♪ ♪ [ bobn' iid dt know you could play. i didn't either. ♪

and the life you want to live. with rheumatoid arthritis, there's the life you live... i didn't either. fortunately there's enbrel, the #1 most doctor-prescribed biologic medicine for ra. enbrel can help relieve pain, stiffness, fatigue, and stop joint damage. because enbrel suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal, events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, and other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis. ask your doctor if you live or have lived in an area where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. and help bridge the gap between the life you live... and the life you want to live.

hi, may i help you? yes, we're looking to save on car insurance, even if that means we have to shop all day, right, honey? yep, all day. good thing you're starting here. we compare your progressive direct rate to other top companies', so you can save money! look! we saved a lot! and quick, too. and no more holding her purse! it's a european should bag. it was a gift. mm-hmm. shopping less and saving more. now, that's progressive. call or click today. and welcome back to our decision 2010 headquarters where

we promise it will be over soon. in about 24 hours here, we get to talk results. but already, as midterm elections go, it's been a withering campaign, highly negative as you know. a lot of attacks back and forth and a lot of anger on the part of the voters who get to speak tomorrow. anger about the economy. anger about the government. we get that part of the story tonight from our own kevin tibbles in chicago. >> reporter: the open air market in chicago's daley plaza bustles with energetic shoppers seeking fresh produce and baked goods. but scratch the surface and you find an exhausted -- >> i can't wait till it's over. >> reporter: and disappointed body politic. >> a lot of promises have been broken. >> reporter: campaigners have spent hundreds of millions in hopes of wooing support. but has it worked? >> all they can do is spring mud at each other rather than address the problem. it's like it's a bunch of kids in a preschool. >> i'll take you out, buddy. >> you going to take me out? >> yeah!

>> reporter: then there's the very public bickering. >> he can take the endorsement and shove it. >> reporter: e gave kating and just plain bad behavior. some voters do express anger. >> it's terrible, it's disgusting. could you run a company like this? no, you couldn't. >> reporter: but most just want to hear a frank and civil discussion about the real issues facing america. >> we just want to know how they feel and what they're going to do for us. >> people out here that need help and they're not focusing on that. >> how about health care? how about reforming the financial system that collapsed two years ago? how about the crumbling infrastructure in the country? >> reporter: and some warn negativity comes at a cost. >> the winner is going to start out behind and not have the respect of the electorate that they need to do what needs to be done. >> reporter: however much voters might long for relief tomorrow, some fear this could just be the beginning. kevin tibbles, nbc news, chicago. >> that is our broadcast for this monday night election eve.

as always, thank you for being here with us. and one more reminder, our coverage begins here with "nightly news" tomorrow night. then we're back on the air at 9:00, 8:00 central. and then we're going to go all night, right through late night with our decision 2010 coverage. we'll give jay leno and jimmy fallon a break. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you back here tomorrow evening. remember to vote. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com i want to see pictures of them. at least i would know who they were, you know. caught on a tape, a trio of teenage girls terrorizing vallejo. police want your help to find them. >> the girls are behind four different