michael bennett up by two points over republican ken buck. that's a return there. next to ohio, where republican rob portman has an 11-point lead over democrat, lee fisher. now to a couple of governor's races, starting with ohio, where i think in are tightening and democratic incumbent ted strickland now back in a dead heat with republican john kasay. finally to maryland, where incumbent governor marty o'malley is opening up a big lead over republican bob earlyic who he beat four years ago. we will continue to check the "hardball" score board and all the big races every night leading up to election day j now to president obama in full campaign mode. u.s. congressman jim clyburn of south carolina is the democratic whip. congressman clyburn, thank you for watching. here is president obama last night in madison, wisconsin. >> i know times are tough right now. i know times are tough. i know a lot of folks are anxious about the future and i know that during the campaign, especially after we had already

colorado, buck is up four points on michael bennett. 49-45 in the latest poll there. in pennsylvania, president obama is campaigning now for a candidate he did not want to run. the president is attending a dinner for pennsylvania democratic senate hopeful joe sestak. chief political correspondent carl cameron tells us sestak is embracing his early conflict with the white house. >> reporter: the president arrived to support democratic congressman joe sestak despite having opposed him in the may senate primary against republican turned democrat arlen specter. sestak courted latino voters and cast his feud with the administration as helpful, not harmful because it prove his independence from the president. >> everyone knows the washington establishment of the democratic party didn't want me in the race.

michael bennett. >> michael bennett, sorry. >> he's the democratic candidate and incumbent. also people like mark kirk who won the nomination for the senate in illinois and meg whitman who won the nomination for governor in california. the rest are people who have won primaries. my question to you are you worried the center may hold here? >> i think that we've got the center. our message of fiscal responsibility is the center of american politics and i think that the polls show that. that's why charlie crist will be deemed -- >> wait a minute. they don't call themselves centrists. joe miller is a conservative if not a very conservative guy. sharron angle is very, very conservative. i don't think it's fair to call them centrist. they're not centrists. >> i think our movement is centrist in the sense it attracts conservatives, independent, swing voters. even conservative democrats. that's a big, winning coalition for november. that's what i think our message will be in november. >> let's get our terms straight. is sharron angal conservative or a centrist? >> i think a conserva

speaking of independence, appointed colorado senator michael bennett tried to show that he's his own. he is trying to hold his seat against a challenge from republican ken buck. listen. >> it's true. it's actually true. you voted 24 times in favor of higher taxes. either against tax cuts or in favor of taxes. >> where i agree with the president, i agree with the president. where i disagree with him, i disagree with him. >> don't be fooled, folks, by this grassroots argument. because as far as i am aware, and i can be corrected, every single ad run on behalf of ken buck, attacking jane, during the republican primary, was paid for by out dltz side groups that had an agenda that is to the extreme of the republican party. >> everybody sees what you are doing. everybody gets it. you want me to change parties and do this independent thing when you couldn't run the republican primary and now you wake up every day to say, what can i do to take away more votes from congressman meek. >> when speaker rubio said he was against it, didn't think it was right, what my friend, the speaker, just accu

guest: what is going on is that you have republicans trying to portrayed michael bennett as connected to the national party, as someone who is weak on spending issues. then you have democrats tried to cast ken buck, the republican nominee, as someone who is of step with colorado voters. who is far too conservative. host: charlie cook wrote that it seemed a mathematical possible -- in possibility that republicans could score at 10 seats. but he is saying that it is not out of the realm of possibility now. guest: it is not out of the realm of possibility, but it is still unlikely. republicans would have to win in states they have not typically one. states like washington, a state by california or wisconsin, where russ feingold is running for reelection. democrats have a fire wall that republicans will need to barge through to take control of the senate. host: why is russ feingold in trouble? the president is going there tomorrow. will the senator be with him? guest: they have a better opportunity because they have a self-funded candidates, who is spending a lot of money. he is going on

votes are >> michael bennett's votes are so bad, he can't defend them, so he is attacking me with false and unfair ads. what is unfair to colorado of bennett pausing record of overspending, regulating, and taxing. rubberstamp for his friends in washington, he is legislating unemployment, spending money we don't have on programs we don't need. what is the ken buck difference, what is right for colorado's and not big spenders in washington. i am ken buck, and i approve this message. >> the latest ads in the senate colorado race. michael bennett over ken buck's comments that he wants to do away with education department. cold water, mississippi. betty, democratic line. caller: this is my second time calling, long time c-span watcher. my feelings are that when we talk about education, education, and my opinion, is a three-way street. first, it starts with the parents, then the children, and then the teacher. children should come to school prepared to start first grade but some parents are negligent. but some parents are negligent. next, we need to find parents -- make the parents required o

votes are >> michael bennett's votes are so bad, he can't defend them, so he is attacking me with false and unfair ads. what is unfair to colorado of bennett pausing record of overspending, regulating, and taxing. rubberstamp for his friends in washington, he is legislating unemployment, spending money we don't have on programs we don't need. what is the ken buck difference, what is right for colorado's and not big spenders in washington. i am ken buck, and i approve this message. >> the latest ads in the senate colorado race. michael bennett over ken buck's comments that he wants to do away with education department. cold water, mississippi. betty, democratic line. caller: this is my second time calling, long time c-span watcher. my feelings are that when we talk about education, education, and my opinion, is a three-way street. first, it starts with the parents, then the children, and then the teacher. children should come to school prepared to start first grade but some parents are negligent. but some parents are negligent. next, we need to find parents -- make the parents required o

guest: what is going on is that you have republicans trying to portrayed michael bennett as connected to the national party, as someone who is weak on spending issues. then you have democrats tried to cast ken buck, the republican nominee, as someone who is of step with colorado voters. who is far too conservative. host: charlie cook wrote that it seemed a mathematical possible -- in possibility that republicans could score at 10 seats. but he is saying that it is not out of the realm of possibility now. guest: it is not out o the realm of possibility, but it is still unlikely. republicans would have to win in states they have not typically one. states like washington, a state by california or wisconsin, where russ feingold is running for reelection. democrats have a fire wall that republicans will need to barge through to take control of the senate. host: why is russ feingold in trouble? the president is going there tomorr. will the senator be with him? guest: they have a better opportunity because they have a self-funded candidates, who is spending a lot of money. he is going on the

. >> reporter: michael bennett's dad was a world war ii vet, a movie star, a grandpa and a victim of a plague doctors have been reluctant to confront. mark bennett checked into the hospital with a respiratory virus and within days was infected with a vier lant bacteria. >> he wounded up with flush eating bacteria. >> reporter: four months, four hospitals and at least six strains of bacteria later. >> as i stood with my dad and told him that i loved him forever, he died. >> reporter: the number of people infect ed in american hospitals is almost unbelievable. the center's for disease control estimates that 1.7 million people every year are sickened and nearly 100,000 are killed. and the solutions, well, they are remarkably simple. >> we made this checklist. >> reporter: a physician at johns hopkins has put together a to do list for doctors and nurses. >> we got this cart that makes sure we stock all the equipment that we need. >> reporter: and it has helped drive a common type of infection down to 0. >> about 40,000 people die of breast cancer a year. and for this infection, of almost

her clout to push for senator russ feingold in wisconsin who is up against ron johnson, senator michael bennett in denver taking on republican ken buck and senator barbara boxer in l.a. in a race against carly fiorina. staffers say she will not be getting down and dirty. her foreign us will be on backing democratic candidates, not on taking shots at republicans. >> the first lady is more popular than the president. that is often the case. >> reporter: mrs. obama is expected to discuss issues important to middle america like jobs, the economy and the challenges of being a woman like balancing work and family. at the white house, julie kurtz, fox news. >> so far, all of events announced by the first lady's office are fundraisers. policy events will be added in california. but mrs. obama's office says there will not be a meshing of the two. >>> coming up next ache new way to pay for certain items without pulling out your cash or credit cards. >>> , is the flu vaccine also good for your heart. we'll check headlines, your health and consumer news as well coming up. >>> plus, what would you do if thi

angle won the primary and moved ahead of harry reid and in colorado, buck won and moved ahead of michael bennett. and blunt won in missouri and moved ahead of carnahan. there is only one primary in the country that we have had this week, we saw this week, christine o'donnell won the stunning vicktory and now she is 11 points down. something keeping her from getting the same launch that the people like others did after they won the primary and until she addresses these side issues in a candid way it will keep the people of delaware from hearing the message on taxes, deficit, and debt. >>neil: but you remember the controversy when reid was at least you were dismissing her, the primary election, and you have dealt with that and i don't want do rehash stuff but the feeling was you were talking on behalf of the republican establishment. you said you were not but the read is there is a party family split here; that welcoming tea party people but with gritted teeth. and tea party feels the same about republics. is that bad? >>guest: i don't think so. look, the tea party is a powerful and helpful moveme

colorado senate michael bennett. washington senator patty murray. nancy pelosi.alifornia senator barbara boxer. political analysts say several races are must-wins for democrats. >> they know if patty murray and boxer go down on election night, they've almost certainly lost the senate. if they hold them both, they're in better shape. >> reporter: it's not unusual for first ladies to campaign in mid-term election. laurie bush did it in 2006. first lady is no strainier to campaigning. she stirred controversial in 2008 talking about her husband's candidacy for president. >> for the first time in my adult life i am proud of my country. >> as first lady, mrs. obama in a recent poll had 68% favorability rating focussed on platform of healthy eating and physical fitness for kids. her office says he comes to campaigning as a mom. that is the lens as she sees the world. sabato expects she will stick to fixed, nice remarks. >> she says nice things about the candidate she's with. >> reporter: still it gives g.o.p. candidates, including carly fiorina a chance to suggest the d

guest: what is going on is that you have republicans trying to portrayed michael bennett as connectedo the national party, as someone who is weak on spending issues. then you have democrats tried to cast ken buck, the republican nominee, as someone who is of step with colorado voters. who is far too conservative. host: charlie cook wrote that it seemed a mathematical possible -- in possibility that republicans could score at 10 seats. but he is saying that it is not out of the realm of possibility now. guest: it is not out of the realm of possibility, but it is still unlikely. republicans would have to win in states they have not typically one. states like washington, a state by california or wisconsin, where russ feingold is running for reelection. democrats have a fire wall that republicans will need to barge through to take control of the senate. host: why is russ feingold in trouble? the president is going there tomorrow. will the senator be with him? guest: they have a better opportunity because they have a self-funded candidates, who is spending a lot of money. he is going on th

republican organizations are looking to spend money against michael bennett. that will be a big advantage. that is the same thing that is happening around the country in house and senate and even governors' races across an the nation. colorado will be the test case. it is two relatively unknown candidates. the outside groups of spend both candidates. . . my husband has a blood condition and he is oven a drug that costs $9,000 a month for 28 cap sules delivered. and i looked at donna edwards yesterday. , steny hoyer, carden, mccullski, van hollen, all of these people need to be voted out of office. i am tired of them. and i can relate to the tea party because all of this spending that's going on and, washington, d.c., they're just not listening. they can't hear anyone. host: all right. guest: it's interesting. i think it's going to be very interesting to see what role health care, the health care vote plays in this year's mid-term election,. and i would be willing to bet it would be quite a small role. health care was a hugely controversial issue that got peopl

republican ken buck, a tea party favorite, is ahead of the incumbent democrat there, leading michael bennett 47 to 43% and president obama endorsed bennett during a heated democratic primary, but 49% say that the president's economic policies hurt the economy. and to illinois president obama's old senate seat. both candidates had ethical issues, but the republican is virtually tried with the democrat. the green party candidate gets 7%, and says that's significant for democrats. >> it hurts them, because most of the green party voters in 2008 voted for barack obama. >> a surprisingly close senate race in the blue state of washington and one point united states patty murray from her republican challenger dina rossy and in ohio still a double digit lead for republican rob portman over democrat lee fisher. president obama won all five of the states in 2008, but now, ohio seems somewhat out of reach. and democrats are struggling to hold on to the others. barone attributes that mainly to voters discontent over the democrats handling of the economy. in washington, molly henneberg, fox news. >> bret

michael bennett he's the incumbent, but appointed to the seat. still not very well known. save michael bennett is the governor's race where republicans nominated a tea party candidate who is very weak. that poll is not out of line with where that race is. >> again, i'll bring it up. among all voters bennett is actually ahead. at this point you're not looking at that number. >> nobody should be looking at registered voters. likely voters like with this poll, shows the intensity gap. if everybody voted, it would be one thing. >> the pathetic thing is it takes jon stewart and stephen colbert to make a rally. no one seems to get the sen thrifts out there. it takes two tv comics in a sense to have everybody yelling. >> pennsylvania, open seat in pennsylvania, pat tomb many leads democrat joe sestak 49-44. >> five points. that is something. you say democratic pollsters are keeping a poker face right now. looking at these numbers in the blue states, mark, have to be very nervous. >> they're very nervous. their hope remains to spend the money they have. in a lot of races democrats

but it's interesting that my opponent, michael bennett, wants to run away from the votes he has been making for the last 18 months. he has voted for the stimulus package, he's voted for health care, he wants to do whatever he can to not have the debate about his voting record in colorado. and it's unfortunate, because it's what the voters want to talk about. they want to talk about spending and the economy and jobs. they're not interested in talking about the 17th amendment or privatizing social security or, frankly, someone who the various news channels and newspapers have said is running with misleading ads and taking three, four words out of a three paragraph answer is just flat misleading. jenna: we can mention we invited your opponent, democratic michael bennett on and we look forward to having him on as well. a quick final question for you mr. buck: as i mentioned you worked as a high school football coach, you've done a variety of different jobs, like a school janitor job, for example, a ranch hand. why do you want to add senator to that list? >> i think it's a great opportuni

we defeated them in the republican primary -- >> michael bennett. >> sorry. >> he's the democratic candidateorado, kirk the republican nomination for the senate in illinois and meg whitman who won the nomination for governor in california. these are all winners. lincoln chafee is the only one running as an independent. my question to you is, are you worried the center may hold here? >> well, i think we've got the se center. our message of fiscal responsibility is the center of american politics. the polls show that. that's why charlie crist will be beaten by marco rubio in florida. >> these candidates don't call themselves centrists. joe miller is a conservative if not a very conservative guy. sharron angle is very, very conservative. i think it's not fair to call them centrists. >> i think our message is centrist in the sense it attracts conservatives, independent swing voters, even conservative democrats. that's a big winning coalition for november. that's what our message will be no november. >> let's get our terms straight. is sharron angle a conservative or centrist? >> i think sharron

we see it in colorado where michael bennett has run not one but two ads that deal with reproductive health governor's races in illinois against bill brady the republican and in indiana -- i mean in michigan. we're seeing it in a number of the races, let's see, in harry reid, of course, is using that in an ad. so we're going to see that more and more, i believe, as we get closer. this is a killer issue. not just the issue of abortion, but it's a window into the extremism. the intolerance of the -- this brand of republican. 63 members -- 63 house members that are running for reelection as republicans belong to the rnc pro-life under any circumstance, rape or incest, they do not support abortions. you're going to see ads like explaining that around the country. that, you know, it's that kind of republican that we don't want. that is so extreme on so many issues, particularly abortion. this is going to appeal to suburban women, 82% of americans in a poll said that in cases of rape and incest, they believe that abortion should be legal. and so i definitely think that as we get closer to the ele

endangered democrats, wisconsin for russ feingold, illinois for alex giannoulias, colorado for michael bennett, washington state for patty murray, california for barbara boxer. the first lady and clinton have one thing in common. both are more popular than the president. today there are new reports democrats have set up an opposition war room, and they'll be running ads targeting republicans' past using things like better business bureau filings, tax filings, even divorce proceedings. they're taking nothinfr >> thanks so much for that. >> for more on the democrats' campaign strategy as we close in on election day, we want to riw hiction day, we want to christiane amanpou mrninhis >> good morning, ashleig >> well, thank you. but i was up early reading m "the new york imesi ca see this article saing gloves are off, unleashing the biting ads earlier than ever and hearing about them dispatching all the big guns to places that were once co the safest of safe. is this desperation? how is this being considered in d.c.? >> we're going to be having david axelrod, we're going to ask him these questions.

senator michael bennett is trailing by five in colorado. congressman joe sestak is down by five in pennsylvania. but there's still hope for democrats this year, down in florida, maybe this is the way to do it. congressman alan grayson, he's a strong liberal. he's sticking to the progressive principles and so far, my friends, it is paying off. today, the nation reported grayson's pollsters have him up by 13 points against his republican challenger, daniel webster. and keep in mind, it's in a district that was represented by a republican for 25 years before grayson took office last year. grayson has been successful by going after it, by sticking right with his gut instincts and just hammering the republicans with videos like this. >> what's the democratic defense on that. >> stop lying. >> this guy is what it's all about! ♪ >> congressman alan grayson of ♪ >> congressman alan grayson of florida joins us here on "the ed show." congressman, good to have you with us tonight. first of all, i admire your tenacity, your honesty, and your fight when

the next day, to colorado for michael bennett.ater on to california and washington state for barbara boxer and patty murray. these are all toss-up contests. also, contests that democrats can win even in this political environment. >> we pointed out, mark, the first lady's favorability rating is at 66%. some might say that is because she has stayed out of the political fray and tackled issues like military families and helping them and the issue of obesity. is this a risky move, putting her in such tight races? >> well, potentially. although it would be riskier to keep her out of the -- off the campaign trail, given the popularity that she has with so many democratic house and senate seats that are up for grabs, this environment. so if she decided to stay out, with that popularity, people would complain. this is why we haven't seen michelle obama until now. remember, in 2008, she was a valuable campaigner for then-candidate barack obama. and certainly we're going to see her back on the trail again. but maybe this is the reason why

he is up against michael bennett and ken buck attorney and law enforcement type official. a district attorney, a prosecutor, that kind of background. he has a much more traditional law and order approach in a western state like colorado where we had seen it going a bit more democrat now kind of trending back republican. he is not an unknown candidate and he's one of the more traditional-type conservatives who is under this tea party label this year. >> all right, thanks very much. good to see you, as always, kelly. where does all this leave the gop? former president clinton jokes that some of the candidates make george bush look liberal. pat buchanan is former director of white house communications for ronald reagan. how are you this morning, pat? >> good morning, chris. >> i guess the question a lot of people are asking right now given what is a split between a lot of, if you want to call them main stream republicans and tea party who have gotten so much inthui enthusiasm, who is in charge? >> who's in charge here, i think we're at a time of the warlords, if you will, chr

and at number six, colorado, with ken bach looking strong against michael bennett. ????? >>> it's no secret that there's been a rather unflattering portrait of me painted these days. i'm not counting on the national media to vote for me on november 2nd. i'm asking all of you to vote for me. >> wow, welcome back to "hardball." that was republican senate nominee christine o'donnell thursday at a candidate forum up in delaware. she took center stage today in washington at the family research council's values voters sumit. she was the big story this week of course and now on into november. joined by christina bellatoni the senior reporter for talking points memo, a distinguished website and politico's jonathan martin. there you are, jonathan martin. and there you are. let me start with you, jonathan. i want you to look at this again. here's o'donnell today and now i want you to try to be -- totally nonideological and just look at this political phenomenon look at and seeing if it's real or not. here is christine o'donnell today at that viewers value forum. let's lift seen in

that is an ad being run right now by democratic senator michael bennett of colorado. his opponent ken buck is one of at least five republican senate candidates that we know of who want the government to make abortion illegal, even in cases where a woman is pregnant as the result of rape or incest. the federal government should monitor every pregnancy of every american woman everywhere in the country to ensure that it ends the way the federal government prefers. no matter what the woman, herself, or her doctor thinks is best even if she is raped. ken buck wants the federal government to force the rape victim to bear the child of the rapist. memo to democrats. if your opponent has views that extreme, throw out the conventional wisdom. you can run against someone on that basis. they say it couldn't be done. it can be done. >> ken buck wants to make common forms of birth control illegal. >> it's just ridiculous. >> i can't believe in 2010 ken buck wants to limit women's access to birth control. >> ken buck also wants to make a common fertility treatment illegal. >> this i

colorado for michael bennett. washington state for patty murray.california for barbara boxer. >> i think she will go out and make a forceful and positive case for what this administration has done. >> reporter: and former president bill clinton is out on the campaign trail too. now he's offering the president some free advice. >> i would say i know a lot of people are mad and a lot of people are tired. apathetic. and i respect that. because we're not yet out of the hole we've gotten in. >> reporter: mr. clinton told george stephanopoulos the president should say this to disgruntled voters. >> i'd like to see him do something i didn't do. i'd like to see him say, here's what i think this election's about, the only thing that matters is what we're going to do now? give us two more years, don't go back to the policies that dug the hole. if we don't do better, this is the last thing. if we don't do better you can vote against us all and i'll be on the ballot too, vote against us all if it's not better. >> reporter: both are more popular than the presid

colorado for michael bennett. washington state for patty murray.nia for barbara boxer. >> i think she will go out and make a forceful and positive case for what this administration has done. >> reporter: they call her the closer and for good reason. 68% view mrs. obama favorably in a recent ap poll. only 27% unfavorably. making her one of the most popular democrats in the country. then the's the ever-popular bill clinton who gave president obama these talking points. >> give us two more years. don't go back to the policies that dug the hole. but if we don't do better, this is the last thing, if we don't do better you can vote against us all, and i'll be on the ballot too. vote against us all. >> reporter: on the other side, sarah palin, who put out a slick new web video that portrays her as the heroine of the tea party movement. >> this party we call the tea party is the future and i am proud to be here today. >> reporter: that video was a i don'ting tribute to palin and the tea party. maybe this reveals where the party is going -- it never once me

michael bennett is running against tom buck, a republican candidate.has been the beneficiary of a torrent or negative ads against michael bennett. week after week. michael is holding up well. i think he will win that race. but it is clearly a closer race than it would have been had there not been the spending on his behalf. believe me, that is the purpose, i think you can ask ed -- i do not think they are spending tens of million dollars on ads and a flood of mail for the exercise. they are trying to influence the selection. >> let's talk a little bit about your future plans. how long will you be in washington? >> i always said the understanding with the president that sometime after these two years of probably sometime in the spring that i would go back to chicago and began working on the next project, which is the reelection campaign. >> what will your role be? >> as you know, my family is still in chicago. i love many aspects of this job, but the separation -- i also love my family, and the separation is something that has been difficult. for a vari

michael bennett, he was appointed to that seat.at when ken salazar decided to join the obama administration. however, he is in for a tough fight to win that seat on his own. ken buck, the tea party favorite, currently holds five-point lead over michael bennett. that race is 49-44. moving into wisconsin, republicans are very bullish over the fact that they think they can knock off the incumbent senator, the democrat, russ feingold who really is a darling for progressives across the country. wes feingold trailing in that race to ron johnson, a small businessman who came out of nowhere by six points. russ feingold, 45, johnson, 51. i'm going to leave that for you folks go to cnnpolitics.com to check out the numbers in the races. moving on, here in washington, d.c., a very big vote today regarding the future of campaign finance spending, specifically when it comes to tigs ads. democrats are trying to bring up a vote on what's known as the disclose act. this is in regards to a supreme court decision earlier this year that lifted restric

. >> now, the first colorado senate debate between michael bennett and republican challenger. they answered questions on the federal health-care law, policy, and their campaign ads. the debate was held in grand junction, camerota, and was organized by club 20, a coalition of businesses in western colorado. this is about one hour -- was held in grand junction, colorado. michael served as managing director at a company and then went on to serve for two years as chief of staff for the mayor. he was appointed superintendent of public schools in 2005 and then appointed by the governor to fill the u.s. senate seat left vacant by ken salazar. in the u.s. senate, he serves on the agricultural, banking, and another. he has three daughters. his opponent is ken buck. he attended princeton university and earned his undergraduate degree in politics in 1991. he received his jerseys doctorate from 1985 at the university of wyoming law school -- he received his jurist doctorate -- his jd degree. he worked with the department of justice in washington, d.c.. he then joined the colorado attorney

republican organizations are looking to spend money against michael bennett. that will be a big advantage. that is the same thing that is happening around the country in house and senate and even governors' races across an the nation. colorado will be the test case. it is two relatively unknown candidates. the outside groups of spend both candidates. . . my husband has a blood condition and he is oven a drug that costs $9,000 a month for 28 cap sules delivered. and i looked at donna edwards yesterday. , steny hoyer, carden, mccullski, van hollen, all of these people need to be voted out of office. i am tired of them. and i can relate to the tea party because all of this spending that's going on and, washington, d.c., they're just not listening. they can't hear anyone. host: all right. guest: it's interesting. i think it's going to be very interesting to see what role health care, the health care vote plays in this year's mid-term election,. and i would be willing to bet it would be quite a small role. health care was a hugely controversial issue that got peopl

in chicago, illinois, for senate nominee and others, she'll be in denver for michael bennett.orum. in seattle for senator patty murray. she'll be in california, l.a. and san francisco for barbara boxer and san francisco for nancy pelosi, as well. michelle obama is hugely popular in this country. look at her favorable of 62%. her unfavorables are 25%. in political speak, that is very, very big. we'll talk about whether or not she'll have impact campaigning around the country. glenn thrush for politico.com. we love politico. and we love your hat, glen. good to see you. okay, she's popular. health care at the moment is not popular. things at the administration is doing is not popular, congress is not popular, both parties, the economy is not popular. is michelle obama going to make any difference? >> i'll add one thing, the president is not particularly popular. you're talking about a 15 point to 20-point spread between her popularity and her husband's. yeah, i think she's going to make a big difference. and it's taken a long time for her to get the schedule out. a lot of local c

ken buck is leading michael bennett, 47-43%. that's a state our polling showed was the angriest about how the federal government its work -- is working. 53% want to repeal the president's healthcare law. 49% of colvoters say they have hurt the state's economy. finally, to president obama's old senate seat in illinois. both candidates have had ethical issues and questions raised about them. the democrat giannoulias40%. kirk leading by 42%. 7% want the green party candidate, legal an jones, and 9% there are undecided. martha. martha: very interesting tphuplts to -- numbers to chew over this morning. all the political developments are at your fingertips. download the new america's elections headquarters eye phone app at foxnews.com or pick it up at the app store which is nearby and you'll have all you need to know. bill: fox news alert intense fighting in the mountains of afghanistan. we have new videotape now. it captures a firefight between u.s. forces and the taliban. >> all right samuels -- bill: that dramatic tape taken by an

michael bennett with 44%. >> president obama's approval ratings have been low in the past several months. this is one of a few races where you see christine o'donnell notwithstanding. tea party nominee democrats made fun of holding their own or doing well. last week, you and i talked about sharon angle ahead of harry reid in nevada. same thing. they can't dismiss these people. they're holding their own in the polls. that race is revolving around some basic issues. cap in trade, health care has bennett on the defensive. he's coming back with some shots for social conservatism. his decision on contraceptivings and abortion, for instance. and outside groups coming in, karl rove's group american cross roads attacking bennett. >>> another battle in pennsylvania in our brand new poll. the republican, a former congressman with 49%. joe sestak, current democratic congressman with 44%. toomey, five points ahead right now in this poll. >> well, wolf, i had a democratic operative tell me they think that race is neck and neck, not necessarily as wide as five points. however, that's one where you hea

ken buck, backed by a lot of people in the tea party movement has a five-point advantage over michael bennett senator there earlier last year when the senator stepped down to become interior secretary. a lot of great battleground polls, all on kcnn.com/ticker. maybe hillary clinton's seat may be up for grabs. a new poll in new york state by quinnipiac suggests that the current senator there, kiften jill brand only has a six point advantage over the republican challenger there, a guy called joseph deguardia, the father of cara deguardia, the former judge on american idol. that's our brand new look for the ticker. last thing i want to talk about also on the ticker from our chief national correspondent john king. let's talk about david axelrod. he is saying that he may be gone from the west wing next spring. he's a senior adviser to barack obama, to the president, but he was e-mailing with a bunch of reporters, including john king and he said he would remain at the white house through the mid determines and into next spring. where is he going to go? barack obama's election for 2012 is not that f

opponent, also illinois for lexi -- alexa gun you'llas, she may have sway there, colorado senator michael bennett, washington senator patty ministery, house speaker nancy pelosi and california senator barbara boxer. the first lady's office says, quote, from the beginning she's wanted to hit the campaign trail. it was just a matter of figuring out what would work with her schedule and what would be most useful. an a.p. poll this month sounded the first lady has a 68 percent approval rate and as i said, first ladies are often more popular than their husbands. megyn: that's probably the way it goes, because they don't have to put themselves out there as much as the president does. how partisan is she expected to be? >> not very f. at all. her job will be to raise money and stay on safe topics. here's what one political analyst said: >> if the white house does it right, the first lady doesn't do hard core partisan politics. she says nice things about the candidate she's with, she doesn't attack the other party or the opponent. >> reporter: but a visit by the first lady also gives gop candidates a cha

for colorado senator michael bennett, washington senator patty murray, house speaker nancy pelosi and california senator barbara boxer. a spokesperson for the first lady says, quote, she's campaigning to advocate, to rally voters behind specific candidates based on what we can do to build a better be future. she comes to us as a mom. finish >> reporter: it's not unusual for first ladies to campaign for senators or representatives. for example, laura bush did it as well. jenna? jenna: well, molly, what do we expect exactly for the tone to be coming from the first lady? do we expect her to go on the attack against republicans. >> reporter: no. political analysts say that's traditionally not what first ladies do, nor is it what candidates want a first lady to do. sabato says, quote, the first lady doesn't do hard core partisan politics, she says nice things about the candidate she's with. it also gives gop candidates a chance to suggest their opponent isn't doing well enough on his or her own. in fact, a spokesperson for carly fiorina in california says, quote, national democrats are cle

senator michael bennett of colorado saying in a statement that the senate should be more concerned abouts concerned about the campaign season. now, there were also democratic members of the house who opposed early adjournment but that measure passed by one vote. some work did get done including budgets for intelligence and for nasa and the bill to compensate 9/11 first responders. there will be a lame duck session of congress and that begins november 15th after the election. gretchen? >> steve centanni live to us in d.c. thank you very much. >> you remember when president obama did so well in iowa and gave birth to this campaign, of course, beating hillary clinton and then winning the presidency. he won it handily. things have changed in iowa especially if you look at the governor's race, the democratic governor is trailing by almost 20 points in his attempt to hold on to that seat. maybe that's sows the seed of what foreshadows. so contentiousness in the backyard give and take that we saw with people yesterday. >> yesterday, a fellow by the name of david greenspawn, the owner of competi

you have michael bennett. you have bloomberg up in connecticut.o many of our candidates are standing with the president. and they're very proud of the record they're holding because we are starting to see from the collapse of the economic condition that we had eight years ago to beginning to build our way out of it. so it's not fair to say it's not. >> i want to take a look at the pattern. watch this. >> as treasurer he had economic problems and now he's a predatory real estate vehicle later. he snatched up 300 homes and cited for neglect and evicted a home owner on the verge of saving his house just to make a buck. experts say schemes like his prolong the crisis and "shake the stability of valley neighborhoods." hurting, helping himself. >> that's an ad in arizona put out by a democrat against a republican he is running against. david in the past, negative ads have worked. will they work this time around? >> well, let me just first say penny, it's a bold move for harry reid to say he's the majority leader running the senate. secondly, to your que

republican ken buck, tea partier, leading michael benn t bennette, 49-44 and chris coons, not close,int lead over republican, christine o'donnell, the sorcerer's apprentice. coons up 55-39. finally, new york, a shocker, new quinnipiac poll, republican carl paladino trails democrat andrew cuomo in the new york governor's race by only single digits. cuomo is up by just six points, 49-43, cuomo had led by wide margins but an anti-establishment, being a democrat named cuomo might spell trouble, although i'm not sure. one caveat in the poll, didn't include republican rick lazio, also on the ballot as a conservative. yesterday, we got this number in on west virginia senate race, another shock, democratic pollster ppp finds democratic governor know manchin trailing, nobody be can beat manchin trailing joan raese. hot news, surprising every night now. how two brand name democrats like andrew cuomo and joe manchin in trouble in the tea party holding strong with 43 days to go? joan walsh is editor and chief of salon.com and sam stein covers politics for the huffington post.com. joan, great to