the braley campaign, quinnipiac poll shows this race tightened. they say the des moines register poll is an outlier. moving forward the thing bruce braley is dealing with today, he's not able to talk about the issues, because tom harkin, the man he wants to replace, video comes out last night with tom harkin says, joni ernst is as pretty as taylor swift. blowing up the airwaves, a big unforced error. the democrats have a good ground game. we've seen it in 2012. can that offset that seven-point margin "the des moines register" poll, offset the fact braley has been running pretty much a flawed campaign? it's a good question. right now, momentum is with ernst and she's somebody down the line a lot of republicans want to see win because with her background and her ability to relate to people, she could be a kingmaker in iowa politics for a long time to come. thing of the republican presidential campaigns. >> it seems like the democratic national party is worried about iowa. harry reid even weighed in. is this the race most democrats are worried about

this is bruce braley's day to make his closing argument. time. i would argue harkin is probably a tiny bit damaged goods. the comment did not sit well with i would presume a lot of women in the state. will change the race, probably not. the fact is that media toward the end we're talking about that instead of bruce braley's positions and johnny ernst positions. it's a huge gift for the close out. >> luke russert, thanks. >>> coming up a world without political gridlock? kansas senator pat roberts said a vote for him is a vote for action. >> the people of kansas understand that a vote for me is about so much more than just me. it's about the republican majority to open up the senate to stop the obama agenda, get harry reid out to pasture. we have a nice pasture that is preserved for him. and we can then really get things done. >>ly talk to a democrat and a republican about what tuesday's vote may mean for getting things down on capitol hill. of course, you have to look at the pictures, first. >> it's the sunday night scene in chicago. the wi

so i think that congressman braley has been frustrated by that.nator harkin has been frustrated by that. even if you look in "the des moines register" poll over the weekend that showed joni ernst very much ahead and the question about who is more substantive or policies could move the state forward, it was bruce braley. yet they're still voting for her -- >> no offense, but this sounds like walter mondale complaining about ronald reagan. >> i'm talking about whether he was frustrated. he's frustrating to see somebody whose agenda is not being presented correctly or listened to correctly -- >> this was one of those races where -- this is another democrat strategist pointed this out, a friend of mine. this is a case where it's great when you make your first impression and the first impression that joni ernst made with that add which is the probably best of the cycle on spending reform, that helped her align herself with those voters in iowa. >> certainly the first time i've heard the word "castrate" -- >> unless you're a pig. >> and then you align t

braley? they play each other, i cheer for iowa state. mr. braley, say something that you admire about your opponent. admire something you about ms. ernst. fact thate the senator ernst has served our nation, our state and the iowa national guard. think it's a terrific attribute. war iier was a world combat veteran. >> same to you. braley is congressman a great father. >> let's move ahead. we've said something nice so maybe we turn the page and go the other direction a little bit. something uping b.t voters feel strongly b. the center for public integrity says $17.8 million has been spent on tv advertising only october 1 and it will near $20 million or more before done.ection is you have to be living under a the commercials have been airing. through our viewers social media, many disgusted by negative advertising. from cedar rapids and he on your behavorial most.barrassed you we'll start with mr. braley. >> it wasn't run on my behalf but it was run earlier in the race that showed a bunch of peo

braley and congressman getting 44%.lier today ernst fired back against tom harkin who said last week ernst didn't deserve his seat just because she was prett pretty. >> joni ernst, she's really pretty. she sounds nice. i don't care if she's as good looking as taylor swift or as nice as mr. rogers. but if she votes like michele bachmann, she's wrong for the state of iowa. >> and nbc luke russert joins us from des moines. let me play ernst reaction today from senator harkin. >> i was very offended that senator harkin would say that. i think it's unfortunate that he and many of their party believe that you can't be a real woman if you're conservative and you're female. if my name had been john ernst attacked to my resume, senator harkin would not have said those things. >> all right. that's catching a lot of attention. but in reality it's this poem that is showing up her 7 points, luke. >> yeah. i think of the bad things to happen to the braley campaign the last few days the des moines, iowa poll is force about taylor swif

that's something bruce braley put a lot of money on.poll, while it's an outlier, is considered the gold standard here in iowa and it's particularly alarming. democrats are saying we can't pay all that close attention to it. there's other polls that show it closer. even if you look at the strength in the ground game democrats have, which is supposed to be good for two or three points perhaps, the seven point margin in the des moines register poll, even if you put the democrats through the three points there, means ernst still wins by four. they're facing some stiff head winds. it does not help with the recent comment that tom harkin made which i think you'll ask me about as well. >> retiring senator tom harkin. it just caught my attention. he said, quote, there's sort of this sense. he's talking about ernst here. there's sort of this sense that, well, i hear so much about ernst. she's really attractive. and she sounds nice. i got to thinking about that. i don't care if she's as good looking as taylor swift or as nice as -- has there been

braley supported obamacare.s to be our senator. >> shows you the power of advertising, they got people curious. it's dangerous if you think about it. the odds may be long, but there's a way for democrats to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and keep control of the united states senate. it means winning five highly contested states. we'll talk about that next with our roundtable. you're watching "hardball" up in new york, the place for politics. >>> this is going to be important coming up. the odds are long, but the democrats can keep control of the senate if they win just five close races. i think their best bet is new hampshire. jeanne shaheen should win that race. kay hagan, north carolina has run a great campaign. kansas, i think orman will win and vote for the democrats with leadership if they do well elsewhere. then maybe iowa, colorado, alaska, georgia. i think they got a chance. it's a very narrow path to victory, but one of the few best case scenarios i can think of. this is the roundtable msnbc pol

bruce braley has president obama in tomorrow. and this is is the the first time iowa has had an open senate seat in decades. and they are desperately trying to pull out all the stops to close this deal. >> all right, well president obama took the iowa caucus in 2008. so i guess that representative braley is not running from him like many democratic -- >> -- that's my mistake. it's not president obama it's president clinton who is here tomorrow. i apologize. president obama has not been near iowa this entire election. president bill clinton who is still very popular here in iowa. he is coming in tomorrow to do a huge rally in ghoin with james taylor. also doing a fundraiser up in waterloo where braley is from. the only obama we have seen in the state is michelle obama, not president obama. >> all right. what do you think is the most important issue? what do people in iowa really care about as the people who still aren't decided? what matters? >> it's interesting. a lot of talk about a variety of issues on the trail. you know, incl

bruce braley is an eight-year sitting congressman.d we've overcomeúd1ót that advantage, again sharing our1%p iowa values in iowa ways. >> i've got to ask you about that ad. i'm a city girl. i grew up in upstate new york. how did it turn out that you were castrating pigs on a farm when you were growing up? >> well, i tell you, it is ahcy normal chore, it is a normal chore that is done all across iowa. >> it is? >> yes, regardless of the type of livestock. so when we ran that ad, you would be surprised but here in iowa it just pulls us right back to our farmers. i've had so manyc2?t folks say, know, joni, i usedíht same thing. >> how old were you? tic involved with a pig? >> yes, my sister and i we worked together. and i tell you, yes, we were young girls. but it's aÜ[ñ normal chore here. so nothing's too out of the ordinary. >> suddenly unloading the dishwasher doesn't seem that bad. >> that's right. that's right. enjoy it while you have it. >> thank you for being here. we'll watch tomorrow. >> thanks, megyn, very much. >> well, there

it will go down to the wire between braley and ernst as well. this the candidate who touted her cast trags of hogs as how he'll cut the pork. this is an election they thought was going to go to braley early on but it looks like it may be changing. it will come down to the wire, guys. >> stephanie elam, that would be one of the closest races in the country. let's turn to the white house. athena jones is there. i'm going to ask you a loaded question today. what's the president up to? >> well, it's probably no surprise, john, that he's spending this day behind closed doors not out on the campaign trail. folks around here are well aware of the fact that these democrats in tight races have not exactly been clamoring to have the president out campaigning with them. so today he has a meeting with the imf. he's meeting with his national security and public health team to talk about ebola. he's not going out and speaking for other candidates. he did do a radio ad for north carolina senator kay hagan. she's in a tough race to keep her senate seat so her c

hours later, a des moines register poll shows joni ernst up over bruce braley. bill clinton was there, but that did not dim joni ernst's confidence. >> america is coming back. the question is how. we are going to come back. we have got to grow together and to grow together, we have got to work together and to get that result, iowa needs to send bruce braley to the senate. >> we are reaching out to every iowan that we possibly can. not just the republicans, independents and a lot of democrats, too, that see the need to change direction. >> another big gun deployed in another trouble spot for the democrats. hillary clinton was stumping for alison lundergan grimes. democrats hoped to pick off mitch mcconnell, but a poll has mcconnell with a nine--point lead over lundergan grimes. grimes and clinton were seeking to define mcconnell as a creature washington. >> he doesn't have a plan for the future. he doesn't have a vision that's for me or for you because our senator bought and paid for by the millionaires and billionaires, that's all he's been looking out for. >> m

a brand-new des moines register poll gives joni ernst her first commanding lead against bruce braley and mary landrieu is neck and neck with bill cassidy. if the race is being closely watched by political insiders including john roberts, who joins us now live from new orleans. good afternoon, john. >> good afternoon to you, shannon. senator mary landrieu is doing everything she can to push it over the top on tuesday in the face of the latest polls which show she would like the 50% to avoid a runoff next tuesday and would likely lose that runoff on december 6th. she brought out the hammer yesterday. hillary rodham clinton in a big get out the vote rally in new orleans. at the same time, a bid some people think to motivate african-americans to come out to the polls. part of f the reason president obama is so popular in louisiana is because of racism. >> african-americans have had a difficult time in the south, not the only region, but most certainly here and other places. women have had a difficult time showing the leaders that we are and he read the statement. i don't think anyone wou

the key race in the 10:00 hour, the senate bruce braley and joni ernst state center. >> depending on what happens, what happens in iowa may determine what happens in the senate. they had what they thought was a good candidate and then comes in joni ernst. >> she ran an amazing ad when she talked about castrating hogs. it got her noticed and people seemed to think maybe this is more of a likable sarah palin. iowa, a huge race to watch at 10:00. let's go to oregon in the 10:00 hour. there is a ballot initiative that we've been talking about involving marijuana. >> yes, well, there is an marijuana initiative there and ballot on genetically modified food and the ballot initialsive discussing whether or not illegal immigrants can have driver's licenses. >> that could be divisive, and oregon could be one of these states that legalizes marijuana. >> which seems to be spreading. you go to a fascinating race in utah. mia love gave a stirring speech in 2012 republican convention where both you and i were in tampa. she lost that race to tim matheson, a democrat in utah. it's hard to be a democr

braley supported obamacare.s you the power of advertising, they got people curious. it's dangerous if you think about it. the odds may be long, but there's a way for democrats to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and keep control of the united states senate. it means winning five highly contested states. we'll talk about that next with our roundtable. you're watching "hardball" up in new york, the place for politics. man: i know the name of eight princesses. i'm on expert on softball. and tea parties. i'll have more awkward conversations than i'm equipped for, because i'm raising two girls on my own. i'll worry about the economy more than a few times before they're grown. but it's for them, so i've found a way. who matters most to you says the most about you. at massmutual we're owned by our policyowners, and they matter most to us. ready to plan for your future? we'll help you get there. no question about that. but your erectile dysfunction - that could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for dai

bruce braley hasn't made the best campaign. he's made a few gaps of his own right?ere was a day in march when republicans released the video of him seemingly saying a farmer from iowa couldn't be qualified to chair the judiciary committee. that has stuck in voter's minds. it was pointed out he never had a good response or never batted it down. that was the day ernst released the squeal ad about cutting spending. he never had a valid comeback for that either. that was the advertisement that launched her to popularity. she's been growing in popularity in iowa since then. >> if iowa elects a republican senator, what does that mean for 2016? >> we would have two republican senators working in iowa. it could have influence for sure. probably going to have a republican governor again. looks like branston will sail to a win. we are a purple state but could be leaning red in 2016. >> jennifer is the chief political reporter with des moines register. i appreciate it. i'll be back in a minute. e comi. what do i do? you need to catch the 4:10 huh? the equipment tracking system

ernst is beating braley.ing to braley because he's typed with the washington lawyer negative. he insulted iowa farmers by saying for he were to lose chuck grassley, the popular senator here would be senate judiciary chairman. don't insult farmers in iowa. >> thank you so much, luke russert. once the dust settles in the senate races could a potential shift in power change business as usual in washington? if the republican for example, take the senate, there's questions about the leadership and the agenda. who will be in charge. what direction will the party take. and flip side what happens if the democrats maintain control? representative luke messer is running for the position of republican policy their. he joins me now. >> jose, great to be here. >> as a potential letter leader what does the direction and brand of the gop need to be after tonight? >> well, if the election goes our way, obviously in the next few hours we've got get busy working for the american people. we have to be defined by more than what

the des moines register released a poll showing braley behind ernst. tom harkin is now at the center of a controversy on commenting on joni ernst appearance. >> i've been watching some of these ads. and there's sort of this sense that, well, you know, i hear so much about joni ernst. she's really attractive. and she sounds nice. i got to thinking about that. i don't care if she's as good-looking as taylor swift. or as nice as mr. rogers. but if she votes like michelle bachman, she's wrong for the state of iowa. [ applause ] >> senator harkin has apologized for dragging taylor swift into that campaign. in georgia, the latest poll from nbc news shows david perdue at 48% and nunn at 44%. >> north carolina, we need to send a message this election. if you want to make a difference, here is your chance. vote for democrats and senator kay hagan on november 4th. republicans are cutting investments in education while protecting the wealthy. send someone who stands with our priorities. stand with me, president obama, and take responsibility for moving north caro

. >>> republican joni ernst and bruce braley are duking it out. harkin interjected issues over the weekend. we have pamela brown with more. >> reporter: john and christine, stakes are high for the senate race in iowa. whoever wins today could tip the balance of power in the senate. it has been a very tight race. extremely competitive. neck and neck. it remains a toss up. in fact, a record number of iowans have voted early this year. the democrats have had a steady advantage, but not as much as they would like. at last check, they were up around 7,000, but to put it in perspective, in 2010, they tripled that lead over the republicans. it is important for the early voting numbers, because republicans have more votes on election day. when talking to both camps, it is very clear that they're conditi confident each side is going to win. the polls have them pretty close, except one this saturday. the republican candidate joni ernst up seven points over her contender bruce braley. the democrat in this race. democrats looked at that poll as an lie and tha

it shows the republican joni ertnst ahead by seven points over bruce braley. the gold standard poll in iowa. presidential campaigns wait with bated breath and the polls that conducted it said "it looks like this race is decided, but at the same time, the average of all the polls in average has urged ahead by more than two points." that's factoring in this new poll. the importance of the outcome of the race in iowa for the battle of control of the senate is being driven home this morning by harry reid who said in a new interview if iowa does go to the republicans, he's out as his job as majority leader. what joni ernst would mean that mitch mcconnell would be the head of the senate. think what that would mean for our country. those are harry reid's words there. the democrat bruce braley and defining ad in the campaign, one in which she boasted over a bill and clinton described that as both a positive and a negative. >> said she wanted to take herrer cutting skills to washington and make them squeal. that sounds good. but in order for it to work, you have to kno

joni ernst and bruce braley slugging it out over tom harkin's seat. in the race over the weekend. we have pamela brown in iowa with latest on that. >> reporter: whoever wins today could tip the balance of power in the senate. it has been a tight race. extremely competitive. it remains a toss up. in fact, a record number of iowans have voted early this year. more than 400,000. at last check, democrats were up 7,000. in the 2010 mid term, they tripled that lead over the republicans. it is important for them with the early voting numbers because republicans typically have more votes on election day. when talking to both camps, it's very clear that they're confident that they will win and their candidate will cross the finish line. the polls are close except one this saturday. the register showing joni ernst up seven points over her contender bruce braley. the democrat in the race. democrats looked at that poll and republicans say that gave them the most memorandmentum th. brewing controversy with tom harkin. he is vacating the seat and joni ernst. take a

came out showing republican senate candidate joni ernst is now up seven points over democrat bruce braley. a much bigger margin than other polling. democrats have been bringing out the big guns. bill clinton was there. that did not seem to dim joni ernst's confidence. >> america's coming back. the question is how. we are going to come back. we have got to grow together and to grow together we have got to work together and to get that result iowa needs to send bruce braley to the senate. >> we are reaching out to over iowan that we can. it is not just republicans, independents and it is a lot of democrats that see the need to change direction. >> the big guns getting out in kentucky as well. hillary clinton was stumping in lexington for the challenger alison lundergan grimes. democrats had been hoping to pick up the seat of senate minority leader mitch mcconnell. a poll has mcconnell nine points ahead. that is a bigger lead than september. grimes and clinton were talking this weekend trying to define mcconnell as a creature of washington. >> he doesn't have a plan for the future. he doesn'

but also don't discount that bruce braley has been a terrible candidate. he was the prohibited front-runner expected to walk away with this. he didn't get there, he ran poorly, she took advantage of it. >> chris, thank you. >>> democrats have long counted on women voters to safe the day. kirsten powers here on why that may not work this time. and howie kurts with the ads making news. >> in 2008, 90% of black folk in north carolina have voted for north carolina have voted for kay [ female announcer ] we help make secure financial tomorrows a reality for over 19 million people. [ mom ] with life insurance, we're not just insuring our lives... we're helping protect his. [ female announcer ] everyone has a moment when tomorrow becomes real. transamerica. transform tomorrow. transamerica. the kids went to take zznana's house... like... for the whole weekend! zzzquil, the non-habit forming sleep aid, that helps you sleep easily, and wake refreshed. because sleep is a beautiful thing. >>> live from america's news headquarters a mexico judge ordering the release o

this is not a bad day for bruce braley.is a day to celebrate what people can do together when they put their mind to it. they work hard and they try to change the way people think about their relationship to their government and to their future. so my biggest fear is that all of the great young democratic activists that i have met on this campaign are going to be frustrated by what happened tonight. that would be the worst outcome of this disappointment. you have the power to change lives and change the future of this country. tonight is the starting point of the rest of your life, and the opportunity to make your mark on the state and this country. i am going to be there for you, cheering you on, supporting you and making this a better place for all islands and all iowans and-- all all americans. i am here tonight to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. i will never forget the confidence you placed in me, the energy i drew from you, and i leave here tonight filled with hope and optimism. ernsts why i called joni to c

and the democratic side, bruce braley, the congressman. there he is. he had a mishap when the first lady michelle obama came to town and couldn't pronounce his name. bear in mind as you watch this clip that his name is braley. >> we need to elect bruce bailey. bruce bailey. vote.brucebailey.com. that's vote.brucebailey.com. or even better, you can -- braley, what did i say? >> she pounded that into the ground. this is a race where you can say the candidates and the campaigns really mattered. joni ernst ran a pitch perfect campaign. bruce braley, that was the first lady's missteps. he had missteps along the campaign trail. there was a des moines register poll out last night showing her with a seven-point lead. this is a crucial race. if she wins, the republicans will be able to take the senate. that's what the democratic leader, harry reid, said this week. >> that's the key dynamic. can the republicans take the u.s. senate? and the number to watch is six. they need six seats to take the senate. let's talk about another senate race and a moment that may

braley's relations with federal affairs. that pushed the momentum. coming into the election day, we saw a dead heat. and now she's taken the senate seat. >> let's turn to mike viqueira in washington. an rejection of democrats across the board, do you agree? >> yes, there's a tendency on the part of the base, the true believers, whether you are republican, liberal, to say look, if they only adhered to the core principles of the party, everything would have been better. you face up to it, own it. people come along and they see it your way. i'm not sure that that is the case. i think that this is a rejection of president barack obama. whether he showed up to campaign with you or didn't. i want to echo. dave was talking about pat quinn, president obama's home state. look no further than maryland. i have to come back to the race. it's stunning. anthony brown, the governor. 2-1 advantage that democrats hold. president obama came to campaign with him in prince george's county, known through the nation as the home of one of the - one of the prime examples of

there are two things in the poll that are troublesome for bruce braley. for the next two days, he's going to try to get out the vote in eastern iowa, essentially his home area, try to get voters that know him to show up to the polls. number two, though, when it comes to the question of caring about people like me, braley the democrat trails ernst. usuallien of this question, republicans do poorly and democrats seen as caring more about the common america, or common iowan. whatever. because of the attacks that painted him as a washington lawyer out of touch with this agriculture-rich state. specifically comments he made about charles grassley. the most popular politician. comments that were caught on camera in march where he said that if he were to lose this, grassley could become senate judiciary chairman and he's -- she's a veteran, she would be the first woman sent to washington from iowa if she were to win in the house or senate. so there's powerful personality narrative seems to be doing well. what democrats can count on. and this is what they say. th

>> iowa is one to watch in the race to replace retiring democrat, tom harkin, bruce braley, a democrat, seek ago to take the seat. harry reid said winning iowa is critical for democrats to maintain the majority. republican joni ernst has build herself as a mother, soldier, and independent lead or, a lieutenant colonel in the iowa national guard and this is a hot race in georgia, democrat michelle nunn is socking to replace saxby chambliss. and the republican is making the case that nunn would be a rubber stamp for president barack obama's agent. perdue has taken heat on the issue of outsourcing of jobs. those are some of the key races that could affect the balance of power in the senate. >> mike, thank you very much. even if thing goes the republicans way, they will not have the super majority of 60 necessary to undo the gridlock and will not have the white house as president obama there is for a couple more years yeard has the veto pen. what does that mean for all of us? with all the gridlock in d.c., can they get anything done? to peter barnes. what would a republican-controlled ever

early on, people thought this election was going to go for braley.ut as we've seen through this momentum, joni ernst has really gained some strength here and capitalized on other missteps, coming across as very relatable to a lot of people here in iowa. and iowans have shown they do not care about parties. they vote for who they want to vote for here in the state. taking a look at the vote so far here, there's been a steady stream of people where we are here in altoona all day long. the weather is great. people have no reason not to make it out. when you look at the absentee ballots here in the state, for midterm elections, they just hit a new record. a lot of those ballots being requested by democrats more so than republicans. but it doesn't mean that's how they're going to vote. what comes out in the numbers will play a key part in this today as well. >> stephanie, thank you. to kentucky now, the senator minority leader, the top republican in the senate, mitch mcconnell, is hoping to get even more powerful, likely almost certainly become the majori

and braley made a bit of a slur. >>> this is a fox news alert. a mexican judge ordering the immediate release of jailed u.s. marine andrew tahmooressi. it's been more than six months. he maintained he got lost on a california freeway ramp that sent him across with no way of turning back. his long detention prompting calls for his freedom from many u.s. politicians. tahmooressi's family issuing a statement. "it is with overwhelming humbling feeling and relief that we confirm andrew was released today after spending 214 days in jail in mexico. the country has been tightening border checks to stop the flow of u.s. weapons that have been used by drug cartels. now back to "the kelly file" already in progress with a special report. for all of your headlines, log onto foxnews.com. >>> is it the ad? the ad certainly catapulted her to national prominence where she hadn't been before. >> great ad got her the nomination no question. what got her in contention is she is the new-look gop, marco rubio in 2010. she is the new look which as you say, blue collar,

braley, et cetera. it goes to a larger naer narrative. talked more about gaffes and mistakes and we don't put them in context and for someone like senator harkin who has served with dignity and respect, i think about the americans with disabilities act, that's tom hark harkin's. violence against women's act, tom harkin. raising the minimum wage, tom harkin. great senator, he's retired, thank him for his service. i'm sure iowans will forgive him. joni erngs may never. >> doug, you see something like that and this gets to the issue of are democrats treated different than than republicans are when it comes to issues like this? like gender. if a republican had said that, this would have been a bigger deal? >> i think if we saw two years ago and four years ago a lot of republican candidates frankly said stupid things about women and women's issues and they were front page all day everyday and every republican had to respond to what somebody -- some republican said in some other state. this is obviously insulting to joni ernst. she's right to t

real worrisome news for bruce braley. two things that stood out, braley will have to campaign to turn out the vote if he has any chance. the other thing, joni ernst, the republican, actually polling better on the issue of who cares more about people like me. that is something democrats ordinarily do better on. in this case, she's doing a good job. she also adds this novelty to her candidacy, she's a combat veteran. she would be the first woman sent to washington from iowa if she were to win. she's really been able to, through the powerful personality narrative, sort of make braley very washington and very unlikable. something to keep an eye on. if she is to win, she would be the number one surrogate any of those republican presidential candidates would want. >> that's for sure. she could become a quick star. luke russert in iowa, thank you, sir. this is such a surprisingly unpredictable election when you see what the numbers we have nationally. we needed two panels to sort it all out. joining me now are some of the smarte

virginia, south dakota, and montana, but it was iowa an republican coming from behind to overtake bruce braley. >> my tame is tom tillis, and i'm the next united states senator -- [ cheers and applause ] >> swept past kay hagan. >> i think senator reid is going to have a different office assignment come january. >> reporter: colorado's incumbent senator losing to corey gardner. and in arkansas -- >> how about that win. >> reporter: tom cotton denied mark pryor a third term in the senate. >> i think it was a win we all hoped for and maybe expected, but perhaps a little earlier and bigger than any of us would have expected. >> reporter: but democrats were able to stop the bleeding in several states. jeanne shaheen put away scott brown. and in virginia mark warner is locked in a dead heat with ed gaestby. in louisiana no candidate received over 50% of the vote, triggering a runoff next month. three-term senator mary la land -- land drew will phase bill cassidy again. >> bill cassidy, you cannot run. you cannot hide anymore. this race is starting tonight. [ cheers and applause ] >> so that race of

she's a mother, a soldier, a farmer, and a blue collar worker and enough of a threat to bruce braleyat democrats this week sent in one of the big guns. >> it's not enough to be women. you have to expand rights and opportunity for women. >> carl cameron is joining us from iowa. >> reporter: thank you, megyn. this state has a long history of being fairly fickle and hasn't been going with the conventional wisdom in the polls. the polls show that joni ernst is in the lead. we've still got four more days of attack waves filling the hawkeye state. joni's campaign began with an ad, with the castration of hogs. that's how it's been dubbed. take a look. >> i grew up castrating hogs on a form. when i get to washington, i'll know how to cut pork. >> reporter: bruce braley got off to a rocky start in texas. he started about his career as a lawyer. he made a slur and suggested he was only a farmer and insulted farmers here in iowa, which it wasn't a good start for him. it's been incredibly close and republicans and conservative groups are doing the same. >> you might have a farmer from iowa who n

it's not about bruce braley, it's about joanie ernst. if they can drive out traditional democratic base, which is always a challenge then kay hagan has the advantage. tillis has the advantage, that is something that has gone very badly for the state so they're more motivated to vote for hagan and against tillis in that race. >> al jazeera america will air a marathon on tuesday all three episodes will air starting at 1:00 p.m. eastern. joining us now to talk about all the closely watched races and what we can expect to happen on tuesday are lynn sweet the washington bureau chief of the sun times and here in new york we're joined by patrick murray and al jazeera political correspondent michael shore. lynn i'll start with you. earlier we heard lynn wong say seven states a tossup and others eight states in the tossup? new hampshire, north carolina, what burr your neighbor iowa, democrats think it's essential to hold the state. will it go with ernst? >> that's what every poll shows. congressman bill braley has run a campaign where he's had un

it's not about bruce braley, it's not about bruce braley, it's about joanie ernst. it's about joanie ernst. if they can drive out if they can drive out traditional democratic base, traditional democratic base, which is always a which is always a challenge, challenge, then kay hagan has the then kay hagan has the advantage. advantage. tillis tillis has the advantage, that has the advantage, that is something that has gone very is something that has gone very badly for the state so they're badly for the state so they're more motivated to vote for hagan more motivated to vote for hagan and against tillis in that and against tillis in that race. race. >> al jazeera america will air a >> al jazeera america will air a marathon on tuesday all three marathon on tuesday all three episodes will air starting at episodes will air starting at 1:00 p.m. eastern. 1:00 p.m. eastern. joining us now to talk about all joining us now to talk about all the closely watched races and the closely watched races and what we can expect to happen on what we can expect to happen on tuesday are

but would bruce braley rather tom harkin say that?, probably, because part of joni ernst coalition is to win women who live in and around des moines who are probably socially liberal, moderate, fiscally conservative to the extent there's a tron say, the only reason he's winning is because she's a woman. that can get you going to vote. >> let's turn to some of the tight governor races across the country. somebody here has to keep things moving along. just one point separates mary burke and scott walker in wisconsin. >> a week ago, i would say burke. he's not in a winning campaign. i would argue he's lost the campaign, but he can still win the election. >> is that for 2016? >> i think he's already damaged. >> i think he will win by 3 or 4 points. everyone will say, whoa, scott walker wins three elections in wisconsin. that's impressive. >> it's sort of a mindness to christie. >> that was excellent the way he slapped down chris christie. >> chris christie, i like chris, by chairman of the governors association and he goes into iowa twice

bruce braley is a great example of that in iowa.s been trying to separate himself as much as he can from the president and from national issues. so the president hasn't been doing democrats any favors. but part of the problem democrats still face is that in states like iowa, some of the key battleground states his approval is underwater. so democrats aren't excited to go out and vote. they aren't happy with the job the president has done. >> rebecca, i hear. so do a lot of people. you're right about a lot of the things you're making in your assessments. but joni ernst is an iraq war veteran and even democrats say she's running a solid campaign. this close to wednesday, why is she not showing a more convincing and commanding lead at this point? >> well, actually, if you go back one year and looked at what people were saying about this race, democrats were favored to win this race. it wasn't even really considered to be a tossup. people thought that braley would coast to this senate seat. but joni ernst has run a fantastic campaign. i

real worrisome news for bruce braley. two things that stood out, braley will have to campaign to turn out the vote if he has any chance. the other thing, joni ernst, the republican, actually polling better on the issue of who cares more about people like me. that is something democrats ordinarily do better on. in this case, she's doing a good job. she also adds this novelty to her candidacy, she's a combat veteran. she would be the first woman sent to washington from iowa if she were to win. she's really been able to, through the powerful personality narrative, sort of make braley very washington and very unlikable. something to keep an eye on. if she is to win, she would be the number one surrogate any of those republican presidential candidates would want. >> that's for sure. she could become a quick star. luke russert in iowa, thank you, sir. this is such a surprisingly unpredictable election when you see what the numbers we have nationally. we needed two panels to sort it all out. joining me now are some of the smarte