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

pam, a quinnipiac poll out today shows the race is a dead heat between bruce braley and joni ernst. >> reporter: that's right. this latest poll showing that the race is still very much a toss-up. many of the polls here have been extremely close between these two candidates. but on saturday night here in des moines, a bombshell. the "des moines register" had a poll with ernst up by seven points. democrats have said they believe the poll is an outright lie. but what's clear here is that both sides feel like they have a good chance of winning this tomorrow, crossing the finish line as a winner. right now as we speak, volunteers are fanning out across iowa, knocking on doors, trying to get last-minute early votes and get those outstanding ballots. that's key for democrats because they don't have the lead that they really need heading into tomorrow. it's razor-thin margin, up 7,000 votes in early votes. they want more going into tomorrow. that's a big focus for both parties. and the stakes are very high here. you can really feel it on the ground. people know whoever wins the senate race co

. >>> 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

today was the day that bruce braley wanted to be on message, talking about medicare, social security, talking about the health care law, which is somewhat popular here in iowa. not able to do that, because the lead of the local newscast and everything everyone's talking about on the radio and, why would harkin say such a thing? he's since apologized to ernst. she had fun with it, quoting taylor swift, saying, i can shake it off. all that being said, not what bruce braley wanted to talk about the day that he was trying to move turn-out in his way in eastern iowa. >> thank you. joining me is suzi kemp. now we have a tricky situation down there in georgia, which i hate because it complicates things. but is this any reason to believe that if michelle nunn, the daughter of the former senator from georgia, if she can't win the 50 points now, any reason to believe that she could win them later on in january when they have the run-off? >> well, it's interesting. i actually was walking around with michelle nunn earlier today as she was out canvassing for votes in decatur, a suburb of atlanta.

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

poll 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'

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

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

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

the des moines register's final poll puts joni ernst seven points ahead of democrat bruce braley. te senator has 51% support. braley and congressman getting 44%. earlier 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

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

. >> in iowa, a quinnipiac poll shows the race tied between bruce braley and joni ernst. 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 wi

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

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

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

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

bruce braley and joni ernst. tied at 48%. another comment for a g.o.p. pick-up. in louisiana, that election will head to a run-off. the top two go getters. bill cassidy and mary landrieu. that will not be decided until december. taking a look at the race in giorgio, associated press predicting that republican david prideaux has won the race in georgia, with 55%. this is chandler's defeat. that seat staying in republican hands. looking at the close, close race in virginia right now, senator mark warner, 49%. ed gillespie 49%. again, if the differential between these two candidates is less than 1%, there'll be a recount in virginia. >> looks like it in virginia. >> thank you. let's go to robert ray in atlanta. watching the race in georgia. when the night began, it could go in a run off. everything shows that. this is neck to neck between michelle nunn, the democrat, and the republican. neither one of the candidates held a public office. they've been at each other with the most ads in all of the country. 55,000 commercials. david prideaux taking this with no problem

standard of iowa polling, coming out saturday night showing joni ernst with a seven-point lead over bruce braley. the issue for braley is he has not been able to effectively tag joni ernst with the label of being extreme, with being out of touch with iowans on medicare and social security. she has such a powerful personal story, being 44 years old, being a veteran, being a farmer and being more relatable. we see the poll numbers of the average iowan, she seems to be pulling away ever so slightly. 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? i

>> 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

it's interrupted the democratic candidate in this race and it's interrupted bruce braley's closing message in the way of the clargment from the braley campaign. besides taylor swift, he've heard about castrating hogs and chickens in this campaign and i've heard a lot from national democrats saying that all this circus of the race in iowa has obscured policy positions here and that joni ernst's conservative positions haven't been highlighted by the braley campaign as much as they could have or should have been. >> joni ernst has been promoting issues -- she stands pretty much opposite of president obama. she talks about wanting to really balance the federal budget. she talks about wanting to repeal obamacare and replace it with something else. those are the issues that she says are her focus and she's been talking about on the campaign trail. >> well, certainly a lot of eyes will be on iowa. we appreciate you joining us. you got a busy day ahead of you. thanks so much for joining us and i know that john appreciates it as well. >> thanks so much. >>> so we're talking about control of the sen

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 kay hagan. who among us have they saved? how much money do you have in your pocket right now? i have $40, $21. could something that small make an impact on something as big as your retirement? i don't think so. well if you start putting that towards your retirement every week and let it grow over time, for twenty to thirty years, that retirement challenge might not seem so big after all. ♪ alriwe need to do somethinguble widifferent. ranch. callahan's? ehh, i mean get away, like, away away. road trip? double wings, extra ranch. feels good to mix it up. the all-new, fuel-efficient volkswagen golf tdi clean diesel. u

enough of a threat to democrat bruce braley that democrats sent in one of the big gurns. >> it is not be a woman. you have to be committed to expand rights and opportunities for women. >> carl cameron outlines the fight in iowa. >> now that we are heading into the final weekend eye owians can finally make up their minds. we have a long history of being fairly fickle and understanding they haven't been going well with the polls. put her up 4 points and it is a warm and brulzing campaign as it is filling the airways. it began with an ad. it was the ad of castration are hoggs. take a look. >> i grew up castrating hogs on an iowa farm. when i get to washington i will know how to cut pork. >> her opponent is bruce brayley. >> he got off to a rocky start when he was going to a fundraiser in texas. he was talking about his history as a lawyer. it was important for democrats win the north majority and keep it. otherwise the re pub can senator from iowa would end up being the chairman judiciary committee. he suggested he was only a farmer and insulted farmers in iowa. hasn't been a good start

bruce braley up.rolina. 93% of the votes are in, and thom tillis has the a 53, 53,000 vote advantage over, over kay hagan. 47% for her 49% for thom tillis. let's update florida right now. this has been ape very close race as well. the governor's race in ga florida. rick scott. he has a nearly 80,000 vote advantage. with 90% of the vote in. and, charlie crist. democratic challenger. 47%. so it is looking pretty good for rick scott. we have not been able to make a projection in florida yet. let's go back to anderson and his team over there. anderson, talk about some of the biggest surprises of the night. >> lot of folks are looking at virginia. van jones, paul begala, not paul begala. >> all white guys look the same. >> jay carnie. and newt gingrich. >> well, it is one thing to know that you have got the six-year curse out there. you are going to suffer these losses. people are emotional. hard to see this go down. i am -- al franken, barely sweeped by six years ago. he stuck to his guns. he is in there.

this is not a bad day for bruce braley.ars old and lieu your father. a bad day is when your knicks doosh neighbor dice of coal own cancer at 39 and leevens two children behind. and bad day is a neice that you love takes your life. this is a day to celebrate what people can do together when they put their mind to it they work hard and 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 meant on this campaign are going to be frustrated tonight. that would be the worst outcome of this disappointment. you have the pour to change lives and the future of this country. tonight is the starting point and the opportunity to make your mark on this state and this country. i'm going to be there for you cheering you on, supporting you and making this a better place. i'm here tonight to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. i will never forget the confidence you placed in me and the energy i drew from ea

joni ernst and democrat bruce braley are locked in

congressman bruce braley is hoping to keep a democrat in the senate seat being vacated by tom harkin. it's considered a must win for democrats if they want to keep control of the senate. the news director of radio iowa joins us now from washington. so i got to ask, this was not a senate race that was on the map for democrats to have to defend. why did thisk become so close? >> well, two reasons: one, president president obama's popularity in iowa is below the national average. it's below 40%. some polls put it as low as 37%, number one. number the work bruce braley had a self-inflicted wound when he was caught on video criticizing iowa's republican senator chuck grassley, suggesting that grassley, if republicans take control of the united states senate, will be someone who is not a lawyer who will become chairman of the judiciary committee. he had a hard time after that. he's been swimming upstream the whole time because of that and because of president obama's popularity rating here. >>. >> sreenivasan: you're obviously not in washington. i saw is t-o-n at the end. you're in johnston

just a few minutes ago, i got off the phone with bruce braley, and -- no.ngratulated him on running a phenomenal campaign. he was a worthy opponent. , and he worthy opponent was willing to sacrifice to what he thought was right. we did not agree on much, but i anyone who do admire is willing to stand up and fight for what they believe in. [cheers and applause] iowa, we did it. we did it [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, it! thank you. tois a long way from red oak washington. from the biscuit line at hardee's to te united states senatehe -- to the united states senate, but thanks to all of you. we are heading to washington. and we are going to make them's squeal. thank you. thank you. this morning, i was voting in bright oak, and as i looked that this isiced about as different as you can get from washington, d.c. in washington, politicians are more interested in talking than doing. they ignore problems hoping they ,ill go away, but you know what isis is not just going to go .way the most $18 trillion of national debt is not just goi

this is not a bad day for bruce braley. this is a day to celebrate what people can do together when they put their mind to it, they work hard, and try to change the way people think about the relationship to their government and their future. live coverage of election 2014 continues with your phone calls. from springfield. democrat. say is what i want to this election -- actually, it was not about politics. it was about policy. if it was about politics, democrats would handily win. it is about how much i hate obama. most of the races were in the red state. i do not know about this media myth about how much obama's approval ratings are low because if you see what has happened since obama took over -- this andhas put in place so much it is an indication of how the country is getting better. surpassedma has ronald reagan as second behind bill clinton in the stock market. created 10t, he has million jobs. gas prices are the lowest in a long time. go back 100 years. republicans have not been anything for this country. even jfk,

the interesting part of the whole thing, harken wasn't talking about bruce braley talking about being good candidate, they have nothing to go on. >> she's going to win and iowans like her because of her candidacy, because of what she stands for, and she doesn't have tired talking points, they're choosing her in the because she's a woman, because she's the best candidate. >> don't elect somebody because he's charismatic, or don't elect someone because of his race. is that what harken was trying to say or was he sexist? >> i don't know where his taste in women are a little different than mine. but i think she's run a very good campaign, a substantive campaign, the real problem here is, you keep talking about my man bill clinton, the fact of the matter is, among blacks in this country, if the republicans would spend just some time, just some time trying to engage with the black community, it would not be as much of a wall between them. >> what happens when they -- >> rand paul did it in -- >> a good example. >> did a very good job down in washington -- >> what happened to mitt when he we

joni ernst went to eastern iowa and beat bruce braley.able to do in eastern iowa that most republicans aren't able to do. >> i think we may be drawing nigh when we have to call it quits. looking at this country wide, you've been working the board on every major race. what's the game-changer here? >> well, we can talk about how motivated republicans were. and that's true as we showed you in colorado. it's certainly true in kansas. turned into an absolute blowout because the republican-leaning voters of kansas finally said we don't want a democratic senate. but this thing became a wave last night. i can quickly call this up on the screen and you can see. this thing became a wave when some governors races started coming in that nobody saw coming. when paul le page, the incumbent in maine survived. >> no surprise there. >> he didn't just win, he won big in maryland. when that starts happening, i'm not always as shocked when republican wins the governor's race in massachusetts. they have a history of doing that. but, again, when these things a

bruce braley was seen as being in lock-step with the president. and i think that's really the difference in the race. so when you look at iowa today, i don't know if it's really much has changed other than individual candidates that were out there. and they ran tough races. but i think the message got through that one was going to be an agent of change, the other was going to support president obama up and down the line. >> quick question for you what do you think this means for 2016? >> well, it depends on how the agenda is put forward in congress. whether the house and the senate can actually get together to put together good legislation. you know keystone pipeline, reining in spending and the government controlling the bureaucracy, we'll see what the president does with that legislation that goes to his desk. but the big problem again is going to be that you've got three, four u.s. senators that would like to be in the oval office. and what that dynamic has, as far as affecting legislation, is really going to be the big question. but i think we

republican state senator joni earnst battling bruce braley. >> this could be a turning point for the united states of hurricane. >> i think this race, bruce's race is especially important. >> joni earnst is not on your side. >> it is going to take all of us pulling together to unite this party. >> i stand on the side of awians. >> every one of you get out and vote. >> have a straight talk. it's going to come down to get out the vote. >> and the a.p.'s catherine lucy is live in des moines. catherine, this one is a nail biter. what story? who is up earnst braley or is this within the margin of error? >> you know like most people of iowa i'm on the edge of me seat too. this is so close. the polls all show this just razor then going in the last couple of days. touring the state, blanketing the airways ware waives with positive and. senator john mccain. 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 to

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

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 nt

bill clinton coming out here to stump for bruce braley.e's someone who democrats say you want on your side especially when it's down to the wire like this. he'll bring the crowds, and the big hope is that he'll push for people to vote early. they need to win the early vote in order to win this election. >> early vote turnout, what have been the expectations? >> well, both sides are touting their early vote turnout. democrats say that they poured more money into early into getting the vote out this year, this midterm than any other midterm. they say they've had success getting people to vote who don't normally vote during the midterms. you talk to republicans and they say they've changed their ground game this year. both sides think they can win this election. >> all right, pamela brown, thank you so much there in iowa. appreciate it. candidates are bringing out the big guns, as you just heard pam say. bill clinton out in iowa. among them, hillary clinton, too, stumping today for allisis lundergan grimes. she's trying to unseat mitch mcconn

joni ernst and bruce braley. he is in the lead as we look at the percentage reporting. still very slow when it comes to candy votes out there. this is one of the most fascinating races you will find. roberts versus orman. been on the who has health since 19 96 -- on the -- in the senate since 1996. is the independent. he has yet to say who he will caucus with if he is elected. the democrats or republicans? that is where the shift of power could occur as you get down to the drama of d.c. politics. we will take a look at some other races up for grabs and when we come back in a little bit. for now, nailbiter. >> we are running out of nails. thank you for that. >lots of races across the area and we are watching all of them. you can get up to the moment results on wjla.com. and facebook and twitter. >> let's go back to maryland. new numbers in the race for a negovernor. let's take a look. anthony brown, 46%. larry hogan, republican, 52%. brad bell is live. what is going on there? >> nailbiter here. a lot of field lingers -- fingernails littering the carpets. refreshre hittin

picked up seats in iowa, where republican state lawmaker joni ernst is the winner over democrat bruce braley. that's the seat where longtime democratic denator tom harkin is retiring. and also in colorado, arkansas, montana, west virginia and south dakota. republicans -- riding discontent and resentment about president obama and his policies. they also seem on track to pad their house majority to historic highs. you're looking at senator cory gardner of colorado. a big winner tonight. president obama almost seemed ready to concede defeat earlier today. saying "this is probably the worst possible group of states for democrats since dwight eisenhower." coming up.our election coverage continues. a tax on sugary drinks like soda. could soon cost more in two bay area cities. how much you could be shelling out if the measures pass. plus -- a battle for higher minimum wages. a raise could soon be coming for hundreds of thousands of workers in san francisco and oakland. and it was a gorgeous day out there with temperatures in the '60s and '70s even warmer tomorrow yeah, enough for two. gosh. try fou

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 smartes

and it's something that her democratic challenger, bruce braley says he supports. john? >> all right. usher thank you. >>> we want to continue the discussion now about minimum wage and the economy. wajahat ali is at the museum in washington, d.c. and is following what the online communities have been saying. >> they are buzzing over the minimum wage debate. four states are set to vote on measures to increase the minimum wage in their state. folks are waging a fierce debate over national trending hashtags. like hashtag, fight for 15, which is calling for $15 per hour minimum wage. and hashtag living wage calls for higher pay especially for fast-food workers. in places like nebraska they just want to raise it to $9 per hour by 2016. they are using the hashtag, yes, 425. sam says don't been a jerk, vote yes on 425. very, very subtle. this could be the unicorn of the midterm elections. in nebraska, the republican candidate is reluctant to discuss minimum wage. his opponent has been supporting it since announcing his candidacy. he treats i stand alone and firmly for minimum w