Down Ballot Briefs

Harry Reid faces tough choices with key committee chairs opening in time for the next Congress.

The DNC borrows $10 million to spend on House and Senate races.

Politico picks the ten moments that rattled the race for Congress.

NYC mayor endorses Dennis Shulman for Congress.

Two of the biggest newspapers in the area endorse Bachmann's opponent.

Despite early expectations of a close election, the Michigan state house will remain in the hands of Democrats.

The Hits Keep On Coming

St. Cloud Times via Josh Marshall:

U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann wrote a letter last year recommending a federal pardon for a major campaign contributor who was once convicted of felony money laundering, firearm and drug charges on the basis he had reformed.

This month, she withdrew that recommendation on behalf of Frank E. Vennes Jr., eight days after the FBI searched his Shorewood home and office and confiscated documents, money, art, coins and jewels that agents think may be related to a $3 billion investment fraud scheme in which Minnesota business mogul Tom Petters has been charged.

(More) Odds and Ends

Michele Bachmann tried to make money off of her self-inflicted wounds. That didn't quite work so she will air an apology ad instead.

Politico picks the ten worst ads from this election season.

Here's a freakishly detailed time line of Bob Schaffer's declining fortunes in the Senate race in Colorado.

In case you missed it in the last "Deep Thoughts," Dave Reichert (R-WA) accused his Democratic opponent Darcy Burner of lying about her degree from Harvard. Turns out, Darcy wasn't lying. Also turns out that Reichert was lying about his own degree.

Golden Egg

Rep. Michele Bachmann continues to raise money for her Democratic opponent.

The campaign of Democratic opponent Elwyn Tinklenberg said Friday that it has raised nearly $1.5 million in the last week, as the race has become a cause célèbre for Democrats nationally. That figure is larger than the amount it had raised the whole cycle before the comments.

Meanwhile, a new poll shows Bachmann trailing her Democratic rival.

A poll by SurveyUSA shows Democratic challenger Elwyn Tinklenberg with “the nominal lead in an effectively tied race with Republican incumbent Michele Bachmann .” The poll showed Tinklenberg with 47 percent of the vote and Bachmann 44 percent, a spread within the survey’s margin of error. Bachmann’s campaign suffered after she made remarks Oct. 17 on MSNBC that questioned the patriotism of Democrats and called for an investigation into whether members of Congress might be “anti-American.”

Odds and Ends

Have you heard about the new AP poll that has Obama leading by just one point? Marc Ambinder points out one of the fishy internals from that poll.

Florida's GOP lawmakers are blamed for the long lines at early voting stations in the state.

A good sign for Mark Udall -- the DSCC pulls out of Colorado.

A bad sign for Rep. Michele Bachmann -- the NRCC pulls out of MN-06.

Bachmann Brouhaha

In a previous post I'd included Rep. Michele Bachmann's (R-MN) schocking rant. The rant helped her Democratic opponent raise almost half a million dollars in a single day and Bachmann's primary opponent has signaled that he will reenter the race as a write-in candidate.

Here's video clip of Katrina Vanden Heuvel responding to Bachmann.