The San Antonio Express reports that Republican Lyle Larson “acknowledges he is the underdog” in his race against Rep. Ciro D. Rodriguez , D-Texas, but he believes that the turnout in Republican enclaves might be enough to offset Rodriguez’s popularity elsewhere in the sprawling 23rd District. “On the campaign trail, Larson . . . offers up his ability to reach across party lines to get things done as the perfect antidote to the partisanship gripping Washington,” the newspaper said. Rodriguez has outraised and outspent Larson in the race, which CQ Politics rates as “Leans Democratic.”

According to the Virginian-Pilot, Quentin Kidd, a Christopher Newport University political scientist, says the race in Virginia’s 2nd District is “too close to call at this point” and “whoever wins is going to be surprised and feel lucky.” The campaign of Democratic challenger Glenn Nye “points to favorable internal poll numbers and the likelihood of high voter turnout of supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama as factors in Nye’s favor,” the newspaper said. The campaign of incumbent Republican Thelma Drake , meanwhile, “banks on different polls and says the 2nd District’s conservative leanings favor the two-term Republican congresswoman and former state delegate.” CQ Politics rates the race as “Leans Republican.”

A poll by the University of New Hampshire and WMUR-TV shows Democrat Jeanne Shaheen with a lead of 6 percentage points over incumbent Republican Sen. John E. Sununu . The survey forecasts Shaheen with 48 percent of the vote and Sununu with 42 percent of the vote, a spread that has been relatively consistent over the past week. CQ Politics rates the race as “Leans Democratic.”