AP: "[CT US Representatives] Simmons and Shays are in tough re-election battles this year. The two were targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee as Republican incumbents with the potential to be defeated.... In both congressional races, the challengers have accused the incumbents of claiming to be independent voices in Washington but voting with Republicans who control Congress and who are often more conservative than most Connecticut voters support.... Democrat Diane Farrell [said] 'My opponent, Christopher Shays, claims to be independent. The reality is [t]oday, he votes 80 percent of the time with his party leaders on issues including the war in Iraq, record debts and deficits, health care reform and corporate tax cuts.' Jim Sullivan ... Simmons' opponent [says] 'I am running because we need a congressman who will stand up to George Bush... when his tax cuts for millionaires explode the deficit and leave our children with the bill.'" Both districts favor Kerry.

Congressional Quarterly "With 190 seats rated safely Republican and the GOP solidly favored to hold onto 28 more, the party is confident of having at least the 218 seats needed to hold the House majority in 2005. Democrats now hold 175 safe seats and are favored in 11 districts. That leaves just 30 highly competitive races - those with no clear favorite or leaning toward one party. More of those lean toward the GOP, too." Looking for ways to participate in the election even if your local race isn't much of an issue? This list, compiled by Congressional Quarterly, is a useful start for candidates you might want to fund or otherwise support. One missing from this list: In Illinois' Eighth Congressional District, Democrat Melissa Bean [www.melissabean.com] has a very strong shot at unseating Republican Congressman Philip Crane, who is defending a record of non-accomplishment during 35 years in the House. Get active!

The Illinois Republican Party has invited failed presidential candidate Alan Keyes to move to Illinois from Maryland just for the privilege of losing the Senate race to Barack Obama. But first, Keyes will have to overcome his sordid past. On the March 17, 2000, broadcast of Fox Special Report With Brit Hume, he announced his contempt for carpetbaggers: "I deeply resent the destruction of federalism represented by Hillary Clinton's willingness to go into a state she doesn't even live in and pretend to represent people there. So I certainly wouldn't imitate it." Maybe Keyes and the GOP think "that was then, this is now"; the voters of Illinois will decide for themselves whether hypocrisy should be rewarded.

"On Monday afternoon, July 19, Stephen Yellin, a 16-year-old politics junkie and frequent contributor to the lefty blog Daily Kos, noticed an intriguing development in Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District... Roll Call was reporting that Jim Greenwood, the district's popular, moderate Republican congressman, had unexpectedly decided not to seek reelection, meaning that his House seat was now up for grabs. This is the sort of news that sets partisans like Yellin jumping for joy, and so, of course, he blogged about it. 'I would suggest that we get involved ASAP,' Yellin, who goes by the handle MrLiberal on Daily Kos, wrote. Virginia 'Ginny' Schrader, the Democrat running for the open seat, 'supports civil unions and is against Bush's positions on Iraq and the Patriot Act,' he noted approvingly. But she was woefully low on cash -- as of June 30, Schrader had only $7,000 in the bank. Yellin implored Daily Kos' politically obsessed readers to change that situation" - and they did!

"The new poll... shows Obama with a 22% lead over Ryan--52% to 30%. Ryan... has been forced to deal with a flap involving a video camera-toting aide who so closely dogged Obama, a state senator from Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood, that the Democrat described him as a 'stalker.' More importantly, Ryan, a Wilmette investment banker-turned-teacher, still must cope with the potential release this summer of now-sealed court records in his California divorce from actress and ex-wife Jeri Ryan. The Chicago Tribune and WLS-Ch. 7 are asking a judge in Los Angeles to unseal the records, but Ryan says the files should remain closed to the public because they are private and deal with his 9-year-old son. The controversies may have contributed to voters' current negative feelings toward Ryan. According to the survey of 600 registered voters statewide, only 29% have a favorable opinion of him while nearly as many--25%--have an unfavorable view of him."

"With Bush's political strength eroding, Democrats face improved electoral prospects this fall in the House and Senate -- political terrain that not long ago seemed firmly in the GOP's grip. Recent polls indicate that problems in Iraq and continuing lack of confidence in the economy are not only hurting Bush but undercutting voters' assessment of Republicans in Congress... Democrats were encouraged by recent polls showing their party had gained an edge over the GOP when people were asked how they would vote in congressional elections. A Time/CNN poll found that 53% said they would vote for a Democratic candidate for Congress in their district, compared with 40% who said they would back the Republican. A survey for the Associated Press reported that that 50% wanted Democrats to win control of Congress, compared with 41% favoring the Republicans."