Guy Benson:
Jim Geragthy, acclaimed author and National Review’s chief campaign analyst, has been grousing about the lack of quality polling in key Senate races this year. His frustration is well-founded.  So yesterday must have felt like Christmas in September for Jim and political junkies everywhere, as two pollsters released a deluge of surveys covering the most contested races in the country.  In light of the results, I’d expect that national Republicans are kicking off the week with an extra spring in their step, as well.  We were leaked an advance copy of last week’s much-anticipated Politico/GWU Battleground poll, which was packed with more than a few hopeful morsels for conservatives. This weekend’s polling volley applies those national trends to roughly a dozen contests across the 2014 Senate landscape — the contours of which I outlined here.  An overview of the fresh data:
Alaska: Accurately polling this state is infamously difficult, but the new New York Times/CBS News/YouGov poll shows a stark reversal in the race, with Republican Dan Sullivan now leading incumbent Sen. Mark Begich by six points — 45 to 39, including leaners.  The Begich campaign is still reeling from a furious backlash over their desperate TV ad that falsely tied Sullivan to a terrible case involving child rape and a double murder.  The family of the victims demanded that Begich pull the ad, with Sullivan slamming the spot for being factually inaccurate.  Begich has voted with President Obama 97 percent of the time, according to a Congressional Quarterly analysis.
Arkansas: Three new polls out of this race, one of which Jazz covered yesterday.  NBC/Marist finds Republican challenger Tom Cotton leading Sen. Mark Pryor by five points, 45-40, among likely voters.  NYT/CBS/YouGov shows Cotton up four (with leaners), 43-39.  CNN puts Cotton ahead by two, though he trails Pryor among the broader electorate of registered voters in the survey.  Pryor raised eyebrows by airing an ad touting Obamacare, though the spot failed to mention the law by name.  The president and his signature law are deeply unpopular in the state. Pryor supports Obama 90 percent of the time.
Colorado: According to a pair of new data sets, Republicans still have some work to do in this race, with challenger Cory Gardner trailing Sen. Mark Udall by three and six points in the NBC/Marist and NYT/CBS/YouGov polls, respectively.  Other polling has shown the race to be a dead heat.  Gardner is running a smart, energetic and disciplined campaign, performing well in Saturday’s first head-to-head debate.  Here’s the post-debate lede from a local paper:
U.S. Rep. Cory Gardner talked rapidly and aggressively Saturday night in the Republican’s effort to unseat U.S. Sen. Mark Udall, and at times the incumbent’s slower, deliberate answers came across like he was a deer caught in the headlights.
This is a pretty solid quip from Gardner when Udall sarcastically played the victim card, wondering aloud which national problems he hasn’t caused in his opponent’s eyes:
[youtube]http://youtu.be/ffHFPhVVhwo[/youtube]
Gardner is struggling a bit among independents, a rarity among battleground state Republicans this year.  Peeling off support from that group will be a focus for his campaign over the coming weeks.
Iowa: The battle over the Hawkeye State’s open seat remains a pure toss-up.  The new NYT/CBS/YouGov poll shows Democrat Bruce Braley in front of Republican Joni Ernst byjust two points (44/42) including leaners.  Excluding leaners, Ernst has a small lead.  Republicans have been hammering Braley over his on-camera remarks disparaging farmers and demeaning popular Sen. Chuck Grassley at an out-of-state fundraiser with fellow trial lawyers.  They’ve also highlighted Braley’s poor attendance at House Veterans Affairs Committee meetings; Ernst is a Lt. Colonel in the Iowa Army National Guard.  Iowa has never elected a female senator, governor, or member of Congress.  Interesting data point:
Not trying to be a pessimist, but the Republicans have a way of blowing a good thing. They should have been able to take the Senate in 2010 and failed. They better not do it this time. The country can’t afford another two years of Obama+Reid. Imagine what a novelty it would be to actually have annual budgets passed as required by law.