Shakedown

Candidates for House and Senate are going door-to-door and stump-to-stump in the final weeks before Nov. 7 midterm elections now too close to call

From Roberto's Restaurant in St. Louis to Great Grains lunch counter in Montana, 'tis the season for the grip and grin. Candidates for House and Senate are going door-to-door and stump-to-stump in the final weeks before Nov. 7 midterm elections now too close to call. Republicans, having watched their leads evaporate, have shifted from hang tough to hang on. Both the House and the Senate face Democratic seizure.

To hold onto their majorities, national GOP strategists are abandoning longstanding incumbents to focus party resources on a handful of tight races they hope are winnable. Once-promising campaigns for Conrad Burns of Montana, Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, and Mike DeWine of Ohio will need plenty in their own coffers to make it to the finish line. In the House, 10 of the dozen or so closest races feature embattled Republican incumbents. Meanwhile, Democrats seeking reelection face only a tiny number of serious challenges.