Election central
In another sign that the political environment continues to shift favorably for Dems, six House races have suddenly moved from out-of-play likely Republican victories to competitive contests in the last week alone, according to a quick analysis of race rankings by nonpartisan experts done by Election Central.

The Daily Journal of Illinois reports:
Rep. Jerry Weller, R-Morris, through his election attorney, moved Thursday to inform the House that a former page or intern may have been the subject of inappropriate attention from another lawmaker, Weller’s campaign manager said Thursday.
Steven Shearer said the congressman was not prepared to reveal the identity of the youth, […]

Republican gubernatorial candidate Asa Hutchinson defended his work with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Thursday and accused Democratic opponent Mike Beebe of using “politically opportunistic” distortions to attack the federal agency and his tenure there.
At a news conference, Hutchinson released a copy of a letter he received recently from Tom Kean, chairman of […]

Weeks after visits to Iraq, two Arkansas lawmakers said they were disturbed but not daunted by escalating violence and American deaths in the country.Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., said Thursday he is as sure as he was when he returned from the Middle East earlier this month that Iraq was at a tipping point, though he […]

 A conservative think tank gave Gov. Mike Huckabee a failing grade for his budget policies Thursday, but political scientists said that probably will not harm Huckabee’s presidential aspirations.The Cato Institute gave Huckabee and eight other governors an “F” for their handling of fiscal and budget matters. Governors were faulted for support of tax increases and […]