Uh-oh. A month before the election, incumbent Republican senator Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, who is up for reelection, has had to make an “I’m not perfect” ad:  In a debate on Monday night against challenger Maggie Hassan, the Democratic governor, Ayotte was asked whether Donald Trump would be a good role model for children.  “Absolutely,” she replied. Ayotte, a centrist Republican, has been trying to have Trump both ways all year, saying she would vote for him but not endorse him.  Quickly after the debate, Ayotte sought to walk back her statement about Trump, saying that she had misspoken.  But Hassan is out this morning with an ad seeking to pin her more closely to the top of the ticket:  A HuffPost Pollster average of polls in the senate race has it tied:  An Ayotte loss would be a significant blow to Republican efforts to hold the senate. The Democrats need to flip four seats – and for Clinton to win the presidency – to gain control of the senate. (If the Democrats get four seats, a 50-50 tie would be established, with straight party-line votes thereafter being resolved by the vice president, whoever he may end up being.)  The Democrats look very likely to flip in Illinois and Wisconsin. But they may lose the Nevada seat of retiring minority leader Harry Reid. So they may need at least three more wins from among the five states of Indiana, North Carolina, Missouri, Pennsylvania or New Hampshire. To see a map with further analysis, pay a visit to Sabato’s Crystal Ball.  Republicans are worried that Trump is screwing up their chances of holding onto Congress, report Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns today in the New York Times:  Donald J. Trump’s support has plunged across the swing-state map over the last 10 days, wiping out his political recovery from September and threatening to undo weeks of Republican gains in the battle for control of Congress. [...]  Mr. Trump has already slipped perceptibly in public polls, trailing widely this week in Pennsylvania and by smaller margins in Florida and North Carolina — three states he cannot afford to lose. But private polling by both parties shows an even more precipitous drop, especially among independent voters, moderate Republicans and women, according to a dozen strategists from both parties who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the data was confidential.  Read the full piece here.  New: 30 former GOP members of Congress come out against Trump, saying they won't vote for him. pic.twitter.com/7H3Nyi5pDI
Clinton supporters step up efforts for their candidate as Trump says ‘Nevada’ wrong – and Fox News hosts spar over election