Senate, Senate Race | featured news

Indiana Republican Senate candidate Richard Mourdock said Tuesday when a woman becomes pregnant during a rape, "that's something God intended." Mourdock, who's been locked in one of the most watched Senate races, was asked during the final minutes of a debate with Democratic challenger Representative Joe Donnelly whether abortion should be allowed in cases of rape or incest.

"Gov. Romney disagrees with Richard Mourdock, and Mr. Mourdock’s comments do not reflect Gov. Romney’s views," Romney campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul said in an email. "We disagree on the policy regarding exceptions for rape and incest but still support him."

GOP Rep. Todd Akin likened Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill to a dog who plays "fetch" and brings back higher taxes and more regulation to Missouri.

The U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania has become "too close to call" three weeks before the election, while President Barack Obama's lead in the state has slipped from 12 to 4 percentage points after a disappointing debate performance, a Quinnipiac poll said on Tuesday.

The FiveThirtyEight forecast model now gives Republicans just about a 16 percent chance of winning control of the Senate. This is a precipitous drop from just two months ago.

Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill is taking aim at Republican challenger Todd Akin with a new series of TV ads featuring rape survivors upset about Akin's position on emergency contraception....

Democrat Elizabeth Warren holds a slight lead over Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.), with about four weeks left until Election Day in the cycle’s marquee Senate showdown, according to a new survey released Sunday.

...almost two months after Republican Todd Akin sparked a national controversy with his comments about "legitimate rape" — the GOP Senate nominee remains within striking distance of McCaskill. Two polls released last week showed McCaskill up by 6 percentage points, within the margin of error of about plus or minus 4 percentage points.

David Gergen says President Obama needs a big debate victory to claim broad support for his second-term plans... Moreover, a big Obama victory would keep the Senate safely in Democratic hands and -- less likely -- might put a few House seats in play.

The ads have hit hard: In one, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown is slammed as an out-of-touch politician who saddled his state's manufacturers with higher taxes by voting for President Obama's health care law. In another, he is savaged for his "failed record on energy."