• Home
• The Early Show

(CBS)  For the last few months, polls have suggested that Republicans would win back the House, and perhaps even the Senate. But new polls leave the GOP more worried about Election Day.

As CBS News Congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes reports, Democrats - who did not expect to do well this midterm, anticipating even worse losses than majority parties usually suffer in midterms because of the economy - are beginning to see glimmers of hope that their losses might not be as bad as they feared.

Polls show Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer, who'd been running neck-and-neck with GOP challenger Carly Fiorina over the summer, has reclaimed her lead.

"The pundits have already decided that the Democrats are losers - we are gonna lose, lose, lose," Boxer said on "The View." "There is only one problem with that: The voters haven't voted yet."

Republicans are now pouring $2 million into the California Senate race.

Jeff Greenfield: How Democrats Can Avoid a Blowout
Special Report: Campaign 2010

"Democrats are coming home," said CBS News political analyst John Dickerson. "As every Democrat will tell you, and even Republicans admit this: Democrats usually break late in these campaigns.

"Also, Congress is off the TV. They're no longer bickering about legislation. Congress is quite unpopular; its leaders, both Democrat and Republican, are unpopular. To the extent they're off the TV, that helps Democrats, because people aren't reminded of what they don't like."

Democratic Senator Patty Murray in Washington State has also seen a rebound in her numbers, as have Democratic gubernatorial candidates in Illinois, Ohio and California.

"You're starting to see that around the country, because a lot of Democrats held their advertising money until the last months of the election when people care most," said CBS News Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons.

Dickerson says with no Republican-held Senate seats in real danger, the GOP needs to win 10 seats from Democrats to get the majority, and six or seven of them are leaning their way. "Those last three are quite tough, though," Dickerson said. "Some of these Democratic Senate seats are looking a little better for Democrats."

Among those is the Nevada seat held by the Majority Leader Harry Reid, whose re-election chances improved when a Tea Party-backed candidate, Sharron Angle, won the Republican primary. Angle wasn't helped by the release this week of a recording secretly made at a meeting she had with another Tea Party candidate, in which she bad-mouthed the very Republican establishment from whom she is trying to raise campaign funds. ("The Republicans have lost their standards, they've lost their principles," she is heard saying.)

Democrats used their fundraising advantage to dominate the airwaves in September, mostly with negative, personal ads.

And at least one Republican, Tea Party-backed Delaware Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell, has a new ad that directly challenges her negative press: "I am not a witch, I'm nothing you've heard. I'm you." she said.

But now that October is here, both sides are unleashing everything they've got.

Republican ads in Connecticut attack Democratic Senate candidate Dick Blumenthal (running for the retiring Chris Dodd's seat) about his claims to have served in Vietnam. ("Would you lie about serving in a war? Dick Blumenthal did. Again and again.")

Democratic ads in Louisiana attack Republican Senator David Vitter and his ties to prostitution. ("His number appeared on the D.C. Madam's phone list.")

Even the president is entering the ad wars; Mr. Obama taped his first spot of this election season for a Democratic Congressional candidate in New Orleans. ("New Orleans needs Cedric Richmond in Congress.")

Why that candidate? Cordes says he is from one of only about eight districts around the country where Democrats have a shot at winning a seat currently held by the GOP.

© MMX, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

From the Mouths of Babes

Parenting Web Show, Blog, News, Features, Videos, Photos, More

Early Show Parenting Channel