Tuesday's Campaign Round-Up, 10.4.16

Today's installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.* At a campaign rally in Ohio yesterday, Hillary Clinton asked, "What kind of genius loses a billion dollars in a single year?" She added soon after that Donald Trump "is taking corporate excess and making a business model out of it. He abuses his power and games the system and puts his own interests ahead of the country. It is Trump first and everyone else last."* Yesterday, the Clinton campaign unveiled a new television ad slamming Trump on tax avoidance. Around the same time, Priorities USA, a leading Democratic super PAC, released an ad on the same issue.* It seems a little hard to believe, but a new Elon University poll shows Clinton leading Trump in North Carolina by six points, 45% to 39%. Some other recent polls have found Clinton ahead in the state, but by smaller margins.* In Pennsylvania's closely watched U.S. Senate race, the new Franklin & Marshal poll shows Katie McGinty (D) leading incumbent Sen. Pat Toomey (R), 41% to 35%.* In New Hampshire's U.S. Senate race, which featured a big debate last night, the latest WBUR poll found Gov. Maggie Hassan (D) narrowly leading incumbent Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R), 48% to 46%.* In Oregon, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bud Pierce's spokesperson quit yesterday, citing his comments about successful women being less susceptible to domestic abuse. He later apologized for the off-the-cuff debate remarks.* In Colorado's U.S. Senate race, there's a reason Republicans have effectively given up on defeating Sen. Michael Bennet (D), once seen as the Democrats' most vulnerable incumbent. The latest Monmouth University poll shows Bennet leading Darryl Glenn (R), 53% to 35%.* On a related note, Republican officials are starting to cut ad spending in Wisconsin, working from the assumption that Sen. Ron Johnson (R) will lose to former Sen. Russ Feingold (D).* Former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, a Republican and former Bill Clinton critic, has endorsed Hillary Clinton's candidacy. Chertoff believes Clinton "has good judgment and a strategic vision how to deal with the threats that face us," while also expressing concerns about Trump's "erratic" behavior and limited understanding "of America's national interests."