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Our latest NBC/WSJ/Annenberg poll presents some scary turnout numbers for Democrats. It shows them with a five-point advantage in congressional preference, with 48% of registered voters wanting a Democratic-controlled Congress and 43% wanting Republicans in charge. But those numbers flip among the highest-interest voters -- 51% prefer a GOP Congress and 44% want Democrats in control. Here is where we stand three weeks until Election Day: Democrats have put themselves in a position to survive this season and retain Senate control, especially with the Roberts-vs.-Orman race in Kansas. Meanwhile, Republicans have put themselves in a position to catch a wave to big Senate gains (eight to nine perhaps). We just dont know who will be turning out and deciding whether Democrats survive or if Republicans make big gains. But this NBC/WSJ/Annenberg poll suggests that Republicans have the intensity advantage here. But a little caution: Its a national poll and might not reflect everything thats happening in the most competitive Senate races, particularly where Democrats are investing a tremendous amount of money to turn out their voters. Indeed, a new Des Moines Register/Bloomberg poll released over the weekend shows Democrat Bruce Braley performing well among early voters (more on that poll below).

Following all the surrogates on the campaign trail

Speaking of turning out the vote, its a big week for high-profile surrogates in the top races across the country. Yesterday, Mitt Romney campaigned for Joni Ernst in Iowa. Today, Vice President Biden stumps for Charlie Crist in Florida and heads to South Carolina on Tuesday. President Obama travels to Connecticut on Wednesday for Gov. Dan Malloy. Also this week, Hillary Clinton campaigns for Mark Udall in Colorado (today), Alison Grimes in Kentucky (on Wednesday), and Gary Peters in Michigan (on Thursday). And on Thursday, Bill Clinton heads to Massachusetts on Thursday to stump for Democratic gubernatorial nominee Martha Coakley.

Susan Rice: U.S. isnt reassessing strategy against ISIS

Last week, we pointed out the limits -- so far -- to the U.S. airstrikes against ISIS. But on Meet the Press yesterday, National Security Adviser Susan Rice stressed that the Obama administration isnt reassessing its strategy. This is very early days of the strategy. Strategy's very clear, she said. We'll do what we can from the air. We will support the Iraqi security forces, the Kurds, and ultimately over time, the moderate opposition in Syria to be able to control territory and take the fight to ISIL. We'll do our part from the air and in many other respects in terms of building up the capacity of the Iraqis and the Syrian opposition, the moderates. More from Rice: But we are not going to be in a ground war again in Iraq. It's not what is required by the circumstances that we face and even if one were to take that step, which the president has made clear we're not going to do, it wouldn't be sustainable. We've got to do this in a sustainable way.

Inadvertent breach in protocol in newest Ebola case

Also on Meet yesterday, Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health attributed to the new confirmed case of Ebola in Dallas to an inadvertent breach in protocol by a health-care worker. What obviously happened unfortunately is that there was an inadvertent breach in protocol, he said. I think the important thing to do is to emphasize the difference between the confidence that there won't be an outbreak, which is fundamentally prevented by putting the patient in isolation and doing contact tracing to kind of get an umbrella around them, versus the unfortunate inadvertent breach of a protocol that would get a health care worker. We're still quite confident because of our ability to reach out, do the contact tracing, and isolate people who are infected, that we won't have a public outbreak. That's a different thing than an individual healthcare worker unfortunately getting infected.

Heres the Democrats anti-Rounds TV ad in South Dakota

Last week, we confirmed that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee was going to dump $1 million into the three-way Mike Rounds (R)-vs.-Rick Weiland (D)-vs.-Larry Pressler (I) Senate race in South Dakota. Well, here is the TV ad the DSCC is airing against Rounds. Mike Rounds. Schemes. Special Favors. Investigations, the ad concludes.

Heading for a photo finish in Iowa?

Original post:
Democrats May Be Freaked Out By This New Poll