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TORONTO - The campaign buses have barely rolled out for the June 12 election and already there's a flurry of open letters, accusations and even legal claims in a $2-million libel suit.

The Progressive Conservatives are denying they did anything wrong when they suggested that Premier Kathleen Wynne "oversaw and possibly ordered the criminal destruction of documents" related to the $1.1-billion cancellation of two gas plants.

In a statement of defence in response to a lawsuit launched by Liberals last month, the Tories say they had a "legal, social and/or moral duty" to make the statements the Liberals claim were defamatory.

The Tories are claiming qualified privilege, saying the public had "a corresponding interest" in hearing that information.

They say in the statement dated May 2 that they were diligent in trying to verify the allegation and that it was an urgent matter of public importance.

Asked whether it was a mistake to file the libel suit against the Opposition party, Wynne responded Monday that she felt it was important to challenge the Tories' allegation.

"I am willing to debate facts anywhere, anytime. I'm always willing to talk about facts and I have answered questions about the decisons around relocating the gas plants," she said at a high school in Richmond Hill, north of Toronto.

"But when there are false allegations made, it's very important that I stand up to those and that I make it clear that that's unacceptable. So the legal process will carry on."

Meanwhile, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath has sent an open letter to her rivals challenging them to participate in five debates, with one focused on jobs and the economy.

Speaking to host Matt Galloway on CBC's "Metro Morning" on Monday, Horwath said she was not concerned that big union leaders like Unifor head Jerry Dias had questioned her decision not to support the budget, which was seen as labour friendly.

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Liberal, PC campaign buses roll Monday

Senator Blunt Calls On Democrats To Support Job Creating Energy Policy 4/29/14
On Tuesday, April 29, 2014, U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) spoke on the Senate floor to call on President Barack Obama and the Democrat-controlled Senate to stop playing politics with American...

By: SenatorBlunt

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Senator Blunt Calls On Democrats To Support Job Creating Energy Policy 4/29/14 - Video

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY): Democrats Support Fracking
Schumer: "Overall, the Democrats throughout the country have supported fracking. The President has, most of us have, and it #39;s worked quite well." (MSNBC #39;s "Morning Joe," May 5, 2014)

By: EnergyInDepth

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Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY): Democrats Support Fracking - Video

Democrats and Republicans have starkly different visions for how to fight poverty in the U.S.

Casting a shadow over Democrats' prospects of retaining the Senate this fall, a USA Today/Pew Research Center poll released Monday shows the strongest support for Republican candidates six months out of a midterm than has been seen in decades.

Forty-seven percent of the 1,501 registered voters surveyed across the country in late April said they're leaning toward supporting the Republican candidate over the Democrat in their district this November, compared with 43 percent who said the opposite.

It's a striking margin considering the same poll taken in 2010 and 1994 - years that ushered strong conservative waves into the Capitol - showed Democrats either edging or in a dead heat with Republicans. It's also a notable shift: As recently as January, Americans reported being more inclined to vote Democrat in the fall.

House Republicans already hold a 233-seat majority, including most swing seats, but the changing tide could help the GOP gain the six seats needed to acquire control of the Senate. One problem Democrats continually face is turning out large numbers of supporters in midterm elections despite their success in the past two presidential elections.

President Obama warned about the enthusiasm gap last month at a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee fundraiser in Miami: "The challenge is that our politics in Washington have become so toxic that people just lose faith and finally they just say: 'You know what? I'm not interested, I'm not going to bother, I'm not going to vote,'" he said.

"In midterms we get clobbered," he went on, "either because we don't think it's important or we've become so discouraged about what's happening in Washington that we think it's not worth our while."

Though early, the poll also suggests a potential blue-to-red paint job at the White House in 2016.

Downbeat by the economy and glitches with the Affordable Care Act, Americans by more than a 2-1 ratio say they're unhappy with the direction of the country. Sixty-five percent say they'd like Mr. Obama's successor to pursue different policies and programs than the current administration.

2014 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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New poll suggests bad news for Democrats in midterms

In their first bids for elected office, Kevin Strouse and Shaughnessy Naughton are shooting high: Each wants to be the Democrat to run against Republican incumbent Mike Fitzpatrick in Pennsylvania's Eighth Congressional District.

But Strouse, 34, a former Army Ranger and CIA analyst, and Naughton, 35, a cancer researcher turned businesswoman, have been hesitant to trade juicy political haymakers. And their platforms are largely similar.

So their primary race hasn't grabbed headlines like the bombastic battle for U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz's seat in Montgomery County, or two highly competitive contests in South Jersey.

Still, national and local Democrats have long desired the seat, which covers Bucks County and a sliver of Montgomery County, where Democrats slightly outnumber Republicans.

The question now is whether any recent developments - such as a television ad from Strouse, or a strong fund-raising quarter for Naughton - will lead to sustained attention for them and help their quest to unseat Fitzpatrick.

"This is clearly among the most coveted seats for Democrats," said Chris Borick, a political science professor at Muhlenberg College in Allentown.

Borick called the district "one of the only remaining truly competitive districts in the state," although several national forecasting organizations consider Fitzpatrick the favorite in this year's race.

Fitzpatrick won the 2012 election by 12 points, even with President Obama at the top of the Democratic ticket. And he had $1.5 million in cash on hand at the beginning of last quarter, nearly triple that of his closest potential opponent.

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Democrats take high road in Pa. Eighth Congressional District primary