Senate race roundup

There might not be a U.S. Senate race here to focus on this year, but there's still plenty of action to follow in the rest of the country. For those interested, here's a brief roundup of some of the most competitive races.

In Minnesota, the latest polling give U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman (R) a slight advantage over Democratic challenger Al Franken. The Star Tribune has Coleman up by 4 while Survey USA gives him a 1 point edge.

There is little available recent polling data in Kentucky, but an internal poll from U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell's (R) campaign released late last week shows the incumbent with a 17 point advantage over Democrat Bruce Lunsford.

U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D) in New Jersey looks pretty safe with about a 10 point lead over his challenger Dick Zimmer (R).

The race in Alaska has tightened up, perhaps due to the appearance of Sarah Palin on the national stage. U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens (R) has closed the gap against challenger Mark Begich (D) where they are now near a statistical tie. The most recent poll from Rasmussen released Thursday last week gives Begich a slight 48 to 46 percent lead.

On average, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R) of North Carolina appears to hold a narrow lead over challenger state Sen. Kay Hagan (D). DailyKos.com/Research 2000 and Survey USA polls have Dole up by 6 and 8, respectively, while a Public Policy Polling (D) survey gives Hagen a one point lead.

In a special election for the seat vacated by U.S. Sen. Trent Lott (R), a DailyKos.com/Research 2000 poll gives recently-appointed U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R) of Mississippi a 5 point lead over former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove (D).

In Colorado, U.S. Rep. Mark Udall (D) holds a lead over former U.S. Rep. Bob Schaffer (R) according to partisan polls, though Republican polling pegs the race much closer.

The only recent data point in Oregon is an internal poll commissioned by the Jeff Merkley (D) campaign which shows the challenger actually leading incumbent U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith (R) by 43 to 41 percent.