The American Spectator

“It certainly wasn’t a plan, but all the close races have kind of forced the Democrats to focus on their local races instead of having the freedom to move around,” says an RNC staffer. “Terry McAuliffe likes to brag about how great the Democrats will be in 2004 with all those governors controlling statehouses, but having the presidency is the best campaign tool you can have. Especially when you have a president everyone can be pictured with, unlike past presidents and vice presidents.”

p> A LID ON LIDDY’S LEAD br> If Elizabeth Dole loses her North Carolina Senate race against Erskine Bowles , as some suspect she might, she’ll have only herself to blame. /p>

Dole, who two months ago had a 20 point lead over her closest Democratic opponent, found herself in a neck and neck race going into the last weekend of the election season. Some polls showed Bowles had cut her lead to to a mere 5 percent.

Bowles spent the final weekend traveling across the state, speaking at black churches and trying to rally his base. Meanwhile Dole had a light campaign schedule on Saturday and on Sunday did no campaigning whatsoever. Instead, she attended church in her home town and ran errands.