New Hampshire: This contest between Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown has tightened a good bit since the September 9 primary. There have been five polls taken in October that show Shaheen with leads of between one and six points. Shaheen only hit 50 percent in one of those surveys. According to the HuffPollster trend line, Shaheen has a 47.7-percent to 45-percent advantage over the former Massachusetts Senator.

It’s not entirely clear why the race has closed. It could simply be that voters are finally tuning into the race, and thus it is the natural closure that would occur in a competitive state like New Hampshire. It could be that Shaheen is feeling the effects of a political environment that is tilted toward Republicans. New Hampshire seems especially prone to shifts in the political winds. The 1st congressional district is a good example. It has flipped three times in the last four elections, and is in play again this year. So while there might not be a national Republican wave building, the Granite State might experience

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