Moderate Republicans should probably be glad that Jim Gilmore, not Tom Davis, was their nominee. In future statewide nominating contests, moderates might well say to conservatives, "We tried it your way the last few times and it didn't work."

Republicans had better hope Bob Schaffer doesn't lose worse than the 57%-40% margin by which they lost the governor's race in 2006. They just can't afford to have recruitment problems in a state like Colorado, with Senate and gubernatorial races coming up in 2010.

Perhaps Alaska Republicans should adopt the motto that Louisiana Democrats chose when Edwin Edwards faced off against David Duke in the 1991 Louisiana Governor's race: "Vote for the crook -- It's important." By the way, it seems likely that about 30,000 absentee/early votes were cast before Ted Stevens' conviction was announced.

For one of the closest Senate races in the country, there hasn't been much public polling conducted here over the past month. But even in Gordon Smith's own poll, he's held to 45%, and he seems to be trailing slightly in most others. Given the sizeable victory that Barack Obama will probably win in this state, a Smith win would be something of a minor upset at this point.

We suspect that if Saxby Chambliss's camp were offered the choice of a guaranteed 12/2 runoff or a clear winner on 11/4, they'd choose the runoff. Not only would the African-American turnout be more problematic in December, but Republicans who had voted against Chambliss might be willing to come home to him, if it became clear that Democrats would soon be in complete control in Washington.

Roger Wicker seems a bit safer than his colleague to the east, Saxby Chambliss, but he too will have to contend with an increased black voter turnout, which will probably keep this race tight.

Susan Collins still seems headed for a win, and there are murmurings she might even surpass her 59%-41% margin of victory in 2002. Given the difference in the national environment in 2008 compared to that year, such a landslide would be quite an amazing accomplishment.

An uphill state for any Republican in any year. With a late start, Dick Zimmer just never was able to raise the cash and develop the name ID he needed to compete.

Other GOP senators should have learned a lesson from Jim Inhofe this cycle. Just because "the experts" are saying you have a safe seat, it doesn't mean you should refrain from pummeling your opponent into the ground before he has a chance to take off.

There was something of a Jim Slattery bubble in the early summer, and some wondered if this race could actually develop. But Pat Roberts ran a smart mix of early positive and negative ads and has successfully put this race away.