Three states are holding elections today that could set the stage for competitive general election races. In Missouri, both parties are battling for the 9th District seat GOP Rep. Kenny Hulshof gave up to make a run for the governorship; in Kansas, former GOP Rep. Jim Ryun is fighting for the nomination to once again take on the Democrat who knocked him out of office; and in Georgia, two Democrats are dueling in a runoff to take on Sen. Saxby Chambliss.

Hulshof enjoyed a huge re-election victory in 2006, but when GOP Gov. Matt Blunt decided not to run for re-election, the six-term congressman decided to risk his seat for a chance at the top spot in the state. Hulshof is facing a primary of his own today in the race for governor (a recent SurveyUSA poll gave him a double-digit advantage), while Democrats and Republicans vie for a chance for his seat. Josh Kraushaar breaks the race down, noting that Democrats feel they have a real chance here despite the Republican tilt and that it has turned into a "country vs. city" struggle between the two top candidates.

Freshman Rep. Nancy Boyda, fresh off one of the most surprising upsets of the 2006 election, is waiting to see which Republican will get the chance to win back Kansas's 2nd District seat. Ryun, whom Boyda defeated by 4 points, is hoping for the opportunity, but he'll first need to get past state Treas. Lynn Jenkins. As Reid Wilson points out, the primary has already forced Ryun to spend close to $1.6 million, an obviously large sum of cash that the party would have preferred been spent against a Democrat.

In Georgia, DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones and former state Rep. Jim Martin are facing each other in a runoff that became necessary when no candidate won more than 50% of the vote in the July 15 Democratic primary. No matter who wins the race (the national party is rooting for Martin), as we pointed out in our preview yesterday at Politics Nation, the nominee will have a huge cash deficit compared with the incumbent Chambliss, who is favored to retain his seat. However, Barack Obama's vast voter registration drives could boost the number of votes the second Democrat on the November ballot receives.