California Sen. Barbara Boxer (D) leads her two potential Republican challengers by double digits, a new Field Poll finds (Sept. 18-Oct. 6, 1005 RV, MoE +/- 3.2%).

In the Republican primary, former HP CEO Carly Fiorina leads Assemblyman Chuck DeVore by just 1 point, with nearly six-in-ten primary voters undecided. Neither is well known around the state, as 72% have no opinion of Fiorina and 82% no opinion of DeVore.

GOP Primary
Fiorina 21
DeVore 20
Und 59

General Election Matchups
Boxer 49
Fiorina 35
Und 16

Boxer 50
DeVore 33
Und 17

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele wonders aloud this morning what President Obama has done to deserve the Nobel Peace Prize. Here is Steele's statement:

“The real question Americans are asking is, ‘What has President Obama actually accomplished?' It is unfortunate that the president's star power has outshined tireless advocates who have made real achievements working towards peace and human rights. One thing is certain – President Obama won't be receiving any awards from Americans for job creation, fiscal responsibility, or backing up rhetoric with concrete action.”

The House Ethics committee announced today it will expand its investigation of Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) to determine if he "violated the Code of Official Conduct or any law, rule, regulation or other standard of conduct applicable to his conduct in the performance of his duties or the discharge of his responsibilities with respect to all Financial Disclosure Statements and all amendments filed in calendar year 2009 by or on behalf of" Rangel.

The committee said that in its year-long investigation into Rangel, it has so far issued 150 subpoenas, interviewed 34 witnesses for more than 2,100 pages of transcripts, reviewed more than 12,000 pages of documents, and held more than 30 investigative subcommittee meetings.

A Republican resolution introduced in the House yesterday to remove Rangel from his role as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee was shot down by Democrats in a legislative maneuver. It was the second resolution filed this year by Rep. John Carter (R-Texas), with both ending similarly.

Republicans have already jumped on the Ethics committee's announcemnt, calling on Speaker Pelosi to remove Rangel until the committee has completed its investigation.

"Given the expanded investigation announced today, it is past time for Speaker Pelosi to insist that Chairman Rangel step aside until the Ethics Committee completes its work," Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said in a released statement within minutes of the Ethics committee's announcement. "The American people won't stand for having a chairman of the House's tax-writing committee who is under investigation for not paying his taxes. What more has to happen before Speaker Pelosi does the right thing?"

Bob McDonnell (R) gets great news today, as the Washington Post's latest poll finds the former state attorney general leading his Democratic opponent, Creigh Deeds, by 9 points (Oct. 5-7, 1001 LV, MoE +/- 3%). This is a 5-point margin increase for the GOP nominee since the Post's last survey in mid-September.

McDonnell 53 (+2 vs. last poll, Sept. 17)
Deeds 44 (-3)

McDonnell now leads by 8.5 points in the RCP Average -- his largest lead since mid-September.

The poll is a blow to Deeds and national Democrats who have been pumping McDonnell's 1989 graduate school thesis through the airwaves for more than a month. They have been especially targeting women, though the Post poll finds Deeds with only a 50%-48% lead among females.

Also catastrophic to Deeds's numbers are his standing among independents and in Democrat-rich Northern Virginia. McDonnell leads independents by a 59%-38% margin, and his 17-point lead in NoVa has dwindled to just 5 points.

"Despite a concerted advertising campaign by Deeds about controversial views McDonnell expressed about working women in his thesis -- the one area where the Republican had appeared vulnerable -- the erosion of support among women and Northern Virginians suggests that the line of attack might have run its course," the Post's Helderman and Cohen write.

To carry on the recent trend of Democratic victories in the state, Deeds needs to win the kind of support President Obama received last year en route to a 6-point victory in the state. However, just 84% of those polled who said they voted for Obama now say they will vote for Deeds, while 13% say they support McDonnell. The GOP nominee also gets 91% of McCain voters.

We have two new polls out in New Jersey today, each showing a 3-point margin, but each showing a different candidate in the lead.

SurveyUSA
Christie 43
Corzine 40
Daggett 14
Undecided 2

Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research
Corzine 41 (+2 from last poll, 9/22-23)
Christie 38 (-2)
Daggett 14 (+3)
Undecided 7

Christie's lead in the RCP Average is down to 1.8 percent.

Nielsen has counted up the number of ads run by political candidates between June and September in three upcoming races.

In Virginia, the two gubernatiorial candidates, Democrat Creigh Deeds and Republican Bob McDonnell, are fairly evenly matched. Over the last three months, McDonnell has aired about 400 more ads than Deeds:

VIRGINIA GOVERNOR (6/11 TO 9/20/09)
MCDONNELL (R) – 4382
DEEDS (D) – 3986

McDonnell is leading the VA Gov race by 7.3% in the RCP Average.

Now look at New Jersey. Incumbent Governor John Corzine is out advertising his opponent, Republican Chris Christie, by about 3.5 to 1:

NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR (6/3 TO 9/20/09)
CORZINE (D) – 4806
CHRISTIE (R) – 1393

Despite that massive advertising advantage, Corzine is still hovering around the 40% mark and trails Christie by 1.8 points - though Daggett's rise has this race trending in his favor.

Lastly, we get to King Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Bloomberg has already spent close to $150 million dollars in his two previous runs for mayor - about half of that amount being spent four years ago against token Republican opposition.

Now running for a third term after successfully lobbying the City Council to change the city's election law, Bloomberg is once again serving as a one-man stimulus for the New York City media market, outadvertising his opponent by 336 to 1:

NEW YORK MAYOR (6/1 TO 9/20/09)
BLOOMBERG (I) – 4706
THOMPSON (D) – 14

As you can see from the polls, however, buying an election ain't what it used to be for Bloomberg. Despite his massive ad overkill, Bloomberg is winning just 51.7% support in the polls and leads by eleven points over Thompson who is at 40.7%.

The National Republican Congressional Committee is pushing supporters to sign a petition to "Fire Nancy Pelosi." A petition, of course, cannot actually remove the Speaker of the House from her position, but the NRCC hopes the accompanying request for campaign donations may help the GOP win back control of the House.

"As one of the most polarizing figures in American politics, Pelosi is once again putting party politics ahead of our national security," the e-mail states. "Her actions as Speaker of the House are putting our country's security on the line and it's up to us to stand up in opposition to her disastrous far-left agenda."

The e-mail, distributed today, refers to the Speaker as "General Pelosi," which is what the NRCC called her earlier this week when it stated that General McChrystal should "put her in her place."

Pelosi responded to that remark today, calling it "inappropriate" and language she hadn't heard "in decades."

The seat that Sen. Richard Burr (R) now holds has changed hands every six years for decades. But even with an approval rating that would be considered dangerous for an incumbent at this point, Burr is poised to buck that trend, a new PPP (D) poll finds.

General Election Matchups
Burr 46 -- Cunningham 27 -- Und 27
Burr 44 -- Etheridge 33 -- Und 23
Burr 45 -- Foy 29 -- Und 26
Burr 44 -- Lewis 30 -- Und 26
Burr 44 -- Marshall 32 -- Und 24
Burr 43 -- Wicker 30 -- Und 26

Burr 45 -- Generic D 34 -- Und 22

In PPP's last survey, Burr ranged from 41-43 percent against these same opponents. His approval rating is now 36 percent, down from 38.

The survey of 683 voters was conducted October 2-4, and has a margin of error of +/- 3.8 percent.

There was a powerful story in the NY Times Wednesday about the ancestry of Michelle Obama. It captured the convergence of a shameful past and a proud present. It demonstrated why the past is not separate from the present. And it also highlighted why race is often more than just black and white. Simply put, it's worth reading:

In the annals of American slavery, this painful story would be utterly unremarkable, save for one reason: This union, consummated some two years before the Civil War, represents the origins of a family line that would extend from rural Georgia, to Birmingham, Ala., to Chicago and, finally, to the White House.

The Times keeps the conversation going today with some of the leading black thinkers on race. Provocative questions are raised. As Mary Frances Berry noted: 

So far ... race-mixture stories have not led to grappling with the difficult subject of the meaning of race.

A new Field Poll shows that state Attorney General Jerry Brown is well-positioned for a return to the governor's office, as he leads by double-digits in both the Democratic primary and in matchups with all three GOP opponents.

Democratic Primary Matchup
Brown 47 (+21 from last poll, March)
Newsom 27 (+11)
Undecided 26 (-32)

The March survey included several other potential Democratic candidates, including Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Now, Brown leads in all regions and age groups; Newsom scores best among women voters, but trails even there -- 40-31. A three-way race Sen. Dianne Feinstein is also tested. She would lead the field with 40 percent, followed by Brown (27 percent) and Newsom (16 percent).

Republican Primary Election Matchup
Whitman 22 (+1)
Campbell 20 (+2)
Poizner 9 (+2)
Undecided 49 (-5)

General Election Matchups
Brown 50 -- Whitman 29 -- Und 21
Brown 48 -- Campbell 27 -- Und 25
Brown 50 -- Poizner 25 -- Und 25
Newsom 40 -- Whitman 31 -- Und 29
Newsom 38 -- Campbell 33 -- Und 29
Newsom 39 -- Poizner 30 -- Und 31

Both Democrats have stronger name recognition, though San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is viewed less favorably.

Favorable Ratings
Brown 44 / 29
Newsom 30 / 40
Whitman 18 / 14
Campbell 20 / 21
Poizner 22 / 17

The overall sample was 1,005 registered voters (MoE +/- 3.2%), with primary subsamples of 496 Democrats (MoE +/- 4.5%) and 373 Republicans (MoE +/- 4.5%). The survey was conducted from September 18 to October 5.