Polls: Dems' lead shrinking, but still strong  —  WASHINGTON — A national USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds remarkable parallels between the congressional elections Tuesday and the watershed elections in 1994 that swept Republicans into control of the House and Senate.

A Look Inside That Pew Poll  —  Pew Research has published its crosstabs for the poll that shows the Republicans tightening up the race, which I linked last night.  The internals deliver even more bad news to the Democrats, as significant leads in several demographic categories have been cut drastically or wiped out entirely.

STRATEGY/POLL MEMOS  —  Memorandum From RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman To Republican Leadership And Interested Parties  —  TO: REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP AND INTERESTED PARTIES  —  FROM: KEN MEHLMAN  —  RE: MOMENTUM  —  New polls say our party is heading into Election Day with strong momentum.

Will Saddam verdict affect Tuesday's vote?  —  Both parties applaud court decision, but talk turns to 'November surprise'  —  President Bush and politicians from both parties hailed the conviction of Saddam Hussein on Sunday but disagreed on its larger meaning as campaign strategists tried …

Soldier dies of wounds from Afghanistan battle  —  KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) — An American soldier has died from wounds received during fighting in Afghanistan, the U.S. military said Monday.  —  U.S. Army Specialist Isaiah Calloway, of Jacksonville, Fla., died Oct. 30, the U.S. military said.