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Florida is home to the most expensive race in the country this midterm election — one of the nation's closest and nastiest gubernatorial contests.

incumbent Republican governor Rick Scott is facing former Florida governor Charlie Crist, a Democrat. Both candidates are well-known, both are prolific fundraisers and outside groups are pouring millions of dollars into the race. It's all combined to make it one of the nation's closest and nastiest gubernatorial races.

On paper, Scott has a lot going for him. He's an incumbent, with nearly unlimited money, in a state that's finally in economic recovery. But after four years of chronically low approval ratings, his bid for re-election is turning out to be anything but easy.

Politics

Gov. Scott, Ex-CEO, Aims To Run Fla. Like A Business

Florida is a state almost evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats. Republicans control the legislature and all the top state offices, but in the last two Presidential elections, Barack Obama mobilized Democrats and carried the state.

And Crist, the Democratic candidate for governor, is hoping to replicate that in this election.

At a campaign stop in a Miami suburb recently, Crist met with Marcela Parra, a college student upset about recent cuts in Florida's "Bright Futures" scholarship program.

"Four years ago, you would have qualified for a Bright Futures scholarship, back when I was governor, essentially," he says, as she agrees. "Now with Rick Scott and a change in policy, you don't qualify anymore."

Charlie Crist is the challenger in the race, but to Floridians, he's a familiar face. He was a Republican when he served as governor. But a lot has changed since then. He ran unsuccessfully for the Senate, first as a Republican, and then as an independent. Now, Crist is a Democrat, running for a seat he left behind just four years ago.

YouTube

It's a remarkable political transformation — one the Scott campaign lampoons in TV ads. One ad shows Crist announcing his various campaigns: as a Republican, an independent and then a Democrat. "Flippin' unbelievable," says the voiceover.

Crist often paraphrases Ronald Reagan, saying, "I didn't leave the Republican party. It left me." And he quotes another Republican popular in Florida.

"Jeb Bush said it better than I could ever say it. He said, 'Today's Republican Party appears to be anti-women, anti-minority, anti-gay, anti-immigrant, anti-education, anti-environment — the list goes on,' " he's said.

Crist is being outspent by Scott in the race, but has mounted his own relentless barrage of attack ads. Many hark back to Scott's tenure as head of Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corp., a hospital chain hit with what at the time was the nation's largest-ever fine for Medicare fraud.

YouTube

"Taxpayers and seniors got cheated," says the voiceover on one Crist ad. "But Rick Scott walked away with millions."

They're charges that were leveled against Scott when he first ran for governor. Scott overcame them in that race and is working to do so again, by turning them around and attacking Crist.

"In 2010, the Democrats attacked me. And I said, when I ran a company, I will take responsibility for the actions while I was the CEO," Scott said during the debate. "In contrast, Charlie's never taken responsibility for anything."

Susan MacManus, a professor of political science at the University of South Florida, says after months of wall-to-wall negative ads, many voters are dazed and confused.

"If you're a person who doesn't really follow politics 24/7, you're having a very difficult time figuring which of these is telling the truth," MacManus says. "We have had more negative ads, longer. It's been almost non-stop."

Last week, in their first debate, Scott and Crist laid out their positions on a series of issues. On many there's a stark difference.

On the five-decade long Cuba embargo — a perennial Florida issue — Scott supports it. Crist wants to lift it. On gay marriage, Crist is for it. Scott opposes it and reminded debate viewers not so long ago, Crist did also. Crist supported a state ban on same-sex marriage but later said that position was a mistake.

It's All Politics

Now A Democrat, Ex-Florida Gov. Crist Tries To Get Old Job Back

"Charlie said he took that position for political expediency," Scott said in the debate. "So, my concern today is, what positions has he taken today for political expediency?"

It's a charge that fires up Republicans — many of whom feel betrayed by Crist's switch in political parties. But it's also aimed at independent voters who may wonder, after his political transformation, what exactly Charlie Crist stands for.

Crist's campaign, for its part, hopes to win over independents, but is putting much of its focus on getting Democrats out to vote.

Crist is one of the few Democrats running this election not distancing himself from President Obama; first lady Michelle Obama will be campaigning for him in Florida later this week.

2014 governors races

Midterm elections

Rick Scott

Democrats

Florida

Charlie Crist

Republicans

Third-party candidates are often written off as long shots or unrealistic. But this November, observers are expecting them to do better than usual.

Polls show voters are tired of both parties. As NPR's Tamara Keith reports, that could be creating an opening for third-party candidates in statewide elections.

Politics

Pizza Man Delivers Third Party Option

Richard Winger, editor of Ballot Access News, says Libertarians have been slowly gaining steam at the state level, but he's now predicting record-breaking vote counts for statewide, top-office candidates this midterm season.

With many candidates pulling 5 to 15 percent in the polls and so many close races this election, the major-party campaigns have more than a few reasons to worry.

Here are some of the independent candidates poised to affect the November race:

Greg Orman

Occupation: entrepreneur

Candidate for: U.S. Senate, Kansas

i i

Independent candidate Greg Orman debates at the Kansas State Fair. Don Gonyea/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Don Gonyea/NPR

Independent candidate Greg Orman debates at the Kansas State Fair.

Don Gonyea/NPR

"We're sending the worst of both parties [to Washington]. Bitter partisans who care more about pleasing extremists than they do solving problems. I've tried both parties and, like lots of Kansans, I've been disappointed. That's why I'm running for the U.S. Senate as an independent." (Source: Kansas State Fair)

Sean Haugh

Occupation: pizza deliveryman

Candidate for: U.S. Senate, North Carolina

"I started out thinking, 'If I get any more votes than just my own, hey, bonus ...' But now I really feel like the views I am putting out there to stop all war and stop spending more money than we have are really resonating across the political spectrum." (Source: NPR)

David Patterson

Occupation: peace officer

Candidate for: U.S. Senate, Kentucky

"Like you, I am not a politician. However, I have reached a point where I can no longer remain silent. Our career politicians have failed us. Our government has overstepped it's bounds and has compromised our way of life. It's now time for us, the regular people of Kentucky, to stand up and demand that our elected representatives actually listen to us — the people they are supposed to represent." (Source: David4Senate.com)

Mark Fish

Occupation: military technician

Candidate for: U.S. Senate, Alaska

"Alaskans deserve an alternative choice, one that can change the status quo and move us toward a freer, safer and more prosperous society. I believe my life in Alaska and voice I add to the debate offers Alaskans that choice." (Source: Alaska Dispatch)

Amanda Swafford

Occupation: paralegal

Candidate for: U.S. Senate, Georgia

"I believe electing someone to the Senate like me, who knows what it's like to work a job, have a boss, and make ends meet on a regular budget, would bring a valuable perspective to the Senate." (Source: TIME)

Bill Walker

Occupation: attorney

Candidate for: governor, Alaska

"I'm so absolutely convinced that the only way that Alaska's going to commercialize our gas is for the state of Alaska to take control and to be the owner of the gas pipeline. Built by the private sector, people who are already here, and operated by Alaskans.

"It's time for Alaskans to act like Alaskans, and look back at what got us statehood, what got us the trans-Alaska oil pipeline, how hard Alaska's worked for that. It's time we continue that on through the gas pipeline project, and that we do it now on our timeframe, on our terms, for the future of our children and our grandchildren." (Source: WalkerMallottforAlaska.com)

Robert Sarvis

Occupation: entrepreneur, software engineer, lawyer

Candidate for: U.S. Senate, Virginia

"This is your opportunity to vote against the status quo in Washington ... Libertarians stand for an open society, open-minded and open for business and we want to make sure that people understand this. It's economic freedom and personal liberty. I don't want the government telling me how to live my life, and I don't want to tell you how to live yours.

"It's not going to be a contested race between them, so you might as well register a really strong protest vote against Washington ... Vote for me. Get the Libertarian party major party status, improve Virginia politics. If you don't do that, then I think you're throwing your vote away." (Source: WDBJ)

Adrian Wyllie

Occupation: IT consultant

Candidate for: governor, Florida

"If you actually want to change the government, people have to change the way they vote ... No vote of conscience is a wasted vote, ever.

"I'm a middle-class guy. I face the same problems that Floridians are facing. I'm not living in an ivory castle like Rick Scott and Charlie Crist." (Source: Miami Herald)

Joe Visconti

Occupation: builder

Candidate for: governor, Connecticut

"At the end of the day I am a builder. I deliver a product. ... We are bleeding with waste and I believe most people in government know it, they just don't know how to address it." (Source: CT Mirror)

Florida is home to the most expensive race in the country this midterm election — one of the nation's closest and nastiest gubernatorial contests.

incumbent Republican governor Rick Scott is facing former Florida governor Charlie Crist, a Democrat. Both candidates are well-known, both are prolific fundraisers and outside groups are pouring millions of dollars into the race. It's all combined to make it one of the nation's closest and nastiest gubernatorial races.

On paper, Scott has a lot going for him. He's an incumbent, with nearly unlimited money, in a state that's finally in economic recovery. But after four years of chronically low approval ratings, his bid for re-election is turning out to be anything but easy.

Politics

Gov. Scott, Ex-CEO, Aims To Run Fla. Like A Business

Florida is a state almost evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats. Republicans control the legislature and all the top state offices, but in the last two Presidential elections, Barack Obama mobilized Democrats and carried the state.

And Crist, the Democratic candidate for governor, is hoping to replicate that in this election.

At a campaign stop in a Miami suburb recently, Crist met with Marcela Parra, a college student upset about recent cuts in Florida's "Bright Futures" scholarship program.

"Four years ago, you would have qualified for a Bright Futures scholarship, back when I was governor, essentially," he says, as she agrees. "Now with Rick Scott and a change in policy, you don't qualify anymore."

Charlie Crist is the challenger in the race, but to Floridians, he's a familiar face. He was a Republican when he served as governor. But a lot has changed since then. He ran unsuccessfully for the Senate, first as a Republican, and then as an independent. Now, Crist is a Democrat, running for a seat he left behind just four years ago.

YouTube

It's a remarkable political transformation — one the Scott campaign lampoons in TV ads. One ad shows Crist announcing his various campaigns: as a Republican, an independent and then a Democrat. "Flippin' unbelievable," says the voiceover.

Crist often paraphrases Ronald Reagan, saying, "I didn't leave the Republican party. It left me." And he quotes another Republican popular in Florida.

"Jeb Bush said it better than I could ever say it. He said, 'Today's Republican Party appears to be anti-women, anti-minority, anti-gay, anti-immigrant, anti-education, anti-environment — the list goes on,' " he's said.

Crist is being outspent by Scott in the race, but has mounted his own relentless barrage of attack ads. Many hark back to Scott's tenure as head of Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corp., a hospital chain hit with what at the time was the nation's largest-ever fine for Medicare fraud.

YouTube

"Taxpayers and seniors got cheated," says the voiceover on one Crist ad. "But Rick Scott walked away with millions."

They're charges that were leveled against Scott when he first ran for governor. Scott overcame them in that race and is working to do so again, by turning them around and attacking Crist.

"In 2010, the Democrats attacked me. And I said, when I ran a company, I will take responsibility for the actions while I was the CEO," Scott said during the debate. "In contrast, Charlie's never taken responsibility for anything."

Susan MacManus, a professor of political science at the University of South Florida, says after months of wall-to-wall negative ads, many voters are dazed and confused.

"If you're a person who doesn't really follow politics 24/7, you're having a very difficult time figuring which of these is telling the truth," MacManus says. "We have had more negative ads, longer. It's been almost non-stop."

Last week, in their first debate, Scott and Crist laid out their positions on a series of issues. On many there's a stark difference.

On the five-decade long Cuba embargo — a perennial Florida issue — Scott supports it. Crist wants to lift it. On gay marriage, Crist is for it. Scott opposes it and reminded debate viewers not so long ago, Crist did also. Crist supported a state ban on same-sex marriage but later said that position was a mistake.

It's All Politics

Now A Democrat, Ex-Florida Gov. Crist Tries To Get Old Job Back

"Charlie said he took that position for political expediency," Scott said in the debate. "So, my concern today is, what positions has he taken today for political expediency?"

It's a charge that fires up Republicans — many of whom feel betrayed by Crist's switch in political parties. But it's also aimed at independent voters who may wonder, after his political transformation, what exactly Charlie Crist stands for.

Crist's campaign, for its part, hopes to win over independents, but is putting much of its focus on getting Democrats out to vote.

Crist is one of the few Democrats running this election not distancing himself from President Obama; first lady Michelle Obama will be campaigning for him in Florida later this week.

2014 governors races

Midterm elections

Rick Scott

Democrats

Florida

Charlie Crist

Republicans

Listening to Sen. Mary Landrieu's opponents, you might think President Obama was up for re-election. Tuesday night in Shreveport, the three candidates faced off in a debate for the first time.

Democrat Landrieu is waging hard-fought battle for re-election in a race that could help decide which party has control of the U.S. Senate. Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy and a tea party candidate, Rob Maness, are her main challengers in Louisiana's open primary on November 4th.

At the debate, whether the question was about fighting terrorism or curtailing student debt, Cassidy managed to tie Landrieu to the nation's top Democrat and her vote for his signature health care plan.

"We need a better economy than the Obama and the Obamacare economy. Sen. Landrieu, when she voted for Obamacare...in essence put a wet blanket over that economy," he said.

Cassidy is a physician from Baton Rouge, and is Landrieu's top challenger. He wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which he claims is costing consumers. "Clearly this is the unaffordable health care act," he said.

Landrieu defends her vote for the law, but says it needs some tweaks. The three-term incumbent Democrat would rather talk about positions that distinguish her from the president. Her support for the Keystone pipeline, and expanding domestic energy production, for instance – popular positions in a state where the oil and gas industry dominates.

Landrieu, chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, wants to make the race more about how her seniority can help the state.

"While President Obama is not on the ballot, the future of Louisiana is, and electing a senator that can get the job done when it comes to energy, building a middle class in our country and in Louisiana. Using my influence and my clout, which is really the people's influence and the people's clout in Louisiana," she said.

But retired Air Force Col. Rob Maness, the tea party-backed Republican in the race, calls that the "incumbent protection racket."

"You know what Senator Landrieu?" he said. "The president's policies are on the ballot and they're in your person. And we talked about energy jobs a moment ago. They're hurting energy jobs."

Maness positions himself as the true conservative in the race and has picked up the support of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

The Republican establishment is behind Cassidy. Arizona Sen. John McCain campaigned across Louisiana earlier this week, saying the Senate needs a doctor like Cassidy to help fix the broken VA.

McCain asked veterans to go on another mission "by sending Bill Cassidy to the United States Senate."

Louisiana's open primary system puts all candidates, regardless of party, on the ballot together. If no one gets a majority, the race is decided in a December runoff between the top two finishers. Most observers don't see how Landrieu can pull enough support to avoid the runoff — and a head-to-head match with a Republican candidate.

"Mary Landrieu, I would say, is in trouble," says Stephanie Grace, political columnist for the Advocate newspaper. "Not really for anything she did, for really being a Democrat in the Deep South. And that in this current environment which is very hostile to Democrats in the Deep South and President Obama."

Louisiana is a much redder state than it was when Landrieu was first elected to the Senate in 1996. She still has strong support in Democratic pockets like New Orleans, where her brother is mayor and her father once held the job. But elsewhere, she has to make the case.

On Wednesday, she stopped in Lafayette, the heart of the state's oil and gas corridor, to rally a big part of her base – women.

The message she wants them to spread is that she now holds the gavel at the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

"We can write the bill, we can write the energy policy. And I have an opponent that says he wants to get to the Senate. He doesn't get this chairmanship. He'd have to stay there 18 years."

Mary Doucet of Opelousas was among the more than 400 women who turned out for today's luncheon. She says Landrieu's committee chairmanship is important. "Louisiana has been noted for a lot of natural resources so that's a plus for Louisiana. So why would you want to put somebody new there?" she asks.

Republican Cassidy counters that argument by saying Landrieu's chairmanship would be a moot point if the GOP gains control of the Senate.