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By Alexander Burns (@aburnspolitico, aburns@politico.com)


FIRST IN SCORE - ARMED AND DANGEROUS: Texas Gov. Rick Perry is about to take another hard hit from the Democratic group Lone Star First, over his past support for mandatory HPV vaccinations of middle school-age girls. The DGA-backed organization is going up with an ad in the Dallas area that opens with an image a narrator identifies as "the arm of an 11-year-old girl." "Now, imagine a governor who wanted to take a needle, fill it with a controversial drug for sexually transmitted diseases, and inject it in every 11- and 12-year old girl in Texas," the narrator continues. "That's what Gov. Perry and his drug company friends wanted him to do."


MORE - WHY IT MATTERS: The commercial is a piercingly negative attack against Perry on a subject that's given him trouble with his own base in the past. And it's a vote of confidence from national Democrats in former Houston Mayor Bill White's campaign, even as he trails in the polls three weeks before Election Day. The DGA-supported commercial ends with the girl looking into the camera, a frightened expression on her face, and the narrator intoning: "On this issue, we've got one thing to say: Not our daughters, and not in our Texas." Watch the spot here: http://bit.ly/9DnXG9


SNEAK PEEK - THESE SHOES ARE MADE FOR WALKIN' - The American Action Network is staying on target against Washington Sen. Patty Murray, airing a new ad today that continues to use the Democrat's "mom in tennis shoes" profile against her. Produced by Republican ad guru Fred Davis, the spot shows three people - a man, a young woman and a boy - lying on their stomachs in a field, as someone clad in exercise shoes walks over their backs, one by one. "This November, Murray promises to vote for a huge tax hike on small businesses," the ad warns. "Tell Senator Murray 'ouch' - we can't afford more tax hikes." Republicans remain confident that Murray is vulnerable to a barrage of new spending, even though her numbers ticked up last month against challenger Dino Rossi. Watch it here: http://bit.ly/czp2S9


As Martha Roby raises, Suzan DelBene closes and Sarah Palin goes West (Virginia) to the future, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily cheat sheet for the 2010 midterm elections.


WISCONSIN EXCLUSIVE I - THE JOHNSON TREATMENT: Republican Senate candidate Ron Johnson, under attack from Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold for his views on outsourcing and health care, has cut a new ad that describes his decision to run for Senate in down-to-earth terms. "I work hard and I make a good living, have a great family. And I've been blessed in an awful lot of ways," Johnson says to the camera, describing his personal wealth in a sympathetic way. "I kept watching what was going on in Washington," he continues. "I had to make a choice: Let it be somebody else's problem, or get off my rear end and do something about it?" Johnson and Feingold debated for the second time on Monday night. Watch the ad here: http://bit.ly/bMlAGb And read about the bigger picture on this race from POLITICO's Jim VandeHei: http://politi.co/9ZoSFU


WISCONSIN EXCLUSIVE II - OBJECTS IN MIRROR ... Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett has pulled into a tie with Republican Scott Walker in the Wisconsin governor's race, according to a poll taken by the Democratic firm Fairbank Maslin. The survey - a tracking poll for Barrett's campaign - shows Barrett and Walker locked at 47 percent of the vote, when leaners are included. Without leaners, Barrett's at 39 percent to Walker's 41 percent. Pollster Paul Maslin calls Barrett's uptick a sign that Democratic voters are finally getting engaged with the race: "Clearly one of the chief reasons for the tied race is growing enthusiasm among Democrats ... [T]here is virtually no difference in candidate support and party identification among those most interested in the election." The poll tested 600 likely voters from Oct. 5-7, the week after President Barack Obama held a huge rally in Madison. Read Maslin's full memo: http://politi.co/dkJW85


** A message from the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities: We agree with President Obama's goal of retaking the world lead in college graduation rates by 2020. America's private sector schools stand ready to do our part. Visit http://myeducationchoice.org today.HOUSE RACE PREVIEW- DEAL THEM OUT: The EMILY's List independent expenditure group Women Vote! is putting half a million dollars behind an ad campaign slamming Republican House hopeful Tom Ganley as "a bad deal for Ohio." The group mimics the ads for Ganley's local car dealership, and its commercial blares: "Used car salesman Tom Ganley's got a brand-new deal: He's running for Congress!" "But Ganley's been sued over 400 times - for fraud, discrimination, even lying to customers," the narrator continues. "If Ganley gets to Washington, he's promised another deal: He's pledged to support tax loopholes that encourage companies to ship American jobs overseas." This is a big buy on broadcast television, designed to shore up incumbent Rep. Betty Sutton in a Democratic-leaning district where the GOP tide and Ganley's self-funding have given her a surprise challenge. Watch the ad here: http://bit.ly/cAsb2t


HOUSE RACE PREVIEW II - ROBY'S TAKE: Alabama House candidate Martha Roby raised $360,000 in the last quarter of 2010, leaving her with $300,000 in the bank for the last month of her campaign to unseat Democratic Rep. Bobby Bright. That's an improved performance for a candidate who's struggled with fundraising (it's $150,000 above her previous quarterly best) and who appears to be narrowing Bright's advantage in the polls. Roby released a new ad Monday outflanking the conservative Bright on health care. "I'll vote to repeal and replace this law and my first vote will take away the gavel from Nancy Pelosi," she pledges in the spot. http://bit.ly/cS7AMX


THE BIGGER 2010 PICTURE - "Republicans challenge Democrats once seen as 'safe'" - From the New York Times: "As Republicans made new investments in at least 10 races across the country ... Democratic leaders took steps to pull out of some races entirely or significantly cut their financial commitment in several districts that the party won in the last two election cycles. Representatives Steve Driehaus of Ohio, Suzanne M. Kosmas of Florida and Kathy Dahlkemper of Pennsylvania were among the Democrats who learned that they would no longer receive the same infusion of television advertising that party leaders had promised. Party strategists conceded that these races and several others were slipping out of reach. ... [The DCCC] has increased its spending on two New York races, along with at-risk seats in Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky and Massachusetts." http://nyti.ms/aAcy2j


2012 TALKER - JMART SCOOPS: "Sarah Palin said in an interview last week that she would not likely run for president if voters indicate they'd prefer a more traditional candidate. 'It isn't my call - it is the people of America whether they would be ready for someone a bit unconventional, out of the box,' Palin told the conservative news magazine Newsmax. 'You know - being used to taking on the establishment. Taking on both side of the aisle. Or if they want someone a little more conventional maybe more electable - and that's who they would support.' ... In an interview with the conservative magazine Newsmax, excerpts of which were obtained by POLITICO, the former Alaska governor also used some provocative language to describe what may happen if Iran obtains nuclear weapons. ... 'It could lead to Armageddon. It would lead to that World War III that could decimate so much of this planet.'" http://politi.co/czk1l9


PLUS - MOUNTAIN MAMA GRIZZLY: Palin gave her seal of approval to nine more GOP candidates Monday, including West Virginia Senate candidate John Raese and Michigan physician Dan Benishek, who's running for the seat of retiring Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak. In her endorsement of Raese, Palin echoed the Republican's campaign slogan: "The last thing Washington, DC needs is another rubber-stamp vote for President Obama and the liberal agenda." http://on.fb.me/b8wWnw


CAMPAIGN CLICK - HAPPY ANNIVERSARY: The Minnesota GOP plans to release a video today marking the sixth anniversary of then-Sen. Mark Dayton's 2004 decision to close his Capitol Hill office for security reasons. "I'm trying to figure out what frequency the senator's on," former Washington Mayor Anthony Williams says in one archival clip. http://bit.ly/bh48GZ ... Illinois Rep. Mark Kirk will drop a damaging montage of reactions to Democratic Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias's Sunday debate performance, when he said he didn't know "the extent" of criminal activity among Broadway Bank loan recipients. "I have a problem with the answer," says Mika Brzezsinki. http://bit.ly/bwPKJv


SHOTS FIRED - LIKE IT'S 1998: Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul slammed former President Bill Clinton over the Monica Lewinsky scandal Monday, as Clinton campaigned for Democratic state Attorney General Jack Conway. The Herald-Leader reports: "'I'm not sure I would trust a guy who had had sexual relations with an intern. I mean, do you think he's an honorable person?' Paul said at a campaign stop in Shelbyville. 'I think that's disgusting. It gets to the point where we discount what he says,' said Paul, who was referring to Clinton's liaison with White House intern Monica Lewinsky." http://bit.ly/cQVDLc


ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ... About where President Obama helps and where he doesn't - from yesterday's Miami-Dade pool report: "Upon exiting the plane, POTUS was greeted by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Democratic Senate candidate Kendrick Meek and a group of nearly two dozen others. A kiss on the cheek for Wasserman Schultz and a handshake for Meek. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink was not present."


PLUS - STAR SEARCH: The president issued a written endorsement for San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris this week, boosting her bid to become the next attorney general of California. "She is someone who understands the needs of all Americans, and I need allies like that fighting for change across the country," Obama said, according to the Sacramento Bee. Harris, a 45-year-old woman of black and South Asian descent, is viewed by Democrats as a major talent. She was four points back from Republican Steve Cooley in the last Field Poll. http://bit.ly/9ksr0Y


FIGHT NIGHT IN CALIFORNIA - PITNEY'S ADVICE - Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown will face off in their last debate tonight, meeting up at Dominican University for a clash moderated by Tom Brokaw. Claremont McKenna professor and master California pundit Jack Pitney set the bar thusly: "Every day that she is talking about the housekeeper issue is a day that she is not talking about the economy. ... He needs to talk about traditional Democratic concerns such as the environment and protection of the less fortunate.'" http://bit.ly/a56CEB


SPEAKING OF - CALL GLORIA ALLRED - "Gubernatorial candidate denies employing illegal immigrant" - From Las Vegas's 8 News Now: "A Reno woman is coming forward claiming she was an illegal immigrant when she worked as a housekeeper in Brian Sandoval's home. The Guatemalan immigrant says Sandoval never asked for her work permit when she worked for the Republican gubernatorial candidate 13 years ago. The Sandoval campaign denies ever knowing Reno resident Anna Padilla." More on that here: http://bit.ly/91tdTo


JOE HECK, BELLWETHER: The former Nevada state senator challenging Democratic Rep. Dina Titus hasn't decided who he'll support in his state's Senate race. Slate's John Dickerson went on the road with Heck, a Republican doctor, and reports that he told a voter: "I'm waiting to see all of the evidence before I make my choice." Dickerson explains why: "The district can't be won with Republicans alone. ... [I]t is a quintessential tossup area, filled with the kind of suburban voters and senior citizens Republicans will need to win if they're going to take back Congress. ... Even in a wave election, in which Republicans are more enthusiastic than Democrats and benefit from a bad economy, it is a district where the middle still matters. That's why Heck is being coy at the 7-Eleven." http://slate.me/aU3lrX


POLL OF THE DAY - SLEEPER ALERT: Washington Rep. Dave Reichert is in trouble, according to a PPP survey commissioned by the website Daily Kos. The Republican currently takes 49 percent of the vote to Democratic challenger Suzan DelBene's 46 percent, in the most recent of several polls to show a tightening race. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer puts the numbers in context: "DelBene has pounded Reichert with a series of ads highlighting his vote in the House against financial reform legislation. Reichert has only recently gone up on TV, although the National Association of Realtors has run spots boosting his reelection. Reichert has survived three tough reelection races, winning each time with a tough message delivered late in the campaign." http://bit.ly/9ii4sQ


CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I'll vote for whoever Ted Nugent tells me to vote for." - Arkansas voter John Miller, to POLITICO's Manu Raju http://politi.co/bG8gUS


** A message from the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities: We agree with President Obama's goal of retaking the world lead in college graduation rates by 2020. America's private sector colleges and universities stand ready to do our part. The millions of students in our schools deserve the same resources and encouragement as those students in other higher education institutions. The sooner collaborative work among all sectors begins, the sooner the dreams of hopeful students can become realities, and our country can meet the demands of the 21st century. Visit http://myeducationchoice.org and tell Congress, "It's my education. My job. My choice."

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