Just coming back in here and making this last minute update to my U.S. Senate map, because I don't believe that the nytimes.com blog, FiveThirtyEight has either the Montana or North Dakota U.S. Senate elections quite right in terms of predictions.

I decided to review some of the most current polling #'s in those two states and although the usual reliable Rasmussen has both Tester, D. and Heitkamp, D. down I notice that they use a much smaller sampling then most other polls. For example in Montana, the Public Policy Research group that has Tester, D. ahead of Rehberg, R. in a poll conducted the most recent of all polls November 2 - 3, they use 836 participants and with a 3.4% sampling accuracy rate as compared to Rasmussen using only less than 650 participants and with an accuracy rate of 4.0% sampling accuracy which is much worse and much less reliable. The same is true in North Dakota between the Pharos Research polling that has had Heitkamp, D. ahead of Berg, R. in North Dakota well the less reliable Mason-Dixon has not.

Therefore with that in mind, and I feel, YES, there will be some split ticket voting for President, U.S. Senate and Governor just like there will be in Missouri, Nevada and North Carolina in different set-ups of split ticket voting I will rate the following outcomes in the Montana and North Dakota U.S. Senate races:

Montana (based on the recent four polls with more participants that have Tester, D. ahead by a small margin):

Jon Tester, D. 48.75%
Denny Rehberg, R. 47. %
Dan Cox, L. 4.25%

Which will mean Libertarian Cox will siphon votes from both Tester and Rehberg, but much more from the latter challengers than the former incumbent. This will also benefit state Senator Kim Gillan in her winning the At-Large seat that Rehberg is vacating.

North Dakota (based on the last two more reliable and more substantial sampling Pharos Research polls which has had Heitkamp, D. barely ahead but above 50%):

Heidi Heitkamp, D. 50.75%
Rick Berg, R. 49.25%

This will also mean I'm going to change back to that former state Representative Pam Gulleson, D. defeats state Public Service Commissioner Kevin Cramer, R. in the election to replace Berg, R. in the At-Large U.S. House seat as that is a 3 person race.

I'm still going with the FiveThirtyEight blog in that Berkley, D. will lose to incumbent Heller, R. in Nevada but by a smaller margin then is being predicted currently and going into this election day.

Therefore I'm standing by my assessment that this election day will be thought of as the "Year of the Woman II" despite the loss by Berkley in Nevada as Democrat Heitkamp, D. joins Warren, D. in Massachusetts and Baldwin, D. in Wisconsin and Fischer, R. in Nebraska along with the other 6 Democratic women re-elected today and with the U.S. Senate reaching to a record 20 women members with 16 D 4 R women.

Just wanted to readjust my U.S. Senate map, as I did my Presidential map after reading the Election Forecasts on nytimes.com's FiveThirty Eight blog that ended up being the most reliable blog back in 2008 the Sunday before that election.

Have come back with that thought from that site, that Republican Linda McMahon does not become part of Year of the Woman II and loses to Congressman Chris Murphy in Connecticut.
And Carmona is defeated in Arizona by Congressman Jeff Flake for the seat of Jon Kyl. And in Montana, Jon Tester becomes the only Democratic incumbent who loses on November 6th to Congressman Denny Rehberg.

I'm going against the aforementioned blog in feeling that Congress member Shelley Berkley still defeats Republican incumbent Dean Heller (with a stronger than expected showing by Obama in Nevada) and that Democrat Heidi Heitkamp survives a Romney win in North Dakota in defeating Republican Congressman Rick Berg in defending retiring Democratic U.S. Senator Kent Conrad's seat to both be a part of Year of the Woman II.

Again, as with Presidential prediction map, the map I'm taking into election day with the feeling I have that this will be a much better election day, on November 6th, altogether for the Democratic party than what was predicted just a few weeks ago -- not only a few months ago. Just have gut feeling that former Democratic U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey has closed the gap with Republican state Senator Deb Fisher in Nebraska but it just won't be enough as just enough women join with the tea party crowd in the Cornhusker state to get Fisher the ever so slight lead to be the next U.S. Senator there. Claire McCaskill in Missouri (as well as Joe Donnelly in Indiana also survive despite wins by Romney in their states. Heitkamp, Berkeley, Fisher and McCaskill join three other winning Democratic women in being part of Year of the Woman II (Hirono in Hawaii, Warren in Massachusetts, and Baldwin in Wisconsin) in the Year of the Woman II as new U.S. Senators. Women will make up in the U.S. Senate for the first time OVER 20 members of that body, in 2013, for 17 D 4 R or 21 altogether.

I'm still thinking that Jon Tester will keep his seat in Montana, and that Heidi Heitkamp keeps the seat in North Dakota (supposed internal polls by both her campaign and Rick Berg's campaign are showing Heitkamp ahead and among the crucial independents in the state of North Dakota.)

I do feel that there will be a lot of split-ticket voting in both directions.

I've heard good things for Richard Carmona in Arizona, as well.

I had to turn Nebraska back over to the GOP. Deb Fisher is doing better against former Senator Kerry then I thought she would.

And I'm still thinking Linda McMahon, in Connecticut, is the other new woman GOP member.

And I would say that the Tea Party still has a lot to crow about with wins in Indiana, Nebraska and Texas, despite the loos of Romney.

But this may very well maybe remembered as "Year of the Woman II", with six women (4 Democrats 2 Republicans) more then helping to balance out the loss of two Republican women (in Maine and Texas, respectively) due to retirments.

Women in the U.S. Senate in 2013 will be at the #20 for the first time, with 16 Democratic women and 4 Republican women in the U.S. Senate this upcoming January.

This is based upon my reading of polls, at this time, but also some gut instincts.

It's interesting that this late in an election year, there are as many tossups for the U.S. Senate races as there are this year.

I really feel that Governor Mitt Romney might not have only hurt himself but also his party nominees for the U.S. Senate with that awful, "Binders of women" quote at that last debate especially in states where Democratic women are running (both incumbents, challengers and for open seats.)

Right now, though, in terms of a challenger (in either party) challenging an incumbent, the only one I think and feel is NEARLY sure bet is Elizabeth Warren in Massachusetts. I have a feeling Scott Brown's campaign is probably really angry at Mitt Romney, as well as Todd Akin in Missouri.

I feel the rest of the states, in terms of open seats and challengers to incumbents are exactly where I would expect them to be, except for perhaps in Arizona, Connecticut, North Dakota and Tennessee.