Republican Susan Collins has spent a lot of time, effort, and money to create an image for herself as a moderate, independent voice in the Senate. Of course, her record is anything but moderate, and her consultant-crafted image crumbles whenever Mainers take even a quick look at what she’s done in Washington.

Check out this video from our Road to Victory series, where Mainers confront the difference between Collins’ image and her record’s reality.

For more on the Maine Senate race, see our race profile page, or visit Tom Allen’s website.

You may have heard over the weekend that Republican Senator John McCain and his wife had some trouble with one of their homes. After having missed tax payments for several years, the beachfront condo was inches away from default. But McCain isn’t the only Senate Republican in a housing crisis.

Following an article in the National Journal, Minnesota Republican Norm Coleman has come under scrutiny for a sweetheart deal he got on his Capitol Hill apartment. Not only is he paying a mere $600 a month in rent to a prominent political operative, but he’s apparently allowed to miss payments every now and again, with no penalty.

Earlier this month, after National Journal questioned Coleman and [St. Paul political consultant Jeff] Larson about the living arrangement, the senator said he discovered that his rent for last November and January had not been paid. In mid-June, Coleman covered the back rent with a personal check for $1,200 made out to Larson and signed by the senator's wife. Last year, Coleman sold furniture to Larson to cover one month's rent, according to Larson. And Larson held on to yet another month's rent check for three months, cashing it a few days after NJ's inquiries.

If only all DC landlords were so generous and forgiving.

But Jeff Larson’s no ordinary landlord. Larson’s company has done over $1.5 million in business with Coleman’s campaigns, and Coleman employed Larson’s wife in his St. Paul office. Minnesota Democrats are calling on Coleman to answer questions about his lease agreement and his unusually close relationship with Larson.

Here are a few news articles with more information on this story:

• Friendly Dealings, National Journal
• Sen. Coleman accused of ethics lapse for D.C. housing arrangement, Pioneer Press
• Watchdog seeks Coleman probe, National Journal
• Watchdog group files ethics charge against Coleman, Associated Press
• Group urges Coleman rent deal inquiry, Star Tribune

On a more personal note, we encourage Senator Coleman to send us any tips he might have on how to find such an amazing deal in DC’s expensive rental market. We’d love to find a one-bedroom for that price. And perhaps when Norm finds himself unemployed next January, there’s a second career as a real estate agent waiting for him here in the District.

For more on the Minnesota Senate race, see our race profile page, or visit Al Franken's website.

Bruce Lunsford has been a Kentucky business leader for more than 20 years. As a business leader, Bruce learned the importance of listening to his employees, his customers, his critics, and anyone who had an opinion on how things should be done. As a U.S. Senate candidate, he’s been applying that same philosophy on his latest campaign tour, spending time at gas stations around the state, listening to Kentuckians’ concerns about everything from health care to gas prices. 

Growing up on a Kenton County farm, Bruce learned not only farming skills, but a strong work ethic and a sense of dedication to his community. When he enrolled at UK in 1965, he quickly became a campus leader, working as an intramural adviser. He worked his way through college, then earned a law degree, became a Certified Public Accountant, and joined the National Guard.

During his recent campaign tour, Lunsford has talked about the need to break Washington’s gridlock in order to help working families with rising costs and health care access. As a Kentuckian, he’s angry that Kentucky Republican Mitch McConnell (Lunsford’s opponent in November) is chiefly responsible for the Senate’s inaction on many important issues:

“Mitch has probably done more to obstruct progress in the Senate than any other senator. He has used his power much more to stop things than he has to make things happen,” Lunsford said during a visit at the Calloway County Courthouse.

“When you get someone in that position you can have a dream that things can happen. Like a dream that health care can get better; what I call ‘dreammaker ideas.' But he's really a dream breaker who steps in the way and stops things from happening whether it's children's health care or health care for everyone.”

For more on the Kentucky Senate race, see our race profile page, or visit Bruce Lunsford’s website.

There are plenty of reasons why “Big Bad John” Cornyn doesn’t want Texans to think about his record this November. Last week, we saw yet another example as Cornyn voted to jeopardize Texans’ access to Medicare.

But Texans noticed Cornyn’s shameful vote. As the Dallas Morning News reported:

The main political arm of Texas physicians today withdrew its endorsement of U.S. Sen. John Cornyn for re-election.

Texas Medical Association spokesman Steve Levine said its 43,000 doctors and medical students are furious because Mr. Cornyn voted Thursday night to block Senate consideration of a House-passed bill to stave off 10.6 percent cuts in doctors’ Medicare fees.

Many senior citizens and working families in Texas rely on Medicare, and John Cornyn showed them his back with this vote.

See our race profile page for more on the Texas Senate race, or visit Rick Noriega’s website.

For another look at Republican John Cornyn's noteworthy video, "Big John," check out the latest from Rick Noriega: