• Kerry says Bush is disconnected from average American and reality; infuses stump speech with populist rhetoric, pointed criticisms of Bush. Bush sticks to big-government liberal attack line. Bush: "I feel great about where we are." [WP, LAT, LAT, BG]
• Cheneys denounce Kerry's reference to their gay daughter. Cheney: "You saw a man who will say and do anything in order to get elected. And I am not speaking just as a father here, though I am a pretty angry father. But I'm also speaking as a citizen." Kerry: "I was trying to say something positive about the way strong families deal with this issue." Bauer: "I think it is part of a strategy to suppress traditional-values voters, to knock 1 or 2 percent off in some rural areas by causing people to turn on the president." [WP, NYT, LAT, BG]
• Battlefield down to ten states, with focus on Ohio and Florida. Bush shifts away from Michigan, New Hampshire; Kerry steps away from West Virginia, Arizona, Missouri. Bush to visit New Jersey. [WSJ]
• Kerry may have benefited from low expectations created by deluge of attacks from BC04. DLCer: "You would have expected a hybrid of Jane Fonda and Ted Kennedy would walk on stage." [WP]
• Bush chats with press in back of Air Force One, for first time since 9/11. A sign of nervousness? Gingrich: "We don't understand this election. No one does." [LAT]
• Evangelical leaders launch final push to rally churchgoers for Bush; 50m white evangelical Protestants poll for Bush 4 to 1. [WP]
• DOJ "lacks a clear plan" for inundation of complaints over voting, investigation finds; complaints already under way at state level. [WP, USAT]
• Strong ratings for debates prove real interest among viewers; 51.2m for third debate. [WSJ, USAT, NYT, LAT]
• Democrats scared of Nader. Pollster: "Nader is taking less out of Kerry now, so the leftover Nader vote is more conservative." [NYT]
• Kean asks Bush to lobby Congress to reform intelligence community. [NYT]
• FCC will not halt Sinclair from airing anti-Kerry film. [WSJ, LAT]
• Bush returns to choreographed events. [WP]
• Both sides have fair argument on whether Americans are better off compared to 2000. [NYT]
• At debates, Bush lost points on body language. [USAT]
• Debates offer undecideds chance to gut-check. [WP]
• In Oregon, candidates battle over plan for forests; unemployment, at 7.4%, is nation's second highest. [WP]
• Tampa Bay used as portal to understand voters in Florida. [LAT]
• Gay marriage on ballot in 11 states. [USAT]
• American Muslims urged to vote during Ramadan. [LAT]
• If Trump were the moderator. . . [LAT]
