The Rundown, 10/3

It's Election Day 2009! It seems like yesterday that America elected Barack Obama its 44th president, and now here we are, back voting again on gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia, plus a much-anticipated special election in New York's 23rd district, and an anti-gay-marriage ballot initiative in Maine.

If Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman wins in New York, all you-know-what will break loose as conservatives everywhere jump for joy. So stay tuned to Atlantic Politics for news and analysis on that and the other races, so you know whether to avoid the streets for fear of exuberant tea partiers.



Despite his role as campaigner-in-chief for the last few weeks, President Obama will have a day of international business, as the European Union delegation is in town. In the morning, he'll meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. He'll host meetings with other EU delegates in the afternoon, along with his vice president and former Foreign Affairs Committee boss, Joe Biden.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, meanwhile will try to smooth out Middle East politics in Marrakesh, Morocco during the second day of a forum with Arab ministers.

The Senate Environment and Public Works committee will mark up clean energy legislation, the House Financial Services Committee will mark up investor protection legislation, and House Republicans, getting ready to release their own health care bill, will set up a "reading room" in the Longworth House Office Building where people can read the Democrats' health care proposal with policy aides there to guide them through it with unwaveringly impartial interpretations.