Political Wire has some new polls up today that you should take a look at. It looks good for Democrats.

Democrats Winning Key Races
A series of Reuters/Zogby tracking polls shows very good news for Democrats. Of those races surveyed, Democrats hold leads in races for 11 out of 15 key Republican-held House seats.

Highlights:

* In IL-6, Tammy Duckworth (D) edges Peter Roskar (R), 43% to 38%, in the race to replace retiring Rep. Henry Hyde(R-IL).

* In OH-18, Zack Space (D) leads Joy Padgett (R), 45% to 36%, in the race to replace Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH).

* In CT-4, Diane Farrell is beating Rep. Christopher Shays (R-CT), 46% to 41%.

* In CO-7, Ed Perlmutter (D) leads Rick O’Donnell (R), 45% to 34%, to replace Rep. Bob Beauprez (R-CO), who is running for governor of Colorado.

* In IN-9, Baron Hill (D) is beating Rep. Mike Sodrel (R-IN), 46% to 38%.

* In IN-2, Joe Donnelly is ahead of Rep. Chris Chocola (R-IN), 49% to 39%.

Remember, Election Day is still over 30 days day away. Anything can happen. If you’re fed up and want change, go volunteer for your local Representative today.

Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH), a powerful and VERY crooked Congressman, who is waiting any day to be indicted by the Department of Justice has just announced that he will NOT seek re-election in the fall. Rep. Ney is being out-fundraised and out-campaigned by Democrat Zack Space and the heat of this campaign and the pressure of the law has finally caught up with him.

From the Associated Press:

U.S. Rep. Bob Ney, dogged by an influence peddling probe in Washington, will not seek re-election, state Sen. Joy Padgett said early Monday.

Ney called Padgett on Saturday and asked the fellow Republican to run in his place, saying that defending himself has been a strain on his family, she said.

“It’s a very sad time,” Padgett said of Ney’s decision, first reported by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on its Web site.

She said Ney told her, “that there’s only so much he can take. He said, ‘I have to do this.’”

Padgett told The Associated Press she would run for Ney’s seat.

Calls to Ney’s office and staff were not immediately returned. He has not been charged and has denied wrongdoing.

Padgett said Ney told her he intends to serve the remainder of his term.

The six-term congressman from Heath in central Ohio had insisted he would not resign even if indicted over his dealings with now-convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff. In his first primary test in a decade, Ney won 68 percent of the vote May 2 against a little-known opponent.

However, he faced a tough challenge in November from Democrat Zack Space, who had made the Justice Department’s investigation into Ney a focus of his campaign.

For the first three months of 2006, Ney’s campaign spent more than it raised, a deficit he blamed on mounting legal costs. In the past three months, it was unusually intense campaigning in his expansive rural district that caused the incumbent to spend $52,675 more than donors gave him, he said.

“I’m embattled and attacked; I understand that,” Ney told The AP last month after Space raised about $190,000 more than Ney for the quarter.

Ney, 52, told the Tribune-Review that his family had not asked him to drop out, but he wanted to spare them anyway.

Thanks to Political Wire and Stuart Rothenberg for this great Ohio primary wrap-up report.

Tuesday’s Ohio results were almost uniformly good news for Democrats.

In the best news, state Senator Charlie Wilson (D) overwhelmed two primary opponents to win the Democratic Congressional nomination in Ohio’s 6th District. Wilson’s write-in victory was backed by Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee money and commitment. He’ll face Republican state Rep. Chuck Blasdel in November in a race that now favors the Democrats at least narrowly. The National Republican Congressional Committee ran ads beating up on Wilson for his performance in office, but Wilson’s strong showing, combined with Blasdel’s less impressive primary victory, enhances the Democrat’s chances.

Elsewhere, in Ohio 13, former state Rep. Betty Sutton defeated a number of Democratic primary opponents, including two contenders who, if nominated, would have given Republicans reason for optimism in the fall. The GOP nominee, Lorain Mayor Craig Foltin, is a credible candidate, but he may not have the issues he needs to stop Sutton from uniting Democrats and winning this Democratic district.

And in Ohio’s 18th C.D., Republican Representative Bob Ney won renomination with less than 70% of the vote, hardly the overwhelming victory he needed to persuade anyone that he is not vulnerable in November. GOP turnout in the district was unimpressive, thereby adding to questions about voter enthusiasm for Ney even among Republicans. The Democratic nominee, Zack Space, isn’t regarded as a top tier challenger, but given Ney’s legal and political problems, that probably will not matter.

Ohio remains an excellent Democratic opportunity with a number of GOP House seats in play — including those held by Reps. Deborah Pryce and Steve Chabot — and with Republicans trying to hang onto a Senate seat and the governorship. This is an absolutely perfect environment for Democrats. If they can’t sweep the state clean in 2006, they’ll never do it.

– Stuart Rothenberg is the editor of the Rothenberg Political Report.

Politics1 does a good wrap up of today’s primary action in Ohio.

The Fix, The Washington Post Blog also breaks down the Ohio primary.

HIGHLIGHT: Ohio CD-18 - Politics1 election forecast:

Congressman Bob Ney (R) will win renomination — even though everyone, including his own lawyer, openly expect Ney to soon be indicted on bribery and corruption charges related to the Abramoff lobbying scandal. If GOP little-known GOP challenger James Harris breaks the 30% mark, it could be a bad omen for Ney in November. Three of the four Dems running against Ney are viable candidates, but the primary winner will be either Chillicothe Mayor Joe Sulzer or Dover Law Director Zach Space.