Each Saturday on the Politics Now blog, you'll find a list of stories that caught the eyes of The News' political reporters. Here's a sampling of what they were reading the last week:
This week's debate between U.S. Senate candidates Kirsten Gillibrand, the Democratic incumbent, and Wendy Long, endorsed by Conservatives and Republicans, was one of the most high-profile events in an otherwise lightly covered contest. The Times-Union's Jimmy Vielkind reports the debate revealed "clear splits" between the candidates on abortion and hydraulic fracturing, while The Atlantic's David Graham weighs in on the incorporation of "50 Shades of Grey" into a debate question.
Nick Confessore at The New York Times profiles the man who has given more than $20 million in political donations in Missouri since 2008, when the state eliminated contribution limits.
Presidential candidates Barack Obama and Mitt Romney set aside their apparent contempt for each other during a light-hearted night at the Al Smith dinner in Manhattan, writes the Times' Richard A. Oppel Jr.
A voter registration organizer who has worked on behalf of Republicans has been arrested and charged with fraud, accused of throwing out voter registration forms, reports Michael Isikoff of NBC.
Obama is battling to maintain support from women, which is considered crucial to his chances for re-election, reports Liz Halloran at NPR.
Meanwhile, a SuperPAC supporting Romney has seen a surge in donations, according to a USA Today story from Fredreka Schouten and Christopher Schnaars.
