As we go into what may be a decisive week in the 2006 campaigns, where do we stand in our attempt to hold vulnerable Republican seats?

Rhode Island - Lincoln Chafee seems to be trailing by the low single digits, a poll over the weekend showed him down 4 points. He recently debated his Democratic rival and did well. Chafee needs to bring home Republican voters who may be inclined to stay home because of the primary. Hopefully the presence of popular GOP Governor Don Carcieri will help Chafee.

Pennsylvania - Rick Santorum loves his job like no other Senator. Few Senators work as hard for their constituents as he has the past 12 years. No Senator is opposed by someone more listless and "idealess" than Rick Santorum. However, the Senator has consistently trailed in the polls by double-digits. Right now, the polls have Santorum down between 5 and 12 points. Right now, it doesn't look good, but Santorum is among the best campaigners in the party. To me, the best thing Santorum can do in the final few weeks of the campaign is to relentlessly discuss how he has delivered for Pennsylvania. Santorum is struggling with independent voters, so it wouldn't hurt to have someone like Arlen Specter make that case either in an ad in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Ohio - Mike DeWine was narrowly trailing Sherrod Brown but in recent weeks, the gap between them seemed to widen between the mid single digits and low double digits. I will be closely looking at polls this week in this race to see if DeWine has closed the gap again. Brown would probably win if the election were held today, but DeWine can pull it off if his campaign forces every Republican and conservative independents to ask themselves if they have anything in common with Brown before they vote for him.

Montana - Amazingly, Conrad Burns seems to have battled back into contention in Montana against his ultra-liberal opponent, with one poll showing the gap at 2 points. As long as Burns can maintain within a few points of his opponent, he has a shot of winning in this heavily Republican state. Montana conservatives need to ask themselves the same question as Ohio conservatives - do you have anything in common with Jon Tester?

Missouri - Jim Talent remains tied in the polls with his Democratic rival. If any race reflects the obstacles for Republicans this year, it is this race. Talent is clearly the better candidate, and only the national mood is holding him back from an easy victory for a full term in his own right. Right now, this race is a pure toss-up.

Tennessee - Like George Allen in Virginia, Bob Corker gave many Republicans, including yours truly, a severe case of anxiety when he was running a listless, gaffe-prone campaign. However, he seems to have turned things around after bringing in seasoned Republican operatives. His Democratic opponent made a fool of himself in a widely-publicized attempt to crash a Corker press conference. As long as he continues to run a quality campaign, Corker should hold this seat for the GOP.