In a move to direct resources to where they can do the most good, the House Republicans have cut out planned expenditures in three districts, David Espo of the Associated Press reports:

Signaling retreat, House Republicans are scaling back television advertising in three highly contested races, officials said Tuesday, including Rep. Curt Weldon's bid for an 11th term in Pennsylvania and open seats in Colorado and Ohio.

Some of the funds will be spent to help other Republicans in races that remain competitive.

In contrast to the Republican strategic retreat, House Democrats are expanding the number of districts where they are advertising, an indication of confidence that the election is moving their way. In recent days, they have moved into districts in Kansas and Nebraska that have long been in GOP hands.

Read the rest at the link above. The open seats are the Ney seat in Ohio's 18th district, and Bob Beauprez' seat in Colorado-7.

For all you Nervous Nellies out there, this is not a bad thing. We knew a year ago we were going to lose some seats this midterm. Now we have a pretty good idea of where three of them are, and there is no sense throwing good money after bad.

Weldon got caught up in the investigation of his daughter's lobbying activities. Although the timing could hardly be worse for his reelection chances, it is doubtful there was any political motivation in the investigation. The FBI doesn't "time" their investigations.

Joy Padgett is a good candidate in OH-18, and would probably beat Democratic opponent Zack Space 9 times out of 10, but this could be the tenth. Not only are Ohio Republicans reeling from corruption charges in the Taft administration, but the incumbent Republican in this district, Bob Ney, has pleaded guilty to bribery charges of his own - yet refuses to resign his seat.

In Colorado, the Beauprez district was drawn to be closely competitive, and Beauprez kept it in GOP hands for several terms but the Democratic nominee, Ed Perlmutter, has enjoyed a strong lead nearly all year. Republican Rick Donnelly hasn't been able to narrow the gap.

The writer's opinion notwithstanding, Democrats spending on marginal districts may not serve them well. The GOP retains an overall money edge, and if the Democrats spread their cash around too thinly, they risk running low for the seats originally targeted.