Speaking with Real Clear Politics yesterday, State Representative and OH-5 candidate Bob Latta said things are "going well" and that he'll be "campaigning heavily" throughout the weekend for Tuesday's special election against Democrat Robin Weirauch in Ohio's 5th Congressional District. As a member of the Legislature, which was in session on Tuesday, he had to take a timeout from the trail, but says he's back on the road in the vast northwestern Ohio district.

Asked about the TV ad that the DCCC had run in the district tying him to Tom Noe, the Republican fundraiser and convicted felon, and former Governor Bob Taft, Latta said, "You mean the one we had pulled?" Asked about the influence of national groups on the campaign, he simply said, "It's a free country."

-- Kyle Trygstad

Update: This week, money continues to fly into the district. The NRCC has spent more than $366,000 on ads and mail against Latta's Democratic foe, Robin Weirauch. The NRCC and the National Rifle Association spent another $10,000 backing Latta. Democrats have dumped about $85,000 into the race this week alone.

Why the spending disparity? Are Republicans seeing unfavorable poll numbers and panicking? A loss would be devastating, though the national media has paid little attention to the seat, meaning a narrow win, such as Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Niki Tsongas had over Republican Jim Ogonowski, would still be counted as a win. In Tsongas's case, the closeness of the victory was attributed to Ogonowski's outsider populism, which rang true with many local voters.

In reality, Tsongas carried the district with about the same percentage of votes as Gov. Deval Patrick had in 2006. If Latta wins a close election, it may be more telling than Tsongas' narrow win. If he loses, it will be one more nail in the GOP coffin.

-- Reid Wilson