A couple of days ago I discussed two key contests for governor this election cycle: incumbent Christine Gregoire (D) vs. Dino Rossi (R) in Washington and Beverly Perdue (D) vs. Pat McCrory (R) for North Carolina’s open seat.

Since then, a new poll has appeared in each race, both reflecting the national pro-GOP trend. Rossi pulled ahead of Gregoire by six points in a new Rasmussen survey, while McCrory polled five points ahead of Perdue in a Research 2000 survey for, get this, the Kosby Kids.

BTW, that new NC survey also gave McCain a 17-point lead — this after most analysts in the state, including me, dismissed as flawed a Survey USA poll earlier this week giving him a 20-point lead — and put Elizabeth Dole above Kay Hagan 48-42 in the Senate race.

I’ve also heard from many readers about the big controversy bedeviling another incumbent up for reelection this year: Gov. Brian Schweitzer in Montana. Earlier this summer, he “joked” to a lawyers group in Philadelphia that he had tampered with the election process in 2006 to ensure that Democrat Jon Tester defeated incumbent Sen. Conrad Burns. Some folks in Montana aren’t finding the humor in Schweitzer’s comments, such as an election observer, who said he was forced to leave a polling place before the votes were counted, and Montana’s Secretary of State, who has asked the AG for an investigation. The AG, a Democrat who is running for a state judgeship, refused.