Courier Newsroom national correspondent Keya Vakil reviews some of this week’s political headlines around the country—including the US Senate race in Pennsylvania, where Dr. Oz and his allies are copying Sen. Ron Johnson’s Wisconsin allies by relying on a barrage of fear-based ads about crime to distract from their unpopular positions.

On Friday: 

• Shawn Phetteplace from Main Street Alliance-Wisconsin has an update on what small business owners are hearing and doing about the big election campaigns. 
• Courier Newsroom political editorial director Carolyn Fiddler has the latest from her newsletter that tracks political news for all 50 states.