From NBC’s Ali Weinberg
The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday evening that an anti-tax organization founded by Kentucky Republican Senate candidate Rand Paul, which he has referred to as an active group as recently as this week, was legally dissolved in 2000 after failing to file basic annual reports with the state, and ceased most activity in 2002.

The campaign for Paul's Democratic opponent, Attorney General Jack Conway, said Paul was "simply misleading voters" for playing up his affiliation with the group, Kentucky Taxpayers United, long after it suspended most of its activities, besides occasional public appearances by Paul or an associate who also did work for the group.

Paul has also previously indicated that the group collected money from members, which conflicts with statements his campaign press secretary made to the Wall Street Journal that the group had "thousands of supporters, but never collected dues."

In an April 12, 2000 article from the Associated Press State and Local Wire, Paul is quoted as saying that the group has "about 1,000 dues-paying members."

During a conference call with reporters, a spokesman for Paul's Democratic opponent Jack Conway said that Paul has been "simply misleading voters" for characterizing the group as an active organization, and that Paul would have further questions to answer about what he did with the money if, in fact, the group had collected dues.

"For the last ten years it appears that Rand Paul has been misleading Kentucky voters about the very issue that is at the core of his political argument. That's troubling," Conway spokesman John Collins said.

Paul's campaign manager Jesse Benton sent a written statement in response to the report: "Kentucky Taxpayers United was a vibrant and effective grassroots organization since Dr. Paul founded it in 1994. KTU issued ratings of the Kentucky legislature for 5 election cycles through 2002 and continued afterward to work with candidates at all levels to sign the Taxpayer Protection Pledge as well as to provide a platform for Dr. Paul and others to speak about the issues of Taxpayers Rights. KTU is a testament to the power of grassroots citizens overcoming big money and special interests, something Rand has continued in his campaign for Senate."

From the Wall Street Journal:

Brett Gaspard, who helped Paul prepare some of the legislative scorecards, said Kentucky Taxpayers United never had a formal membership but circulated its reports in the media and to allies, encouraged candidates to sign a no-tax-increase pledge, and gave awards to officials who resisted new taxes. Gaspard said the work had a major impact on political campaigns and proposed laws but after 2002 the group’s only significant activity came in public appearances by Paul and occasionally himself.

“You kind of give yourself a group,” he said. “You can’t just say, ‘I’m Brett Gaspard.’ ”

Paul declined to be interviewed. In a series of emails with The Wall Street Journal, Jesse Benton, his campaign manager, said Paul founded Kentucky Taxpayers United in 1994 and that it was an all-volunteer effort with “thousands of supporters, but never collected dues.” He described the group as “currently inactive” but wouldn’t specify when it became dormant. “There is no story here,” Benton wrote. “KTU was a recognized force in KY politics.”

State records indicate Paul formally incorporated Kentucky Taxpayers United in 1999 as a tax-exempt group. The organization was dissolved by the Kentucky secretary of state a year later for failing to file yearly corporate-registration documents. It never obtained federal tax-exempt status. Paul’s campaign spokesman said the organization didn’t raise enough money to trigger that requirement.

NBC's Kelly O'Donnell talked with both candidates for Delaware Senate, Republican Christine O'Donnell and Democrat Chris Coons, after their first and only debate together. Below, the full clips of the interviews and some excerpts.

Christine O'Donnell on Wednesday's debate
I think last night's debate was certainly a tipping point. The way I described it was we've shattered my opponent's glass jaw. I think over the next couple of weeks you're going to hear the pieces of glass hit the floor.

On the media craze over the race
The media frenzy, as you experienced, is overwhelming and it's not something I welcoe. But I have to laugh because as I walked away and told reporters to please step in line, I looked over my shoulder and there's my opponent taking my leftovers.

On her response to the question of which recent Supreme Court decisions she disagreed with.
I'd like to address that Supreme Court decision -- I mean question. If you'll notice, Wolf said what recent Supreme Court decision did I disagree with. I immediately thought of the second amendment. I immediately thought of Citizens United. And I said to myself, I can't think of a recent Supreme Court decision. And unfortunately that's been mischaracterized. Maybe because that's the only thing they can attack me on.

KOD: Did you feel a litle stupmped by that?

COD: No I just felt like I didn't have an answer because his question was, what recent Supreme Court decision do you disagree with? And under Roberts and under Rehnquist I've been very pleased with the decisions that have been handed down.  

Chris Coons on what he thought President Obama could do for his campaign stumping in Delaware for him.
President Obama is going to be joined by Vice President Biden, who represented Delaware and held the Senate seat here for 36 years. And I'm honored to have the active support of the president and the vice president. But frankly I'm running to be the independent voice for Delaware... I'm grateful for the input, grateful for the support, but frankly, I'm making it clear. I'm running to represent Delaware.

On whether Christine O'Donnell is qualified to represent Delaware in the Senate.
That's a decision that Delaware's voters are going to make on Nov. 2nd. I think the debate we had at the University of Delaware certainly raised some questions about whether she's studied up on the current issues that would face any senator who would take this seat.

From NBC's Andrea Mitchell and Courtney Kube
In the midst of a heated political season back in the U.S., Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke about mending political fences during her trip to Sarajevo today.

"We have someone who could never have been elected in my country just a short while ago," she told a group of students and civil society leaders today, adding, "I ran against him, as you know, I tried to beat him, and he won."

Clinton said despite their own battle, after President Obama won, "he asked me to work with him."

"Now in many countries that would still seem like a strange idea -- if you're in a political contest, it should be zero sum game, winner takes all," she said, adding, "but that's not how we see it."

"I'm often asked how could I go to work for President Obama after trying to defeat him, and the answer is simple: we both love our country," Clinton said. She went on to encourage the group to work to develop that same mindset there in Sarajevo.

ALABAMA: “Despite a heated primary runoff election today between two Republican gubernatorial candidates, turnout still is expected to be less than what a typical primary or general election might draw,” particularly on the Democratic side, the Montgomery Advertiser writes.

“Top Alabama Republicans are scrambling to rally around gubernatorial candidate Bradley Byrne, concluding that remaining on the sidelines in Tuesday’s primary runoff would aid and abet Democratic prospects in the fall — and potentially beyond,” Politico writes. “Over the past four days, Gov. Bob Riley and two of the state’s congressmen publicly signaled their support for Byrne.”

“The Alabama Republican Party has denounced an ad campaign by a self-described conservative group that criticizes GOP gubernatorial candidate Bradley Byrne,” the Tuscaloosa News reports. “GOP chairman Mike Hubbard, a state legislator from Auburn, said on Friday that a group calling itself the Conservative Coalition of Alabama is running ads trying to influence Tuesday’s GOP runoff for governor. ‘This group has failed to disclose both their identity and their funding, which is in direct violation of the law,’ Hubbard said.”

And the Washington Post looks at an unusual dynamic in the AL-2 House race: incumbent Rep. Bobby Bright, a Democrat, is “running ahead without riding the anti-government wave sweeping the nation… It's a reminder that in some places, even among conservative voters, ‘government’ and ‘spending’ are not necessarily dirty words.”

The Post also takes a look at Tea Party favorite Rick Barber: “[C]onsider that Barber, 35, a small-businessman and former Marine, came out of nowhere to take his 30 percent… He has gone after not only Bright and the usual Democratic suspects in Washington, but also [runoff opponent Martha] Roby herself, whom he deems too liberal and not passionate enough to drive the change needed in Congress.”

PENNSYLVANIA: “Leading conservatives will launch a new pro-Israel group,” called the Emergency Committee for Israel, ‘this week with a scathing attack on Rep. Joe Sestak, the Democratic Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, the first shot in what they say will be a confrontational campaign against the Obama administration’s Mideast policy and the Democrats who support it,” Politico writes.

WASHINGTON: “The conservative American Action Network is going up with a major ad buy in Washington state, hammering Sen. Patty Murray and using her famous ‘mom in tennis shoes’ iconography against her,” Politico writes. “The memorable spot, produced by Fred Davis, depicts an unidentified woman in scuffed-up sneakers walking on people's backs as an announcer says ‘you wore your tennis shoes out on our backs,’ and accuses Murray of increasing spending, raising taxes and killing jobs.”