Tennessee and Virginia arenGÇÖt typically considered battleground states.
But for the next week-and-a-half, the Senate races in both states will be the focus of national attention with the balance of power in Congress up for grabs.
The contests between Republican George Allen and Democrat Jim Webb in Virginia, and Republican Bob Corker and Democrat Harold Ford in Tennessee, are considered two of the three key races that will determine who holds a majority in the Senate when the new session of Congress gets under way in January.