9 of 12 Republicans running in Senate Race are either skipping the R Convention or have not decided

to attend yet.

HOW BAD IS THE BRAND? CongressDaily's Erin McPike says nine of the 12 Republicans running in the most competitive Senate races are either skipping the Republican convention in St. Paul or haven't decided whether to attend yet.

'The Republican convention will be bookended by speeches from President Bush, whose low approval ratings have caused many candidates to keep him at arm's length, and McCain, who is still trying to mend fences with conservatives. But none of the absentees or potential no-shows is publicly citing Bush or McCain as the reason for their decisions. Instead, they and their campaign aides point to the difficult campaign landscape and limited opportunities to campaign.'

http://www.politico.com/huddle/