Election countdown

The so-called year of the Tea Party in most of the country has been a bust in California, where the two top-of-the- ticket races have become virtual toss-ups between experienced Democrats and upstart Republicans.Tony Catsro in the Daily News.

In the two major races, former Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown is battling to overcome Republican billionaire Meg Whitman's record spending to return to the office he held three decades ago; and three-term U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer is trying to stave off Republican challenger Carly Fiorina, the former chief executive officer of Hewlett-Packard.

"In California, it's the year of economic worry, it's the year of fiscal uncertainty, it's the year in which you've got experience versus relative newcomers - political savvy versus business know-how," said Mark Baldassare, director of research at the Public Policy Institute of California.

Election roundup in todayh';s Daily News.