Election countdown: The year of the megadonor?

It's now less than a week before voters weigh in on the 2014 campaign. Here's the election buzz for Wednesday, with six days to go.

Megadonors not an exaggeration

It doesn't take as many people as you might think to fund super PACs. A USA TODAY analysis of donations of $1 million or more revealed that just 42 megadonors have accounted for almost $200 million of the $615 million brought in by super PACs during the 2014 election cycle.

By far the most lavish donor of the bunch has been liberal environmentalist Tom Steyer, who has given $73 million, topping former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, who's No. 2 on the list, by more than $50 million.

GOP-aligned groups aiming to win control of the Senate have likewise been financed by a small number of wealthy donors.

Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide

How important have super PACs been this year? Their spending has outpaced that of national parties by more than $107 million through midday Tuesday, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Burke in it to win it

It looks like Mary Burke is all in on the Wisconsin governor's race. The Democrat has loaned her campaign nearly $5 million as she tries to defeat GOP Gov. Scott Walker, a potential 2016 presidential candidate.

The two campaigns are now roughly equal in terms of war chests, with each reporting about $3 million in cash on hand for the final days of the campaign.

And unlike some Democratic candidates, Burke isn't shying away from President Obama. The president traveled to Wisconsin on Tuesday for a rally and fundraiser with Burke.

USA TODAY rates the contest as a Tossup.

Dems in trouble in N.Y. House races

Two New York districts illustrate why Democrats likely won't be celebrating gains in their bid to take control of the House next Tuesday. In the open-seat race to succeed retiring Democratic Rep. Bill Owens in the state's 21st District, a new poll shows Republican Elise Stefanik with a significant lead over Democrat Aaron Woolf.

Meanwhile, Democratic Rep. Dan Maffei is 10 points behind Republican John Katko, another new poll finds.

Jindal heads to the Bluegrass State

Potential 2016 candidates have, not surprisingly, been active on the campaign trail this year. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal lends his support to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday during a campaign stop in Kentucky. Earlier this week Jindal was in Kansas on behalf of embattled GOP Gov. Sam Brownback.

McConnell is facing a tough challenge from Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes as he hopes to not only win re-election but also become majority leader if Republicans win control of the Senate. The latest rolling average of polls from RealClearPolitics puts his lead at just under 5 points.

Twitter issues index launches

Want to know which issues are resonating on Twitter — and with whom? Then check out the USA TODAY/Twitter Political Issues Index, a new interactive visualization that allows you to see which political issues are being tweeted about most each day, breaking it down by age, gender and state.

"These visuals give us a real-time snapshot of the conversation state-by-state around this campaign and politics in general," said Adam Sharp, who oversees news, government and elections for Twitter.

And this project won't end when the polls close next Tuesday. USA TODAY plans to continue the index beyond the 2014 election, so keep checking back.

The waiting is the hardest part

We all remember the long lines at the polls many voters faced during the 2012 election. Surely, two years later, the problem has been addressed, right?

Well, not necessarily. Common Cause, a liberal-leaning, good-government group, gave 10 battleground states a "mixed bag" rating based on whether they'd implemented recommendations from the Presidential Commission on Election Administration, a bipartisan group created by President Obama following the last presidential election.

Colorado rated the best among the states analyzed, while Kentucky and Pennsylvania fared the worst.

Hanging chads

With Democrats in trouble in Colorado, the party summons Bill Clinton.

Count Bob Dole among those who'd like to see Mitt Romney make a third run for the White House.

Sarah Palin "haters" might just make her run for office again, she says.

Don't forget: To get USA TODAY's real-time Senate results on election night, subscribe to YOGOP and YODEMS on the Yo! app: justyo.co/YOGOP and justyo.co/YODEMS

Elsewhere on the trail

The political landscape for House Democrats doesn't look good — and they're becoming increasingly worried about it, Politico reports.

But ... it may not be all bad news for the party. The Hillexamines seven GOP seats Democrats could pick up.

And here's a fun one: Roll Calllooks back at six moments from debates in House races this year that are reminiscent of high school.

Political scientists sent guides rating four nonpartisan judicial candidates by ideology to roughly 100,000 Montana registered voters, and Democratic Sen. Jon Tester is among those not happy about it, according to NPR.

And New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie stands by his Ebola policy, Bloomberg Politics reports.

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