In mid-August, the poll numbers were looking bad for Democratic senator Patty Murray. A SurveyUSA poll found her Republican challenger, Dino Rossi, winning 52 to 45. Next came an August 31 Rasmussen poll with similar results: Rossi beating Murray 48 to 46.

At the time, Rossi's campaign bragged that "we clearly have the momentum." But then something happened. (Warning: The numbers get thick here, but Murray's resurgence is worth tracking.)

It started on September 13, with an Elway Poll that put Murray up over Rossi, 50 to 41. It seemed a surprising finding, given the August poll numbers, and maybe an anomaly. Then, two days later, on September 15, came a CNN/Time poll that again put Murray up over Rossi, this time 53 to 44. The next day, a Rasmussen poll put Murray ahead 51 to 46. Two days after that, on September 18, the Seattle Times released a poll it commissioned showing Murray up 49 to 41.

That's four in a row for Murray (five if you count a late-August poll, paid for by D.C. Democrats, that found Murray up 50 to 45).

Something's clearly happening in the race—even Republicans agree, with former GOP state party chair Chris Vance writing on Crosscut recently that "the data now shows there has been a dramatic shift in this race in favor of Murray"—and although Murray's campaign says it doesn't pay attention to poll numbers, her boosters have a basic theory: Voters are now paying closer attention and don't like what they see in Rossi upon closer inspection (particularly his calls for the repeal of financial reform and extension of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy).