With Congress in recess, many legislators have returned to their home districts this week to campaign for their political futures. From financial reform to the tax-extenders bill, Congressional action or lack thereof is sure to offer plenty to talk about as House members look to keep their seats in the next session.

With passage of the financial overhaul bill last Thursday, many Democrats believe they have a new foothold in their efforts to push a strong economic-reform message. By instituting strong consumer protections, as well as a new government-oversight process dedicated to liquidating firms when necessary, Democrats look to paint Republicans who opposed the bill as favoring Wall Street over Main Street and large financial institutions over everyday constituents.

Democratic strategist Peter Fenn has called the Republicans' opposition to the bill into question and implored Democrats heading home to really drive the "Wall Street versus Main Street" message.

Meanwhile, Republicans are seizing on what they believe is an all-out assault on the nation's finances. Pushing the idea that Democrats continue to be the "tax-and-spend" party of "big government," those who opposed the financial overhaul bill are labeling Democratic spending as "foolish," pointing to continued spending and the lack of a federal budget as lynchpins to their argument.

In fact, according to Politico, the National Republican Congressional Committee is running a television advertisement in Representative John Spratt's (D-SC) home district criticizing Spratt, the House Budget Committee chairman, for "refusing to write a budget for the federal government." Spratt has written to Time Warner Cable in an attempt to have the ads pulled, Politico added.

While the two parties continue to spar, constituents who are aligned with the "Tea Party" will look to become more vocal during the recess week. Marching much in tune with Republican messaging, "Six in 10 Tea Party supporters view the federal debt as an extremely serious threat to the future wellbeing of the U.S.," according to a recent Gallup survey.

Regardless of which side of the aisle constituents fall on, there's little doubt for many Washingtonians that the economy, spending and jobless rates are the issues that will remain in the forefront over the next few months as the election planning goes into full swing.

Following the Future of RNC Chairman Michael Steele

Recess could not have come sooner for embattled Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Steele. Already lampooned various times during his tenure, Steele and his leadership style were called into question again last week when he said the war in Afghanistan was "Obama's choosing" and "the one thing you don't do is engage in a land war in Afghanistan."

Calls for his resignation rained in immediately following the release of his comments, with legislators on both sides of the aisle referring to his statements as "shameful."

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) spoke from the war zone after being told of Steele's remarks, stating his dismay for the chairman's words and telling CBS's "Face the Nation" that "this is not President Obama's war. This is America's war."

Pointing to Steele's statements as further evidence that Republicans are out of touch with America, Democrats undoubtedly are salivating at the prospect of leveraging the comments against the opposition in this election year.

Meanwhile, while talk of Steele's resignation continues to swirl, others, like Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA), have reportedly asked that Steele remain "solely focused" on leading the party into the 2010 election cycle. In an interview with radio host Don Imus, Cantor said, "I believe it's critical to the success of our party this election that he focus on the traditional role of the party chair, which is to raise the resources necessary and deliver the election."

The impact of Steele's remarks remains unclear, however. Even with calls for him to step down, it appears as though the embattled chairman will keep his position. According to The Wall Street Journal, "Republican Party rules could make it difficult for any of Mr. Steele's critics to secure his ouster. Under the rules, two-thirds of the committee's 168 members, or 112 members, would have to vote in favor of such a move."