ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)br br First-term Democratic Senator Mark Begich is trying to hold off Republican Dan Sullivan, a former state attorney general, in Alaska. Begich has touted his deep roots in the state, where his father was a congressman, and painted Sullivan, born in Ohio, as an outsider.br br Republicans are expected to pick up seats in the U.S. Senate, but polls show eight to 10 races are still toss-ups and it is unclear whether they can gain the six seats they need to control the 100-member chamber for the first time since the 2006 election.