ON STATE OF THE UNION

A preview of vice presidential debate with two people who know the candidates well – RNC Chairman Reince Priebus and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter. Priebus tried to manage expectations: " I think that Paul is going to do a great job, but I also think it's very important for people to understand... that Joe Biden is a gifted orator. He is very good at rhetoric, and I think he is very relatable."
Nutter agreed on Biden's relatability: "I think the big thing with Vice President Biden is that he speaks from his heart; he's an earthy guy. ... Vice President Biden is the real deal. He'll give it to you straight. He communicates in a way that I think connects with people at a real level."

On the September jobs report, Priebus remarked that the Obama administration is "still getting clobbered" and Nutter said despite high unemployment "African-Americans are going to strongly support President Barack Obama".

And Priebus said the threat of a third party candidate like Gary Johnson "doesn't worry me because I think people understand that they're not going to throw their vote away when we have an election here that's about the future of America. ... It's almost a nonfactor."

Former Ohio Governor and national co-chairman of the Obama campaign Ted Strickland and Ohio Attorney General and Romney supporter, Mike DeWine spoke about the battle for their state in the presidential election.
Strickland: "If I was as rich as Mitt Romney, I would bet Mike DeWine $10,000 that the president is going to win Ohio."
DeWine: "Romney's going to carry Ohio. It's going to be a very, very close race. But this race fundamentally changed Wednesday night in Ohio."

Plus, breaking down the numbers and politics of the September jobs report with our roundtable.

And CNN political junkies preview what to watch in the week ahead.
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