WASHINGTON (AP) — This year's Senate races have featured astronomical spending, ceaseless attack ads and innumerable slaps at a president who's not on the ballot. Even with control of the Senate at stake, serious discussions about deficit spending, climate change, immigration, Social Security's long-term future and other knotty issues rarely emerged. Iowa's close Senate race was one where personal attacks and clever TV ads greatly overshadowed any discussion of how to tackle the nation's most pressing needs. For Democrat Bruce Braley, the biggest moment was a leaked video from a Texas fundraiser in which he warned lawyers that a farmer would chair the Senate Judiciary Committee if Republicans control the Senate. Gillespie's plan would no longer obligate people to obtain health insurance, but it would provide tax credits to help buy it. The proposal received modest attention in a contest dominated by TV ads that either accuse Warner of involvement in backroom political favoritism, or accuse Gillespie of being a profit-driven lobbyist. John J.