WASHINGTON (AP) - Republicans yesterday said a major voter turnout effort would help them stay in power after the Nov. 7 elections, while Democrats claimed momentum as they seek to tap into voter unhappiness over Iraq.

Both sides agreed that the war in Iraq was a leading, if not central, issue in the contests to decide control of the House and Senate.

"This election is becoming more and more a referendum on George Bush, his failed policies both overseas and at home with a rubber stamp Congress," said Sen. Charles Schumer of New York, head of the Senate Democratic campaign committee.

His Republican counterpart, Sen. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina, said Iraq and the broader fight against terrorism were important issues, but "President Bush's name is not on the ballot." Democrats, she said, were trying "to make it a national referendum."

Schumer and Dole were among the politicians and party leaders who sparred on the yesterday talk shows just nine days before the elections.

Democrats need a gain of 15 seats to win control of the 435-member House and six seats to claim the 100-member Senate.

With approval slumping for both the war and the president, recent polls show Democrats have their best chance to reclaim the House since the GOP swept them from power in 1994, and a shot at capturing the Senate as well.

As the candidates entered their final full week of campaigning, House Democrats worked to emphasize the GOP role in the Iraq war. The party's campaign committee said it would air television commercials criticizing Republicans for supporting the war in about a dozen competitive races in the coming days.

"Despite a war gone wrong and no plan for victory, politicians like (Rep.) Rob Simmons keep voting to stay the course again and again," says one commercial, airing in Connecticut.

Democrats have increased the number of races where they are advertising in recent days, a sign of confidence as the election approaches.