UPDATE 10/2: A source just told me that the DCCC has cancelled yet another week of previously scheduled television ads in the 2nd District. With lights out coming one on top of the other, it’s anyone’s guess as to when the last independent group will flip the switch and turn all the lights off for good on the Mullen campaign.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is cancelling television ad buys in Indiana’s 2nd District, leaving Democratic candidate Brendan Mullen without much needed air cover just weeks before the election. Smart Media Group, a firm that trackers ad buys, tweeted last Wednesday that the DCCC was cancelling ads, and Daily Kos cited the buy cancellation as part of its reasoning behind moving the race from “leans Republican” to “likely Republican.”

The size of the cancelled ad buy is not particularly clear, but Reid Wilson of Hotline On Call tweeted in June that the DCCC had reserved $297,000 worth of ads in IN-02.

The race is hardly over despite the DCCC’s decision to go dark. Mullen still has a grassroots team that could put a dent in Walorski’s lead. However, when a national campaign committee cancels ads when an opponent is up in the polls, it is usually a death knell for their party’s candidate. The momentum in the race is seriously against Mullen and his chances of even being competitive now are substantially limited.