Yaxel Lendeborg has exceeded just about everyone’s expectations. Including his own.
Does that change the Warriors’ outlook on the 2026-27 NBA season? Golden State owner Joe Lacob certainly believes so.
“I do,” Lacob told 95.7 The Game’s “Steiny & Guru” on Monday when asked if Lendeborg’s immediate breakout has changed the team’s outlook on the season. “Look, we’ve made our mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes, and we didn’t get the draft exactly right, or maybe we didn’t get the development right on a couple other higher draft choices in the past. Fine, criticize us for that, but the draft is hard guys.
“It is hard, and not everybody gets it. Some teams never get it right, and we got this one right. I was 100 percent sold that this was the guy we wanted in the draft, we were, not just me, and there were some other really good players in this draft. The only question was ‘Would he get to No. 11?’ And I was confident, actually that he would, because the NBA, I’ve been doing this a long time now, the NBA GMs just love their 18- and 19-year-olds. We’ve all been guilty of looking at ‘There’s great upside to some of these guys,’ but this guy seemed like a champion, ready to play.”
In eight games this season, Lendeborg is averaging 21.5 points, seven rebounds and 3.9 assists per game on 50-percent shooting from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range.
Not only has the rookie been an important piece to coach Steve Kerr’s rotations, but he is Golden State’s No. 2 scorer behind superstar Steph Curry. Lendeborg is putting up All-Star-caliber numbers early in his first NBA season for a team that is without its second scorer in Jimmy Butler, who still is working his way back from a torn ACL sustained last season and won’t return until midseason.
When he does return, the Warriors could have a very formidable Big Three with Curry, Lendeborg and Butler.
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“The amazing thing is, everything we thought he could be, he’s come in and kind of exceeded that,” Lacob added. “I think Steve has stated that. He’s surprised Steve for sure. He doesn’t have any weaknesses is what I would say.”
Of course, it still is very early in the season, and Lendeborg almost certainly will experience plenty of highs and lows throughout the 82-game campaign. But the early returns on their first-round pick have Lacob and the Warriors very encouraged, and seemingly believing the team’s ceiling might be higher than they initially thought it was.

The Dallas Cowboys are the NFL’s highest-profile team. They are “America’s Team.” They are the most valuable franchise in the league, according to the various outlets that determine franchise valuations. They get the highest ratings on TV. They anchor the most segments on sports talk shows, and they generate more online discourse than anyone.
And yet, they are not the most successful franchise in the league, or even close to it. They infamously have not even been to the NFC title game since the 1995 season, after which they won their third Super Bowl in four years. They have the 11th-best regular-season record during that time, but the fourth-worst postseason record.
The last 30-plus years have shown that the Cowboys do not know how to win when the stakes are highest. And yet, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones refuses to change how he does business.
He is the “general manager” of the team, and that will not change. He runs the team his way, and that will not change. He gives interviews to the local media following the game, even before the head coach or players speak to the press, and that will not change. He goes on the radio multiple times per week, and that will not change.
And he doesn’t even attempt to hire the best coaches for his team, because he doesn’t think that doing so it worth it from a financial perspective, and that will not change. Just ask Jones himself, who attempted to justify that stance during a radio interview on Tuesday.
“There is zero correlation (in the NFL) between how much you pay a coach or how many coaches you have as to winning,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan, via The Athletic. “There is no correlation. And that’s a random sample of years and all 32 teams involved. So put that in your hopper and smoke it.”
Coaching salaries, for the most part, aren’t made public, so we can’t actually find out whether there is a correlation between coaching salaries and winning. What we do know is that good coaches tend to win more games than bad ones, all else equal, and that good coaches generally cost more to hire than bad ones.
And now we know what we have long suspected: Jones simply isn’t willing to pay for the best candidates. It’s no wonder the Cowboys haven’t done much winning since Jerry unceremoniously parted ways with the best coach he ever hired, Jimmy Johnson.
Jones famously fumed that Johnson got more credit for the Cowboys’ success during their early-1990s heyday than did Jones himself, and drove Johnson away from the franchise amid their feud. Jones quipped at the time that “any of 500 coaches could have won a Super Bowl” with the roster the Cowboys had, and he has been trying to prove it ever since.
Jones has barely pretended to run coaching searches the last few times the Cowboys have had a coach opening, stacking the deck for candidates like Jason Garrett, Mike McCarthy and Brian Schottenheimer — go-along-to-get-along types who would let Jerry by Jerry and not rock the boat too much.
The Cowboys had an opening two years ago, when Ben Johnson — who was considered arguably the best coaching candidate in years and who has since revitalized the Chicago Bears — was available, and they did not even request an interview with him. At the same time, Mike Vrabel — a renowned culture-setter, despite this past offseason’s indiscretions — was available, and they did not even request an interview with him. At the same time, Liam Coen — an offensive innovator who has taken the Jacksonville Jaguars to new heights — was available, and they did not even request an interview with him. At the same time, Brian Flores — arguably the best defensive coach in the league — was available, and they did not even request an interview with him.
The list goes on and on, and the Cowboys interviewed candidates that, for the most part, nobody else in the league was interested in at the time. (Only two of the six publicly-revealed candidates were interviewed by other teams that offseason.)
Jones does not care to hire the best coach available because he does not want to pay what it takes to hire the best coach and he does not want to share credit with the coach if the Cowboys ever manage to win anything substantial. And it’s a big part of the reason why they won’t.

A tidal wave of frightened, silent uncertainty swept across Ford Field as the stadium realized Jack Campbell was also still down, motionless, after initially seeing Jimmy Rolder injured on the same play early in the fourth quarter. It felt strange that after such a drawn-out, worrisome delay in the game, both teams had to immediately bounce back for a crucial Vikings fourth-down attempt near the red zone in the middle of a divisional dogfight.
It felt strange, but it also felt powerful. This was a tougher recap article to gather my thoughts on, but the prevailing feeling after Jack Campbell was injured and taken to the hospital was a reminder of how powerfully unifying sports can be, even as a distraction from something far more important. Because the Detroit Lions fought with a sense of added vigor, pride, and togetherness in the fourth quarter. They battled for their brother, with everyone seemingly executing more sharply and in seamless synchronization. All of the Lions were competing for Jack. And it paid off, as they started 2-0 in the NFC North with an uncharacteristic 19-15 victory over the Vikings.
The Lions were physical and resilient. They were grit personified again, finishing the football game strong, exactly in the image of their head coach, Dan Campbell, and the values they pride themselves on. The same values that helped them rise from the ashes of the Matt Patricia-Bob Quinn era. Jack Campbell will hopefully have been proud of his team’s efforts.
For the second week in a row, they found a way to win ugly in the muddy abyss. Let’s embrace that resilient effort while taking a look at the Week 8 Stock Report, as the team improved to 5-2, while sending all our positive thoughts and support to Jack Campbell, his family, and the hospital staff caring for him.
Stock up: Jahmyr Gibbs & Sione Vaki, RB
Against one of the best defenses in football, the Detroit Lions might have found their new one-two punch at running back, and they proved it when it mattered most, when their team needed it most, as they wore down the Vikings’ defense in Vaki’s breakout performance.
The duo combined for a modest 16 carries for 66 rushing yards (4.1 yards per carry) in the first half. While Gibbs was swimming upstream battling outside-zone run calls, Vaki started running through the Vikings’ defense like a stick of dynamite blowing through a mountain, opening holes big enough for a locomotive. The Lions soon realized they could start beating Brian Flores’ defense by getting Gibbs involved in gap-scheme runs, too.
In the second half, Sonic & Tails erupted, bruising their way to a combined 18 carries for 152 rushing yards (8.4 yards per carry), including 143 yards after contact, 12 missed tackles forced, and six runs of 10-plus yards, with only one run stuff!
They set the tone and served as the catalysts for the team’s re-established identity, running through the Vikings’ defense for 230 rushing rushing yards and 5.9 yards per carry, a combination that no offense had accomplished against Minnesota in the Brian Flores era.
Stock up: D.J. Reed, CB
After the Detroit Lions’ defense crumbled against the Carolina Panthers, one of the potential avenues for improvement was D.J. Reed elevating his level of play after slumping through the first month of the season, getting exposed on deep balls and by bigger, contested-catch wide receivers.
Reed has responded emphatically and is playing some of the best football of his career. Starting with the turnover department, following the two-minute warning, Reed got the Lions the ball back with a spectacular diving interception near midfield. The play led to a much-needed field goal before halftime.
Reed was once again lockdown in coverage, frequently matching up with Jordan Addison. Across 12 coverage snaps against Addison, Reed allowed three targets, no catches, and recorded the interception. Additionally, Reed smothered both Jauan Jennings and Justin Jefferson, allowing no targets across five coverage snaps against Jennings and four against Jefferson.
Reed’s level of play has lived up to the billing of his free-agent contract, and he should be a defensive pillar the Lions can continue to rely on as they tweak and strengthen the unit throughout the season and gear up for the postseason.
Stock down: Chuck Clark & Christian Izien, S
Continuing with the potential avenues for improvement coming out of that Panthers mauling, another area of hope for the Lions’ defense was improved safety play, particularly with the return of Brian Branch and potential return of Kerby Joseph.
Unfortunately, Branch left the game in the second quarter with a somewhat self-inflicted and unfortunate concussion after playing just 23 defensive snaps. This resulted in Chuck Clark playing all 53 defensive snaps, while Christian Izien also emerged from the doghouse for eight defensive snaps, having already seen the field prior to Branch’s injury.
Neither Clark nor Izien is particularly comfortable dropping backward to take away areas of the field, holding up in man coverage, or operating in space. Both are ideally relegated to a specific Oscar the Grouch role, most comfortable in the congested confines of a trash can, where they can come downhill with physicality as a third box defender.
Clark missed a tackle attempt on a Jordan Mason run up the middle for a first down, hesitantly coming downhill with little confidence from a single-high safety look. Meanwhile, Izien was beaten in one-on-one coverage in the red zone on T.J. Hockenson’s fourth-quarter touchdown.
The Lions’ pass rush wasn’t quite there against Minnesota, averaging 3.26 seconds to pressure, by far their slowest mark of the season. A more capable quarterback-playcaller combination than Kyler Murray and Kevin O’Connell might have put Clark under the microscope after Branch’s injury, attacking him and exploiting his lack of mobility in coverage space. You still can’t rule out adding another safety at the trade deadline, but Thomas Harper can’t get healthy quickly enough.
Quick Hits
STOCK UP
Jameson Williams, WR: Williams, first and foremost, was blocking like a man possessed, helping generate extra yards for his running backs and Amon-Ra St. Brown. He more than made up for his taunting penalty with a game-high 70 receiving yards on four receptions and a touchdown. His 46-yard deep ball set up Detroit’s first field goal, his second reception put them in range for their second successful three-pointer before halftime, and he scored the game-winning touchdown.
Penei Sewell & Christian Mahogany, LT & LG: Sewell had a very uncharacteristic day with penalties, not all of which were justified, and Mahogany did get beaten quickly by Jalen Redmond for a pressure, but the left side of the offensive line was mowing people down in the run game. Drew Petzing and the running backs could rely on those two like the box office of a Pirates of the Caribbean movie, with the way they were opening holes like cannonballs. Sewell also shut out Dallas Turner across 12 pass-protection snaps.
Cade Mays & Juice Scruggs, C: While the Lions’ offense improved when Scruggs entered the game, that had more to do with Petzing’s adjustments than anything else. Both played well, with Mays opening a handful of holes on the few successful first-half runs and Scruggs being a rock in pass protection while handling the nose tackle backside on several successful second-half runs. The Lions are in the enviable position of having two above-average starting-caliber centers.
Alim McNeill, DT: While it wasn’t his most effective game as a pass rusher, he still provided excellent second effort to corral Murray for a sack on the junk play-action play. I also felt he was particularly forceful at the point of attack as a run defender.
Skyler Gill-Howard, DT: After disappearing against the Packers, which happens with developing rookies over a long season, Gill-Howard worked veteran RG Will Fries for a sack of Murray. But his most impressive play was a wildly athletic run stop on Aaron Jones, where he took on a double-team and balanced his way through it like a cat always landing on its feet. The defense will need everyone to step up amid the injuries, particularly to their Captain Jack, and Gill-Howard is someone who can still tap into his untapped potential.
Malcolm Rodriguez, LB: After not getting any run against the Packers, Rodriguez clearly showed the coaches something in practice to earn playing time immediately on the first defensive series. Rodriguez was also a brick thrown at Jordan Mason and the Vikings’ inept running game, recording two run stuffs against him, including one where he met the fullback in the hole. He now has an opportunity to step up into a more every-down role with injuries to Campbell and Jimmy Rolder.
Derrick Barnes, LB: Not a particularly strong day overall, although his fourth-quarter run stuff of Jordan Mason near the goal line was great. The Lions will need Barnes to figure things out and play his best football moving forward with Campbell absent, especially with the possibility of Barnes taking over the green dot.
Keith Abney II, S: Played only 28 defensive snaps and wasn’t targeted in coverage. It’s time for the Lions to take off the training wheels and let him rip one into a mailbox and bounce back (a bike analogy for a former figure-skating prodigy, Al?). The Dolphins’ inept passing attack, injured Patriots offense, and Buccaneers offense reminiscent of the 1946 national champion Army Black Knights with Heisman Trophy winner Glenn Davis provide the runway he needs to grow and prove himself at his new position.
Jack Fox, P: One of his best games of the season, booming a 46.5-yard net punting average (second-best of the season), with three punts downed inside the 20 (tied for his season high), including two at the 10-yard line, and only one return for no yards. As the offense struggled to figure out the Vikings’ defense in the first half, Fox gave Detroit’s defense some breathing room by pinning Minnesota deep.
Drew Petzing, OC: After a first half in which the passing attack was pretty much neutralized outside of Williams’ deep ball, Petzing made adjustments and won a second-half chess match with defensive mad scientist Brian Flores. Was a real in-game problem-solver.
STOCK DOWN:
Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR: A surprising performance, even with the amount of seven-man protections, as he wasn’t able to find more opportunities to get open and provide a security outlet for Jared Goff against the blitz.
Aidan Hutchinson, DE: He brought effort as a run defender, but this was his first game in some time as a non-factor rushing the passer, partly due to some of the Vikings’ play-action throwing platforms and being swallowed up by Vikings RT Brian O’Neill.
Eric O’Neill, DE: Needs to find a way to make an impact during his rare snap opportunities, especially when he can pin his ears back in obvious passing situations. With DJ Wonnum suffering an injury, Ahmed Hassanein may be active and have an opportunity to prove himself as a pass rusher. It’s a different role than O’Neill’s, but they’re still competing for some of the same snaps.
Roger McCreary, Rock Ya-Sin & Khalil Dorsey, CB: The cornerback rotation wasn’t nearly as big of a hit as it was against the Packers, with McCreary missing tackles in run defense, Ya-Sin losing matchups with T.J. Hockenson, and Dorsey getting beaten deep by Jordan Addison.
Ennis Rakestraw Jr., CB: Perhaps still dealing with the ankle injury he suffered against the Packers, but playing just one defensive snap was unexpected.
Brian Branch, S: Felt a little like Alim McNeill’s deflating second game back from injury against the Vikings last year. Branch needs to find a way to stay on the field.
STOCK NEUTRAL
Jared Goff, QB: Let’s be clear, Jared Goff the blocker is stock up. But he was a little stuck in the mud holding onto the football in the first half, taking four sacks and throwing an unfortunate interception, before responding well with great command of the offense against the blitz in the second half, even if the box score isn’t something to brag to your buddies about.
Sam LaPorta, Brock Wright & Tyler Conklin, TE: A weird day for the tight ends, as they made a few plays as receivers, fewer than expected for LaPorta, and all struggled in pass protection, which can be a tough ask. However, they were essential to the success of the running game.

The first College Football Playoff Rankings of the 2026 season are finally almost here.
On Tuesday night, the CFP Selection Committee will unveil its first rankings. Outside of the final rankings, the first are the most interesting because they establish a baseline for the rest of the season.
There are new selection committee members (hello, Jeff Tedford and Gus Malzahn) and new metrics (strength of conference) that could lead to a new-look ranking from what we’ve seen in the past. It’s why the first rankings are the hardest to predict because even when you know the metrics the committee focuses on, each group full of new members every year could prioritize some over others.
CBS Sports has taken on the yeoman’s work of predicting what the committee will do each week in its 1 through 25 rankings.
1. Miami (8-0)
Best win: Wake Forest
The Hurricanes are the No. 1 team unless they lose. A win over Notre Dame this weekend would fortify this spot for Miami.
2. Georgia (7-1)
Best win: Alabama
The best team in the SEC should get a first-round bye if it wins the conference.
3. Utah (8-0)
Best win: Houston
The frontrunner to win the Big 12 could really solidify its position for a first-round bye with a win over BYU this weekend.
4. Kentucky (7-1)
Best win: LSU
Kentucky has one of the best resumes in the country. The Wildcats are 2-1 against top-25 opponents, have the nation’s No. 2 strength of record and No. 4 strength of schedule. Kentucky already has a marquee win over LSU and could bolster its case with a win over Tennessee on Saturday.
5. BYU (7-1)
Best win: Notre Dame
The Cougars have both the best win (Notre Dame) and the worst loss (UCF) of the top five teams.
6. UCLA (8-0)
Best win: Oregon
Where the Bruins land in the initial rankings will be one of the more fascinating decisions the committee makes. The Bruins have a weak schedule but are undefeated and poised to finish 11-1 or 12-0 in the regular season.
7. Indiana (8-1)
Best win: Northwestern
Not only does Indiana have one of the weaker resumes, but the Hoosiers haven’t passed the “eye test” in weeks. Indiana gets dinged for it in the first rankings.
8. Notre Dame (7-1)
Best win: Wisconsin
As I wrote over the weekend, ND’s playoff path is suddenly perilous if it doesn’t beat Miami this weekend. The Fighting Irish have no top-25 wins and won’t even have a chance for one after Miami, with SMU getting knocked out of the top 25.
9. Texas (6-2)
Best win: Ohio State
The Longhorns get the edge over the Buckeyes with the head-to-head victory. Texas has two of the best wins in the country against a full-strength Ohio State and Ole Miss.
10. Alabama (6-2)
Best win: Kentucky
The win over Kentucky has aged beautifully, and the two losses (Georgia, Tennessee) are both quality. There isn’t much margin for error the rest of the way, though.
11. Ohio State (6-2)
Best win: Indiana
The Buckeyes still have a 69.6% chance to make the playoff, according to the CBS Sports forecasting model, but that number drops to 36.3% if they lose to Oregon. Ohio State badly needs a win and to prove it is still a quality team without injured quarterback Julian Sayin.
12. Ole Miss (6-2)
Best win: LSU
The Rebels have two quality wins (LSU, Missouri), one quality loss (Texas) and one blowout loss (Florida). This feels about right for Ole Miss, with the chance for a big jump next week if it can beat Georgia at home.
13. Tennessee (6-2)
Best win: Alabama
The loss to South Carolina was damaging, but the win over Alabama is still valuable for the Vols’ resume.
14. Texas Tech (7-1)
Best win: Houston
The Red Raiders have a very manageable schedule down the stretch, which should allow them to move up the rankings in the future.
15. USC (7-2)
Best win: Ohio State
With the smoke getting louder and louder about his job security, Lincoln Riley (briefly) quieted the critics with a win over Ohio State. It will be interesting, though, to see how much the committee discounts that win occurring against a Julian Sayin-less OSU team.
16. Wake Forest (7-1)
Best win: Louisville
This may feel low for the Demon Deacons, but zero top wins pulls them down a bit. There’s room to move up, however, and its strong SOR rating (No. 10 nationally) will come in handy.
17. LSU (6-2)
Best win: Auburn
The Tigers have three big win opportunities coming up that will make or break their case– Alabama, Texas and Tennessee – but the resume is a bit lacking without a top-25 win.
18. Missouri (6-2)
Best win: Florida
A win over Texas this weekend could jump the Tigers into the top 10.
19. Houston (6-2)
Best win: Oklahoma State
The Cougars have two quality losses (Utah, Texas Tech) but zero top 25 wins now that Oklahoma State dropped out.
20. South Carolina (5-3)
Best win: Tennessee
The Gamecocks yet again owned October with wins over Florida, Tennessee and Oklahoma. With a 2-2 record against the top 25 and SOR and SOS that rank in the top 25, South Carolina has a sneaky good resume.
21. Florida (5-3)
Best win: Ole Miss
The Gators have two quality wins (Ole Miss, Texas), two bad blowout losses (Missouri, South Carolina) and one understandable loss (Georgia).
22. Iowa (6-2)
Best win: Michigan
The Hawkeyes blasted Wisconsin and are still hanging around, albeit a playoff longshot.
23. Boise State (7-1)
Best win: Memphis
The Broncos remain the highest-rated Group of Six school and would earn an automatic bid into the field.
24. Oregon (5-3)
Best win: USC
The Ducks’ playoff hopes are hanging by a thread but would jump nearly 20% from 5.7 to 24.7% playoff odds with a road win over Ohio State on Saturday.
25. Northwestern (6-2)
Best win: Penn State
This final spot came down to Northwestern and Arizona, but the Wildcats got the slight edge with better SOR and SOS ratings.
Bracket based on first CFP Rankings prediction
First round
Dec. 18-19 at higher seeds
No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 BYU
No. 11 Ohio State at No. 6 UCLA
No. 10 Texas at No. 7 Indiana
No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Notre Dame
Quarterfinal matchups
Dec. 30 in Glendale, Ariz., Jan. 1 in Atlanta, Arlington, Texas, and Pasadena, Calif.
No. 1 Miami vs. No. 8 Notre Dame/No. 9 Alabama winner
No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 7 Indiana/No. 10 Texas winner
No. 3 Utah vs. No. 6 UCLA/No. 11 Ohio State winner
No. 4 Kentucky vs. No. 5 BYU/No. 12 Boise State winner

It looked like an uphill battle at the start of the campaign season, but Democrats now have a good chance of winning a majority in the Senate − and, with it, the power to sharply limit President Donald Trump’s agenda for the remainder of his term.
Republicans hold a 53-47 majority, but Democrats entered the midterm cycle with the political winds at their backs. The party out of power historically picks up seats during midterm election cycles, and Republicans are trying to outrun an unpopular president, rising gas costs fueled by the war with Iran and an electorate that blames Trump’s policies for higher expenses.
That environment has put the upper chamber in play, even as Democrats face a map where nearly all of their pick-up opportunities – and two seats they must defend – are in states that Trump won in 2024.
Republicans appear to have retreated in once-competitive races in North Carolina, a prime pickup target for Democrats, and Georgia, where Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff is seeking reelection. Democrats are contesting GOP-held seats in Alaska, Texas, Ohio, Iowa, Florida and Kansas, where polls show close races. And after a messy process to replace Graham Platner in Maine, they are hoping to defeat five-term Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
But Republicans still see a path for themselves, too. In addition to Georgia, Democrats must hold onto seats in Minnesota, New Hampshire and Michigan, where Trump won by 1.4 percentage points in 2024. Trump has campaigned with vulnerable candidates in usually red states. And prominent figures like Elon Musk and super PACs such as MAGA Inc., have been spending aggressively to defend their majority.
Here are the 14 states that will determine control of the U.S. Senate:
Michigan
Former Wayne County health director Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive who supports Medicare for All and is sharply critical of Israel, has struggled to fully unify his party after defeating moderate Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens in a hard-fought primary.
El-Sayed, who has narrowly led recent polls, has hammered his Republican opponent, former Rep. Mike Rogers, over his past support for the war in Iran and Trump’s trade war with Canada. Rogers, a former FBI agent, has more recently called for an end to both the Iran conflict and the tariff dispute.
Maine
Five-term Republican Sen. Susan Collins faces Democratic challenger Troy Jackson, the former Maine state Senate president and fifth-generation logger. Jackson replaced the controversial former Democratic nominee Graham Platner after he stepped down from the race amid sexual assault allegations.
Collins has held her seat in a state that voted against Trump three times by sometimes breaking with her party, but she remains a top target for Democrats. Polls in the race have oscillated between showing Jackson or Collins with a slim lead, or even an exact tie.
Ohio
Democrats are looking hopefully to Ohio − a former bellwether state that has trended Republican in recent years − as former Sen. Sherrod Brown challenges Republican Sen. John Husted for the final two years of Vice President JD Vance’s former Senate seat.
The close contest, in which Brown has maintained a narrow lead in polls, has led to campaign stops by Vance and Trump stumping for Husted, and former President Barack Obama on Brown’s behalf.
Texas
National Republicans warned that the party would need to spend a significant sum to rescue Ken Paxton, the state’s scandal-plagued attorney general, if he defeated incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in the GOP primary. That has proven to be the case – Republican groups have spent more than $100 million trying to hold onto the seat. State Sen. Angela Paxton, who filed for divorce against the attorney general on “biblical grounds,” also released an ad that did not mention her estranged husband but called on Republicans to vote for the party ticket.
While Democrats haven’t won statewide in Texas in more than 30 years, they see an opportunity to win with state Rep. James Talarico, who has campaigned on his Christian faith and argued America is divided by the “top versus the bottom” not “left versus right.”
Kansas
Can a megachurch pastor win a Kansas Senate seat for Democrats for the first time in almost a century? That’s the question as pastor Adam Hamilton challenges Republican Sen. Roger Marshall in an unexpectedly close race.
Kansas last elected a Democratic senator in 1932, the longest active losing streak in U.S. history, and Trump carried the state by 16 points in 2024.
But Hamilton, the founding pastor of the Church of the Resurrection, a United Methodist congregation with 24,000 members, has pulled ahead in some polls after Marshall, an obstetrician-gynecologist, was exposed for having sued hundreds of patients for unpaid bills.
Iowa
Two-term Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek could be the Hawkeye State’s first Democratic senator elected since Tom Harkin won his fifth and final term in 2008. Turek would have to defeat Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson in a tightly contested race to replace current GOP Sen. Joni Ernst, who is not running for reelection.
Like Ohio and Florida, Iowa was once a swing state and was carried twice by former President Barack Obama, but it has become increasingly Republican, having been carried three times by Trump. Trump won the state by 13 percentage points in 2024.
Hinson, who is promising to be Trump’s top ally in the Senate, now touts her bipartisan accomplishments in Congress and her work to lower costs for Iowans.
Turek’s resilient backstory is resonating with voters. He was born with spina bifida, which his family believes was the result of his father John Turek’s exposure to Agent Orange during his 22-month Navy deployment to Vietnam. He underwent 21 surgeries by the age of 12 and became a four-time Paralympian, winning gold medals in wheelchair basketball at the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Games.
He’s promoting a moderate “common sense prairie populism” platform that includes “costs, corruption, kitchen table issues,” a public health insurance option, and bipartisan cooperation.
Election analysts categorize the Iowa Senate race that also includes wildcard Libertarian Thomas Laehn as a “toss‑up.” Polls have showed the race essentially tied.
Alaska
In Alaska, a consistently red state at the presidential level, Democratic nominee and former Rep. Mary Peltola is seeking to oust Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, and polls have shown her with a very slim lead. Peltola, who would be the first Alaska Native to serve in the Senate, is backing the state’s oil and gas drilling and fishing industries.
Two other candidates are on the ballot in the state’s ranked-choice voting system, but Republican Gerald Heikes and another man by the name of Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., unaffiliated with a party, are unlikely to draw many votes. The other Dan Sullivan originally filed as a Republican, and the senator’s team was unsuccessful in trying to oust the same-name candidate from the race.
North Carolina
North Carolina’s open Senate race looks like Democrats’ surest bet to pick up a Republican seat in the midterms. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, an occasional Trump critic, did not run for reelection. The GOP nominee is Trump-backed former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley, and polls indicate he will likely lose to the Democratic nominee, former Gov. Roy Cooper, in the state that went for Trump by 3 percentage points in 2024.
Georgia
Even though Georgia is one of two Senate seats Democrats are defending in states Trump won in 2024, along with Michigan, Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff looks likely to fend off Republican Rep. Mike Collins, as some polls have Collins trailing by as much as 13 percentage points.
The race has nonetheless been hard-fought, featuring contentious debates in which the candidates hurled insults, such as Ossoff calling Collins a “bigot” for his associations with white nationalists and Collins accusing Ossoff of having a trust fund.
Widely considered a rising star and potential Democratic presidential contender, Ossoff has said he has “zero interest” in running for president in in 2028 and pledged to serve a full Senate term.
New Hampshire
Democrats are favored to hold onto this seat, but Republicans believe their nominee has a shot. Few Granite State Republicans have as much name recognition as John E. Sununu, a former senator whose father and brother have both governed the state. Sununu won the seat in 2002, but lost his 2008 reelection bid to former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, who is now retiring.
The Republican nominee is seeking to distance himself from Trump, whom he once called a “loser.” But Sununu also received the president’s endorsement in his competitive primary against former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown.
Democrats have nominated four-term Rep. Chris Pappas, who would be the first openly gay man to serve in the U.S. Senate. The Democratic nominee is leading in recent polls, but he told told CBS News’ “Face the Nation” in an Oct. 11 interview that “We’re taking nothing for granted in this race because New Hampshire’s a purple state.”
Minnesota
The Minnesota Senate race hasn’t garnered much attention, despite polling suggesting a close race. Democratic Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan defeated Rep. Angie Craig in the primary, using Craig’s support for a controversial immigration enforcement law against her in the wake of two deadly shootings in the state by federal officers.
Republican nominee Michele Tafoya, a former sports broadcaster, has hit Flanagan over fraud in Minnesota’s social service programs during Gov. Tim Walz’s administration, while pitching herself as a “pro-choice Republican” who’s “not afraid to stand up to my party,” in a campaign ad. Tafoya drew criticism for suggesting in a radio interview that Americans “be patriots” about the Iran war and “take one less trip to Starbucks” as gas prices rose.
Election forecasters say Democrats are favored in the race, Flanagan has led most surveys.
Nebraska
While polling suggests the race is competitive, election forecasters still believe Republicans have the upper hand. Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts, a former two-term governor from a wealthy family, faces independent Dan Osborn, who lost to Republican Sen. Deb Fischer by just 7 percentage points in 2024, even as Trump carried the state by nearly 21 points.
Osborn, an industrial mechanic and former union leader, has said he wouldn’t caucus with either party if elected, but he’s struggled to distance himself from the Democrats, whose nominee dropped out of the race.
Ricketts has spent millions boosting his campaign. Trump has campaigned with him, and groups such as the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC that supports Senate Republicans, have committed millions to support him in light of polls showing the race is competitive.
South Carolina
Republican Sen. Darline Graham was appointed to fill the seat long held by her brother Sen. Lindsey Graham after his death in July. With Trump’s support, she won a special election primary to replace her brother on the ballot in the general election, but her qualifications were questioned when, during a primary runoff debate, Graham stumbled over a question about Taiwan, saying “national security is not my thing.”
Her Democratic opponent, pediatrician Annie Andrews, has focused on health care costs and other affordability concerns. Though Republicans are still favored to win, there are signs that they’re concerned about the seat as polling has been surprisingly close for such a staunchly Republican state. GOP groups are spending on Graham’s behalf, and the president attacked Andrews on social media.
Florida
While Florida has been steadily Republican lately in statewide elections, Democrats are hoping to break their losing streak. Sen. Ashley Moody was appointed to her seat when former Sen. Marco Rubio left to serve as secretary of state, and now she seeks a full term against Democratic challenger, state Rep. Angie Nixon.
Nixon, who is a democratic socialist, would be the state’s first Black U.S. senator if she wins in November and drew attention for winning the Democratic primary in an upset win over a better-funded opponent, but she trails Moody in polls.