Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a former Democrat turned independent and long a boogeyman for liberals, is retiring this year, and Democratic Rep. Rueben Gallego is facing Republican Kari Lake in a race for the open seat. Gallego, who represents Phoenix and the surrounding western suburbs in Congress, has a fundraising advantage, having raised nearly $22 million through the end of Sept., while Lake has nearly $17 million.
A polarizing ally of Trump, Lake first ran for governor in 2022 and refused to accept the election results. A CBS News poll conducted from Oct. 11-16 had Gallego leading Lake by 9 points.