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CNN This Morning
Poll Shows Talarico with Narrow Lead; Alaska Governor Orders Investigation into Peltola Camp; Texas Non-Profit Fake Mailers; Polling Suggests Ramaswamy's Ad is Backfiring. Aired 6:30-7a ET
Aired October 29, 2026 - 06:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:32:37]
AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: We've got this just in. A brand-new CNN poll showing James Talarico with a narrow lead over Ken Paxton among likely voters. This is just with five days to go. And it comes as a new ad suggests lifelong Texas Republicans have permission to break rank and vote for Talarico.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a Republican.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a Republican.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a Republican.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I'm passing on Ken Paxton.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I'm passing on Ken Paxton.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I am passing on Ken Paxton.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I truly believe that he is the most corrupt politician Texas has ever seen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ken Paxton is just far too corrupt for Texas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Kyle Kondik, managing editor of "Sabato's Crystal Ball" at -- is it Sabato?
KYLE KONDIK, MANAGING EDITOR, "SABATO'S CRYSTAL BALL" AT UVA CENTER FOR POLITICS: Sabato.
CORNISH: It's "Sabato's Crystal Ball" at the UVA Center for Politics, joins the group chat. I'll always do that wrong. Sorry, Larry.
OK, I feel like we've had this discussion before about whether voters care that Republicans who don't like Trump or a Trump affiliated candidate support a Democrat. And the voting population does not seem to care about this world of people. But is there something different about Texas?
KONDIK: I think there is something different. I think you do see it in the polling, because you do have kind of a baseline as to where, you know, other Republicans are doing. You know, Greg Abbott, I don't know if the governor race is asked about in this poll, but Greg Abbott is usually, you know, he's usually leading a little bit, where Ken Paxton is usually down a little bit. And so, I think there are people who are Republicans who plan to vote a mostly Republican ticket who either aren't voting, you know, they're not voting for Ken Paxton or they're actively voting for James Talarico. That is --
CORNISH: And then you feel like, well, since I supported everyone on the team, maybe it's OK that I don't support this guy?
KONDIK: Yes. And look, I think if -- you know, if John Cornyn, the incumbent who lost the primary, was on the -- was on the ballot, maybe he'd be doing as well as Abbott is doing. And it would still be --
CORNISH: Just so we're clear, every single person who's sat in this seat for the last two months has said that exact sentence.
KONDIK: Well -- but I -- but I think it's -- I think it's true. I do think there's also this tendency to say, oh, well, John Cornyn would be winning by a ton. No, because part of the thing here is I remember talking to somebody about, you know, Paxton. He's like, oh, Paxton's dragging down the ticket. Well, Trump's dragging down the ticket, I think -- I mean just in a general sense because I think if the political environment was better, a lot of these Republicans would be just doing better.
CORNISH: Right. So, to your point, I'm just going to put up there the choice for Texas governor, no clear leader. Just to your point about Abbott right now, who is still within the margin of error of Gina Hinojosa.
In the meantime, I want to also note about Latino voters. Here's an example, because, obviously, every reporter worth their salt is going down to Texas and asking around.
[06:35:02]
Here's an example out of McAllen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I used to be able to fill my tank for like $20 for the whole week. Now I got to do like $40.
Police, ICE itself, you know, like, it seems like they have all this power and no regard for any laws.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The money and stuff. I've seen it like a lot with my parents, how, like, like gas prices, grocery prices, how like before it was way easier.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Prices will come down dramatically. REPORTER: Are you OK with the ICE detentions here, with immigration
enforcement?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am. Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: OK, so, see that mix? I'm OK with this part. Actually, I'm disappointed in the money. It's not clear that Republicans have captured the community they redistricted to hold on to.
KONDIK: Well, you look at the presidential results down in south Texas in 2024. And even in 2020, there was a lot of growth for Republicans in that part of the state. And yet it seems like there's a -- there's a swing back toward the Democrats.
CORNISH: Yes, you see among Latino voters, 55 percent for Trump at that time.
KONDIK: Right. And, you know, there are three really important House races down there, two of them held by Democrats, Henry Cuellar, Vicente Gonzalez, and then Monica De La Cruz, a Republican, trying to hang on against Bobby Pulido, a singer who's been one of the kind of star candidates this cycle.
CORNISH: We actually had him on the show. Yes.
KONDIK: Yes. And, I mean, I actually think De La Cruz is probably an underdog at this point.
CORNISH: "The Texas Tribune" looking at early voting numbers. They're saying that the rate is slightly behind 2018. And that's when Beto O'Rourke was challenging. Ted Cruz. Should Democrats be worried this is far closer than all the hype and media discussion is leading us to believe.
MEGHAN HAYS, FORMER BIDEN WHITE HOUSE DIRECTOR OF MESSAGE PLANNING: I mean, Texas is a red state. And I worked a governor's race in Texas. You always have the hope of turning it blue. And it breaks your heart every single time. So, Democrats should obviously be worried that we're not as close in the polling. We've seen -- as we've talked about many times today, the polling is not reliable enough, I think, to write any victory speeches here, that's for sure. I think people need to get out -- sorry, people need to continue to get out to vote, and the Democrats need to go through the tape to get their base out to vote.
MIKE DUBKE, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Well, I think that's why you have Trump going to red states. You've got Obama going to blue states because they've got to get those -- they've got to get their voting blocks out.
I guess my one question is, I don't understand how like "Crystal Ball" can do their work this year and the one -- I'm the one message pony today.
CORNISH: Yes, you are.
DUBKE: With this polling being so horrible this year.
CORNISH: Yes.
DUBKE: So, one race I'm involved in, they have to call a thousand people to get one respondent. I talked to a Democrat pollster. He said his response rate is 1.5 percent, which means 98.5 percent of people are rejecting him. And yet you -- "Crystal Ball" and "The Cook Report" and all of these folks are basing their stuff on polling. So, how do you do it?
CORNISH: Yes. So, here's an example. Right now we had in our polling voters of color in Texas. Of color. That's like a big mix, right? Who supported Trump in '24. Who are they supporting now? We've got 22 percent Talarico. And then in the corner I see margin of error plus or minus 11.
KONDIK: Well, and it goes -- I think if you just take the polls at face value you'd say Democrats are going to win the Senate. And look, maybe that's what's going to happen. But I do think you have to be cautious about the possibility, particularly, you know, we know that the economist had a -- had some good research about this. Patrick Ruffini, a Republican pollster, has talked about this, that, you know, Republicans can be understated a little bit in red states. Democrats can be over -- understated a little bit in blue states. So, maybe that helps explain why, like, the Minnesota Senate race feels a little bit closer, although "The New York Times" had that as a big lead for Peggy Flanagan yesterday.
But that -- you know, and also you -- just think about it, if you have like a 45-45 poll, now that's what these polls are showing the Democrats ahead narrowly. But, you know, 45-45 poll in a red state, well, who are the undecideds? Well, they're probably, you know, three time Trump voters who are maybe a little -- a little skittish on the Republicans this year, but you might expect them to come home. So, you know, you do have to make some, I guess, guesses or assumptions about --
CORNISH: That's why you guys are calling it a crystal ball.
KONDIK: Well, yes. And, I mean, hey, you know, it's --
CORNISH: (INAUDIBLE)
KONDIK: It's hard. But again, if you just take the polls at face value, I mean, the Democrats really are leading in all of these key races, at least by a little bit. Now, some of them are really close. But in the red states, I just worry about, from an analytical perspective, you know, thinking, oh, yes, the Democrats are going to win in these states that voted for Trump by double digits. And then you get there and it's like, well, they all lose by two points.
CORNISH: Right. Right.
KONDIK: Like that really -- that -- I think that that could happen. I mean --
CORNISH: Right. Like that -- in this scenario, any win is an upset.
KONDIK: Yes, and --
CORNISH: It's not an expected.
KONDIK: You know, and it's -- the environment really seems terrible for Republicans. And again yet it may just be hard to win these states. But, you know, I mean, the -- Democratic odds of winning the Senate, I just think, have just grown and grown. I remember I started -- I started thinking at the start of the cycle, if the Democrats could net two to, you know, to get from 47 to 49, that that would be a successful cycle given what the map was. And here we are, you know, right before the election talking about, wow, the Senate really is on the table.
CORNISH: OK. Kyle, thank you so much for being here.
Next, I want to talk about this, the two Dan Sullivans on the Alaska ballot because now there's an investigation. Are Democrats pulling a dirty ballot trick?
Plus, does this ballot issue in Alaska play into the president's hands? Trump is, of course, talking a lot about honest elections.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:44:30]
CORNISH: The governor of Alaska ordering an investigation into how to proceed amid the accusations against Democratic Senate Candidate Mary Peltola. So, after a "New York Times" report revealed that her campaign recruited a candidate with the same name as the incumbent Republican, Senator Dan S. Sullivan. Republicans allege a spoiler candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan was installed by Democrats to confuse voters and carve votes away from the incumbent.
Now, the governor is saying that an investigation will determine whether criminal charges or civil action are warranted.
[06:45:04]
President Trump is taking it a step further.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is voter fraud at the highest level in the Democrat candidate who is involved in the scheme. Mary Peltola, who said she didn't know anything about it in court. She should be removed from the ballot and prosecuted, and so should the fake Dan Sullivan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Group chat is back. Now, "The Times" reporting, for people who haven't read it, they are
claiming, through their interviews, including one with a former aide to the campaign, says that it involved campaign lawyers, as well as senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. And they also talked about the idea that advisers were in regular text conversations about the effort.
Now, I don't want to be a Pollyanna here, but I had not fully understood the extent of what was possible with something called, what is it, ballot shaping, and that kind of term. Is that a world of consultancy I don't know about?
ALEX THOMPSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I mean this -- I mean this is a time-honored American political tradition going back decades. I mean, you know, JFK's first race for Congress, 1946, there just coincidentally ended up being another Joe Russo on the ballot and are -- you know, because they were worried about the Italian vote.
And, you know, these sorts of tricks, candidate -- campaigns also try to recruit third party candidates for the libertarian ticket or the green party ticket in order to take away races. But because of the extent of this reporting, we have a case where you may have the Senate race be determined by the courts, not the voters.
CORNISH: I want to play for you Peltola herself. She was asked about this reporting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARY PELTOLA (D), ALASKA SENATE CANDIDATE: This is just another distraction. It's another diversion. Every day it's some new, you know, look over here moment.
This is all stuff to sell newspapers. This is all stuff to get subscriptions. Nobody at "The New York Times" cares about affordability in Alaska.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAYS: Go.
DUBKE: Uh --
HAYS: I mean, that was a little bit of a weak response there. But I just -- what's so frustrating to me is it's such an unforced error on Democrats' part. I understand that it is a time-honored tradition here that this is -- politics is play. But it was such an unnecessary, unforced error. Democrats have the high ground on so many things, and you're giving Trump a talking point that the Democrats are committing fraud, you're trying to steal elections. It's just -- it's focus on the issues, focus on the economy. And I agree that "The New York Times" probably doesn't care too much about the affordability in Alaska, because they probably don't live in Alaska or been to Alaska. But I do not think they did this because of subscriptions for their newspaper. This is what their job is, to investigate stories.
CORNISH: Yes.
DUBKE: Yes. It was an explosive report. In all disclosure, I work in Alaska and I'm associated with the -- with the Sullivan campaign. So, take this with a grain of salt, if you want to.
CORNISH: Which one?
HAYS: Yes.
DUBKE: Well, thank you. Exactly.
CORNISH: Exactly.
DUBKE: But to Alex's point, yes, has there been ballot shaping forever? Whatever. Here's the thing. She -- the Peltola campaign, the DSCC, all of these Democrats have lied about this for months. When asked about the question in May and June, when this fake Dan filed, they said, no, we have nothing to do with it.
CORNISH: And to be clear, even in "The Times" article they deny doing it.
DUBKE: Except "The Times" has the receipts. And the last time I looked, "The New York Times" wasn't doing Republicans much of any favors long term. So, I --
CORNISH: No. Because I have "The Times" story from a few months ago. "GOP Plant? Democratic Ruse? Accusations Fly in Nebraska's Senate Race."
DUBKE: Right.
CORNISH: And that is a story going there about a Republican in disguise, allegedly. And then I went into the archives and Peltola herself, when she was running for the House, Republicans at the time allegedly recruited a man in prison to be on the ballot. So, she has at least heard of this kind of shaping in the past.
KONDIK: Yes. Well, Alaska also has this top four ranked choice voting system.
CORNISH: Oh, yes.
KONDIK: And it really invites this sort of -- sort of gamesmanship. It --
CORNISH: Oh, do you think so?
KONDIK: Well, yes. And one of the things that happens is that after you have the initial vote, you know, the all-party primary is that, you know, the person who finished in third or fourth, maybe they drop out or something. Somebody moves up.
DUBKE: Like that David Leslie.
KONDIK: Yes. DUBKE: Who the Democrats forced out, who finished fourth.
HAYS: But here's --
DUBKE: I mean this has gone -- they've kept up this --
HAYS: But here's --
CORNISH: Yes, don't make me have a scrolling list of fake candidates. I don't want to have to do that.
DUBKE: It's -- and it's -- I don't know what --
HAYS: But here's the problem here. It's not the actual ballot shaping, it's the lying that's the problem.
DUBKE: Thank you.
HAYS: And the campaign saying that they had nothing to do with it.
DUBKE: Time and, time and time again.
HAYS: Do I think that it's an anti-incumbency and people probably will vote for Mary Peltola because they want -- they don't want a rubber stamp to Donald Trump? Maybe. Probably. But it's the lying that's the problem here.
CORNISH: Of course. I'd argue that it's also corrosive in general. Lots of times people talk about why a third party can't advance and if there's this sense that every third party, every third person on stage is a plant, a spoiler, disingenuous.
DUBKE: Right.
CORNISH: Over time it makes that process even harder.
KONDIK: You know, and in its best form you'd think that a -- this sort of top four system would actually invite there to be like more credible, independent candidates.
[06:50:03]
CORNISH: Competition, yes.
KONDIK: And actually, you know, Lisa Murkowski has really benefited from this system because when it --
CORNISH: She won as a write-in.
KONDIK: Yes. And then she, you know, when she won in 2022, you know, she basically, in the final ranked choice voting allocation, she beat another Republican. I mean she ended up being almost like the quasi Democrat/independent in that race. But again, the way it's developed is it's just -- it's just this sort of gamesmanship.
CORNISH: All right. So, let's talk more dirty tricks, this time in Texas. This is a mailer that claims to come from something called the Texas Transgender Student Union. And it mentions a transgender education network. And it -- specifically talking about how young people can emancipate themselves from their parents, right? It's giving all of this, air quotes, information. The problem is the network says they had nothing to do with it. And critics say this is a fake mailer sent out to trigger conservative voters. Obviously, the issue of trans rights in Texas has been a salient one for Talarico given all the ad campaigns against him.
THOMPSON: I mean Republicans are counting on transgender rights to really pull Paxton over the line. If you look at a lot of the ads by Elon Musk's group, who has very strong feelings about trans -- about trans rights. A lot of them focus on this issue.
Now, if you're Democrats, you look back, Republicans tried this playbook in Virginia and in New Jersey last year for the --
CORNISH: What do you mean, last minute mailers or --
THOMPSON: No, I meant -- I'll get to the mailer.
CORNISH: Yes.
THOMPSON: But like try to focus on transgender rights as a way to win the race. And then -- in the governors races there just last year. It did not work.
Now, in terms of the mailers, you know, these -- this is just classic late campaign. You try to get it under the radar to not prompt a backlash.
CORNISH: Yes.
THOMPSON: But, obviously, this thing -- this didn't happen.
CORNISH: The problem is, this group then got violent threats after the brochures were sent out. Sarah Stogner (ph), a Republican district attorney in west Texas, wants to open a criminal forgery investigation. We're just a few days out.
DUBKE: Yes.
CORNISH: So, as people who have worked on campaigns, when someone does something like this, sends out the shady mailer, what can you even do?
HAYS: There's not a lot you can do. And you probably don't have enough money allocated to go up on air. And in a place like Texas, where there's over 20 media markets, you definitely don't have enough money to go up on air. And so you're just fighting in local media and you're just trying to hope that your base is already out to vote because they've already been voting now there for a week.
DUBKE: Right. Or even if you do have enough money to go up on air, do you choose this one mailer --
HAYS: That's right. DUBKE: Which not many people have probably seen. They probably threw it away on the way, you know, in from the mailbox. Do you waste your time answering these charges --
CORNISH: Right.
DUBKE: Which is really terrible about this is this, this is -- this is not even just trying to throw something late into the game. They're impersonating another organization.
CORNISH: Right.
DUBKE: This is criminal -- this is criminal behavior as opposed to just bad form or, you know, trying to muddy the message.
CORNISH: Yes. Yes, which is very different.
DUBKE: Very different.
CORNISH: Speaking of message, what if you muddy your own message? We're talking about Vivek Ramaswamy after the attack ad he put out featuring his opponent's estranged mother. The ad, well, is it going to affect Ramaswamy's chances? According to "Axios," which obtained new internal polling, they have the Republican falling behind. And according to a memo attached to it, the ad is, quote, having a significant effect.
Last night in Ohio, the president remains steadfast in Ramaswamy corner
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Vivek was treated very unfairly. He had the mother of his opponent say that her daughter was a liar. I said, why can't I have an opponent like that?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Unfortunately, you do not have an opponent that was abused by their stepfather. What I can give you is Ramaswamy himself in a political ad telling people to relax.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Relax. This election's almost over. Everyone wants a government that works so we can get on with our lives.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: OK, like Peltola, is this a good answer? Does this clean up on aisle six?
DUBKE: Well, no, it doesn't. It doesn't clean up on aisle six. And if he hadn't done the other ad, I would have really actually enjoyed that ad because it's like a --
HAYS: Yes.
CORNISH: It looks like one of those commercials for a calm (ph) app.
DUBKE: It's a moment of zen.
CORNISH: Yes.
DUBKE: Yes. And it takes you out of this nasty back and forth, he said, she said, she said, he said world. And sometimes those ads cut through because it's different than everything else you've seen.
Now, that coming on top of what ran the week before --
CORNISH: Yes.
DUBKE: It strikes and hits differently.
CORNISH: And all the reporting to follow, as -- which people got to relitigate over and over again.
DUBKE: Right.
CORNISH: Not his candidate, but the candidate's mom, whose children were taken away from her by the state.
HAYS: And that ad's not just going to affect Ramaswamy. That's going to affect the Senate race there.
CORNISH: Got me.
DUBKE: That's the (INAUDIBLE).
CORNISH: One GOP operative telling "Axios," "Vivek's ad put the whole Republican ticket on defense. He better hope Ohio doesn't decide the Senate majority."
THOMPSON: Yes, I mean my colleague, Mark Caputo, reported that essentially -- it's sort of rare that an attack ad actually hurts the person that ran the attack ad, but that is what Republican polling is seeing here, that it -- that voters are really punishing Ramaswamy for -- you know, voters have like a tolerance for negative politics.
[06:55:13]
CORNISH: Yes, yes, yes.
THOMPSON: They say they don't like it, but then they vote. But, clearly, a lot of voters are saying, this is way too far, way over the line.
CORNISH: Right. And then Trump is like, actually, no, this is great. And J.D. Vance is like, if you're complaining about it, stop whining.
KONDIK: It really shows that in Ohio there is a split between like kind of old school Republicans, Governor Mike DeWine, who's now leaving office, and a lot of the other past Republican officeholders, they're the ones who are a little skittish, pretty skittish about this ad. And then you've got J.D. Vance, the vice president, from Ohio, former senator, you know, all for it. Trump, all for it. Of course, Ramaswamy does it. And it shows this kind of like smash mouth approach to politics, which, you know, could sometimes be successful.
And again, just because people like us maybe think, hey, this is --
CORNISH: Exactly.
KONDIK: This goes too far, that doesn't necessarily mean it's ineffective. Although this one does not seem like it is being effective.
HAYS: But to your point there, I think that this is one of those things where we're going to really find out if somebody other than Trump can do something like this.
CORNISH: Yes.
HAYS: Because Trump can do this ad, people would cheer, it would be totally fine. But can some -- another Republican do it? We're going to find out real quick here.
THOMPSON: Well, and Republicans are upset because -- in other campaigns because now they're being asked about it the final week of the election.
HAYS: That's right.
THOMPSON: And it's ruining their own message.
CORNISH: OK, let's talk about what's in our group chat. I need a timeline cleanse. I just -- truthfully, we just had this whole thing about all these dirty tricks and I feel gross.
Alex, you start.
THOMPSON: All right, so there -- applications are rising in a humanities class at Harvard. And what makes it interesting is they believe that it's sort of an anti-A.I. backlash. You can't bring devices into the class. It's one hefty book a week. And, you know, attendance is taken. And if you're late you get a pink slip. Its sort of a throwback.
CORNISH: Oh, it's like school.
THOMPSON: Yes, exactly.
HAYS: People are (ph) learning. Got it.
CORNISH: It's like college.
THOMPSON: Exactly. And --
HAYS: You're getting something for your money.
THOMPSON: But the professors have been surprised that --
CORNISH: Because it's considered hard. We should say this.
THOMPSON: Yes.
CORNISH: This is the biggest thing. It is a packed class described as brutal.
THOMPSON: Yes, exactly.
CORNISH: Humanities ten. Honestly, given the state of humanity, I understand.
OK, Mike, what's in your group chat?
DUBKE: Well, mine goes a little -- it's back to timeline here. We are going to -- we're in this weird spot where our -- when we fall back, it's on the same day as Halloween. So --
CORNISH: Oh, you're talking about the clocks.
DUBKE: I'm talking about the clocks.
CORNISH: Everyone remember, clocks falling back.
DUBKE: On Saturday night, into Sunday. That gives us an extra hour of Halloween.
HAYS: Are you dressing up this year?
DUBKE: Yes.
HAYS: Dan --
DUBKE: Dan Sullivan.
HAYS: Oh, got it. Perfect. I love this (INAUDIBLE). I love this (INAUDIBLE).
DUBKE: Yes, of course I am.
CORNISH: Dan X. Sullivan.
DUBKE: Yes. That's -- that is -- that --
HAYS: Another Dan Sullivan.
CORNISH: We should all stand on the desk and say, I am Dan Sullivan. No, no, no?
THOMPSON: I am Spartacus.
CORNISH: Yes, yes, exactly.
HAYS: This is so great. I love this for us.
CORNISH: OK, Meg.
HAYS: The -- today is the game six of the WNBA finals.
CORNISH: Nice.
HAYS: Which they are moving to 12:30 because they don't have an arena for the women in Atlanta. So, they are moving the game to 12:30 so the men can still play at 8 p.m. tonight. But it is very positive that they are -- keep selling out these arenas for these games --
CORNISH: They have.
HAYS: Which is awesome.
CORNISH: And my group chat with Zendaya at the game. I don't know if you saw a clip of that.
HAYS: Yes. Yes.
CORNISH: Yes, she of "Dune" fame and all the other fames.
HAYS: So, it's -- it is great. It's unfortunate that they don't have an arena, that they can't do it at night where more people could go. But it is awesome that the attendance has been so high.
CORNISH: OK. Kyle, welcome to the chat. You didn't know you were going to have to do this.
KONDIK: My favorite team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, are playing in Atlanta in the night game in the -- in the NBA. And we --
HAYS: Oh, it's their fault. Their fault.
(CROSS TALK)
CORNISH: This is your (ph) fault. I don't like this.
KONDIK: We --
THOMPSON: We're anti-women.
DUBKE: Yes.
CORNISH: Is that all it takes?
HAYS: Yes, that's ran -- because that's ran --
CORNISH: Woke one was crazy.
DUBKE: Yes. So, welcome to the show, man.
KONDIK: So, I'm looking -- I'm looking forward to the election being over so I can watch more basketball.
CORNISH: Oh, really?
KONDIK: So -- yes.
CORNISH: Are you -- do you do like video games and stuff like that or --
KONDIK: No.
CORNISH: Or you're just a casual --
KONDIK: No, just I watch a ton of sports.
CORNISH: You're casual.
KONDIK: A lot of -- a lot of sport -- a lot of sports in politics people and I'm one of them.
CORNISH: OK. I think in my group chat right now, we won't have a picture of this, but two things. One, Noah Wylie being the sexiest man alive, he of the Pitt fame. A lot of discourse.
DUBKE: You mean a 55 year old man being the sexiest man alive.
CORNISH: Oh, is that what --
HAYS: Yes, so --
CORNISH: Oh, really?
HAYS: More (INAUDIBLE).
DUBKE: That was my --
HAYS: They didn't get your nomination or what?
DUBKE: No, they didn't. No, I --
HAYS: Another white, middle aged man.
DUBKE: I used this with my wife. I said, look, a old white guy is the sexiest man alive.
CORNISH: Not an old white guys--
DUBKE: And she goes, thank God I got mine when the getting was good.
CORNISH: Oh.
DUBKE: See.
HAYS: Shannon's sweet.
CORNISH: Team silver fox.
DUBKE: That's right.
HAYS: Love that.
CORNISH: I love that for you.
And the other thing is Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins giving a matte -- I'm very gen x saying all this.
DUBKE: Yes, you are.
CORNISH: Giving an interview to "The New York Times." And there's like all this kind of rehashing of that period of music and his role in it, and also things like Marilyn Manson and allegations of abuse. So, it was like very, very (INAUDIBLE).
DUBKE: Can I -- can I get an extra group chat?
CORNISH: Yes, go ahead.
DUBKE: So, my extra group chat on this is that, in Massachusetts, because the sells -- sales of scratchers are down, they're adding a scratch and sniff. So now --
HAYS: That is totally gen x. Do you remember the markers and the stickers we had.
DUBKE: Yes. It is totally gen x.
HAYS: Totally.
DUBKE: So, now, you can get your scratcher --
CORNISH: We are uniquely positioned for this lottery. This is for us.
DUBKE: And you get peppermint flavor. And I'm sure there's going to be a whole host of different smells.
HAYS: Like for the holidays you got pumpkin spice, plum, you know I hate it.
DUBKE: No, pumpkin spice.
[07:00:00]
CORNISH: Why did you have to be on brand to bring up pumpkin spice. No pumpkin spice.
HAYS: I hate pumpkin spice, as we all know. As we all know.
CORNISH: OK, there is serious news coming up, including a bunch of little shifts we want to talk about in some of these Senate races around the country. We're also talking about some of the little campaign dirty tricks you're seeing out there. So, stay with us. You're going to learn a lot. "CNN NEWS CENTRAL" is next.
