In a month with no shortage of political controversy, CBS News teams up with Google to present the ten most searched-for candidates on Google News during the month of October.
California Gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman generated controversy when her former maid, Nicky Diaz Santillan, accused her of knowingly employing her despite her status as an undocumented immigrant.
Harry Reid
The Senate Majority Leader and longtime Nevada lawmaker is one of the most influential members of Congress - and he's locked in a brutal re-election battle against Tea Party favorite Sharron Angle.
Rand Paul
Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul (son of former presidential candidate Ron) was thought to have a pretty smooth ride to the Senate - but recent tales of anti-Christian collegiate beavior, along with a recent incident of violence among his supporters, have added to the candidate's clickability factor.
Jerry Brown
Jerry Brown was already getting plenty of media coverage in his bid for governor against republican Meg Whitman in the months leading up to the election. But the candidate's campaign generated even more attention when someone on his campaign got caught calling Whitman a "whore."
Sharron Angle
The previously little-known Nevada Senate candidate is attempting to unseat one of the most powerful lawmakers in Congress - and if poll numbers are any indication, she might just win. But Sharron Angle has generated attention, too, for her controversial positions on health care, education, social security, and the suggestion that "second-amendment remedies" could serve as a plausible path for governmental reform.
Carl Paladino
New York gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino has a history of generating controversy - but he invoked more controversy this month after making anti-gay comments during an appearance at a New York synagogue.
Linda McMahon
The former WWE CEO and Republican Senate candidate has spent $40 million of her personal wealth in the contest against Democrat Richard Blumenthal for Connecticut's open Senate seat.
Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi doesn't face strong opposition in her bid for re-election, but as one of Congress's most influential power-brokers - and a strong ally of President Obama - she has faced increased scrutiny and criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike.
Patty Murray
Patty Murray, a longtime democratic Senator from Washington who is in a tight race with Republican candidate Dino Rossi, has been hit hard by the GOP for being a member of the Washington establishment.
Charlie Crist
Florida Governor Charlie Crist is embroiled in a tough three-way Senate race with Tea Party star Marco Rubio (who CBS rates the probable victor of the contest) and Democrat Kendrik Meek. Just last week, the race heated up as the allegation emerged that former President Bill Clinton had asked Meek to drop out of the race in order to improve Crist's chances.