Stevens Endorses MI GOP Nominee in Stunning Break With Dem. Party

0:00Every day, animals across the country face abuse and neglect. And every day, the ASPCA shows up to rescue animals in crisis. But they can't do it alone. Visit ASPCA.org slash need. Become a donor today to provide the care and shelter these animals urgently need. And for a limited time, the ASPCA will send you a free gift as a special thank you. Visit ASPCA.org slash need. Choice Hotels get you more of what you value. Comfort in it's calling your name. Save on the stay. Oh, and free waffles are yours to claim. Book direct at choicehotels.com.

1:00With just two days to go and control of the Senate at stake, the Senate race in Michigan is rocked by a key Democrat's decision to endorse the Republican. Good evening. Thanks for joining us. With the president closing out the campaign right now in Kansas, that's just one of several potentially outcome-changing developments. We're going to be bringing you in tonight's special edition of 360, Countdown to Election Night. We begin, though, in Palm Beach County, Florida, where the president was earlier today and where a private jet with nine on board has crashed. I want to warn you, the moment of impact was captured on video.

1:29It may be disturbing for some people to see. We're going to play it now. The video was captured by a dash cam nearby.

1:39What in the ? That was a... something just fell down. That was a Learjet 60, according to onboard flight data, which most planes now take a transmit. Just a minute earlier, the plane was at 27 ,000 feet, meaning it took just 60 seconds for the jet, which was bound from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas to plunge from nearly cruising altitude back to Earth. Minutes before the crash, the flight crew had reported they were in icing conditions and asked for clearance to climb above it. Then moments later, there was this. 722 Bravo Delta, we're descending 8 ,000 Mayday, Mayday, we're descending 10 ,000 feet per minute.

2:24That was followed seconds later by seven chilling words were going to crash into the ground. CNN's David Culver is near the scene. He joins us now. What more are officials saying about what might have caused this? Some of those early clues, Anderson, are coming from the cockpit communication that you were hearing right there, the clear distress that was playing out here. And you can hear officers just behind me here. They're trying to maintain order at what is just a couple of blocks away from where the crash site is. I'm going to try to push in as much as possible alongside here with Jose as he's trying to basically show you what has just been shut down for several blocks now, for several hours.

3:00And one of the things that's very telling is, as we're trying to figure out what exactly caused it, is the conditions and the weather. And I can tell you I was due to fly out of Palm Beach Airport, which is just about four miles from here. Go another two miles. That's where Mar-a-Lago is. So you mentioned the president being in town. That also played into this heavy response. But my inbound flight was diverted because of how severe the weather was. I mean, it was wild thunderstorms throughout the day today. Still not clear if that's exactly what caused this, but you start to hear from the cockpit, those communications, the concern about the icing and then the plummeting down.

3:34One neighbor, Anderson, describing this to me as though it was like a missile and she heard the explosion. She said within just a few minutes, police had all of it blocked off for several, several blocks. David, there's also a freeze frame of the jet as it was just about to make impact. And it really gives you a sense of just, I mean, it is almost completely vertical heading straight into the ground. Has there been anything more about what may have caused this or who was aboard?

4:07We know at least nine individuals aboard. That's it so far. We haven't gotten any indication as to who they were, leaving from Austin, headed to the Bahamas, and to the question of why exactly it would be going at that direction right into the ground. It's a great point, and it's something, as you're describing that, I'm seeing several people around me, as you can look here, looking on their phones, and they're following through with some of the latest images that are just coming out of this. Some of these folks actually captured some of these images. What's playing out now, though, has been described as a crime scene, and that's interesting to me.

4:37As you can see, they're kind of moving more deputies in. And so there's still a lot of activity. And they're trying to collect as much of the debris as possible. But you also, Anderson, when you describe that impact, as somebody has said, it's like a meteor hitting the ground. And you saw the crater that was the aftermath, the fiery crater. One woman who lives just two blocks away from here said she heard that explosion. She saw the plume of smoke. She and her son bolted out thinking that maybe they could help. She goes, you know, it was naive to think that as soon as they came up on the site to see what was just devastation in the aftermath.

5:09David Culver, David, thanks very much. We'll bring you more information as we learn it tonight. Now the midterms, just two days away, and what has been an especially full day on the campaign trail. The president expected shortly at his final rally of the campaign, one of two this weekend that were canceled and uncanceled the very next day. He's in Kansas, where the incumbent Republican senator Roger Marshall is facing a serious challenge from Democrat and megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton. I'm going to speak with the candidate Hamilton in the next hour. We begin this hour's coverage in Michigan with the Senate race between Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers and how the third person on your screen there upended it today.

5:46She is Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens, who narrowly lost to El-Sayed in a primary marked by sharp differences over American policy toward Israel. Now, those tensions grew late last week when she demanded he denounce an ad from an outside group, which the Anti-Defamation League has called a, quote, case study in anti-Semitism. In response, El-Sayed's campaign on Friday released a statement talking about everything but the ad. Then, last night, the campaign asked Congresswoman Stevens to stay away from any further appearances with him. Late yesterday, though, he told reporters that he did not agree with the contents of the ad, and Stevens, for her part, put out a statement last night commending him for saying so.

6:25But any good feelings on her part apparently did not last, because today she endorsed Mike Rogers and cited the El-Sayed campaign's snub when talking to reporters about it. You know, I've been a Democrat for a long time, but Abdul was very clear. He said, don't come. I endorsed him. I meant it when I endorsed him. I gave him a big hug. I stood there. I was just having a good time. I love volunteering on campaigns. And when it really comes down to it, this is how I'm passing my ballot. It's going to be a close election, and everyone can take a look at the facts. As you might imagine, her turnabout is not going down well with Democrats.

7:05Some of it played out at a curbside press conference she gave with Mike Rogers. It was ended when a heckler unloaded on her. That's my question for Haley Stevens. How are you supporting a candidate that stands so firmly with some of the policies that you stood so firmly against? Look, nothing is perfect. Nothing is perfect. Yeah. Haley Stevens is a head-to-header. Did you give J. Clyburn a heads-up? Democratic officials were almost as blunt. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called what she did a, quote, despicable betrayal. Michigan's Democratic Party chair put it this way online. Congresswoman Stevens is not a current member of the Michigan Democratic Party, nor will she be in the future.

7:45As for the Democratic nominee, he said he'd rather talk about other things, not, in his words, to folks who aren't here right now, meaning Stevens and Rogers. At the end of the day, I actually don't think about Haley Stevens. I think about the 9 ,999 ,998 people who are not those two. Because you know what? I'm just less interested in the politics of it all than I am in the policy of it all. Well, the president also weighed in on his way to Kansas. I think she was very brave doing it. And she did it for the people of Michigan. And I have great respect. I don't know her. I've never met her, but I have great respect for her, I will tell you.

8:28And she put up a great race. You know, she was supposed to lose by like 25 points, and she ended up losing by half a point. She almost won. In fact, a lot of people thought she won. So, late in the race, it is unclear how this might impact it. And throughout our two hours of special coverage, you can weigh in on all of it. Send your comments and questions to our panel, to cnone.com slash engagepolitics. We'll read some of them on the air. CNN's Brian Todd is in Michigan for us tonight. Kyung La is in Alaska, where a federal judge today handed down a major ruling in the double Dan Sullivan Senate race.

9:00And in Texas, CNN's Jeff Zeleny is there. Brian Todd starts us off. So how are Democrats there reacting to Stevens' decision? Well, Anderson, there's a real dichotomy tonight between how Abdul Al-Sayed and Haley Stevens are kind of downplaying this and how top Democratic officials in Michigan are reacting to this. It's kind of polar opposites. Haley Stevens says, hey, I'm just it's just one vote that I have. 90 percent of my other votes are for Democrats. And, you know, I'm just I'm just doing this because I believe it's right. Abdul Al-Sayed, you heard him there saying, I don't even think about Haley Stevens.

9:34We got to think about the issues. But on the other side of this, you can rest assured the top Democratic people in the state of Michigan are furious with Haley Stevens. Debbie Dingell, the senior congresswoman from Michigan, one of the top senior officials here in the state and one of the most revered Democrats here in the state. I spoke to her a short time ago. She said she was stunned by this because she said that Haley Stevens told her at midnight last night that she wasn't going to do this. Debbie Dingell also said that Abdul Al-Sayed's fundraising is way up. And we're now reporting that his fundraising has gone up by about$1.2 million, at least, since Haley Stevens made her announcement this morning.

10:15Also, Debbie Dingell, when I asked her if Haley Stevens has any future at all in the Democratic Party in Michigan or elsewhere, Debbie Dingell turned to me and said, unfortunately, I think she's really hurt herself. But also, the gentleman who you just mentioned, Curtis Hertel, he is the chair of the Democratic Party in Michigan. You read the blurb from him when he said that she has no future in the Democratic Party. He went far beyond that when he spoke to me and some other reporters this afternoon, saying that she betrayed her constituents in Michigan, she betrayed voters, and she betrayed the people on her campaign in her office who had worked for her for the last eight years.

10:52He says he doesn't think she has a future in elective office at all. And then as he was walking away, he said what you reported that he said that she has no future at all in the Democratic Party, Anderson. So top party people here in Michigan are still furious with her. All right, Brian Todd, appreciate it. Thank you. Joining us now is Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow, who ran in the Democratic primary for the state's U.S. Senate seat against Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed before exiting the race in July. She has since endorsed El-Sayed. Senator McMorrow, did you see this coming? Obviously, the tension between these two had been sort of building.

11:27Did you think it might come to this? No. And I was just with Congresswoman Dingell on Fox 2 here in Detroit, who went further. And your reporter on the ground shared it. They had a long conversation late into the night where Haley had promised Congresswoman Dingell that she would not do this. She told a number of other people that she would see them at church with Congressman Clyburn this morning. And then she decided to go to another church. But I can tell you from the ground this has galvanized Democrats and maybe people who are thinking about not voting. I have had so many people reach out to me to say how angry they ever were for supporting her.

12:13I live in her district. I am one of her constituents. And if anything, over the last few days, millions of Michiganders have already voted. But if anything, I think this is gonna turn out people who are on the fence about even voting, or if their vote counted, to vote for Abdul El-Sayed, recognizing that Michigan may very well be the state that sends the 51st Democrat to the U.S. Senate. You don't think some of the people who voted for her in the primary will follow her lead? I don't. I don't think this changes the dynamic at all. If anything, it has enraged people. My state Senate district is northwest Detroit through Birmingham.

12:55It is the most diverse district in the state by any measure. And I was in church this morning with Clyburn and Dingell and Abdul Donovan McKinney, who will be the next congressman from Detroit. And people are not talking about Haley Stevens. If they are, they are saying how angry they are that they ever trusted her, that they ever donated to her, that they ever voted for her, because this is somebody who claimed to recognize the stakes. This is somebody who claimed to believe in reproductive rights, who wanted to fight against gun violence, who wanted to fight for Michigan manufacturing. And I was at a rally with UAW, a unity rally in Detroit.

13:38And Director LaShawn English, who's the director of UAW Region One, was asked if Haley is ever welcome back. And she pretty bluntly said, no, you turned your back on us after everything we did for you. And I don't think it's gonna sway people. State Senator Mallory McMurray, I appreciate it. Thank you very much. Coming up next, a live report from Alaska, where whatever you might think of the stunt that landed a second Dan Sullivan on the Senate ballot, A federal judge has ruled on the Trump administration's effort to block the outcome if their candidate loses. We'll give you the details on that.

14:08Also, what it's like on the ground in Texas, where Democrat James Calarico could become the state's first Democratic senator to get the job since 1988. We'll be right back.

14:21Choice hotels get you more of what you value. Here's a little tune to help you remember. Same drive, different day. Don't you wish you were getting away? Pack your bags and come on through Texas, Ohio, Alaska, we're up there too Comfort Inn It's calling your name Save on the stay Oh, and free waffles are yours to claim Well, I hope you like my little song Book direct at choicehilletales.com Is your closet ready for summer? I used to dread shopping Hours browsing online or fighting the store with no guarantee I'd find anything I liked. That's why Stitch Fix is my secret weapon. My stylist knows the trends and what actually works on me, then sends it straight to my door.

15:09Free shipping, free returns, no subscription needed. Get started today at stitchfix.com. That's stitchfix.com.

15:28The campaign of Mary Paltola, Alaska's Democratic Senate candidate, was rocked last week by reporting from The New York Times. The paper found she was aware of an effort by her campaign and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee officials to recruit a second Dan Sullivan onto the ballot to compete with her opponent, incumbent Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan. Both the campaign and the DSCC officials deny any involvement in that effort. That reporting came after the Justice Department filed a lawsuit seeking to block certification of Alaska's vote if the incumbent Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan loses.

15:59Well, today a federal judge threw that lawsuit out. Senator Dan S. Sullivan was asked about the race by CNN's Jake Tapper. Are you only going to accept the election results if you win? No, I'm going to accept the election results. Well, this afternoon, President Trump was asked about the DOJ lawsuit getting dismissed. From what I heard, they're going to dismiss it only on the basis that let the federal government take over. But no, that's a very important lawsuit. That was a fraud. That's voter fraud at the highest level. Well, we go now to see Nancy Keong-La, who is at the polling station in Anchorage, Alaska.

16:40one of them. How are folks you're talking to there reacting to the court blocking the DOJ's move to segregate those ballots? Well, if you stop and talk to some of these people who are in line, you would be astonished at how many of them are paying attention to the intricate details of what the courts are deciding, what the details of this are. They are really paying attention because that's how important it is to them. This polling place, Anderson, is closed. It closed just at the top of the hour, the end of the line is right here. And just to give you a sense of the enthusiasm, you know, it looks like a line.

17:15The line had stretched all the way down that hallway and went all the way to the doors and went all the way back around, then snaked around this way, and then this is the line. And so they are allowing all of these folks to vote, just like on Election Day. If you are standing in line when the polling place closes, you are still allowed to vote. This is early vote. It has been very busy every single day that we've been here. We've been here four days in a row. And so there's a lot of enthusiasm. Voters are very engaged. They want their voices heard. And so when you stop and ask them what they think about the machinations, the belief that they might be confused, this is some of the sentiment that we got.

17:56I want you to take a listen. I think it's a little insane because we've known about this issue since the race started. So we know what's going on. We know who we're going to vote for. The stuff in the last week hasn't changed anything at our house about who we're voting for. You know, back in 2012, Alaskans wrote in Murkowski. We got her in in a write-in campaign. We kind of know what we're doing. And overwhelmingly, Anderson, they say they hope that what they're doing here is going to count and be certified. Anderson. Thanks so much. Joining us now is former senior advisor to President Obama, David Axelrod.

18:39CNN special correspondent, Jimmy Gangel. Former special advisor to President Obama, Van Jones. And former Trump campaign advisor, David Urban. David Axelrod, do you think this is going to make a difference? Senator Sullivan said he would accept the election results. He didn't say when he would accept those results. Yeah, I don't think he was speaking for the president either. I think the president is setting up a scenario where he can claim that these results were fraudulent. You know, the thing that strikes me listening to these people and the very valid points that woman made is that both the nitwits who thought this was a really swell idea on the Democratic side and the president who said yesterday that he didn't think people understood what the word incumbent meant next to Sullivan's name are idiots.

19:25I mean, they're playing Alaskans for fools, and I don't think Alaskans are going to like that. They know what they're doing. I don't think this is going to materially affect the outcome of the race. But I do think that, you know, the Justice Department said in advance that they, you know, they reserved the option to challenge voters. And I don't actually know how they're going to find out what was in the mind of everybody who voted for Dan, whatever, L or J or whatever the other Sullivan is. But I just think it's disdainful of people in Alaska who can figure this out themselves. Jamie, what are you hearing from Democrats you talked about?

20:01So, look, there is a long and colorful history of mischief in politics. I'm from Chicago, so. You knew nothing about that. But I think what that voter said is true. This is not news to them. They have been living with this for quite some time. That said, whatever went on here, the Democratic strategists I talked to wish that this hadn't happened because of exactly what David said. Donald Trump wants to undermine election integrity. They don't want to give him any ammunition to do that. Van, should Alaska voters feel insulted that people from Peltolda's campaign thought this would work? It's like a fret boy prank gone awry.

20:49It's like people figured out quite, we've been talking about this for six months. You know, I think that it's a dirty trick. I don't think Democrats will be doing stuff like this. I also think that you have a Republican Party that still won't acknowledge the 2020 election, had an insurrection, and just had a mid-decade gerrymandering of the whole country. So we've got a bunch of shenanigans and nonsense happening in this country when it comes to voting. People marched. People died. People went to jail for the right to vote. And I think that people need to treat it like the sacred thing that it is.

21:23I think a lot of this nonsense needs to stop. We need some kind of a truce and some kind of a grand bargain on voting where the Republicans can get their concerns around voter ID met. And we can get our concerns about voter suppression met and get on to being a democracy. But this stuff is stupid. David, you can talk about Washington, Yuan. Or on Michigan, do you think Stevens is going to actually change any votes? Yeah, so a couple things, a couple quick thoughts. I do think Haley Stevens, I think that's going to matter. She's not the only elected official in the state. There's an African-American state senator who's vocally opposing El Sayed, as well as another elected representative from Michigan.

22:00So I think it will on the margins and in a race that could be close. You know, I think Haley Stevens had north of 700 ,000 people vote for her in the primary. And so on the margins, she's giving people permission not to vote for him. So that could have an impact in a close race. And as far as Alaska goes, I think the cover up is worse than the crime here. Right. That's the issue. So the Pelotol folks saying we knew nothing about this. They denied it. They denied it. That's what's at risk for them, because she's campaigning on I'm unrigging the system. I'm going to Washington to clean it up and to get rid of all this nastiness.

22:38She's trying to run above that. And yet she was embroiled in it. She was a co-conspirator in this prank, as Van says. And so your closing argument in a close race in Alaska shouldn't be trying to explain your way out of a screw-up. Yeah, according to the Times reporting, she had been informed in general about it, not necessarily all the details. But you don't want to close. So neither of these people, El Sayed doesn't want to close with this. Right. And neither does Keltola. You do not want to close. This is not a strong way to close your last 24 hours.

23:11But you know what? McMorrow said. I think that's probably true. But I just want to say this is what Haley said 12 weeks ago, because you say she's influential with people. She said they want to keep the Senate red so Mike Rogers can keep rubber stamping Donald Trump's harmful agenda of higher prices, manufacturing jobs lost nationwide corruption and abuses of power. And so he can ban abortion, gut health care and roll back workers rights and voting rights. I'm not going to let that happen. And I think that reflects probably a lot of voters in Michigan. And I'm not sure that this this seems like this seems like someone who is pissed off about the way she was personally.

23:47There was a balance. She did say there's no perfect candidate. And listen, she may have been put over. Listen, Van spoke to this. Right. There is that the ad that ran. It wasn't his ad. Right. There's there's been so many opportunities that El Syed could have zigged. But here's the thing. And I said this the other night. Hate is hate. And I think that ad was disgusting. And it never actually ran on TV, but it got discussed about. But millions of dollars have been spent by the by the by the Rogers campaign, essentially accusing El Saeed of being a jihadist, a terrorist. And those should be denounced as well.

24:26I'll say that. I got talking so far. Go, go, go, go. God damn it. I think that David is pointing something that's really important. It's inconceivable that Haley Stevens, who took such a strong stand against hate in our party, saying we don't want these hateful ads. And she inspired a lot of people because she was in our camp trying to make us better. How do you go from saying this ad is unacceptable and then embrace the Mike Rogers campaign, half of his campaign is a hate ad against Muslims. Half of his campaign is saying essentially jihadist, terrorist, Sharia law, things that are just completely beyond the pale.

25:09And I think that she did a huge disservice to people in Michigan who had real concerns. Is Abdul going to do a good job helping the Jewish voters? Will he listen to them? That's the issue. And rather than her leaving at that, she makes it about herself. She puts up a video. She says, well, he didn't invite me, so now I'm going to go with the other guy. This isn't high school. This is not a middle school dance. This is the most important Senate race. The future of this party is on the line. And you stay in your party. You make your party better. You challenge our candidates to be better, but you don't then strengthen the other party when it's taken to this side.

25:48I think she let down a lot of people. She put it down a lot of people. I know we can swear on cable TV, but I'm not going to read you the text that I got today, you know, from Democrats who were, to put it nicely, furious about this. They see this as personal on her part. The words selfish, a sore loser. Now everyone hates her. She's betrayed the party and she has killed her future as a Democrat. What was she thinking? My favorite post on this was from our friend Bakari Sellers, who said who posted WTF is Haley from Michigan doing. But nobody thought this was about policy. Everybody thought you think your premise is that because she got snubbed that she decided to pull a grenade and blow herself at 10 o 'clock.

26:42at 10 o 'clock. There's nothing more substantive behind it. No, there was. You're making a great point, David. Before there was. Look, she said, and I know that she was correct, that there were voters in Michigan who felt, wait a minute, the easiest thing to do is to denounce a hate ad. Why is it taking them days and weeks and days and weeks to denounce a hate ad? People were getting very concerned. And she said that she was speaking for her constituents. She was speaking for the people in her community that wanted to get a better answer, trying to make him do a better job. Everybody assumes he's going to win.

27:15Be a better senator. Be a better person. That's what it was until it wasn't. And then it becomes nonsense. Well, then as we heard, he did denounce it. She praised him for denouncing it. And then she, yeah. But nobody can think that she thought, I'm going to do this and it's not going to get a reaction. I'm going to do this and there'll be no blowback on me. I'm going to do this and I can remain a member of the party. I don't know, Dave, what she was thinking. I honestly don't know. I don't have that. I don't have the ability to climb into her head and evaluate what she was thinking. I will say this.

27:44I will say this. The one thing I disagree with strongly is the chairman of the Democratic Party at Michigan saying she's no longer a member of the Democratic Party. She has no future in the Democratic Party. The people of Democrats in Michigan will decide that. But I suspect that they are going to come to the same verdict. Can I just add, we won't know until Tuesday what the vote is, but I think there's one other thing, and that is Donald Trump coming out today and embracing her and saying how wonderful she is. The Democratic strategists I spoke to think that helps get out the vote for El-Sayed.

28:23It reminds them. Listen, we spend a lot of time talking about the person who's not running. You know, Abdul, when given the opportunity to follow this whole conversation down a rabbit hole, had incredible message discipline today and kept talking about Michigan voters. When Haley was talking about Michigan voters, she had moral authority. She was talking about herself. She loses moral authority. He could have done the same thing and gotten personal. He did it. Abdul said, I don't want to talk about this woman at all. I want to talk about people 15 minutes from here. Now, listen, I think his message has been too narrow and he's left out too many people.

28:56But he has shown a level of discipline on this campaign. And Haley just flushed herself down the toilet. Although his initial response was not the most disciplined response.

29:09Discipline today. I mean, like, I disciplined, like, today. I would just remind everybody, this is the guy who started off, again, he started off not running, kind of is in the moderate lane. He ran to the far progressive left with some people who said some awful things about our country. didn't disavow them, kind of never really addressed those things, allowed that narrative to continue to fester. In fact, he's been slow to address all these criticisms, and he made a lot of people in Michigan feel unsafe. And that's why we are where we are today. You know what's making people in Michigan feel unsafe are these ads that essentially imply that he's a terrorist.

29:47That's what makes people feel unsafe, and they're meant to make people feel unsafe, Dave. That's the whole idea of them. I'm not endorsing that either, okay? What I'm just saying is that we're talking about Vance saying he's very nimble. I'm saying he wasn't very nimble throughout the most of his campaign. No, no, listen, and part of it, I will say this, he is too eager sometimes to slug it out with whomever wants to slug it out with him. But the other thing that he projects is that he's going to slug it out on issues that people care about, like health care, like political corruption in the campaign finance system, like getting wages up and so on.

30:24And I think he's persuaded enough people in that state that he's in a pretty good position. And I don't think what happened today is going to impact on that in a negative way at all. I understand why. Look, there's been a lot of hate in this campaign. There's been a lot of anti-Muslim hate. And then the way that Abdul has conducted himself has made a lot of Jewish voters feel very uncomfortable. This is not what we should be doing, guys. Hate is hate is hate. Neither of these parties, if you're Republican, stop knocking on the Muslims. If you're in the Democratic Party, you're mad about Israel.

30:55You can talk about it in a way that does not make Jewish people feel unsafe and unseen. Michigan is a disaster. And when we get done, no matter what happens, we get done, we've got to do some healing. It's a case study on not what to do. Yeah, what not to do. We're going to take a quick break. Everyone stick around. Up next, we're going to zero in on the showdown in Texas, where there is another tight race that could help decide which party will gain control of the Senate. We'll be right back.

31:20Choice Hotels gets you more of what you value. Comfort Inn, it's calling your name. Save on the stay. Oh, and free waffles are yours to claim. Book direct at storiesvilletales.com.

31:42Just a quick programming note. In about 30 minutes at the top of the next hour, I'm going to speak live to Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens, who has now endorsed the Republican candidate Mike Rogers. Right now, I want to turn to Texas. On election night, we'll be keeping a close eye on the state where Democrats hope that voters will send a Democratic candidate to the U.S. Senate for the first time since 1988. The Democrat, James Tallarico, is facing off against Republican Ken Paxton. Here with more, CNN Chief Data Analyst Harry Enten. So, Harry, what stands out to you from the Tallarico poll numbers?

32:12Yeah, I mean, literally within the last hours, I look at my fake watch. The New York Times just came out with a poll, and it's the equivalent of a polling bombshell. What am I talking about here? Well, why don't we take a look at this? The new New York Times poll has James Tallarico up by seven points in the Lone Star State. And Anderson, I looked back in all the spreadsheets and all the numbers that I could find. This is the best poll for a Democratic candidate for Senate in Texas since 1988 when, of course, Lloyd Benson won re-election. He was also running for VP at the time. And this is the best poll this late in the campaign.

32:48Beto O 'Rourke was trailing at this point back in 2018. But to be honest with you, Anderson, I'm not all that surprised because there's just been so much enthusiasm behind James Tallarico's campaign. I mean, look at this. He is the biggest Senate fundraiser this year at$146 million, according to USA Facts. And beyond that, if you look historically speaking at this point in the campaign, this$146 million makes him the biggest Senate fundraiser ever, according to the FEC. And what are voters saying about Ken Paxton? Well, they like James Salarico. They don't very much like Ken Paxton. And that, I think, is the other part of this equation that we're looking at right here.

33:34I mean, you know, we had our CNN poll that came out earlier this month. and you know who the least popular Texas GOP Senate nominee this century is? It's Ken Paxton. It's Ken Paxton at minus 29 points. So on the one hand, you get this historically popular candidate on the Democratic side and James Tallarico, and on the other end, you get this historically unpopular candidate on the Republican side and Ken Paxton, and you put it all together, and then the cherry on top of the Sunday for Democrats at this point, and why I think they have a real chance come Tuesday, is this. Take a look at Republican presidents' net approval ratings in Texas at this point in a term.

34:13Donald Trump is the lowest on this graph and by far, look at this, he was 18 points underwater in our CNN poll. And, you know, you compare this to these other Republican presidents, including Donald Trump back in 2018, none of them were anywhere close to as unpopular as Trump is. Look at this. In 2018, Trump was at plus three. George W. Bush, just before the 2006 midterm, where, of course, Republicans didn't just lose the House, They lost the Senate as well. He was one point underwater, and he's not even close to where George W. Bush was after 9-11, those 2002 midterms, when Bush was 40 points above water.

34:45So you put it all together here, a historically unpopular Republican president. You put it with a historically unpopular GOP Senate nominee, an historically popular Democratic nominee, and it may make the makings for something that hasn't happened in Texas since 1988, and that is electing a Democrat to the United States Senate Anderson. All right. Harry Enten, thanks so much. I'm curious what fake watch you're wearing, but I'll find out later. CNN Jeff Zeleny is in San Antonio at a Tallarico campaign event. How is Tallarico trying to close out his campaign? Well, Anderson, Harry was just mentioning 1988.

35:17That was a year before James Tallarico was born. So that is the history and the background here that is really behind this campaign. Texas has never been at the center of a midterm election fight like this. 7.8 million Texans have already voted early. The question is, we know Republicans vote more heavily on Election Day. Have Democrats already sort of had their strongest performance, or can they also have a strong performance on Election Day? Unclear, but we are here at this rally. It's about the end of a several-weeks-long bus tour that Tallarico has been taking around the state, trying to gin up enthusiasm, and there is enthusiasm.

35:57There's no doubt about it. There is anger at the Trump administration. There is anger at the economy, affordability. But James Tallarico is asking these voters to do something that really hasn't been done here, to have a presidential-style level of turnout in a midterm election year. He has Democrats with him, but he's trying to get independents and even some Republicans on board with him as well. So, Anderson, this race is likely to come down to how many Republicans support him or how many Republicans leave the Senate blank for Ken Paxton. He's very unpopular in some measures. He, of course, was impeached.

36:33He was not convicted by the Senate. But he's embattled in every sense. Greg Abbott in the governor's race here, running a bit stronger than him. So that's another factor in this. So I can tell you, talking to Democrats here, Anderson, they've had optimism before. Beto O 'Rourke in 2018, they were optimistic. This environment is entirely different because of where Trump stands, what is going on with these headwinds here. So Democrats are as enthusiastic as I've seen them. They know that they're up in the polls. The question is, does that actually drive Republican enthusiasm on Election Day? So there is no counting their chickens here.

37:08They know this is a toss-up race until the end. They're optimistic, but I would say cautiously optimistic. Anderson. Jeff Zeleny, thanks very much. More on the critical Senate race in Texas ahead and this new polling from The New York Times. Our political panel weighs in on that. We'll be right back.

37:28Choice Hotels gets you more of what you value. Comfort Inn. It's calling your name. Save on the stay. Oh, and free waffles are yours to claim. Book direct at choicehotels.com. You're listening to a quick ad. You know what else is quick? Selling your car on Carvana. Just put in your vehicle information and we'll give you an offer. Done. No hassle. No negotiation. no guy from an online listing lowballing you. Which means by the time I'm done explaining this, you could have basically done it.

38:07Still haven't started? Hey, better late than never. Sell your car today on Carvana. Pickup fees may apply.

38:21More now on the Senate showdown in Texas in a state that President Trump won by 13 points in 2024. The most recent poll by The New York Times has the Democratic Senate candidate James Tallarico with a clear lead, back now with our panel. It would be interesting, I mean, David, if we have a night on Tuesday where Democrats win in Texas and fail in Michigan. It would be weird. It would be weird. You would certainly not have predicted much of what's happening in the country eight months ago or nine months ago before the war in Iran began, which really kind of tipped everything the other way, sent those gas and diesel prices up, made everything else more expensive.

39:03That really will be the line of demarcation in this discussion. It put a lot of these states in play. But you would expect Michigan to be one of them at the top of the list because it's been deeply affected, not just by those things, but by the terror fight with Canada, their neighbor. But this is, as we discussed earlier, It's been a it's up now. The time says that El Saeed is up by 11. So that scenario that you paint doesn't appear to be the thing that we're we're going to confront. David, if Tallarico wins in Texas, should he send should he send President Trump a fruit basket? Listen, this is again candidate quality matters, right?

39:46A basket of peaches. Yeah, so you look across the United States where Democrats are doing very well. Great candidates. Iowa, right? And North Carolina. Kansas. Kansas, right? I mean, really, by the way, they all look like Republicans, I hate to tell you guys. If I close my eyes and listen to them. I think some of them were. I think they were Republicans, right? But you guys ran them out. When Dave closes his eyes, he remembers that Republican party. So I would just say this, you know, don't push too hard because you may want to come back. Those voters, they're voting for a lot of these people because they like Republican light or they like this version of Republican, right?

40:25They don't want the DSA Republicans. So when Hakeem Jeffries takes over, right, the DSA, you know, in the Senate, when Hakeem Jeffries, there's going to be this inclination to kind of go left, center. There used to be this big blue dog coalition in the House and the Senate. I don't think that just just by the way, I think most of the reps who are being elected to the House or will be on Tuesday are of that same ilk. I think you're going to I don't think I agree. I think there's to the left. But I think all Democrats are united around some economic principles and around rolling back the health care cuts, stopping the tariffs, stopping the war.

41:02That is, I think, something that spreads across the party. Interestingly, here's the question. You can't stop the tariffs. It's an EO. So the things that are done by executive order, very tough to do by undo. The House is going to be, if you don't take the Senate, right, then you're going to have one hand clapping, you've got to get 60 votes. So governing is very difficult, much more difficult, as you know, than campaigning. But I'll tell you what all matters, though. First of all, you are going to have some fresh blood. Now, there are going to be some from the far left in some parts of our country.

41:32That's kind of, they won those primaries. But you're going to have a lot of front line folks who are very moderate, who are very smart, and they're all going to want to get the Republicans to have to answer, will you vote for health care? All these hospitals closing, all these rural hospitals closing, people now having to drive three hours to a doctor. That's life and death. Make Republicans vote for or against opening them up. There are things you can do that elevate what the people are suffering for. will the president cut deals with the Democrats on things like this, recognizing that these things are unpopular and maybe you can...

42:11You've got to get 60 votes in the Senate, right? So you're going to have to get 60 votes, which is the trick in all this always, right? It doesn't matter what the House does. It really matters what the Senate looks like. So the composition of the Senate is going to matter. Spoken like a man of the Senate. Senate stops. I think, Jay, because you used to, I mean, you obviously interviewed the Bush family. you cover them a lot. Neil Bush endorsing Tallarico, did it surprise you? Do you think it had an impact? It did not surprise me, but honestly, I'd seen him a couple of days before that. And there are other members of the Bush family who have also said they're supporting Tallarico.

42:46They've said money. Former President George W. Bush, 43, has not said anything publicly, But he did co-host a GOP fundraiser for Republican senators, notably not one of those senators, Senate candidates, Ken Paxton. Maybe he left it blind, you know, blank when he voted. But I don't think it's hard to read between the lines. Any world in which his brother and his daughter would publicly attach themselves to Tallarico without saying, mentioning to the patriarch they were going to do it? Zero. No comment. There's zero chance. It is so interesting, though. We have this ugly, messy divorce in Michigan.

43:31But there's all kinds of other stuff that's going on where you don't exactly have party unity. In South Carolina, people have not come around Darlene Graham. In fact, Norman. There's a right-in campaign there. So we're focusing on Michigan. There's an ugly divorce there. But South Carolina has not unified around their candidate. But nobody's kicking people out of the party. Well, hey, listen, I'm just saying. But I think what it means is we're in some kind of transitional period. Something is happening where these parties are being rocked and royaled and people are trying to find their way forward.

44:04And also in Texas, you have the Bushes embracing Tallarico. Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat, hasn't really embraced them fully. So something is happening out there, and party unity isn't what it used to be. And I think that's going to continue to be the case. Can we just go back to Texas and the word enthusiasm? Because the strategists I talked to there, they are giddy about it. These are people who a couple of weeks ago were afraid it was going to be like Lucy and the football and Charlie Brown. And they were scared to say anything out loud. Now they think they have it. In Texas. Democrats in Texas.

44:41It's not because of the polls, by the way. It's because of early turnout. It's because they're seeing people line up around the block at polls. They're seeing young people. They're seeing Hispanic turnout. I spoke to one person, this is anecdotal, who tried for several days to go do early voting, couldn't find a parking space to get there. And so Senator Ted Cruz has said the same thing. He's rang the klaxon. She said there were so many young people in line, it looked like a Taylor Swift concert. On Morehead tonight as we count down to Election Day and the stunning move in the Michigan Senate race, Abdul El-Sayed's former rival, Congresswoman Haley Stevens, now backing the Republican Mike Rogers and the shockwaves that's created.

45:20I'll speak to Congresswoman Stevens live right after this break.

45:44This Cambria amazing, all right. Bring a date, your team, or even your mom. Book direct at choicehotels.com. See you on the roof.

46:13And good evening again at the end of a very big Sunday, midterm politics and new polling on where things could be heading. Right now, the president is in Kansas at his last midterm rally in the wake of a victory of sorts for him in the Michigan Senate race. Today, former Democratic Senate hopeful Haley Stevens endorsed the Republican candidate Mike Rogers over disagreement she has with Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed. They center on American policy toward Israel and Gaza in a recent campaign ad by an outside group that she wanted him to denounce, which he eventually did, but not until yesterday.

46:44Tensions got so difficult that the El-Sayed campaign asked her not to appear with him on the trail anymore, most notably today in Detroit, something she cited in her announcement today. You know, I've been a Democrat for a long time, but Abdul was very clear. He said, don't come. I endorsed him. I meant it when I endorsed him. I gave him a big hug. I stood there. I was just having a good time. I love volunteering on campaigns. And when it really comes down to it, this is how I'm passing my ballot. It's going to be a close election and everyone can take a look at the facts. Her endorsement of Rogers has infuriated both state and national Democratic leaders a short time ago.

47:27Abdul El-Sayed weighed in on MS Now. This race was never about me. It was never even about Mike Rogers. It's certainly not about Haley Stevens. This race is about the people in the state of Michigan, the people that I've gotten to get to know in their churches and synagogues, in their basements, in their living rooms, talking about what they need and deserve. As for the impact of this, it is too soon to say, almost certainly too late to be fully reflected in the polls. That said, new polling, a small portion of it conducted today is out in the New York Times. It shows Abdul El-Sayed now running ahead of Mike Rogers by 11 percentage points.

48:01A reminder, you can weigh in on that tonight and everything else. Or send us questions, go to CNN.com slash EngagePolitics. Joining us now is Congresswoman Haley Stevens. Congresswoman Stevens, thanks for being here. Your fellow Michigan Congresswoman Debbie Dingell said that she talked to you at midnight last night and that you told her you were not going to endorse Mike Rogers. If that is true, what changed between then and this morning? Well, look, this is just a weight off my shoulders, okay? Abdul has been getting angrier and angrier. I was trying to help and I endorsed him. That ad was very painful.

48:37There are so many Democrats who want to vote for our Democratic nominee. me and they're just being told hey this is a party you don't belong in or this is a campaign you don't belong in and I've never cast a present vote in uh the Congress I'm making a decision here and you know that's just where I landed on this I woke up this morning uh clear-eyed uh fresh and you know focused on what was in my heart and that's that you know and there's a lot of incredible things going all around michigan and frankly this country with these elections here anderson my question though is what changed from the phone conversation you had with congresswoman debbie dingle and waking up refreshed in the morning did you talk to anybody did you have a long night of the soul were you up all night what do you have a dream what happened no look i i would just say that you know i had some uh time to you know think i wasn't on the phone I think that late but I know Debbie's always working around the clock it might not have been midnight when when I spoke with her but I I was there and just you know alone with my thoughts I was writing things out and look this level of anger and the things that we are seeing look we all want Democrats to win I'm a really proud Democrat and by the way Abdul's got every other Democrat with him.

50:06He just doesn't have me and a few other people who love this party. Nothing with me changed, Anderson. Look, this is about Abdul getting angry and angrier and saying, I don't want these people in my campaign. I'm not going to stand up when we say... He didn't get angrier from midnight last night to this morning. So, I mean, something changed your mind. I'm just curious, like, was there a specific aspect of this? You certainly weren't on the phone with me at midnight, and I don't think I was on the phone either. But I have great respect for Congresswoman Dingell. And, you know, she is a pillar of always trying to bring people together.

50:50But you did talk to her last night. Just as Senator Slotkin is, by the way. You know, she's carried a lot of water here. She's, you know, going to be our soon-to-be senior senator and things along those lines. The deal is, Anderson, is that, you know what, this is a weight off my shoulders. I'm being straight with everybody. You know, I'm trying to help the Democratic Party. I felt the same way with Plattner and his Nazi tattoo and then the cases of abuse. And I'm just one person here, all right? That's it. And I'm voting for Democrats up and down my ballot. OK, so yesterday,

51:30Al-Sayed said essentially what you wanted him to say regarding the offensive ad. He said he did not agree with the contents of the ad paid for by an outside group that tied USA to Israel to affordability problems in America. It's been called anti-Semitic. You said you were, quote, glad he said that and, quote, this is what our constituents deserve from those of us in elected leadership. then at some point, I assume in the evening, maybe not midnight, you talked to Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, said you were not going to do this. So if you and he were on the same page when it came to that ad, and you said that to the congresswoman at some point last night, what changed other than he had put out that statement and disinvited you from that church service?

52:15Was that the angrier and angrier part that you're focusing on? Anderson, this is a broader point about what's going on in our party. It's actually not. It's really just a question of why you changed your mind. No, we were just recognizing, look, I haven't cast my vote yet. You know, people, my neighbors were asking me. So you might change your mind again? They feel the same way. Anderson, my mind is made up. I'm lock solid. I'm an independent woman. I made my decision. You know, I still love my party a whole lot. I know there's a lot of people working really hard. elections all over this country I really project that Democrats you posted on but wait a minute Anderson wait wait wait because I was a Democrat who flipped a Republican seat here in Michigan and this is also about Michigan all right this is really just about you right now and I'm asking you questions back in August you posted on social media quote Mike Rogers will be another rubber stamp for Donald Trump's dangerous agenda we can't afford to give MAGA another Senate seat in November.

53:18How do you why is it okay now? Why can you afford now to give MAGA another Senate seat in November? Well, why is it okay to have the Democratic Party and a top nominee, you know, ejecting, you know, this type of or injecting rather this type of anger and lack of kindness? That's all. I'm one Democrat. Okay, so it's the anger and lack of kindness. how I'm voting, and there's others who feel the same way. So the anger and lack of kindness... Finance... I'm sorry, I don't want to talk over you. The anger and lack of kindness... No, no, that's okay. No, no. It sounds like you're upset with me too, Anderson.

53:53No, I'm not. I'm just... You're not really answering any of my questions, so it's somewhat frustrating. You're saying the anger and lack of kindness, again, that seems to point to you being disinvited to this event. Is that to you... Is that his anger and lack of kindness?

54:12Anderson, I was just trying to help this campaign and stand up for people who feel hurt. I am not the only one in this position. I'm just casting my vote. The people in the Congress know this as well. We cast votes all the time. I announced it today. That's fine. I was in a Sunday church service. And you know what? I am very optimistic going forward. I don't like seeing a Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate campaigning with somebody who's standing with someone who's saying America deserved 9-11. I don't like that. I don't like that that person's uncle is saying that African-Americans should wrap themselves in the Israeli flag and call themselves Van Jones.

55:00I don't like that. And I have to make a choice. Voting is binary. I am making one choice here. And people are just, you know, and people are also making their choices. And I got a whole heck of a lot of love for the Democratic Party, you know, and I certainly have, you know, enjoyed having this conversation with you about, you know, my decision and my thought process. But it's just it's look, it's just where I was at the end of the night and earlier this morning. It was it. Those things that you cited, though, were from a while ago. And it seemed like those were OK for you up until some point yesterday.

55:44And then the only really new development was the disinviting to, you know, a campaign event or church service. that seems to be the crucial kind of turning point. Is that correct? Because you've cited, you said building anger, you're citing things which are very old, and now that's the only change. So is it fair to zero it in on that? Look, I appreciate all the introspection and how I make decisions and how I reach this moment. I will just say that the Democratic Party, and when we see all these great Democrats across this country come in to check Trump and they are going to have the affordability agenda?

56:30I absolutely do. I'm just casting my vote this one way. Michigan, there's a lot of people out there voting. But with all due respect, you're casting your vote that way and you're on television right now talking about it and you had a press conference earlier. So you're not just casting your vote you are very publicly casting your vote which is fine but that's what you're doing right um look anderson i am you know happy to uh be speaking with you i love my state you know i have a lot of deep respect uh for my constituents and many many people who have uh worked on Democratic campaigns who want Democrats to win, who also feel heartbroken.

57:22And you're totally right. I'm just one person. And, you know, your chief of staff released a statement that said your congressional team is shocked and heartbroken by your announcement and that he and many other staffers were resigning. There's reports that more than half of your staff has quit. Is that accurate? Look, I have an incredible team in Washington. Obviously, they cast their votes. they cast their votes in the the beltway well look I'm under a transition right I'm lying down my office it's all been packed up you know there's just a couple weeks of lame duck left here these are great individuals who you know I care a lot about and you know certainly you know they're free to share their views on this I am not trying to upset anyone I'm just being honest with my constituents and what I'm hearing from people and in fact I've been hearing from a ton of Dems, Anderson, who said, thank you.

58:22This is, you know, this is how we felt. We haven't liked this campaign. It's painful. I mean, Debbie Dingell has said that repeatedly. I think, you know, when I was talking to her at noon yesterday, she was saying that. And so this is all going to come to an end. You know, I'm casting my vote a certain way. And I, you know, I hope to see more kindness within the Democratic Party. and for all of us to just accept when somebody has a disagreement. I mean, that's fine. I changed my mind. You know, he said, hey, I don't need your endorsement. That's fine. You know, and why the anger? Why the frustration?

59:02Why the obsession with Iran and all these other issues about, you know, what's going on overseas? What are we going to do here in this country? um i'm just as a it's about michigan as a democrat i'm wondering when you heard president trump praising you today and speaker mike johnson what did you think well i impeached him twice um mike mike johnson has passed a couple of my bills as the speaker i he's not been up to all too much I think the Republicans have kind of shown that they are, you know, really focused on just letting Trump be the dictator. And that's not what the Democratic Party is. You know, we've got Democrats when they go into the chamber.

59:50Sometimes they don't always vote with the party. You know, we've seen I wasn't for the Biden switch around. You said in a press conference today, we can't stand with hate. Do you believe that Abdul El-Sayed is hateful or an anti-Semite? I think some of the actions have certainly been anti-Semitic, Anderson. But I'm just sick of who he stands with. He's picking Hassan Piker and the uncle, you know, over a whole heck of a lot of people. There are people who want to vote for him. They wanted to hear from him. They're not trying to beat him up. You know, I wanted to build him up and he just kept coming back.

1:00:33And this is about a U.S. Senate seat. But again, you actually listening to people in my state. And that's why when you endorse him, you knew you keep referencing the uncle. I assume you knew about the uncle and whatever else he and Hassan Piker. I guess I still unclear. I mean, it sounds like last night was a really big night where a lot built up. what the turning point was. Well, that's your assumption, Anderson. I mean, that's your editorializing. I certainly didn't say that. But you were willing to be at a campaign event for him. You wanted to be at a public event with him up until some point, I guess, yesterday.

1:01:15And it's just an interesting change. And I think a lot of people are curious to try to understand it.

1:01:29Was that a question, Anderson? No, I wanted to see if you wanted to fill in the silence, but you don't. Oh, look. Yeah. Look. Michiganders are going to the ballot box. All right. You know, there's over a million people who have already voted, more to go. And I've made my, you know, can I just go out of the question clear? I made it where I am. I love my state. I think this is a Michigan moment. And you did speak with Congresswoman Debbie Dingell last night, maybe not at midnight, sometime last night, and you did tell her you were not doing this, and you told her, you told other people you would be at the church service with Clyburn.

1:02:19You told Debbie Dingell you were not going to do this. Is that correct, last night at some point?

1:02:29Anderson, that is nice editorializing and nice bits of information that you have about what's going on with Michigan politics. I'm giving you the courtesy of saying what actually happened. I had an opportunity to go to a church service and have a prayerful moment. It was Sunday. It was very beautiful. It was about friendship, of which I have many incredible friends in the Democratic Party, and I care a lot about them. You don't want to say whether you had a conversation with Debbie Dingell? Okay, Congresswoman Haley, I really, Haley Stevens, thank you very much. I appreciate your time. Okay, thank you.

1:03:06Joining us now is the aforementioned Congresswoman Debbie Dingell. Congresswoman, I appreciate you being with us. You heard what Congresswoman Stevens said. What is your response? First of all, I want to say I'm not sure I would have done this, but she was going to be on immediately before me. I'm sorry. That was one of the most painful interviews I have ever watched. I have been worried about her all last week. She's a human being. I've had multiple conversations with her. I'm far from being the only one that has. And I'm very concerned that this has all become a distraction, that people of Michigan do care about what's happening.

1:03:53needs the cost of their groceries. They're worried about whether they can make their mortgage payments, fill their cars with gas. And I'm also going to tell you, this has been one of the most hateful, despicable times in my life by everybody. I am so sick of ads on all sides. That ad that she wanted condemned was despicable. But I have been with the Jewish community that is scared. But the ads that Michael Rogers has had condemning, calling people that are Muslim Americans terrorists. The hate is on all sides. Every community that the Jewish community is scared, the Arab American Muslim community.

1:04:34I had lunch with leaders yesterday. They told me they want Abdul to win, but they're scared about what's going to happen to them, the violence they're afraid of. And quite frankly, I spend a lot of time in the African-American community, and they are feeling increased racism and hate. And what is happening to our country should concern all of us. Do you think that what has occurred over the last, you know, well, the last day, do you think it's going to impact or affect the outcome of this race?

1:05:11this is my um i'm still i can't tell you how sad i am um and you know i also just i also just just to be clear i'm told we did tell your team that you would be following okay i would never shock somebody like that okay i'm sorry i would not just so you know i would never agree to do an interview where somebody was surprised they didn't know what was coming before just for the record it was just painful to watch very painful to watch this is a person that's been a human being i've been out all day so that's part of why my staff probably didn't tell me until the last hour i've been at many many many events it's at an n double acp event in ann arbor a disability event a uaw event i've been everywhere and i think that this is backfiring uh the abdul has raised more money today more than a million dollars talking to different people that have been at different polls there have been more walk-ins at uh the end of the day lines on the last day of early voting the people in the black community are really angry about who speaks for them that they're not going to have other people speak for them by the end of the day i was i thought of dual was going to win But I felt a shift just being out, as I always am, this afternoon.

1:06:36So I think this race is going to be close. Anybody watching should not think that they shouldn't go to the polls, that their votes don't matter. But I think this has been a very difficult day. And it's been very painful for many people to watch. Do you think Abil al-Sayed should have done anything different, maybe avoid this? He did put out a pretty tough statement late Friday, you know, pushing back on Congresswoman Stevens, essentially did disinvite her ultimately from that service today. Was that wise? I mean, I'm actually the one that called her and said this has become a distraction. I've had talked with many several people that I've been talking to regularly.

1:07:22And look, I love Haley. I have talked to her. I cannot tell you how many times. And watching all this has been really difficult. I have a different style. I have a different style than Abdul, a different style than Haley. I'm the person that tries to unify. But I wish, I don't know what I wish. This has been a very difficult week to watch. And I know that Michigan is tired of the drama, that they're really worried about everyday issues, which are, you know, affordability, a very broken health care system. And the Kroger this morning, women came over to me, were getting their Medicaid letters, didn't know what it meant for their health insurance.

1:08:06But that's what people want to talk about. And this drama is very difficult and hard. What do you think it's going to be like just tomorrow on the campaign trail? I mean, how much do you think this is going to be out there? How much do you what do you want to see tomorrow? It's the last two days of this campaign. Millions, you know, a lot of people have voted. They've already made up their mind. We're down to really turning out the vote. I am doing a rally in the morning with a Dolan Elizabeth Warren. But, you know, Haley is clearly not going to be part of being out there, which I have been working with her.

1:08:49I have been talking to her all last week. I think people, quite frankly, people were really stunned today. I mean, very stunned. You know, I was not the only person that she had told even. I don't know if it was midnight. It was late yesterday. but other people were embarrassed that did national television shows this morning too. But she did tell you that she was not going to do this. Yes, she did, multiple times. But I was worried about her. I really, she's a human being, like many of us are. But I think tomorrow people are going to be focused on turning out the boats, making sure everybody's getting to the polls, protecting the polls.

1:09:32I've got a lot of things going on in my district, others. ICE has been near the polls. We've got watchers coming in. We learned this weekend the Senate has been an official watchers to Ann Arbor. Look, there's a lot of stuff going on. I've had crises all day. This has been something that's just left me very depressed in Senate. Congresswoman Dingell, I appreciate your time. Thank you very much. Back now with our panel here. Joining us this hour is also Republican pollster Kristen Soltis-Anderson, and former special assistant to President George W. Bush, Scott Jennings, David Axelrod. What do you make of it?

1:10:07I share her feeling. I share her feeling. I thought that was very, very sad.

1:10:17And, you know, Haley Stevens is obviously struggling. and I think trying to find her way through something that she hadn't fully thought through. So, you know, there's a lot of anger about what she did, but we're all human beings. And I think watching her made me think this is someone who's struggling, and so I just don't want to pile on right now. And I think that's kind of the way we should handle it. Yeah, I'm one of many Democrats. I talked to her yesterday. She seemed pretty at peace. She seemed pretty clear that she was done. And it's the one beyond the record. I'm one of the main Democrats.

1:11:07I talked to her.

1:11:10It was very hard to see that. And I think most people watching that may have started off angry. and they probably, as it went forward, had some empathy. That's not the way I think she thought she was going to. The woman I talked to yesterday, if you had told her that today she would be talking to Anderson Cooper and struggling just to get through a basic interview, I think that she would have been, she said no way. So I think that this campaign will move on. I think the voters are more important than any of us. Certainly the voters are more important than people who are not on the ballot. But I agree with David.

1:11:56I'm not going to pile on or add to anything. That was a human being in a lot of pain tonight. I agree with you. I think she is struggling. But why is the question. I mean, she's been a Democrat her entire life. She's been a Democratic elected official. She's been one of the most important Democrats in the country. And if you look at the reaction to her announcement today, Look at what Democrats are saying about her. Look at some of the leading voices in the Democratic Party on the American left are saying some of the most horrible things about her, all because she decided to make a political choice that she didn't like.

1:12:28And so I assume by tonight she is struggling. I don't know what changed overnight. And you talk to her. I didn't. But, you know, she has agency. You know, she is a person who's put herself forward for public service in Michigan, and she ultimately just couldn't get comfortable enough with Abdul El-Sayed. I think, frankly, there are going to be a lot of Democrats in Michigan who never quite got comfortable with Abdul El-Sayed, including perhaps some people who told pollsters that, yes, I intend to vote Democrat, but when they get in the booth, they're not going to be able to do it. That's what happened in the primary.

1:13:00He drastically underperformed in the primary because a lot of Democrats just couldn't do it. And so I don't know how she arrived at this decision, but I know this, this campaign and the agents of this campaign have gotten very, very ugly and very ornery and frankly, borderline violent in their rhetoric. Even, Van, things they've said about you. I mean, this this fellow chunk Uyghur saying that, you know, wrap an Israeli flag around you and start calling everyone you see an anti-Semite. Voila, you're Van Jones. That is one of Abdul El-Sayed's biggest boosters. So all these people around the Democratic Party in Michigan, I think, who are going nuts on Haley Stevens tonight, I can easily see why she's trying.

1:13:45Yeah, well, no, Scott, let's try and set this aside for a second and not sort of go to battle stations here. Because the fact is, if you talk to people in Michigan, they will all tell you how ugly, ugly, ugly this whole campaign has been, including millions of dollars of ads. That ad that you're talking about never even appeared on TV. Millions of dollars of ads from the Rogers campaign accusing El Saeed of being a jihadist and a terrorist and all of that and lock your door if he's a senator and all of that stuff. It's been abysmal. It's been abysmal. So there's plenty of that to go around. This ought to be a place where we all pull back and say this thing has gone too far.

1:14:34I think that's what Congresswoman Dingell was saying. So I'd resist the temptation to capitalize on this one more time. Yes, we'll find out on Tuesday what Democrats do, what Republicans and independents do. I suspect the reaction is not going to be what you say, but we'll see. Let me just bring it, Chris. How baked in do you think voters' opinions and choices tend to be two days before an election? I think they're pretty baked in, but there are people who will still walk into that voting booth and may feel their conscience pulling them in a different direction than they thought two days ago. And I don't think that most of those people are Democrats, and I don't think that most of those people are Republicans.

1:15:10In the new New York Times Siena poll that came out today, Democrats have a very clear opinion of both candidates. Republicans have a very clear. But for the independents, it was interesting. Only about a quarter of independents in that poll were very favorable to Abdul El-Sayed, but only about a quarter of them were very unfavorable. There's a lot of independents who are still thinking through, who do I actually think these men are that I'm choosing between? And while if this poll is even close to correct, these changes on the margins won't matter, that this poll has Abdul El-Sayed winning by an unbelievable margin.

1:15:43But if it's even close to true, this may make a slight difference, but it may not make a difference enough to actually change the result. I just want to respond to David. I'm not I'm not down here at a battle station. What I say tonight, what you say tonight is highly unlikely to change the outcome of what's going to happen on Tuesday. The people in Michigan will have to decide that. But you have to admit, Haley Stevens made a choice. And you can feel how you want to feel about it. But you look at what's been said about her today. I mean, terrible things have been said about her today all day long.

1:16:18My brother, what they have said about you because of your courageous stand and your heart on these issues regarding anti-Semitism in Israel. I look at what they say about the people who just barely get out of line. And it's pretty ugly. And I just wonder, are there going to be individual voters who react to that? Scott, do you have a problem with them calling him a jihadist? I wouldn't call him a jihadist. How about a terrorist? I would just tell the truth. He has been unable to tell the difference between our allies and our enemies in the Middle East. He can't tell you whether Iran or Israel is a greater threat.

1:16:51He said hurt people hurt people after the synagogue ramming. He's had a lot of statements that he needs to answer for. All right, everybody stay with us. We're going to be back to you shortly. Right now, the president is in Kansas, stumping for Republican Senate incumbent Roger Marshall, the historically deep red state. The president won there by 16 percentage points two years ago. Tonight, The New York Times has new polling suggesting Marshall is five points behind his Democratic challenger, Adam Hamilton. That's 49 percent for Hamilton, 44 percent for Marshall. Joining us right now is Pastor Adam Hamilton.

1:17:20Pastor, I appreciate you being with us. First of all, what does it say to you that President Trump went to Kansas tonight, a state that hasn't sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1932? Listen, this is two times that the president's been here in the last two weeks. I don't think there's ever been a president in Kansas twice in one month or in two weeks. And it says that Roger Marshall's in deep trouble. What the New York Times poll shows is, I think, the state of things here in Kansas. People are deeply upset about what's happening, decisions made in Washington, D.C. that are hurting them, the war in Iran, which is impacting them.

1:17:53We know, especially in an ag state like this, diesel prices last year were$3 a gallon. They're$6 a gallon now. That's the difference between making it as a farmer or not. add to that fertilizer. And you're talking some fertilizers double the price they were last year. And there's a lot of people who voted for Trump three times, voted for Roger Marshall last time, and they're really unhappy about this and about what's happening to them. Then you add to that tariffs and the impact of tariffs and then health insurance. And it's all the same things you're hearing everywhere. But in Kansas, it's really exacerbated as a rural state, as an ag state.

1:18:24A recent CNN poll found that your favorability ratings were higher than the Democratic Party overall by seven points among likely voters. I'm wondering why you think that is, whether you think it has any to do with your faith, your background as a pastor, and what do you think the message is for others in the Democratic Party, if that's the case? Well, here's several things that happen when I'm going to places. People know my superpowers, I'm not great at, you know, I'm not great at sports. I'm not a musician. My superpowers, I listen, I care deeply, and I fight for people. And people realize that, and they know that when I'm with them across the state.

1:18:59You know, I've traveled now eight times across the state of Kansas, and I think people know that. And I think what they feel from Roger Marshall, our sitting senator, is that he doesn't listen, he doesn't care, he's not there with them. He shows up for photo ops, and he doesn't actually show up to listen and hear their pain. If he did, he'd be fighting for them, but instead he acts like a mouthpiece of the president here in Kansas. And I think people are desperate for that. And I think they also know, you know, I'm running on two additional things in addition to the kitchen table kind of things.

1:19:23One of those is trying to bring people together, to bring Kansans together and then to work together in Washington with thoughtful Republicans and Democrats to solve our serious problems, which no party can solve on their own. And the second is human decency. And, you know, I had a guy tell me in Holton, Kansas, he said, hey, I'm a one-issue voter preacher. And I said, what's your one issue? In Kansas, that's usually guns or abortion. And he said, my one issue is that I refuse to vote for anybody who doesn't believe you should love your neighbors, you love yourself. And that's what people are looking for.

1:19:50And that's what I preached and taught for 38 years. And, you know, I travel across the state, people have used my books in their Sunday school classes. About five or six hundred churches have used my books in Sunday school. So when I go out to deeply read Western Kansas, they're like, would you sign my book? You know, you've been my Sunday school teacher for, you know, for 20 years. And so I think people know, you know, despite what the president tries to say and the vice president, Roger Marshall, I actually care about people. I'm a person of deep faith. I wake up every morning committing my life to God and trying to live what Jesus taught.

1:20:18And I think people are looking for that in Washington and feel what's happening in Washington is indecent. It's immoral. And I'll tell you one more story in a minute when you're, but I want to give you a chance to ask questions. No, you can tell another story if you want. Well, okay, we'll tell you another story. So I was at Chicken Annie's in Pittsburgh, Kansas. It's a very famous chicken restaurant in Pittsburgh, Kansas. And I had a campaign event there. And then I walked out, and there was a guy who wasn't at my campaign event. He was in coveralls, and he said, you know, he was probably in his, I don't know, late 70s, maybe 80s.

1:20:47He says, he said, listen, I have voted in 46 elections. And I said, well, that's great. He said, I've never voted for a Democrat in my life. And I said, okay. And he said, but I voted for you. And I voted for you because what's happening in Washington is immoral. And I think you're a man of morals and character. And that's what we need in Washington, D.C. I don't care what party you're a part of. And, of course, in Kansas, there's only 25 % of the state are Democrats. You've got to win over a lot of Republicans. And we've got a lot of Republicans who are saying, this guy has character. He cares about us.

1:21:21He's going to fight for us. He has our values. And I think that's why we're winning in Kansas. You're saying you want to change Washington. There's a lot of folks who come to Washington saying that and they get changed by Washington. How will you not be one of them? Yeah. Well, I'll tell you. So just a little something here. I carry with me in my back pocket this pocket testament every day. It's my defining story. You know, I wake up every morning, I get on my knees and I've done it for 45 years and just said, God, I belong to you. Help me to love people. Help me to care. I'm not going to stop doing that in Washington, D.C.

1:21:54This is my life. This is who I am. And I didn't get into this because I had a desire to be a career politician. I got into this because things are so broken in Washington, D.C. I thought somebody's got to do something. And in the end, I thought, well, actually, my wife said to me this past January, she said, why not you? You know, you've led one of the largest nonprofits in Kansas City. You have, you know, a congregation of 24 ,000 people you've inspired and tried to move to be decent human beings and to live out their faith in the world, maybe you could do something in Washington. And, you know, we spent a lot of time praying and thinking about it and finally said, maybe we can.

1:22:23So that's why I got in. And that's why I don't think Washington is going to change me. I'd like to be a part of changing Washington. Pastor Adam Hamilton, thank you very much. Appreciate it. Thank you. If I could say this, Anderson. Yeah. I'd love for your people, if they want to find out more about me, HamiltonForKansas.com. And I appreciate you having me on today. Thank you so much. It's a little frightening. The coloring we both have is pretty much exactly the same. Just looking at us side by side. People keep telling me I look like you, and that's a compliment to me, so I wish I looked a little more like you.

1:22:55We'll see. Pastor Hamilton, thanks so much. Ahead tonight, John King talking to voters in five key states. We'll be right back.

1:23:05I wrote a little song to remind you, Choice Hotels gets you more of the experiences you value. The Cambria Hotel's got it all. A rooftop bar, have a ball. Cocktails up here feel just right. Is Cambria amazing? All right. Bring a date, your team, or even your mom. Book direct at choicehotels.com. See you on the roof. This holiday, all plans, even unlimited, are just$15 a month. A holiday deal this good obviously deserves an enormously expensive holiday song, like All I Want F***. Right. Okay, we can't afford that. You know what? Forget the music budget. We're going to stick with whatever's in the public domain.

1:23:50Give it a try at mintmobile.com slash switch. Upfront payment of$45 for three months,$90 for six months, or$180 for 12-month plan required,$15 per month equivalent. Taxes and fees extra. New customer offer for initial plan term only. Greater than 50 gigabytes may slow when network is busy. See terms.

1:24:13And welcome back. Throughout this campaign, CNN John King has been doing what any of us here in the studio would love to be doing. He's been on the road listening to voters all across the country, all over the map. Most recently, five states in five days.

1:24:28I always drink too much of this, but on this trip, it is my best friend. Five states in five days. We're interviewing voters wherever we can. The cost of living is hard, especially trying to feed a family. If someone like Dr. Abdul Al Sayed can win, then I think that sends a message that progressives can win all across the country. 6 o 'clock flights. Boarding that way, 47-millil service to Philadelphia. Five-hour drives, sometimes three, four, and five live shots. We have mini-magic wall along with us here. Up before the sun, way before the sun, and we're lucky if the head hits the pillow at midnight.

1:25:04It's incredibly consequential and it's really hard to tell how it's going to go.

1:25:12Democrats win places like this? It's just a giant exclamation point on what the country is saying because that means a whole lot of Trump voters are also saying enough. You don't remember the Democrats being this competitive here in so many races in a long time, right? It's been a while. Kamala Harris won only five of Iowa's 99 counties. So how in such a short period of time did this state become so competitive? How are you? It's good to see you. Shannon is the wild card in our group here. She does not at all like how Trump conducts himself, but again, likes less regulation, has a cattle ranch, likes lower taxes, likes a lot of his policies, but she wants change.

1:25:52What needs to be course corrected? The war, the diesel prices, the extremism. You'll split your ticket? Yeah. I think we need a balance of the House and the Senate. I want the Republicans to hold control of both Senate and Congress. Jocelyn Taylor voted early and voted Republican, but she sees why Democrats are in play this year. Things like ICE or rising costs, the gas prices right now. Lindsay Murray is a young progressive who will vote for change, but she sees Iowa's Democratic candidates as too cautious, too middle of the road. They are also throwing trans people under the bus. A number of the Democratic candidates have said things like that lately, which has been very disappointing.

1:26:33So there is the enthusiasm to, oh, we've got to flip blue. But individual candidates-wise, I feel like it's just, let's just get through it. The opportunities are so many for her side, the blue side, and yet she almost sounds discouraged. 4 a.m. wake-up call on day two. On to Michigan. Michigan is day two. Competitive house race is here, competitive governor's race here. But the biggest race getting not only national but international attention is the Senate race. We appreciate your support on November 3rd. Well, I've had a couple of people that tell me that they don't understand why the UAW is endorsing a foreigner.

1:27:18And I had to tell them Dr. El-Sahid was born here in Michigan. He was born in the United States. He's an American citizen. What's your sense of where we are at the end? Which way is this trending? I think it's trending up. I feel the energy. Dearborn is the majority Arab city. Voters here did not turn out for Kamala Harris in 2024, and she lost this state by a pretty small margin. Abdul Al-Sayed is counting on a huge turnout here. This race is critical for a number of reasons. Mr. Al-Sayed would be the first Muslim in the United States Senate. That would be history. Number two, his signature issue is Medicare care for all.

1:27:56He's trying to sell that in a 50-50 purple middle of America presidential bellwether state. I understand the national stakes here because I think that this race, like the primary, is going to decide the future of the party and really the future of our country. Oakland is Michigan's second largest county, the Detroit suburbs. A key Republican target here, Jewish Democrats. Certainly we can criticize Israel, and I do, but he's not willing to go there and even reach out an olive branch to the Jewish community. And that's why so many are not going to be able to vote for him. You are a lifelong Democrat.

1:28:29You're not a fan of President Trump. Nope. You would like the Democrats to control the United States Senate. I would. But you're going to vote Republican. I am. It's 50-50, and therefore the vice president breaks the tie, and the Republicans still control the Senate because the Democrats lost Michigan. You'd have to live with that. Yeah. Why? I would have to live with that. And it's very frustrating.

1:28:55Donald Trump took Ohio off the map for 10 years, but in 2026, Ohio, middle America, bellwether state might be part of a big, big message.

1:29:12Still undecided. I'm going to vote Republican. Up and down. Yeah. Yeah. Bill Crustling to me is the exception to the midterm rule. He's a sheep farmer, has a farm in southeast rural Ohio, but he doesn't use much diesel, doesn't use fertilizer. So he's not getting crushed like so many other farmers and voters in rural areas. But he does share this in common with them. He wants to be left alone. He's a big fan of Trump, doesn't really like other politicians much, but he equates Democrats with more government rules and higher taxes. I personally don't think it's a really good idea to be giving them any more power.

1:29:48or any more money. It just reminds me of a drunken sailor giving him 20 more bucks. It's like, here, go blow this too. Dale King, also a Republican-like bill, but he's in a very different place. For starters, Dale owns a gym in Portsmouth. That's in southern Ohio, right along the Kentucky border. Dale's a two-time Trump voter. He's a conservative, tends to vote Republican, but he's an Iraq War combat veteran who thinks the commander-in-chief started the war in Iran without a plan and without a strategy. It's really what I'm voting against. There's no one I'm willing to stick a yard sign in my yard about.

1:30:24So what are you voting against? Well, I'm voting against the war in Iran. That's kind of my single biggest issue. If we wake up Wednesday morning and a state Donald Trump won pretty easily three times, elects a Democratic governor and a Democratic senator, what's the message to him? It's over. The big orange balloon that's kind of been hovering over America, the air's finally popped out of it. You can only fake it so long.

1:30:59Pennsylvania's always big in every election year. And this year, the biggest question, four Republican-held House seats, each of them a little different, the Democrats think they can flip. And think about that. If you can do that in one state, flip three or four in just one state, it'll set the Democrats on their way to what they hope will be a blue wave year. The district I'm in right now is about 20 % Latino, and that's focused here mostly in the Allentown area. This will be the first test. Latinos built toward Donald Trump in 2016, 2020, 2024. Latinos are typically very socially conservative.

1:31:33I really hope that sometime in my lifetime, I just turned 35, I would like to own a house. Pennsylvania, remember how important that has been to the rise of Trump, to Trump's win in 2016, Trump's comeback in 2024. There's a vibrant mega base in Pennsylvania, and one of the voters we met there on this trip said things that are simply stunning, shocking. So we have guys like Manami, the guy from Michigan, okay? What is happening with this country? When you have a Democratic Socialist or somebody who's a communist like that, they should not be able to run for office. Didn't we used to lock these people up?

1:32:09A new wrinkle on this trip, a nightly live stream. And our location in Pennsylvania, I called it paradise, a place where we could reconnect with some of our all over the map voters. And by some really strange coincidence, it was a brew pub and it served beer. I don't know if you know this, but John King likes beer. And that, that's Pennsylvania one, where Boo's Brew Pub is. What's the biggest issue in this campaign? For me, the biggest issue, it's just cost, cost, cost, cost. It is the economy, straight up. And is President Trump too blamed for that? I think he's a big component of this, for sure.

1:32:42This is Michael Pacey. Michael lives here in Pennsylvania's 1st District. And you are a Reagan Republican. But because of Donald Trump, you have drifted away. Yes. You have in the past supported Congressman Fitzpatrick. Every time. But you are going to vote against him and vote for the Democrat because it is more important to you to stop Donald Trump. Is that a fair way to put it? That's exactly the best way to put it. This district will tell us if Fitzpatrick is losing, if he loses, even if it's really close as opposed to a big win like a couple of years ago, that'll be a sign of if there's a blue wave.

1:33:16A Senate race that is absolutely pivotal to the balance of power fight is our focus here in Maine. The final stop on our five day, five state final week midterm tour on the ballot. Troy Jackson versus the Republican incumbent Susan Collins. She's been in the Senate 30 years. He's a replacement candidate. Remember the beginning of this race? The meteoric rise of Graham Plattner, the progressive oyster farmer, then the collapse, the implosion of Plattner because of character questions. Back then, Democrats were nervous. Could they pick a new candidate and could they find a candidate who could defeat the veteran incumbent Susan Collins?

1:33:49So where are we? We're ready for it to be over. It's kind of exhausting. Yeah, I think that's where we are. You passed the signs that it says, you know, vote for Collins is a vote for Trump. Is that how people view it? I think a lot of people view it that way, and I personally think that's true. I think some people think the division is actually vote in the interest of the nation or vote in the interest of Maine. And I think that Troy's campaign has done a good job breaking that down, that what she stands for hurts Maine in a bigger way than anything she brings home. And Sina John King is back with me.

1:34:26What's your biggest takeaway after traveling? The biggest takeaway is that in areas that Donald Trump won and won big, a lot even of his own voters are what I'll call Trump exhausted. And it's because of the Iran war. And it's because of, number one, a lot of his voters say he promised he wasn't going to do that. But it's more than that. It's just another brick on this affordability crisis that has been building and building and building. And, yes, Republicans can make the case it started under President Biden. That's fair. You could say sort of the anxiety and exhaustion started during COVID.

1:34:55But but all people are already stressed. Gas, diesel. I'll just bring up gas and watch that. Look at this in middle America. I mean, this is just the price of gas since the Iran war started. If you are purple. Right. If you are one of these counties here, your gas prices have gone up more than 70 percent. And diesel is even more expensive than gas. And a lot of people in rural America use diesel. Right. If you're in one of these counties, your gas prices have gone up 63 to 70, 73 percent. Look at where those counties are. That's Iowa, that's Kansas, that's Nebraska. That is Trump country. Okay, and so you bring up the whole graphic now, you know, and you bring it all in there, and you just look at this.

1:35:33You know, if you're in one of the orange counties, your gas prices have only gone up 54 to 63 percent. I mean, it's punishing. It is just punishing to people who have to drive 60, 80, 100 miles a day, who have two diesel pickups because their combine has diesel and their tractor has diesel on their farm. And so in places Trump went up big, his own voters are getting punished by this. And they know it. And on top of that, a lot of them now are getting their health care letters and realizing how much their health care costs have gone up. And again, the impact of some of the ACA cuts, the subsidy cuts, and just the impact of prices are up in rural areas.

1:36:10Everything's up in rural areas. And in these parts of the country, you have a Senate race there. You were talking about the dysfunction right now in the Michigan Democrats in the Senate race there. Some people are also starting to get their home heating bills or at least starting to think about it as it gets cold. So it's a cumulative effect, but people tie it directly to the president. And, Kristen, you've got a question about the Florida 9 race. Yeah, so I'm very fascinated to know what you think about Florida's 9th congressional district. It's one of those districts that has new lines this year as a result of the mid-decade redistricting, currently held by a Democrat, Darren Soto.

1:36:40He's been in that seat for 10 years. The district looks a lot different than it did just two years ago. You've now added in a lot of older, more conservative voters. But I really think it's going to come down to what happens with Latino voters. You have a very heavy Latino population in a part of this district. Trump ran up really good numbers with Latino voters relative to where they've been in the past. And I've noticed that the handicappers have started moving this district back. What can you tell me about what's going on in Florida's 9th? I have not been to Florida, so I want to be very careful here.

1:37:10But if you look at some of the districts, especially if you go through the districts that Republicans redistricted, thinking it would help them, their grand plan of five in Texas and a few in Florida and here and there, one in North Carolina, a lot of those districts are in play. You mentioned Latino voters. I have not been in Florida, and I want to be very careful here because the Florida Latino population obviously is a lot more complicated. Very much. There's layers of it. Yes, you have Mexican-Americans, but they also have a lot of the Cubans. You deal with the Venezuelans. So the Florida is way more complicated than anywhere else.

1:37:41But I was in Pennsylvania. The first thing we'll learn on election night about Latino vote will come from the 7th district in Pennsylvania because of Allentown and Bethlehem around there. It's about 20 percent of the population. It's about 50 percent in Allentown and about 20 percent in the district. And the cultural conservatism still comes out. A lot of them still like Trump. But, again, affordability. You're standing around a table and they're like, you know, I want Trump. I want to be more patient. I'd like to give him more time. He's on my side on these issues. and then a woman at the table says, I'd really like to buy a house.

1:38:09I'm 35 years old. I have three kids and I'd like to. And the rest of them go, oh, yeah. And so there's a tug of war there. There's a tug of war there. And it's like, what's first for them? What do they decide is their top priority? And is it affordability? Then they're going to swing back. Is it give them more time? Maybe some of them stay. The gut is and people on the street who do this all the time say it's coming back in a decent way. We'll come votes Tuesday. What about ICE down in Texas and the Hispanic vote down there? So I will tell you from our trip that we didn't do it on the five day five states because we had just been there.

1:38:38But we were down here in the Rio Grande Valley. And this is one of the reasons you look, look, just shy of half of the population of Texas was not alive. The last time Texas elected a Democratic governor or a Democratic senator. Right. And so is that going to happen? You saw this poll tonight. Is it going to happen? I'll count the votes. I'll be skeptical to the end about Texas. I just will be died of the poll could say 60 percent for Tallarico. And I'd be skeptical to the end. But if you go down here again, there are a couple of those districts that the Republicans redistribute. district did and gone.

1:39:05Just the Latino vote is coming back and they're not going to win them. All right, everyone, thank you. Our countdown to election night in America continues. Jessica Dean here on CNA.

1:39:17Choice hotels get you more of what you value. Here's a little tune to help you remember. Same drive, different day. Don't you wish you were getting away? Pack your bags and Come on through. Texas, Ohio, Alaska, we're up there too. Comfort Inn. It's calling your name. Save on the stay. Oh, and free waffles are yours to claim. Well, I hope you like my little song. Book direct at choicehilletales.com. You're listening to a quick ad. You know what else is quick? Selling your car on Carvana. Just put in your vehicle information and we'll give you an offer. Done. Again, no hassle, no negotiation, no guy from an online listing lowballing you.

1:40:01Which means by the time I'm done explaining this, you could have basically done it.

1:40:10Still haven't started? Hey, better late than never. Sell your car today on Carvana. Pickup fees may apply.