Mississippi Elects First Black Senator Since Reconstruction

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1:08Good evening, everyone. I'm Laura Coates. There is a black senator from a blue Mississippi. There are generations of Mississippi voters for whom that statement sounds like pure Hollywood fiction. Politically, Scott Colombe has accomplished something that no Mississippi Democrat has done in 44 years. He has won a seat in the United States Senate. And societally, there's an even bigger feat. He will be the state's first black U.S. senator since Reconstruction. Cologne defeated Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith. Now, on election night, you might remember, he had a razor-thin lead of just 43 votes.

1:46Now, that lead kept growing over the last eight days. And tonight, CNN called the race, with Cologne ahead right now by 4 ,669 votes. His win will now give Democrats 55 seats in the Senate, and one seat, yes, it's still up for grabs. Alaska has yet to be called, but the wait is over in Mississippi, and tonight, Cologne is celebrating. It's not something that I did, y 'all. It's something that we did.

2:25All I did was have the courage to imagine a night like this. I had the courage to believe in Mississippi. I had the courage to understand that we could show the country that Mississippi matters. You know, it's hard to overstate just how historic this moment is. For Mississippi voters, for black voters, for me. It's actually very personal. My mother grew up in segregated South. My grandparents moved north to find opportunities for their children that the South denied them at every single turn. And I was taught an overwhelming amount of reverence for the work of the freedom riders, the civil rights leaders who risked their lives but never compromised their dignity in pursuit of people having the opportunity to participate in their lives.

3:19It was inspired, it's what inspired me to actually join the Civil Rights Division. And it was there that I monitored elections in Mississippi and across the entire country. And that was at a time when Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act was still intact. When Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act was still powerful. Before the Supreme Court majority really gutted it all. Mississippi, it's got a present. It has a future. But for so many, you know it for its painful civil rights past. the Tougaloo Nine. Black college students arrested in 1961 for having the audacity to challenge segregation at a public library.

4:02Cologne actually held his speech tonight at that very same college. There's Medgar Evers who helped to organize their protest and was assassinated two years later. Cologne made a nod to Evers tonight, and in his closing ad of his campaign, he recorded it at Evers Historic Home. This is where Medgar Evers died. He fought for this country at Normandy. He came home to Mississippi, and they wouldn't let him vote. So he organized, helping other people register. just after midnight on June 12th, 1963. He pulled into here with an arm full of T-shirts that said, Jim Crow must go. A man hiding across the street shot him in the back.

4:49Two juries let that man walk. I would visit that house while at the Civil Rights Division observing elections in that very state. And to really understand just how far Mississippi has come, how about a sharecropper, a woman? named Fannie Lou Hamer, a giant of the civil rights movement in Mississippi, who was thrown off the plantation where she lived and worked for trying to register to vote and later beaten in a Mississippi jail the following year. She took her story to the Democratic National Convention in 1964, where she challenged Mississippi's all-white delegation. She was fighting for black Mississippians who had been shut out entirely of the political process.

5:35And then she had a question for the entire country. And if the Freedom Democratic Party is not seated now, I question America. Is this America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, where we have to sleep with our telephones off of the hook because our lives be threatened daily, because we want to live as decent human beings in America. Fannie Lou Hamer did not live to see tonight. But 62 years later, voters in Mississippi, well, they may have given her an answer. I want to bring in my panel for tonight, Democratic strategist Joel Payne, CNN political commentator Scott Jennings, Democratic strategist Antoine Seawright and former Bush White House official Ashley Davis.

6:33I'm glad to have all of you here. And I am just marveling at the pendulum shifts in this country for a lot of reasons. And no matter how you vote, the fact that there has there's a history of people who were denied the opportunity to do so. And a pendulum shift has happened in Mississippi is one that cannot be overstated. How did Cologne break through where so many were not able to, Antoine, in 44 years, let alone since Reconstruction? As a Democrat, I'm happy. As a son of the South, I'm proud. But as the grandson of sharecroppers from the segregated South, I'm thrilled. The same bloodline of those who once picked cotton have now picked executives, governors, and now U.S.

7:21senators. That's the story and a powerful story in America. Scott was able to win because the fundamentals on his side. He stayed hyper local, talking about the affordability crisis brought to you and sponsored by Donald Trump and your neighborhood Republican Party. But also he understood that politics is a game of addition and multiplication, not subtraction and division. So he went and spoke to Republicans. He made certain that black voters was his top priority and they're overperformed by 3 percent of a presidential election. And he made certain to not get distracted, not get thrown off Kindle, if you will, when the negative ads came his way that simply lied or tried to misplace his priorities and what's important.

8:01And the most important thing, they could not box him in as being anti-crime. They could not box him in as being all the things. He owned his freedom and he owned his Christian faith. And so the fundamentals were on his side. One thing I was struck by, I had a chance to interview him just last night again, and he talked about centering Mississippi. And he talked about rural voices more broadly. And although we're talking about, obviously, historic sharecroppers, those are possible in the rural South and agricultural regions in this country, where we know that those voices are often forgotten when it comes to the Beltway, to metropolitan areas of this country.

8:38And Democrats and Republicans have complained time and time again about rural voices being left behind and not having a true seat at the table. I'm wondering for you all's perspective in thinking about his position now as a senator-elect, whether that message will find its place in Washington, D.C. Well, this is a truly diverse coalition that he put together. I mean, I think everyone who had studied what was going on in Mississippi, and clearly there was something that was happening on the ground. There was a certain percentage of white voters that you knew he was going to have to get. And I bring that up because, look, Mississippi is the blackest state in terms of voters in the country.

9:19But you were going to have to get to a certain percentage with white voters. And I think there's something about Scott Cologne not just depending on black voters. Like, yes, black voters are very central. But clearly he converted a lot of Trump voters, a lot of white voters. He brought out a lot of infrequent voters. And I think that that says something to Democrats about not waving off half the country. I think for so long, Democrats got to this place where they said, we're just going to compete in these blue states and these blue cities and these blue areas. And I think one lesson that Democrats should take from last week, the entire country is up for grabs.

9:53And that's a lesson, by the way, that Donald Trump taught all of us is that the country is up for grabs and that people have a very open mind. And I think Democrats were opportunistic. And I hope it's a lesson that Democrats take going forward. And just to just to piggyback on something that was said there, not writing off half the country. And for Republicans, it means you can't take anything for granted. I mean, look at these states, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Kansas, Iowa. I mean, I've been in Republican politics for 26 years. For most of that period, those states, you know, seem like it was off limits to Democrats.

10:30But what happens over time is you start to think about just taking this for granted and we'll focus on other things. We have a lot of voters out there that aren't necessarily loyal to either party. They're looking for somebody to listen to them. They want somebody to talk to them. And for 28, I agree. I think a lot more people are up for grabs than you might imagine. And Republicans are going to have to remember that just because somebody voted for you once or twice or even five times doesn't necessarily mean they're locked in in the future. Well, one thing I want to say is congratulations to the senator-elect because I don't think that either party does a good enough job saying it to the other side.

11:07And so I wish him his best. He ran on wages and he ran on rural hospitals, which is a major issue. And I think that leaders now in the Democrat Party who will soon take over need to make sure that they're taking care of those voters. But there's a lot of firsts. There's a first black governor in Florida, obviously a Republican. Of course, this is the first black senator in Mississippi for how many years? And it's also the first black woman senator in Georgia. I mean, we have so many, obviously, the first Muslim. But I also think, though, what's amazing about this country, and I know you want to talk, but we are able to vote in people that we want, which we need to remember.

11:46We've had election integrity on this election. I know there's been a little bit of noise about what the president's been saying. However, our system worked and people were mad and they voted in a new group of people. And it happened two years ago, and it happened now, and going back to not taking advantage of the voters. Well, you know what I want to talk to? My next guest, somebody who watched Fannie Lou Hamer advocate for civil rights in the 1960s. And tonight, he watched his son become the next senator from Mississippi. And he joins me now for an exclusive interview. Scott Colom's father, Wilbur Colom, joins us now.

12:18Wilbur, thank you for being here. I can only imagine the pride you must be feeling. Your son even mentioned Fannie Lou Hamer tonight during his victory speech. Describe what you're feeling as both a father and a Mississippian. Well, as a father, I feel obvious pride. I've seen Scott mature and grow as a father, as a husband, and as a political figure in the state. And as a Mississippian, I'm just astounded at the progress we've made. I have one incident. I called a lawyer who had done civil rights cases with me back in the 70s and into the early 80s. And when he was talking about what he had done to help Scott in the race, and I was thanking him.

13:12And he just broke out crying. I've never seen this lawyer cry before. He was just in tears. And, you know, I started crying with him because he said, I never thought I would see this in my lifetime. And here you are, not only in your lifetime, but it's your son who has accomplished this feat. And he campaigned for months and months and months and months and months and did so, you know, with confidence that he was going to center Mississippi. You were also once a Republican. You even worked for the Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan. Why do you think your son chose to be a Democrat and was successfully elected as one?

13:55Well, yeah, I left the Republican Party in 2005 and 2006. And I actually served on the Barack Obama National Finance Committee. I saw what was happening in the Republican Party at that time. I had been friends with Thad Cochran and other Republicans who were different kinds of people. We had hoped to build in Mississippi a Republican party that was multiracial. I'd been very active in the civil rights movement. I mean, I'd worked with Ralph Abernathy and Andy Young and other people during the 60s. So I believed that the South was going to change, and I thought maybe the Republicans could help.

14:37I pretty much gave up on it in 2005. I worked on with the Obama campaign. I became a member of the Democratic National Committee in 2012. But Mississippi has really, really changed. It's just the Republicans didn't change. They became the Dixiecrat party. And they stopped being a conservative party. And this nation needs a physically conservative party and a party that's really looking out for every person. But there has to be those two voices. And I've always believed that. So important to think about what it means to have a big tent and one that doesn't have holes in it. Everyone's getting rained on.

15:26And that's that's part of the frustration that so many people have being invited into the room and then not being able to truly feast. And you had a really unique circumstance here in Mississippi in the sense of you had what we now know was obviously a competitive race. But your son often commented about how noncompetitive his opponent was acting, did not necessarily view it, was a sleepy campaign candidate. He would often refer to where Senator Chuck Schumer met with you and your son. You two specifically wanted to run against Hyde Smith in part, I understand, because you disagree with her policies and what she was doing for Mississippi.

16:02But also this is the person I understand, as you know, who blocked your son from becoming a federal judge. You know, they say the revenge is best served cold. But I wonder what your message to Senator is tonight, knowing that it was this very senator who your son unseated. Yeah, no. In victory, you want to not be critical of other people. So Cindy Hyde-Smith is a person who's been in service many years. And she's our competitor, but she's not our enemy. And Scott's going to be her senator and her neighbor's senator. And he's not going to offer any criticism of her. And I'm sure the campaign will not.

16:53We appreciate what she's done for Mississippi. We just disagreed with her. I think that is not only admirable, but I think it's very aspirational that I hope other members of Congress and the Senate also aspire to as well. I mean, I have to talk about the ads, though, because I think the ads that were geared towards Mississippi voters, I mean, they reached the entire nation. Many were viral. Even your son said they were totally game changing. Those ads, though, I mean, this was in part a family affair. I mean, Scott's wife, Nadia, I understand it's when brother Andrew helped to develop them. Have your kids always been this creative?

17:30And talk to me about how this helped him connect to voters in a way, frankly, other politicians could not. Yeah, well, I was mostly involved in fundraising and voter turnout. But I saw these young people come up with these incredibly creative ideas because we had a great deal of difficulty in fundraising because no one actually believed. And it was very late before we got any money. So they came up with these ideas. I think the most popular commercial that we had wasn't even a commercial. It was just loaded up. It was done. Probably didn't cost more than$1 ,000. The one about the pick of protein, I bet you we didn't spend$1 ,000 on that.

18:15The one that senators, I think Andrew, Scott's twin brother, wrote the script. A guy named Gaspar helped him with the writing. They shot that in the Mississippi Delta, and it probably didn't spend more than$2 ,000. Wow. And both of those went viral. And that shows the talent in Mississippi, and it shows what you can do if you're creative. This is a world of creativity. And to be able to watch that was amazing to me, because I'm the old school where we have to get out and, you know, shake the trees and plow the ground to get something done. Well, that creativity certainly will be welcome in a place like Washington, D.C.

19:00I can tell you, there are strategists right now who are reeling, thinking, don't tell people it doesn't cost that much money to be successful and run successfully. They are mad right now. They're like, add a couple of commas, please. That's the budget. That's the invoice. But you don't look old enough to be his father, which, you know, respect. But, Mr. Colon, tell me what advice you gave to your son And what did you tell him after he won? Well, we have a state of philosophy. My wife was elected judge, and we lost two elections. And she asked us after the second one, what were we going to do? And I said, we're going to get up and go to work.

19:40And she won the third one. And that's the way Scott was raised. He has a statement that he gives his daughters. He has two daughters. And Scott says, Cologne girls never give up. And so Scott and I sat and talked about what we were going to do in Mississippi in coming years, what he wanted to do in Congress, in the Senate. He wanted ideas. In fact, I started writing people for ideas on what should be done to solve some problems. So you know what he'll do tomorrow? He'll get up and he'll get to work. And what he'll do Friday, he'll get up and he'll get to work. And that's his work ethic is is where his reason he won this race.

20:25And without the work ethic, you know, because we did not have the money. We probably had less money than any campaign for a Democrat in the in the nation. But you know what? You got up, you went to work. And now that office is the United States Capitol. Wilbur Cologne, thank you so much. We'll get up and get to work next tomorrow. But after you finish watching the show. All right, have a good night. Thank you. Thank you so much. Nice talking to you. I want my panel to react what's going on, too. I mean, at first, I like that philosophy. I like the idea of not having negative things to say after you've already bested your opponent.

21:03Predictions. You've all been in Washington, D.C. for quite a while. Can you remain the person you want to be in Washington, D.C.? Of course, I'm sitting here thinking I hope he doesn't get frustrated. but my life does deal with Congress every day and hoping that some of the things that he wants to do that are, whether it's for rural hospitals or whatever it is, he's able to do. I mean, it's just a slow-moving body with a lot of different ebbs and starts. So hopefully, that's why being governor is the best job in America. He cannot afford to mismanage his coalition. And I think that's where Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans made a mistake.

21:39Young voters, non-college educated voters, rule voters, black voters, those are centerpieces to his coalition. He has to deliver. He cannot lose his authenticity, but now he has to be the senator for Mississippi. That includes the people who did not vote for him. And I think that's where his bread is going to be buttered for the future. And of course, with such a, not, you know, it wasn't a totally slim margin as an election night, you know, a couple dozen votes, but not a clear mandate as to whose interests he must represent. He's got to be a person for all the Mississippi voters in general. I'm so taken by Mr.

22:17Cologne. That's what a what a what a person. You can tell maybe where Scott Cologne got it from. I mean, that's pretty remarkable. The other thing I would add, we're talking about Scott Cologne now, but think about the folks that Democrats elected. James Tallarico, Adam Hamilton, Abdul El-Sayed, Troy Jackson, you know, go on down the list, Annie Andrews. These are, along with being people who politically did the thing this time around, these are good folks. And these are the types of new voices that the Democratic Party has been screaming for. And by the way, they're all over the ideological spectrum.

22:50I think some of us tend to think about things more progressively. Some think more moderately. But these folks all found success. And these are the types of names and voices that Democrats need to be pushing forward as the generational change that's in motion right now kind of comes to fruition. Instructive for Republicans and Democrats thinking about that, by the way. Thank you so much, everyone. One of my mentors is the national president of the NAACP, Derek Johnson. Well, Scott Colon praising the head of the NAACP on this historic night. you know what? He's going to join me next live from Jackson, Mississippi.

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24:43That, of course, is Nina Simone's iconic civil rights anthem, Mississippi Goddamn. A searing criticism of the injustices against black America. Well, now six decades after she gave voice to Mississippi's pain, it's voters who have given the state a reason to celebrate with the election of Democrat Scott Cologne to the United States Senate. I want to bring in one of Cologne's mentors, president of the NAACP, Derek Johnson. Derek, it's good to see you tonight. You were there for the speech. You heard Senator-elect Cologne thank you, along with the veterans of the civil rights movement. How do you think the history books are going to look back on this win tonight?

25:21You know, I think this will be seen as a case of perseverance. It was beautiful to see civil rights veterans from the 60s, those who had organized Freedom Summer, who continued to fight. It was beautiful to see Congressman Thompson, who was that next generation, on stage during the introduction, and knowing that there were several people in the room that Congressman Thompson mentored, including myself. It is great to see Scott Colon now elected as a United States Senator, and I know Charles Taylor over at the NAACP or Neshamie Lambright, we're one big Mississippi family concerned with helping those who need help.

25:59And in this moment we are proud that all of the work, all the sacrifice, all the blood, sweat and tears have brought us to this moment where we can see a United States Senator elected for the first time since Reconstruction. You know, you watched CNN make that historic projection from the very office where Medgar Evers worked, saying next to windows that still bear the bullet holes from the fight for the black vote. When that news finally broke, what did it feel like to be in that room? You know, when I walked in the room, it felt like 2008 Obama. I can recall when M.W. Stringer Lodge, which is the headquarter for the state NAACP, we always used that as our place to gather as we're watching the outcome of elections.

26:50And in 2008, I heard old women shout. We heard that today. I've seen grown men shed tears. We've seen that today. I recall young people being excited. We've seen that today, all in that room, in that building. That building to me is special. It was the office of Mega Evers. It was where Fetty Lou Hamer would meet. It's where Aaron Henry would hold court. It was an opportunity for us to celebrate the moment with those who have sacrificed much, but also the young, innovative activists that are now around the table. I mean, Charles Taylor is one of the most effective leaders, not only in the state of Mississippi, but across the country, particularly in the South.

27:34And a lot is due to the work he has done to ensure voters got to the polls and understood that they had an obligation and they turned out in record numbers. What I'm so struck by, I think many people are struck by, which is why this race, not only from the historical aspect of it, but has been a focus now, has been about the history, even over the party, the progress over the party, the opportunity over the party, the Mississippi being centered over blue and red. You are really seeing people look at Mississippi now as the way that Cologne ended his even speech tonight, that Mississippi matters.

28:09And for political leaders and national strategists and donors who have written off Mississippi for decades. I mean, he even criticized the Cook Report just yesterday to me talking about how the impact of writing office state really undermines the ability of people to pursue what is their right to pursue office. I mean, how should party leaders now approach the Deep South at this point? Well, in order for there to be an expanded opportunity in our democracy, you can't fly over states. It's not a mistake that he gave his address on the campus of Tougaloo College, where many individuals seen this campus as safe havens so they can explore what was possible and try to push the needle.

29:01Much of the meetings around the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party took place on this campus. And that that those discussions was a challenge to National Democratic Party to do more, to do better, to recognize the power of individuals in a state like Mississippi. Scott Colon's campaign is the same, a challenge to the party to do more, to invest and recognize the value of voters in this state. You can't fly over this state. You got to invest to this state if you want to continue to expand the map. Well, it's about to be a welcome to Washington, D.C. Derek Johnson, thank you so much. Thank you for the opportunity.

29:42Up next, the White House right here in Washington, D.C., preparing for a legal war as they now threaten criminal investigations for Democrats who plan congressional oversight. Congressman Dan Goldman was the lead counsel in Trump's first impeachment, and he'll respond next.

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30:39A major escalation in Washington tonight as the White House issues a stunning warning to incoming House Democrats. Back off your investigation plans or face criminal prosecution. In an unprecedented letter, White House warned planned oversight could cross the line into blatant criminality. Incoming oversight chair Robert Garcia fired back immediately.

31:29are right as members of Congress. With me now, Democratic Congressman from New York, Dan Goldman. He is a member of the House Judiciary Committee and served as the lead majority counsel during the first impeachment and Senate trial of President Trump. Good to have you here. I mean, first of all, this warning from the White House Congressman that aggressive oversight could be a crime. What is the response that Democrats ought to have? Well, first of all, it is preposterous. It is a joke. And I went and looked up the background of the White House counsel who wrote this letter. He doesn't have a lot of experience as a lawyer and certainly does not understand what blatant criminality is, because Congress's constitutional duty is to conduct oversight, is to investigate in furtherance of potential legislation.

32:22Checks, balances. And what we have seen over the last two years is that Donald Trump has run roughshod over the Republicans who have rolled over and have undermined Congress's authority. The Democrats are now taking over the majority and are going to reinstitute the proper checks and balances, the proper authority. But what's really scary, I think, about this is less the allegations and stupid accusations or allegations and threats of criminal prosecution. There's absolutely no crime. There are so many defenses before you get into speech and debate. But what is noteworthy from the White House counsel, from Todd Blanche, is they are setting up, they're laying the foundation for them to later say when they defy subpoenas, and they will, they're trying to lay a foundation as to why they're doing it.

33:22Because somehow the Democrats are overreaching. They haven't even received a subpoena yet. They don't know what it is asking for or what it is in furtherance of. They're using, you know, press statements as somehow reflective of what those actual investigations are going to do. And it's all in furtherance of their political effort to obstruct every single congressional subpoena, which will happen. You've seen this before. Have they learned lessons about how to prolong the stonewalling? I mean, we're talking about two more years of this particular administration. And you predict, and I think justifiably so, stonewalling, thumbing the nose.

34:08What subpoena? How do you counteract that, knowing that they are laying that trap? So, I mean, I do speak from experience because I was a lead counsel of the impeachment investigation that they tried to stonewall. And, you know, we were able to gather evidence from other sources and kind of put the vice around the administration, which I think the Democrats will have to do again. But you remember in 2019, Donald Trump said, I'm going to defy all subpoenas. But he lost the next election in part, you know, because of his obstruction, I think, in part because of his abuse of power, among many other things.

34:47So what they are now preparing for, quite obviously, is to set the table so that they can make the argument that the subpoenas are somehow out of bounds. Will the courts be receptive to that? Well, if it gets to the courts, they will not be receptive to that. But what is I think more important is the court of public opinion right now, because it will be political. And the American people need to understand that this is all a ploy. This is all an effort to set up a future explanation for why they defy their own constitutional oath to comply with congressional subpoenas. And they will do that. But what they're doing now is they're trying to come up, they're trying to manufacture a reason to do that.

35:41And there's no basis in it, because as as my colleague, future chairman Garcia said, their investigations are going to be related to potential legislation against corruption. And that is what the Supreme Court has says. And in fact, the White House counsel's letter is riddled with references to what proper congressional investigations are. But let's say we agree with that. OK, well, let's say. But what is the recourse for the American people to understand? Because, you know, just having watched you handle what has happened in the past, it is taxing. taxing. It is time consuming. It, for some people, will detract or take away from what they believe should be the focus in other arenas.

36:28But also, you've got this power of the purse. So is that factoring in into what the recourse could be in the seed planting the Republicans are doing? All of this has to be on the table. And let's be very clear. It's not either investigations or legislation. We have plenty of time to do both, and we will be able to do both. We will be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. So that is important to do. I mean, it's essential to do. The American people voted the Democrats into the majority so that Democrats can make their lives better because Donald Trump and the Republicans have not. But the corruption of this administration, the cruelty, the abuse of power is unprecedented.

37:18And that has to be investigated. And that has to be revealed to the American people so they can understand the depths of it. And they can understand why they are suffering so much because of this outlandish corruption that is happening. And that's what the oversight committee will investigate. I have to say, one of the frustrating things I'm hearing from a lot of voters in our audience about are the missed votes by Democrats with respect to the impeachment of Secretary Hegseth. Because they had been, if not assured, they had been maybe promised in some ways that there would be these investigations, that impeachment might be a way to get some of the information the voters were looking for in the American public.

38:04Like, the fact that votes were missed, it has not gone into that stage. Does that, should that give voters and Americans pause about the ability of Democrats to focus on the eye on the prize? So if that impeachment, if those articles of impeachment were passed, there would be no investigation. It would just go to the Senate for them to deal with it. And a potential trial. A potential trial, but most likely at least not right now, which is not to say that it's not important. Pete Hegseth has been an absolute disaster, is a disgrace to this country, to the Department of Defense, deserves impeachment.

38:42Let's be very clear. But what I think is much, much more important, rather than the specific articles of impeachment, is doing the investigations, uncovering the facts, finding the evidence, exposing to the American people what exactly happened and why they are impeachable offenses. At that point, then, you move to impeachment. But it's important that the investigations come first. And this was a Thomas Massey resolution that was just dropping articles of impeachment based on, you know, media reports, not based on an investigation. What the Democrats will do, I hope, in January is do those investigations because it is the oversight.

39:29It is the conduct. It is the facts and the evidence that is most important. Impeachment may follow because if you are violating the Constitution, you have to lay down a marker. You have to make it clear for now and in the future that that is not acceptable, that the Congress is going to stand up to this abuse of power from the executive branch. But that has to come after the investigations. Congressman Dan Goldman, thank you so much. Thank you. Still ahead, one headline calls her the Gen Z congresswoman feared by every mainstream Democrat. Well, she's got big plans for her DSA agenda and she's with me in studio tonight.

40:10Congresswoman-elect Malat Kuros is next.

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41:23I mean, there is no denying this has been a historic year for Democratic Socialists. They now hold the mayor's office in America's two largest cities, New York and L.A., And this year, a record eight candidates endorsed by the DSA were elected to the House, many of them winning major upsets against longtime incumbents in the primaries. Like my next guest. To be the first black woman to represent her state and her district in Colorado, that includes Denver. She'll also be the very first Gen Z woman elected to Congress. Colorado Congresswoman-elect Malat Kuros joins me now. Welcome to the program.

42:01Congratulations on your victory. I mean, you've made history in a number of ways. And I'm wondering now, what will be the firsts for you in Congress in terms of what you plan to do? I think the first thing we got to do is stop the bleeding. There is tremendous damage that has been done by this administration. And our responsibility is to make sure that we are addressing the first immediate things that we can do. Stop the bleeding, reverse the Medicaid cuts, reverse the snap cuts, reverse the tax cuts to the billionaires, and make sure that we are leading with an agenda that is reflective of the priorities of the American people.

42:34Does that priority include accountability? I know corruption was a big issue in your campaign, as well as affordability and many other matters. Do you see those as either ors? No, I see them as interlaced, right? The accountability that's going to be necessary is for us to be able to hold this administration accountable, but also hold the people that got this administration into power accountable to the corporations, the billionaires, the special interests that have been making a quick buck as a result of this administration's actions. And those corruptions, those have been costly to the American people.

43:03And so it's important that we look at these as two sides of the same coin. You have been very vocal about the role of money in politics, the overuse of it, those who are beholden to corporate interests as well. Tell me about what you're looking for for Democratic leadership, because obviously people are wondering who will be the majority, the Speaker of the House. Will it be, Hakeem Jeffries, if it's up to you? You know, I'm much less concerned about the individual than I am concerned about the agenda. What I'll say is that it has been disappointing how undemocratic this process has felt. I primaried an incumbent.

43:38I fiercely believe in the importance of competitive elections. And it feels like a lot of our class are just coming in and, you know, being told this is what the leadership is going to be. Our responsibility now is to come in and say, fine, this is the agenda that we were sent here to do. That's the trade-off. It might be a so-called coronation, but you have demands. We have demands. We have demands on behalf of the American people. You know, this is a historic class. We got elected in places that nobody was expecting to get elected in, but we all ran on a populist agenda, making sure that we are holding the rich accountable, taxing the rich, making sure that we are holding corrupt CEOs and billionaires accountable as well.

44:18You know, this is something that resonated with the American people all across the country, and our agenda has to reflect that. Let's talk about the spectrum of people who have been elected. Really, there has been diversity in terms of ideologies as well. And moderate Democrats, they flip states. Democrats, frankly, were never expected to win. James Calarico in Texas, for example. Adam Hamilton in Kansas. I just talked to Scott Cologne in Mississippi, Scott Will's father in Mississippi as well. they did not run on Medicare for all. The Atlantic writes this, if the election was a test of whether Americans like Bernie Sanders' message more or less than the standard Democratic message, the answer was clear.

44:54They like it less. Do you agree with that? You were backed by Bernie Sanders. Is that a statement of the American people want and have an appetite for? I disagree. I think ultimately what we were talking about, you know, all the folks that you just mentioned, they were folks that did run on the fact that billionaires and corporations are rigging the economy right now. And when we're talking about how broken this health care system is, we're talking about a broken health care system because there are people making money off of people being sick. That is what is incentivized in a health care system that allows the profit motive to exist.

45:23And so is there still work to do to make sure that we are bringing everybody on board onto Medicare for All? Absolutely. But there is no other answer to the question of the health care crisis. It is the most efficient, most effective, most economical proposal on the table to make sure that we get health care for every single American in this country. This is the wealthiest, most powerful country on earth, and over 100 ,000 Americans die every single year because they don't have access to health care. The number one cause of bankruptcy in this country is medical bankruptcy. Medicare for all is the only answer.

45:51Our job is to make sure that we make that case to the American people, and my responsibility is to make sure that the agenda, when we get to that place where we win over those souls and those votes, that when we have that chance, we can actually vote it into law. Do you have confidence that leadership will look at the proposal of the agenda as more than performative? Will they fight, do you think, for you? That's certainly my hope. That's my job right now, coming into these spaces and having these conversations. At the end of the day, I sincerely believe that everyone in that building wants to do what's best for the American people.

46:24We might disagree on how to get there. That's fine. My responsibility is to make sure that I'm advocating for the people of Denver, the people that wanted to see me fighting for Medicare for all tooth and nail. But I'll never let perfect be the enemy of good. We have to make sure that we deliver for the people of this country. And, you know, this massive mandate that we got, I'm jubilant, too. This is exciting and it's amazing, right? But it's also fickle. And we cannot take for granted the trust the American people gave us. And we have to make sure we deliver for them. Rising star of the party, Congresswoman-elect Milat Kiros.

46:55Thank you. Thank you. And thank you all for watching. The Story is with Alex Michelson is next.

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