Trump Rallies for Darline Graham in Tight SC Race

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0:59Products not available in every state. Are you for America or are you for these terrorist groups? It's really quite beneath you. To call into question my loyalty to the Constitution, I'm talking. I'm talking. I'd hoped he wouldn't sink this low, but of course he did. It's a very unusual situation to have a mother hate a daughter that much. She did not do anything to try to stop this fraud, prevent the fraud. Mississippi has not elected a Democratic senator since 1982. They were promised America first. and they're getting Mississippi last. I'm a Republican. I feel he's going to cost the Republicans the House and the Senate.

1:34Not everything the president does do I agree with, but not everything my husband does do I agree with. Let's get it done, Ohio. We've got two weeks to go. Thank you.

1:56Good evening, everyone, and welcome to a special edition of Laura Coates Live countdown to election night. We're just 13 days away from the midterms, and the map of Republican keeps springing leaks. Tonight, we learn that the president of the United States is planning a rally to Mississippi next week. That's a real sign that even Republicans are starting to worry about that Senate race. But tonight, the president's attention was in South Carolina. He was campaigning there yet again, trying to rescue Senator Darlene Graham in a race Republicans never expected to even be this competitive. But Trump says he's got nothing to worry about.

2:34Darlene, you're going to win big, Darlene. you're going to win big. Darlene, I saw some good numbers for you. And as you'll see, you're going to see some very good numbers for me, too. I get good numbers. I get good polls, but I'm not running, but I am running, right? No, but at least that's how Trump wants Republican voters to see it, that he's running. But the candidates who actually are on the ballot, well, several went head to head tonight. In Michigan, for example, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers, They met on the debate stage now for the second time. And the latest poll has their race neck and neck.

3:11And that's, by the way, well within the margin of error. Their first showdown, that got real personal, real fast. And tonight, they picked up right where they left off. You send this man to the U.S. Senate. Do not be surprised when we fight more wars. We accrue more national debt. And he does not stand up for you or the price of your gas or the price of your groceries. Why? He's bought off by the same weapons manufacturers. AIPAC, we just heard, is going to put, what,$9 million into his campaign in the next two weeks alone? Well, that's what you get when you have an AIPAC-backed politician. So being bought off by the Muslim Brotherhood, having donors to his campaign from Hamas that support Hezbollah is not a problem?

3:52If you are going to go to the United States Senate, we need to know, are you for America or are you for these terrorist groups overseas? It's really quite beneath you. To call into question my loyalty to the Constitution, I'm talking. I'm talking. I'm talking. Own up to it. I am proud of America. I'm proud to be an American. I'm proud of our Constitution that guarantees all of us the right to pray as we choose to pray. And the question that you would ask that I think is actually really quite shameful as somebody who's actually served under that Constitution. Let's meet our panel for tonight. We've got Democratic strategist Antoine C.

4:26Wright, former White House official under President George W. Bush, Ashley Davis, former advisor to President George W. Bush and the late Senator John McCain, Mark McKinnon, and CNN senior political analyst Nia Malika Henderson. And remember, you all are a part of our panel as well, so send me your questions and your comments at CNN.com slash EngagePolitics, and we're going to answer them live on air this hour. I want to begin with you, Nia Malika, because you see this, this conversation about loyalty to the Constitution that Rogers went right into. Is that sort of attack and question going to resonate in a place like Michigan now?

5:00Yes, it will. It will absolutely resonate. We have seen this playbook before and it's why they're using it. If you look at some of the polling in Michigan, the Washington Post had a poll in September, 45 percent of people in Michigan said they would not vote for a Muslim president, right? That is evidence of Islamophobia. And that is why you see Mike Rogers there stoking some of that fear. It is terrible for our body politic that he is doing that. It would be much better, I think, for the country, for this race, if he was focusing on the issues. But the issue set in Michigan is terrible for Republicans.

5:42You think about tariffs, particularly on Canada. You think about high grocery prices. You've seen Mike Rogers have to walk away from this president on all of these issues, on the war as well as terrorists because it's such a terrible issue set. So there he is really, I think, going to the bottom of the barrel with these stereotypes about people of the Muslim faith. And the other thing is, one of the things you think about Michigan, there are about 200 ,000 Muslim American voters there, right? They are energized in this race. So in that way, it'll backfire. But it will also stoke some fear and cause people pause when thinking about voting for AES.

6:23Well, the issues are so bad, obviously, for Republicans in a place like Michigan. You have to wonder, even going to this particular way that he's thinking about it, is that enough to offset the attention, the negative attention on Republicans? Well, it's the only option right now. I mean, obviously, Mike knows exactly what he's doing. Mike's a very good candidate, but at the end of the day, Michigan's still a blue state. I mean, obviously the presidents won it, but it's something that we haven't won, at least on the Senate side, for a very, very long time. So, listen, I think it's going to be very difficult for Mike to actually pull this off.

6:59However, the only way he can do it is by going after some of the comments that Al-Sayed had. It's not just the fact that he's a Muslim. Obviously, it's something we all should be open about no matter what religion you have. However, he has said some pretty significant things, especially around 9-11, sympathizing with the terrorists. And so it's just beyond his Muslim religion. And we can't pretend that it's not. Elections are about coalitions. Both candidates need to solidify their base and then add on to that. the politically unhoused, politically homeless. Hold on, I have a problem with your mic.

7:38I can't hear you as well as I need to for our audience. So can you, I want to come right back to you, but I want everyone to hear what you have to say. It's very important, Antoine. I want to go to you in the meantime, and we'll come back when your microphone's fixed. Thank you. Well, when I hear all this, I'm reminded of both John McCain and George W. Bush, particularly 9-11 after he came out and said, don't paint a broad brush on the Muslim religion. And this Islamophobia that's going on right now, is it just like if you have an Islamic name, you're terrorist. That's sort of the broad brush that's being painted.

8:05So I think Abdul El-Sayed is fighting against that. Yes, I think there's some problematic things that he said, but I think he's being tarred with this broad brush. I think he's an exceptional candidate fighting against that Islamophobia, which is a very real thing. And I think, Roger, I think this is a really tight race, probably the tightest Senate race in the country, and may decide the Senate race. Look, I think that elections are about coalitions. The base is a key component in a midterm election. Abdul had a base problem in his election. He needed to strengthen his African-American coalition.

8:42He needed to bring over some Jewish voters. And now he needs to bring in the politically unhoused, politically homeless, independent thinkers, and some Republicans. On the other hand, on the other hand, Rogers needs to be able to put together a strong Republican coalition outside of the MAGA movement and convince some independent thinkers, independent voters and those who are floating to come under his tent. The problem is he cannot win on bread and butter issues. So they didn't have to turn to extremism, racism, divisive issues that have been central tenets to the MAGA movement. I think that's exactly right.

9:21And the thing that's really unique about this Senate race, apart from the others, is the unique coalition constituencies that they're both having to cobble together, just as you said. Yeah, and Mike's a law and order candidate. That's his background. I mean, and the fact that he came out against the Iran war, I mean, that goes back to his fundamental, what we believe in or believe in as Republicans in regards to making sure that America's safe. So he has he is not having the same talking points as some of the other Republicans you see. But it's interesting. I mean, I actually I am struck. I understand the political strategy.

9:57But the idea of if the only option is to sort of otherize, the only option that is available, there's something to be said about the flawed stances and maybe to be criticized in that way. But I want to go on to one other state. And that is not one other. We're going to talk about last night. tonight. But Mississippi intrigues me a lot because the president of the United States is continuing his midterm tour, his blitz in these deep red states. And South Carolina was tonight. Mississippi is next week. What does this tell you about the vulnerability of Republicans more broadly in a state like Mississippi if the president is going there in addition to places that he had previously won by, you know, multiple points?

10:36You know, in some ways, Republicans have been coasting in the south, right? If you think about some of the senators and the candidates have been put up in South Carolina, Darlene Graham is an example of that, and in Mississippi, Cindy Hyde-Smith, not the best candidate, and so when she gets a tough challenger, you sort of see the results of that. For the Democratic Party to grow, right, they need to start to make more inroads in the south. These southern states are incredibly diverse. It's where the black base is. We're both from South Carolina. And so, listen, I'm skeptical about Democrats winning either of these states.

11:13But to the extent that it represents sort of the future of the party, I think it's a good thing that they're showing. But the fact that the president is spending time in those states having to defend deep, deep red states suggests how concerned they are about just maintaining the states that they already have. I mean, they shouldn't have to spend a day in Mississippi or South Carolina. But if Cindy Hyde-Smith is up six and not 12, you're at least going to spend time there in these next two weeks to make sure that you're not losing the states. It's not like she's tied. Right. She's just not as up as much as she should be.

11:49People are pissed off. And so voters are going to vote against the people in charge. Donald Trump has a map, math and messaging problem. messaging problem because instead of talking about working class and middle class, he's talking about the Senate from Ohio's ass. Instead of speaking directly to the constituencies that voted for him, non-college educated, rural voters, white voters, farmers, instead of answering the call or having them on his side, He's having to defend the lack of policy agenda that he promised. His promises are now his problem. And I think that is why he has a base problem.

12:35And then from a pure map standpoint, he's having to defend in rare places because those are the places where they're feeling the brunt the most or the residue of his lack of delivering on his agenda. Well, an example of a real cell phone is Texas. John Cornyn would have walked into that Senate seat. Maybe Tallarica would have made it competitive, but Korn would very likely have won, and Republicans wouldn't have had to spend a dime. So you're talking about a candidate quality. Yeah. Candidate quality. That's a big thing across the map. Of course it is, and they have to date spent$150 million for Paxton on television.

13:07When I was doing George W. Bush's media for the entire country, I remember going to Karl Rove and saying, $100 million is too much. I've got to give you something, but go do something else with it because I can't spend it all for the whole country. What is the impact, the fact that the former George, George's brother, Neil, he wrote on Facebook that he's voting for Tallarica. I'm sorry you say that. I want to read it. Hold on. I want to see what it says. My vote was motivated by two things. Deep concern about Ken Paxton's record and genuine admiration for the character and principles I see in James Tallarica.

13:37Now that you know it is, you're surprised and you're not. No, I'm just saying I get the point. But who is going to the polls? First of all, let's remember, I'm a huge Cornyn fan, this is not, but he lost the primary by 25 points. I mean, he did gun reform legislation that he led that really put, I mean, we know that doesn't go well in Texas. However. That's why Beto lost. Exactly. But how do you say go to the polls if you're a Republican, especially a conservative Republican or MAGA Republican, and say, you know what, I'm not going to vote for Ken Paxton because Neil Bush didn't. I just don't think that matters.

14:18I don't think it's the Neil Bush. I think it's the corrupt, morally bankrupt Ken Paxton that people have a real issue with in the state. I also think that there are some hyper local issues that have been deciding factors in these race in Texas. From what I'm told, data centers are a big issue in the state. Farmers with the affordability crisis, diesel prices, ranchers when it comes to beef prices. Those things are very high priority issues. And Donald Trump and the Republican Party have delivered the brunt of this. Well, I'll tell you why I think it's a big deal. The Bush family is very, very buttoned up.

14:58And I would never pretend to speak for the president, but I can tell you that there's no way in hell would Barbara Bush's daughter or Neil Bush's brother have gone out and done these public endorsements without running by the president. Oh, yeah. No, I totally agree. And that sets out a permission structure for Bush Republicans to say, well, it's okay not to just not vote for Paxson, but to vote for Tallarico. I think it's a big damn deal. Well, we'll see. Stand by, everyone. Up next, let's go to Ohio because Mbake Ramaswamy is not backing down from that controversial ad using his rival's estranged mother.

15:28Some Republicans outraged and worried it could cost them in Ohio, but guess who's not bothered? Well, I'll be honest with you, whether the ad was appropriate or not is not really my concern.

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16:27No confusing legalese that no one gets. In full transparency, we do have to put a disclaimer at the end of this ad, though. Just being honest, that's what you get when... You have farmers. Bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum. Learn more at Farmers.com. Underwritten by Farmers Truck or Fire Insurance Exchanges or Affiliate. Products not available in every state.

16:49If you're wondering what Vice President J.D. Vance thinks about that Ramaswamy ad, well, he's got two words to Republicans who are uncomfortable by that explosive ad in the Ohio governor's race. Here they are. Stop whining. I've watched the Democrats throw every dirty trick in the political book at Vivek. And now the media and the Democrats in the state of Ohio are obsessed because guess what? Vivek Ramaswamy had the audacity to run a TV commercial, which calls it out like it is and calls Amy Acton a liar. And my message, ladies and gentlemen, is very simple. Whatever you think about any of the TV advertisements, focus on the substance and focus on the facts.

17:35But 24 hours after Ramaswamy released the ad featuring Amy Acton's estranged mother and didn't point out the facts surrounding the nature of the estrangement, many Republicans are fuming at Ramaswamy. Even sitting Ohio Senator John Husted, who was in his own tough re-election race, by the way, says, quote, I would not have run that ad. Others say they're, quote, pissed. Ramaswamy's Democratic opponent, Amy Acton, was back on the campaign trail today, and some voters went out of their way to physically embrace her. What has also been remarkable to see, Lauren, is how many people are outraged by this because so many people have experienced some sort of trauma or abuse in their lives.

18:24And so I'm much more focused on a message that reaches them than on the antics of an out-of-touch billionaire who would be a danger to my state. My panel is back with me. You know, I know two weeks left in the race, you want to have positive energy around a campaign. This is not positive for Ramaswamy, any way you look at it, let alone what it's done in terms of acting. But why would Vance stand by him on this point? I don't know. First of all, I'm wondering if it was a mistake that the campaign or someone who ever made the ad understood the backlash that was going to happen. But obviously, they're doubling.

19:05Exactly. I mean, I'm assuming they do or it's really bad staffing. But there's some reason they're doubling down and there's some reason they didn't take off the$4 million investment that this ad's running on. What in my mind, what's going to happen is it's going to be a woman's issue. If there's any women that are on the verge of voting Republican or Democrat that are maybe traditional Republicans in Ohio, this is something that will turn them up. I think it's a mistake. You saw what Nikki Haley said. Mark and I were talking about this in the green room. This is what he did during the primary for president when he went after her daughter.

19:39And so I don't think this is a good thing at all. You know, we have a viewer who is commenting from home. You can always weigh in. And the viewer says Vivek is taking a page from Trump. Play dirty because you don't know how to win. I just look when sick and desperate meet each other, you get ads like this. He is here because he's losing the conversation battle, the messaging battle. And I think the momentum battle. And so what do Republicans do in this environment? They turn to extremism and they think they're Teflon because Donald Trump was able to survive on this type behavior. But I don't think it's transferable.

20:16That's why J.D. Vance looks like a fool trying to act as if this is OK. And he's going to do himself more harm than good in this situation because the MAGA movement and the MAGA sentiment is not transferable. So, Laura, this is what I did my whole professional life. I made ads for candidates and I've seen and I've made my share of bad ads. And but I will tell you that I feel absolutely unequivocally this is the worst political ad ever made in American history. I mean, from every level of it, first of all, morally, it's so bankrupt to take advantage and exploit a domestic situation like this from a woman who was raped when she was 12 years old, hadn't seen her mother since she was 12 years old.

20:59You're a lawyer. You know what it takes to take a child away from a mother. So she's not a credible witness. So the notion I want to know who made this ad. What was the conversation to say, we're going to go find a woman who left with a father who'd been accused and prosecuted for the rape of a 12-year-old, left them alone, left their children, and she hadn't seen her since then? We're going to go find her and make her a credible witness against her daughter? You don't think they had any idea that they didn't know? I mean, the staff had to know, right? Yeah, they had to know. I mean, Amy has talked about this, right?

21:35It's been a bit of a question. She never made herself a victim. She hasn't exploited this. But now she's a sympathetic. But it's certainly been part of her story. And I think you're exactly right. To make this woman, who clearly is not well, right, to make her the face of the ad and the face of the campaign, it's quite disturbing. Is the goal, I want to get back to you, but is the goal here, and I think this is part of what we discussed in the past, is the goal that people are banking on not ever learning the context and just having this. But walk that through if you're a strategy. Say, we're going to put up her mother who's going to say that her daughter was lying.

22:13Now, anybody who sees that and says, oh, God, she's lying about her daughter. Why is she lying about her daughter? They're going to want it. They're going to have more questions about it. And she does not look well, right? I mean, that's the thing. She doesn't look like a credible witness. They waited for the last two weeks because they assume it's just going to be a fly-by-night cycle and people will not pause to do the research. And it's the October surprise. That's number one. Number two, give Amy's campaign credit for being able to respond very quickly and have an ad up running. With her own brother.

22:42With her own brother. Who is also a victim of abuse. Put a context and texture to the ad. That is a hell of a campaign, in my opinion. Thirdly, I think we have not seen the worst in this race as the numbers widen because I think it's going to get worse before it gets better. You know, Ben Shapiro, who's a conservative commentator, he sees a double standard in the reaction to the Acton ad. He says, quote, it would be just awful to activate all the members of a politician's family to attack them, as the Democrats did with every member of RFK's family. Now, does anyone see some differences? Child sexual abuse and rape of a 12-year-old?

23:20Yeah, the circumstances are completely, completely different, right? The only answer to this was what John Huston said, which was, I would not have run that ad. That was easy for Vance to do. But of course, he wants to double down. There's this whole theory of no enemies to the right. And that's what you saw J.D. Vance do there. And I do think you're right. This is going to haunt him, right? Because there is this anti-Epstein file, right? The sort of Epstein class, right? And this feeds into that, right? Because we're talking again about childhood sexual abuse. Where I think it hurts J.D. Vance the most, he has no core.

23:58Say what you want about Donald Trump. He's core to Donald Trump, right? He bathes and moisturizes himself in Trumpism and Donald Trump. J.D. Vance has no core. He went from being against the war to being for the war. He went from being in an election tonight. He's gone all over the map on critical things to the America First crowd. And now that movement has, I think, simmered down and simmering out. Now he's trying to find a political house or political roof to go up. And he was just talking about being a Catholic, right? I mean, he was talking about being a Catholic this summer, right? He had a whole book about his conversion to Catholicism.

24:34So where is his compassion for this woman who endured horrible things when she was a child? So why are they keeping it up? Well, first of all, we're in a political culture where the extremes have gone so far to the borders and clawed our way to the bottom so far that they think that there's some dynamic where if we can just take it further than anybody's ever taken before, there'll be no consequences and no accountability. And if you give in, you're giving into the media, you're giving into the Democrats, and it's showing weakness if we don't go forward with the ad. Teflon. Yeah. And yet there's this very real notion you've all articulated.

25:12What might work for thee, not for me, but replace thee with Trump and every other candidate in any race ever run? Everyone stand by. We've got a lot more to talk about. Up next, Senator Chris Murphy in Michigan trying to get Abdul El-Sayed over the finish line. As some Democrats question whether El-Sayed can actually pull it off. Senator Chris Murphy is going to join me next. Plus, new questions about Trump's approach to Russia as the administration lavishes even more praise on Vladimir Putin. You are a humanitarian also, sir. And I salute that. I commend you.

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26:27The second and final debate night between Michigan Senate candidates Abdul Al-Sayed and Mike Rogers featured more mudslinging, more name-calling. So surprised with polls showing the race is still far too close to determine who is even leading. So this debate was the final chance for both candidates to make their pitch on that stage, and Mike Rogers leaned on a tried-and-true playbook from the GOP. If you are going to go to the United States Senate, we need to know, are you for America or are you for these terrorist groups overseas? You can grin and you can smile and you can talk real pretty. But I'm going to tell you what, that is a risk to our national security.

27:09To bring into question my commitment to the Constitution is really beneath you. I am proud of America. I'm proud to be an American. I'm proud of our Constitution that guarantees all of us the right to pray as we choose to pray. So let's talk to one of the Democrats supporting El-Sayed, Senator Chris Murphy from Connecticut, who has campaigned with El-Sayed in Michigan today. Okay, Senator, let's get right to that very point, because he is suggesting that in some ways he is a security risk. That's what Rogers is suggesting. Walk me through this thought process in the Senate. Are Democrats concerned in any way about this with al-Sayed?

27:50What? I mean, the accusation is that he's a Muslim and that he doesn't deserve to serve in the United States Senate because he's a Muslim. There's no credible evidence that he has ties to any groups that present a threat to the United States. This is just basic Islamophobia made up by a candidate that is trailing and a candidate who represents a party that doesn't have any ideas on how to fix real problems. I mean, it's representative of a really sad dynamic that's playing out in the Republican Party. Open racism and bigotry as a closing message. which Abdul al-Sayed is somebody who has served his community, who has saved lives, and who wants to serve his country.

28:36And simply because he's not the same religion as Mike Rogers, he's being accused essentially of treason. And I just don't think people are going to fall for it. I think people understand that it's a distraction from the fact that gas prices are through the roof. A war is raging out of control and corruption is endemic in this White House. I thought it was a really disgusting performance by Mike Rogers. Let's talk about policy, right? That is the central issue. It should be in politics. Policy debates and disputes. El-Sayed has been one of the biggest critics of America's policy in the Middle East, especially the relationship between the United States and Israel.

29:13And now he is suggesting that Israel is not America's ally. I want to play that for you. I think we live right now in a world that has more war in it because of both of the actions of Israel and Iran and us. An ally that takes your money to push you into wars you shouldn't be fighting is not an ally. I think it's time for us to realize that Israel is not actually our friend. Do you share that same view? Well, this Israeli government has not been good for United States security. I want the United States and Israel to be permanent allies. But even your friends, when they are not advancing your national security interests, have to be called out for it.

29:59And the fact of the matter is that Benjamin Netanyahu convinced Trump to enter a war that is bankrupting the United States of America, that is making us less safe. So I have been one of the people that has said, listen, for the time being, you know, we need to downgrade our security relationship with Israel. I'm not happy about that because I believe in a Jewish state in the Middle East. I believe in Israel as a long term partner. But when your partner is doing things that's hurting you and Israel has been doing things to hurt the United States and our credibility in the world, you have to be able to sort of step back and stand for your own security.

30:37And right now, being cheerled into a war with Iran is not in the U.S. national security interest. And I think all Democrats and Republicans should admit that. Does that entail, obviously, a reevaluation of the relationship and support, but do you view them as not an ally? That's a very significant weight if you do. Well, I think so long as Benjamin Netanyahu is in control of this government, we have to reevaluate our security relationship. Let's refocus on the El-Sayed campaign. I know you are campaigning for him. It's the last 13 days before Election Day. Is the Democratic Party ready to accept El-Sayed in the Senate if he wins?

31:18Listen, I think he's going to shake up the United States Senate in a good way. There are probably going to be components of the Democratic Party that are going to be uncomfortable with somebody who comes in and says from day one, I want billionaire and corporate money out of politics. Because there's been a lot of corporate money that has funded Democratic candidates and campaigns over the years. So Abdul is going to come in and say, listen, my number one priority is to get big money out of politics. And I think that will be a shakeup for the Democratic Party. I think that's a long overdue shakeup for the Democratic Party.

31:53I think he's going to be good for the Senate. But, yeah, he's not going to always be aligned with the mainstream Democratic Party. He is just going to do what he thinks is right and he's going to do what's right for Michigan. If the voters elect him, that's what their directive would be ultimately. And, you know, some Democrats say that they are concerned that Rogers, his opponent, could peel away some black voters necessary for El Syed's success at the polls. Rogers said tonight that he is doing well with black voters. You were actually on the campaign trail with El Syed today. Did you see any evidence of that?

32:28I didn't see any evidence of what Mike was suggesting. And let's just be clear, he's bringing Donald Trump into campaign. and Donald Trump is waging a war on black Americans. He is. I mean, when he says the words DEI, what he really means is white supremacy, right? He doesn't believe that black people should serve in important positions with authority and power. He thinks that only white men are qualified to serve the country. And he's been very clear about that. Today, Senator, the United States secured the release of American Stephen Hubbard. He had been held in Russia for more than four years.

33:06The president did advocate for his release. But listen to what his special envoy, Steve Whitcoff, said to President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian. You are a humanitarian also, sir. And I salute that. I commend you. I had to replay that several times. He's calling Putin a humanitarian. What is your reaction to that? Well, it's disgusting. I mean, it should go without saying, but Vladimir Putin is a butcher. He is intentionally targeting civilians and has killed thousands of them inside Ukraine. He has undergone a campaign to round up children and separate them from their families inside Ukraine.

33:55But let's ask why, right? We know that that's not true, that Putin is a humanitarian. So why is he saying this? He's saying it because Russia is offering Witkoff and others close to Donald Trump business deals with Russia if the war comes to an end. That has been publicly reported. And so Witkoff is there to butter up Putin in order to win for himself business deals and maybe win for Trump and Trump's other friends business deals. This has been about corruption from the very start. These negotiations with Russia are about corruption. And so when your hair is set on fire listening to Whitcoff call Putin a humanitarian, you just have to understand what it's in service of.

34:41It's in service of the continued enrichment of people close to Trump and the selling out of American security in order to guarantee their enrichment. So say Democrats reclaim the majority. We know that there's already polling that Americans are frustrated with corruption. What will you see as the directive of the American voters and how to handle it? So the Department of Justice will remain in Trump's hands. And so a lot of this corruption will still go unaddressed, at least with respect to criminal and civil accountability. But we will start investigations. We will issue subpoenas so that we collect all of the information necessary so that an actual independent Department of Justice after 2028 can actually hold people accountable.

35:30Thirteen days until we see what the American people really want. Senator Chris Murphy, thank you. Thank you. Up next, time for you at home to have your voice heard. The panel is getting ready to answer your questions. Just send them to us at cnn.com slash engagepolitics.

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36:55All right, it's that time of the night where we bring you all into the conversation. So let's start answering all those questions that were coming in. And if you still want to be a part of it, go to CNN.com slash Engage Politics. My panel is back with me to answer your questions. We got some good ones here. A lot of them, actually. Could you elaborate on the idea of a red sinkhole versus a blue wave? Nia, why don't you take that one? You know, I think, you know, I think if you think about the sinkhole is caused by Donald Trump, right? The environment, the high gas prices, the high diesel prices.

37:28The blue wave is, I think, going to happen because of that red, you know, the red sinkhole. But it's going to be all of the above and sort of interact together. We'll see if there ends up being a blue wave, because I do think Republicans have put things in places, right? You know, gerrymandering and all that stuff that's going to sort of counteract some of the blue wave effects. But the red sinkhole is real. And, you know, some people call it the red undertow. All right. Well, how about this one? On election night, what early race results will serve as barometers for the night in general? Mark?

38:05Well, I think you want to look at the states that are reporting first. And you look at states like Florida, like South Carolina. Those are states that should typically be Republican, will probably be Republican. But look at those margins and look at the turnout. Look at just how close those races are. And if they're close, I think we'll pretend what will be happening for the rest of the evening. So watch Florida, watch South Carolina, look at Georgia. Because Ohio comes in early, yeah. Higher thing too as well? All right. I know you're thinking about South Carolina, as you always do. All right, how about this one?

38:31Well, we'll see. Will the poor choice by Vivek hurt the Republicans in the Senate race in Ohio? Remember, he's running for, of course, the governor in Ohio. Ashley, what do you think? Yeah, I'm still not a big, I think so, because I'm not a big believer that, which is why you saw Husted come out and disavow the ad. But I'm not a big believer in split tickets. I think like what you were saying in South Carolina is there a split ticket with the governor in the Senate race, I just think it's really hard to do, which is what worries me about Ashley in Iowa. Ashley Henson. All right, how about this one for you, Antoine?

39:05Do you think the Democrats are striking the right tone and message in the final two weeks of the campaign? Absolutely. We are running the ball right off tackle five yards at a time, no trick plays, fighting for an affordable America, holding the crooks accountable, saving health care, lowering the high cost of living, and amplifying the failures of Donald Trump and your neighborhood Republican Party. I think we're striking the right tone. Now we just have to run through the tape. And by the way, as we say down south, things are getting worse and worse for Republicans by the day. What about not having a plan?

39:39I mean, what about not having a plan? You think it doesn't matter? I think we have a plan. I think we have a plan. We're going to deal with the Affordable Care Act tax credits, 25 million Americans. And how's that going to pass? How's it going to pass? because Republicans want to vote for it in the House. They did. We're going to have a different chemical makeup in the Senate. It'll pass. We'll have enough votes, I'm confident, to override the president's veto if he chooses to. Let's bet on that one. I bet you a cold ginger ale. This is that point. I like mine room temperature, but okay. As you were saying, this is the point where Haley Barber, the former governor of Mississippi, said good gets better and bad gets worse.

40:19Yeah. Worse. All right. All right. How about this one? Do Republicans think attacking El-Sayed for being a Muslim is a winning message? Let's weigh into this. What do you think? Yeah, I think they do think it's a winning message for them. That's why you see you see not only the president hitting that Ted Cruz going after El-Sayed in the same way. So, yeah, we'll see if it is. I mean, I think a lot of these states sort of revert to their DNA in the end and down the stretch. And so Michigan is essentially a blue state. I think he ends up pulling it out. Racism and fear are electoral strategies for this modern day Republican Party and some elements of the Republican Party of the past.

40:59So they're leaning on what they know, turning to what they know and what they're confident and comfortable in. I do think we have to remember that even during the primary, a lot of the traditional Democrats, nothing to do with him being Muslim. Again, I think it's very important Mark was right. That was the tone that President Bush said after 9-11 to make sure that it was an attack on any Muslim religion. But El-Sayed said a lot of things that were out supporting the terrorists, and I'm going to keep saying it, that we can't just forget about. I'm not. Oh, kind of. I'm not. Okay, well, we'll see what 12 Days of Voters think about it as well.

41:36I'll have a question from you guys. Why does he keep talking about his candidate's ass-ets? Yes. Well, here's what we're talking about. I looked at his ass.

41:50And then I looked at his legs. And I said, his ass is like a pile of muscle. I don't do this with men very often. I started examining his body. I looked at his ass and I looked at the whole... And I looked at his shoulders. I looked at his feet. I looked at his hand. I looked at his jawline. Does anyone want to say anything of substance or otherwise? I think this is partially a reflection of Trump worrying about his own mortality. And he's seeing his own health diminish and he's having all these health problems. And he loves virality in men and he likes it in himself and he sees it diminishing in himself.

42:32So he's projecting into people like these candidates that he thinks he wishes he looked like them. I think it's a masculinity play. He loves going to the UFC fights. He loves doing these kind of masculinity things. He has these boxers on the campaign trail with them, football players. I think it's a masculinity play or there's something in the milk that's not clean. I'm not sure what it is. Oh, my gosh. I want to thank everyone tonight for coming on. Remember, you can stream my show live or watch On Demand anytime with an all-access subscription. Scan the QR code on your screen or go to CNN.com slash watch to learn more.

43:08Thank you all for watching. Alex Michelson, and the story is, is next.

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