Meet the Press NOW — November 2

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1:08Welcome to Meet the Press Now. I'm Kristen Welker at election headquarters in New York. With just one day to go until the midterms, President Trump is making his final pitch to voters, facing more grim polling for Republicans. But Democrats are battling new uncertainty amid a shocking turn of events in Michigan, in addition to the ongoing fallout facing their candidate in Alaska. It all comes as the early vote is pouring in. More than 56 million votes have already been cast. The pace has been furious across some key Senate battlegrounds. The president hitting them all and then some with 28 rallies across 16 states just this month.

1:47This afternoon, back in Washington, the president painting Democratic candidates across the country as extreme in remarks he made at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. As you know, this is the last day before the midterm elections, the most important midterm, I believe, in our lifetime. The Democrat Party has nominated the most extreme and dangerous slate of candidates in American history. These are the most dangerous candidates ever put up. I've traveled all across the country, spoken at all of these rallies I've done over the last two and a half weeks and America is ready to go. They're ready to vote.

2:26I hope they're ready to do the right thing. The share of voters who disapprove of the president hitting its highest point ever in our new NBC News poll at 60 percent, a majority of voters saying they want to see a great deal of change in his leadership. Democrats holding a seven point advantage over Republicans on the question of which party should control Congress. But over the weekend, a stunning development, Royal Democrats in Michigan in a must win Senate race between Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers. Congresswoman Haley Stevens, who narrowly lost the Democratic primary to El-Sayed and later endorsed him, rescinding that endorsement and backing his Republican opponent, appearing with Mike Rogers at a Detroit church yesterday.

3:14I'm not turning my back on Democrats. It is this one vote. And I will tell you why. Because when you see hate, when you see a standing with Hassan Piker and repeated hate, it's not acceptable. That's it. It's my personal and private decision. I still love the party. At the end of the day, I actually don't think about Haley Stevens. So I have a sense that you all are here today because of the decisions of somebody who's not here right now. Am I right about that? I think it's true. But I'm just going to tell you, this is a state of 10 million people who deserve a lot better from their government.

3:47I'm a lot more focused on the 9 ,999 ,998 that are not the ones you guys are talking about. It comes after the pair clashed over an ad from an outside progressive group that Stevens called anti-Semitic, pushing al-Sayed to condemn it. Stevens defending her switch last night in an at times awkward interview referencing al-Sayed's past appearances with progressive podcaster Hassan Piker. This is just a weight off my shoulders, okay? Abdul has been getting angrier and angrier. You said in a press conference today, we can't stand with hate. Do you believe that Abdul al-Sayed is hateful or an anti-Semite?

4:34I think some of the actions have certainly been anti-Semitic, Anderson, but I'm just sick of who he stands with. All of it comes on the heels of drama in the Alaska Senate race after The New York Times reported that Democrat Mary Peltola's campaign recruited a second Dan Sullivan for the ballot, which Peltola's campaign denies. Now, over the weekend, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by the Trump administration seeking to block the certification of the race if Peltola narrowly wins. Incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan slamming Peltola over the weekend, but saying he will accept the results. My opponent, Mary Peltola, likes to talk about D.C.

5:15corruption, the rigged system. This story, this saga, which is true, there's nothing more rigged and corrupt than this. Are you only going to accept the election results if you win? No, I'm going to accept the election results. The controversies in Michigan and Alaska coming as a New York Times Siena poll shows Democrats with the edge in seven key battlegrounds, with two Michigan and Texas outside the margin of error. Let's dive in now. Our team of NBC News reporters is fanned out across the country covering the battleground races that matter most. We do want to kick things off with Yamiche Alcindor, who's at the White House.

5:55Shaquille Brewster is on the ground in Michigan. Steve Patterson has the very latest from Alaska. And Ryan Chandler is in Texas. Sahil Kapoor is breaking things down at the big board for us. Yamiche, let me start with you. Here we go. Election Eve, the location of the president's speech today, certainly notable for how much the president is focused on his D.C. projects during the midterm campaign, even while hitting the road. What was your takeaway from what we heard from the president today, Yamiche? Kristen, it was a really interesting location, possibly if you even could use the word weird location, because the president was standing at the reflecting pool.

6:31And for the first 20 minutes of that, you would not have known that it was the day before the midterms. You would have thought that it was just a regular Monday because the president was talking about grass. He was talking about limestone. He was talking about putting up pictures of what the reflecting pool looked back looked like in 10 years and 15 years ago. The president really getting into that sort of construction and real estate in chief part of his personality. But then the president did at some point hone in on the fact that it was the day before the election day. And my sense of it is that the president's closing message is that Democrats are people that aren't good for the country.

7:03At one point, and I wrote this down, he said that we need to make sure that we protect our country, our culture. And the president in some ways really laying in on the idea that to say what he considers to be the version of America that is the best version of ourselves, that people need to go with the Republicans. Now, the president, of course, also going after Democrats and saying some things that folks have said are just false claims, talking about jihadists. He didn't say Abdul El-Sayed's name in particular, but you could tell that it was on his mind. So him, again, sort of accusing Democrats of being anything but American, essentially saying that they're radicalists and calling them extremists.

7:40Of course, Democrats pushing back on all of that. say that the president's been saying all sorts of false claims throughout this entire campaigning season. But the president, in some ways, summing up those two hour rallies that we saw the president do in so many different states in about 15, 20 minutes of remarks to essentially say that Republicans are the ones that can really deal with the culture and the economy of this country in the way that it needs to be dealt with. Kristen, we mission a lot of that we've heard him say on the campaign trail as well. And he has held about 30 rallies, 16 different states, mostly red states.

8:13Is there a sense that he's moved the needle for Republicans? I mean, these are close races we're talking about, Yamiche. Well, the president believes that he's moving the needle. He's insisted throughout this entire month that when he goes somewhere, that Republicans do better. Now, of course, the president did actually increase his numbers from from when he won in 2016, 2016, 21 and 2024, winning all battleground states in 2024, winning the popular vote notably. So the president here hoping and telling people a number of times, saying pretend I'm on the ballot, vote like I'm on the ballot. He's hoping that that energy that he captured in 2024, that it will be with Republicans again.

8:49But of course, as you know, the headwinds, part of the headwinds that the party's facing are because of his own approval numbers. We're seeing record low approval numbers for the president. And we're also seeing an economy where voters are frankly concerned about just surviving in this atmosphere, fear, saying that everything is too expensive from gas to groceries. A lot of that, of course, dealing with the fact that the president decided to launch a war with Iran. The president has also been trying to defend that war, saying that Iran can't have a nuclear weapon and that all of the expenses that people are so worried about, that it's a, quote, small price to pay.

9:20That's been his pitch to voters. It's going to be very interesting to see if that pitch actually works, though, Kristen. It certainly will. And of course, we say this all the time on Election Day, but it's going to come down to turnout. And that's what he's trying to do. He is trying to drive his MAGA base to turn out. Will it work? Yamiche Al-Sandor, thank you so much for starting us off from the White House. Shaq Brewster, let me turn to you. You're on the ground in Detroit. Boy, what an exciting place to be. How are voters reacting today to the stunning developments that we have witnessed over the past 24 hours?

9:54Haley Stevens switching her endorsement from Abdul Al-Sayed, the Democrat who she faced off against in the primary, to Mike Rogers, the Republican who she was sharply critical of, now endorsing him. Yeah, Kristen, I think there's a lot of strong feelings about that surprise endorsement. But the question of how it will move voters or how it is moving voters, I think that's certainly still out and still yet to be determined. Among the Democrats I spoke to, those who are voting for El Syed. They said they're aware of that headline, but they were very upset at Haley Stevens, some of whom voted for her in the primary, talked about feeling betrayed, feeling like this is a distraction from the issues, kind of mirroring what you've been hearing from El Syed out on the campaign trail.

10:41But then there are those who are not voting for El Syed, who are voting for Mike Rogers, including some Democrats who see what Haley Stevens did as brave, seeing it as reflective of the concerns they have with El-Sayed, be it his positions or going back to that ad and the claims of his support or coziness with anti-Semitism. I want you to listen to a mixture of the conversations that we've been having throughout the day. I think it's a lot of drama and actually I'm disappointed in her, but I'm focused on what matters, what matters in my life, who is going to make my life better, who's going to deal with the high cost of gas and groceries It definitely didn't affect my vote, but it definitely was a confirmation for me that there are Democrats that are concerned with the socialist aspect of what's going on in the Democratic Party.

11:32I think she made a big mistake. I think she made a big mistake. Sore loser. I don't think it'll change people's mind at all. I think they'll look at some people will look at her in a different way to flip flop. You can always learn a lot from what candidates are mentioning on their stops. El-Sayed brushing this aside, saying essentially he's not concerned about his previous rival. Mike Rogers has been on cable news celebrating this endorsement. You can tell who wants to talk about this and who wants to focus on other things, Kristen. No doubt the Rogers campaign feeling quite emboldened by this move by Haley Stevens.

12:11Let's talk about black voters in particular, Shaq, because I'll say it needs them if he's going to win to turn out in force. She, of course, overperformed with black voters in the primary. Could this potentially resonate? Could it depress his support amongst black voters? I think from the outside campaign's perspective, they're saying no, that is not the case. I think when you look at the events that we saw yesterday, for example, Haley Stevens joined Mike Rogers at a black church in Detroit. El-Sayed then had his competing event, so to speak, at a black church in Detroit. So both campaigns, both sides understand the value and importance of black voters, especially in Wayne County.

12:55But from the El-Sayed campaign's perspective, they do believe that this is rallying the base to some extent. They point out, for example, that they had a record setting fundraising day yesterday, more than two point four million dollars raised after news of Haley Stevens endorsement. I spoke to a Republican operative who said, hey, the election day is tomorrow. When are they going to spend the money? So they are kind of dismissing that from the Republican side. But in terms of black voters, they are definitely in focus for both of the campaigns. But El Fayed and Democrats feel like this may end up helping them rather than hurting them.

13:31All right. Shaq Brewster from Detroit. Shaq, we are going to talk to you a lot over the next 24 hours. Thanks so much. Appreciate it. Steve Patterson, let me turn to you and let's talk about the multiple investigations into the Peltola campaign in Alaska in the wake of the reports that her campaign was, in fact, involved in recruiting a second Dan Sullivan to be on the ballot. What are you hearing today? Yeah, there's a lot of moving parts here, Christian. If we could, let's start with that Trump spearheaded DOJ lawsuit that would have blocked certification or was asking to block certification of the Senate election if the incumbent did not win.

14:12And just so we're all on the same page here, that would be Senator Dan S. Sullivan. The problem, the judge said, is that that lawsuit was asking to segregate and hold the ballots. The problem there is that it would have violated sort of the ballot secrecy that is a core tenet, really, of these elections. And so the judge essentially said that's impossible and chucked it. Meanwhile, that is separate from the federal criminal investigation, which is very much still ongoing. The last time you and I spoke, Kristen, we were in that press conference room. I was pressing officials on what alleged crime this could be, how this alleged crime could have gone down, how many alleged crimes might there be.

14:52We still have no answers one day before the election on the possibility that there is an alleged crime, because keep in mind, while this may be a dirty political trick, there has been no indication that there's any illegal activity. What we did do in the meantime is speak to Senator Sullivan not too long ago, just about how he's feeling about everything ahead of this race and how everything is sort of shaken up until now. Listen to this. What we're seeing all over the state, we're going to see it again today, is huge crowds, huge crowds. because people are like, we are not going to let the cheating stand.

15:26So to all Alaskans, if you're watching, do not let the cheating stand. As part of that sweeping criminal probe, we know the FBI is out to donors of Dan J. Sullivan. That is the second Sullivan on the ballot. Yeah, really an extraordinary story. I know you've been talking to voters, too. Steve, what are they telling you? You know, voters are I want to put this in very bold print. Voters are not confused. OK, they have both Dan Sullivan's on the ballot. They know which person that they are going to vote for. There is, of course, some disappointment for National Democrats, for the Peltola campaign.

16:05More to the point, though, disappointment in the political system, in the election system here, that that sort of activity would even be allowed in the first place. But voters are very clear headed, very well educated on this ballot we spoke to them here's what they told me listen to this i mean if you don't know you should probably google like incumbent means before you get here like it's pretty cut and dry did you have any confusion with the ballot with the two especially the two dance no i you know i and i don't know what happened there or who's at fault and i try to give people the benefit of the doubt i mean i i think it's a little shady if that's if it was malicious.

16:42That is out of the ordinary having somebody not really affiliated with the party or even in politics being on the ballot. I don't think he has any reason or cause to be on the ballot. So something's fishy there. Another worry is that this would deter people from showing up to the polls. That is not the case either. Take a look behind me. You can see that line stretches all the way in there. It stretches and snakes all the way back through the mall inside that vestibule and out the door. Voters are turning up some 90 ,000 or so early voted so far. It seems like a tiny fraction for a lot of the races that are running in the country.

17:23But for this race, only about 300 ,000 people are expected to vote out of an electorate of about 600 ,000. It's actually quite a significant turnout here, Kristen. People are not afraid to vote. Well, you can see from that line, they do seem energized to come out and vote early. All right. Steve Patterson from Alaska Anchorage. Thank you so much. Really appreciate it. Ryan Chandler, let me turn to you. You're in Texas. Of course, they have been the white whale for Democrats for some three decades. Democrats, though, are feeling energized. You spoke to the man who's trying to change all of that.

17:58James Tallarico, what did he tell you, Ryan? Yeah, Kristen, Texas has been Democrats most elusive goal for decades. But ultimately, if James Tallarico is able to pull this off tomorrow night, it will be because Republicans decided they are angry enough with their own party to tell them that the unified rule that they have enjoyed for decades ends now. James Tallarico acknowledged to me last night that that key to victory will be those crossover voters. There are simply more Republicans than Democrats in Texas. So they will be the ones to hand him a victory if they choose to do so tomorrow night.

18:35So I asked him if he is elected to the Senate on that bipartisan basis, what does he see as his mandate representing a state that is so starkly divided with itself in the U.S. Senate? And he said ultimately he acknowledged that he has some olive branches to extend to the likes of Ted Cruz, to Elon Musk, who has spent some 200 million dollars to prop up Ken Paxton. He said he wants to work with them where they agree to bring in industries and investments into this state while also trying to limit that kind of big tech money in politics. But ultimately, he does acknowledge that he's going to have to serve a lot of divergent factions.

19:14And that could be a problem if ultimately he does shock the world tomorrow night, Chris. Well, and I know that he shared some of his closing message with you. You're also out there on the trail listening to Ken Paxton's closing message. What are their divergent messages? If I could summarize the thesis of the Tallarico campaign, it is that costs and corruption are linked. Texans tell us those are their top two issues. Their sense that politics is corrupt and everything is far too expensive. That has been a salient issue directed at Ken Paxton because Paxton is a candidate who has had to spend hundreds of millions of dollars trying to overcome a reputation that he has earned through allegations of serious personal and legal scandals through his time in office.

20:04Paxton is running a campaign that is much more focused on cultural issues. Elon Musk is propping up ads attacking over and over again Tallarico on transgender issues, on immigration. he is trying to gin up a base propped up by President Trump, by Ted Cruz, knowing that Republicans are a lot less enthused about him as Democrats are about James Tallarico. Polling indicates as many as 6 to 12 percent of Republicans plan to vote for James Tallarico. It's a small but significant portion, but ultimately it could be decisive. At the end of the day, I'll say we should plan for a very long night tomorrow.

20:42I just heard from the Travis County judge's office who said, Travis and Bexar County do not intend to release their early vote figures until the last ballot is in here. Those are very blue areas that will swing this for Tallarico in a big way. So we're not going to have a real indication of what's going on until well after seven central. All right. Well, Ryan Chandler, congratulations on the interview. And we are bracing for a long night ahead. That's for sure. Really appreciate your joining us. Sahil, let me turn to you. All of this comes as Republicans are increasingly worried about their path to hold on to the Senate.

21:18Walk us through why Senate control isn't done, though, despite the fact that there is some Democratic momentum. Hey, Kristen, while it is election even, both parties are expecting a blue environment tomorrow. The question is how much bluer relative to 2024? And let me paint you a couple of scenarios to illustrate this. First, let's call this the red wall scenario. So picture this. The environment. Democrats start off having a good night. They win Michigan. They topple Susan columns in Maine. From there, they're left with five states that Donald Trump won three times, won by double digits in 2024.

21:49It's very plausible, even in a good night for Democrats. They get close in these states and every one of them ends up sticking in the Republican column. That's a scenario where Republicans keep control of the Senate, 51 to 49. I've talked to strategists in both parties, including the Democrats, who say this is a very possible scenario. Here's another possible scenario. Let's reset. This is the blue wave scenario. This is a scenario where Democrats start the night doing very well. They win Michigan. They win Maine. The wave turns into a tsunami. It breaches the walls of MAGA country and the casualties just pile up and up and up.

22:26And 54 Senate seats is as good as Democrats can do. Maybe even 55 with South Carolina in the blue tsunami scenario if everything goes well for them. Remember, Kristen, a lot of these states, candidates are polling in the margin of error that could be decisive. So even small shifts can have monumental consequences when all the votes are decided. Well, to that point, Sahil, we're talking about all of this drama in Michigan and Alaska. How could that impact those two states? It could be enormously consequential, Kristen. Let's start with Michigan because the drama here, of course, the progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed facing the Trump-endorsed Republican Mike Rogers just yesterday in a November surprise, Haley Stevens, who narrowly lost to Abdul El-Sayed in this primary.

23:10Look how close this is. She defected from her party and endorsed Mike Rogers. She obviously got a lot of vote. And the question becomes how much of this vote migrates with her to Mike Rogers. I've talked to Democrats who believe this is more about one person and her grievances and they don't believe it's going to be a movement. But, of course, it's not difficult to understand why there is some concern about it, because watch what happens if Democrats lose Michigan. This goes into the Republican column. Let's say they even split Michigan and Maine. Democrats win Maine. They still need to win three out of these five double-digit Trump states rather than two of them.

23:43So let's continue with this scenario. Let's say Sherrod Brown wins in Ohio. Let's say James Tallarico makes history, becomes the first Democrat to win Texas in several decades. But the wave stops there. Solidly Republican rural Kansas and Iowa stay in the Republican column. Now we've got a scenario where Alaska is going to be decisive in the battle for the Senate majority. Because if, in this scenario, Democrats win it, they would get an outright majority of 51. If Republicans win it, it would be a 50-50 Senate, but they would have control with the tie-breaking vote of J.D. Vance. Now, Alaska, of course, the controversy there is Mary Paltola facing not one but two Dan Sullivan.

24:19He believes that her team put this Dan Sullivan on the ballot as a decoy to try and hurt him. That battle will continue, it seems, at least on the campaign trail heading into it. The reason this is important, Kristen, is that Alaska counts votes very slowly. This is the cadence on election night in 2024. Polls close there at 1 a.m. East Coast time. So by about mid-morning, we'll have three quarters of the vote. But look at this. It took 12 days to get the rest of the vote in. The reason is Alaska allows 15 days for ballots that are postmarked by Election Day to still be counted. That gets us to November 18th, where ballots could continue to be counted.

24:56If it's a close race, we may not be able to call it until then. And then the target date for certification is November 25th. That is the day before Thanksgiving. And if it's very, very close, someone could demand a recount. There could be legal fights that could tip us into December. And that's a scenario where Alaska is going to be decisive, potentially, in the battle for the Senate majority. And we don't know for weeks and weeks and weeks which party is going to run the Senate for the next two years, Kristen. It's just extraordinary to think that it could all come down to Alaska. And as you pointed out so well, Sahil, that would be a scenario where we would have a very long wait.

25:29All right. Sahil, thank you so much for breaking it down. Great job at the big board. We appreciate it. Coming up, more fallout from Haley Stevens' endorsement of the Republican in Michigan. I'll be joined by the former Michigan governor who sat down with Stevens less than 48 hours before the surprise. And if it's Monday, we'll have a special election day edition of Meet the Press Now tomorrow at 4 p.m., followed by special coverage all night long as the results start coming in. That kicks off at 5 p.m. Eastern right here on NBC News Now. We'll be right back with much more.

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27:15Download today. Welcome back. Much more now on the Election Eve drama unfolding inside the Democratic Party in Michigan after Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens pulled her endorsement of Al-Sayed and endorsed the Republican candidate, Mike Rogers. The decision shocking many in the Democratic Party, including one of my guests on Sunday's Meet the Press, Congressman Jamie Raskin, who told me he'd spoken to Stevens the night before she showed up with Rogers at a church service. Look, I spoke last night to Haley Stevens and I spoke to Abdul as well. And my wonderful friend Haley Stevens wants me to represent to you and everybody else I talk to that she is voting straight down the line on the Democratic ticket.

28:00And she's going to be celebrating with Democrats across the country when we win on Tuesday night. And today, Congressman Raskin telling me, quote, this was a betrayal that totally boomeranged. It has become a big motivating and unifying force in our party for victory on Tuesday. Stevens reversal also stunning former Michigan Governor James Blanchard, who told The New York Times that Stevens personally messaged him Saturday night that she was going to reaffirm her support for al-Sayed the very next morning. And joining me now is former Democratic governor of Michigan, James Blanchard. Governor, thanks so much for joining me.

28:36Really appreciate it. Yeah, thank you. Thank you, Kristen. It's great to have you. So let me just ask you the big question that I think is on everyone's mind. Could Haley Stevens endorsement of Mike Rogers cost Democrats the election in Michigan? No, I think we're going to have a huge victory. a landslide victory statewide, not just with Jocelyn Benson, our great candidate for governor, but Abdul El-Sayed. I think they will both win decisively as the entire statewide ticket will. And I think we'll have some new members of Congress, Democrats. This is going to be a great year. I know my landslides.

29:14I got elected to one way long ago, the Watergate landslide. I feel really good. I don't think this is going to change the votes. I think the cake has been baked probably for several weeks. Well, you said you actually heard from Haley Stevens around 6 p.m. on Saturday, indicating she was still planning to reaffirm her support for Al-Sayed. The very next day you'd had dinner with her where she said she was still going to support Al-Sayed. What happened, Governor? Well, I don't know. I mean, we had dinner Friday night celebrating her engagement and my wife's birthday. She was in a great mood. She was looking forward to being with al-Sayed and Congressman Clyburn at a church.

29:55He invited me. That was Friday night. Saturday, she sent me the logistics at about 6 p.m. for the morning. And I decided I wasn't going to go, really at the last minute, because I was reading articles that her fiancé had been supporting Rogers. I did not know that. I knew he wanted to vote for Rogers. I didn't know he had officially endorsed Rogers. And I decided not to go to the church because I didn't want to have to sit there and lambaste her fiancé after having dinner with them on Friday night. I did not want to get involved in the drama. And so I really thoroughly expect that she would go there with Jim Clyburn and Abdul El-Sayed.

30:39They would celebrate the ticket with other people. I think Senator Elsa Brooks from Maryland was there. They were going to have a great service. And I was shocked to learn that she went to a different church, showed up with Mike Rogers and endorsed him. I'm like, Jamie, I actually called Jamie after your show to thank him for clarifying things for Haley by indicating that Haley's backing Abdul and the ticket. So it's strange. I've never seen anything like this. I want your viewers to know we're going to have a big Michigan Democratic victory. All right. I don't want anybody to be complacent. But if the current trend continues and people keep voting, we're going to have a very good night.

31:24And I think we'll have that all around the country. I do. Let me ask you, because Haley Stevens said that part of why she did this is because she feels as though El Syed made it very clear that she was not welcome in his campaign. We have new reporting, in fact, that she called to ask if she could attend his very first campaign event that day after the primary and the campaign declined to have her come. Do you think Abdul El-Sayed should have done more to bring her into the fold? Was that a misstep on his part? Well, yeah, I think all along the way it was. She did endorse him the morning after the primary and it was very hard, hard fought, very hard fought.

32:08And she endorsed them. Yes, they should have welcomed her in and not tried to relitigate, as he said, the primary. But that doesn't excuse her decision of deceiving everyone at the last minute and going to a church and endorsing Mike Rogers. I mean, we're Democrats here. She's always been known as a team player. So this is hard. Other than the fact that her new fiance is a supporter of Rogers, which a lot of us hadn't known. I can't explain it. I just it's sad. It's very sad. It's not the Haley Stevens I know. I know she's been under a lot of stress. I know she's been under a lot of pressure to withdraw her endorsement of Abdul El-Sayed.

32:52But she had resisted all that right up till the final moment. So I just we're all speechless. I know Jamie Raskin is, but everybody is that supported her. And I hate to see everyone piling on because I think there's more involved here than just not being invited to the church. Governor, let me ask you finally, Michigan Democratic Party chair Curtis Hurdle Jr. says Stevens doesn't have a future in the Democratic Party. Do you agree with that or does that go too far? Well, as of today, I think that's correct. Yeah, people are really upset. But I might say there are other people on the other side of this that are very upset with with Abdul and how he's treated the Jewish community.

33:37But the truth is, we need to have the United States Senate. We need to stop Trump. We need to stop the war in Iran. We need to stop the tariffs. We need to have civility. We need to build America, not build a ballroom. That's why we need we need Abdul in the Senate like the others. Well, Governor Blanchard, we really appreciate your joining us to give us your perspective and to walk us through the conversations that you had with Haley Stevens, that perspective. We really appreciate it. Good to see you. Thank you, Governor. Thank you. Coming up next, we're back on the campaign trail live in three Republican held battleground Senate races, crucial to both parties' midterm strategies.

34:20Stay with us. This is Meet the Press Now.

34:30Welcome back. Democrats say they're feeling bullish about their ability to flip some key Senate seats, particularly in states President Trump won big in in 2024. That includes historically red Kansas and maybe even Iowa, where President Trump held his last campaign rallies over the weekend. And in Battleground, Ohio, where Vice President J.D. Vance campaigned today, hoping to push key Republicans over the finish line. NBC's Liz Kreutz is in Wichita, Kansas. Maggie Vespa is in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. And Priscilla Thompson is in Columbus, Ohio. Thank you all for being here, Liz. Let me go to you first.

35:08President Trump was just in Kansas last night. So give us the reality check on the ground because this is a state that hasn't put a Democrat in a Senate seat since 1932. Does Adam Hamilton really have a shot? What are voters telling you? Kristen, I mean, if you ask voters, I think everybody, Republican, Democrat, independent, are all shocked that this race has gotten so close. This is a ruby red stage, a traditional Republican stronghold. And now some polls even show the Democratic candidate, Adam Hamilton, leading in the polls here. He's a mega church pastor that's really talking about bringing decency and morality back to Washington.

35:49And it's resonating with a lot of voters here. There's a lot of anger from farmers mad about the tariffs, the rising diesel and gas prices, angry at the Trump administration for bringing in beef imports from Argentina in a way to lower beef prices. And all of that is now being played out in this race. You also have a Republican incumbent, Roger Marshall, who has faced a lot of his own challenges, not just these national challenges that all Republicans are facing, but his own damaging headlines about the fact, according to The New York Times, that his medical practice sued some 700 patients when he was a doctor over minor medical debt.

36:27And then in some cases, about 80 of those patients ended up being arrested in a few cases, at least one in front of their own children. That's really hurt him here. And because of that, Kristen, that's why likely why we're seeing the president and the vice president come to Kansas so much in this final month. Both of them have made two visits over the past four weeks. I asked to Adam Hamilton about that this morning. Take a listen. I don't think in the history of America, we've had a president stop in Kansas two times in two weeks. And I think it says that they are frightened. They're really concerned about Roger Marshall.

37:00They're trying to save him. And they should be. There's a lot of folks in Kansas who are disappointed in our senator. He's not been a champion for them. He's not fought for them. And he stood up for things in Washington, D.C. that the president supported that hurt the people of Kansas. now i asked hamilton if he thinks he's going to win this he says he thinks he is going to pull it off but that he's cautiously optimistic either way though he's certainly given republican sierra run for their money kristin certainly and they've plunged a lot of money into this race if he can do it it will be history making all right liz kreutz thanks so much great interview maggie baspa let's turn to you so iowa polls are showing a very tight race there what are you hearing.

37:42You've spoken to some voters. What are they telling you? Yeah, Kristen, they're basically acutely aware of how big of a role Iowa is playing in this midterm cycle, hence this massive early voting line. This is the turnout here in Cedar Rapids. You can see everybody headed in to vote here. And then we swing over this way. That's how long the line is all the way down the hallway, all the way up the staircase over to the right. We also have video out of Des Moines. People there telling our team on the ground they've been waiting more than 90 minutes to vote today before the election day. And again, this is Iowa, right?

38:13This is a state that's used to being in the political spotlight, but really not like this. They're also really surprised that their Senate race is one of the handful of races that could determine control of Congress. You have GOP Congress, current Congresswoman Ashley Hinson up against Democratic State Representative Josh Turek. And really in the recent debates that we've had, and including when the president has come here multiple times over the last few weeks, he was also here in Iowa yesterday trying to drum up support among his base. We've had Ashley Hinson also hoping to pull support from that MAGA base while kind of walking a line saying that she brings the concerns of, for instance, Iowa farmers, their economic concerns to the president.

38:52Josh Turek saying that she's voted multiple times to continue his policy. So that dance continues. For some, it's enough to sway voters. For some, it's not. Take a listen. I know Trump's getting beat up a lot. I know I'm not 100 % for him all the time. He says some dumb stuff, but I think we'll stay the course with him and his people. Do you think Democrats will flip the Senate seat? I'm afraid they will. You're afraid they will? Yeah, I'm afraid. I haven't seen a Republican stand up and say no. I haven't seen any balance of power, and we need that. Do you feel like Iowa can be part of that check on the president?

39:36In other words, are you hopeful that Iowa will elect a Democrat to the Senate? I am. I'm very hopeful. We'll see what happens. If nothing else, maybe it's a message.

39:49Yeah, so first thing again, everybody is just so aware of how close this is. Really quick to quantify this turnout during the last midterm cycle, When you add up early in-person voting and absentee voting, there were 29, just shy of 29 ,000 votes total. They've already topped 39 ,000 so far in this midterm cycle. And obviously, it's still going strong. Well, Maggie, it's all about the voters. It's just so revealing and fascinating to hear your conversations with the voters. And you're right. The lines are long behind you. Maggie Vespa, thank you so very much. Priscilla Thompson, let's turn to you and start with the Ohio governor's race.

40:25and the fallout from that controversial ad released by the Ramaswamy campaign. What's the state of play there? And could it impact the Senate race there, Priscilla? Yeah, so we're on campus at the Ohio State University. I spoke with a young woman, Emma, who is from one of these rural Republican counties. And I asked her, how is she going to be voting tomorrow? And she said that she is voting for Democrats. She said that her biggest concern is the cost of living here in Columbus. A one-bedroom apartment cost her more than$1 ,000. And I did ask her, did you look at the Republican candidates, particularly in that governor's race?

41:01And I want to play a bit of that conversation. Take a listen. Did you look at Vivek Ramaswamy? I did look, and I don't like what I see. A lot of the way that he does things, I just don't like his attitude towards it. I don't like how he's looking at cost of living and how to fix it. That really doesn't align with my beliefs. And he did release that ad with Amy Acton's mother. Have you seen it? Did you hear about it? That, to me, is ridiculous. I think that it truly is a low blow. The fact that he would even think about putting that out, to me, is just really a testament to his character and another reason why I won't be voting for him this election.

41:38I also spoke to an 18-year-old young man from Youngstown who's very concerned about the steel industry and some of those things there. He told me that he is voting for Amy Acton for governor. But when it comes to the Senate race, he chose the independent candidate. Kristen. Fascinating stuff. All right, Priscilla. And again, great conversations. We really appreciate it. Well, the latest NBC News poll has some warning signs for Democrats on the eve of Election Day. A majority of voters, 52 percent, have a negative view of the Democratic Party. Just 29 percent view the party positively. Voters have a better opinion of Republicans.

42:1438 percent have a positive view. 50 percent have a negative view of the GOP. Joining me now to discuss all of this is our panel. Ashley Etienne, former communications director for Vice President Harris and to meet the press contributor and former Florida Republican Congressman Carlos Corbello. He is also an NBC News contributor. Thanks to both of you for being here on Election Eve. Hope you've eaten your Wheaties because here we go. So, Ashley, let me start with you. What do you make of those numbers? Because obviously we've been talking about the Democratic momentum. But the fact that when you look at the poll numbers and more Americans have a negative view of the Democratic Party, it shows this may be a referendum on Trump, not so much embracing Democrats.

42:57No, absolutely. And those numbers have been consistent. I mean, Democrats have been polling worse than Donald Trump at his worst. And so it's striking. And I think it's partly because of what I've been saying on your show, which is we don't have an affirmative agenda. We're not giving the American people something to vote for, something to have confidence in, some vision that we're laying out that contrasts with where the president has taken this nation. So I think that's exactly why you're seeing these numbers in the polls. But the most important thing is we need the win on tomorrow, on Tuesday.

43:27It doesn't matter if you're voting for or against Democrats. That's something we're going to figure out tomorrow. But for November 3rd, we need to win. Carlos, what do you make of the numbers? President Trump underwater in his job approval rating. And if you look at the congressional ballot, Democrats have a fairly significant lead in the congressional ballot. And I think we have a poll of that if we could put up that number as well. It shows that Democrats will I'll just read it. Forty five percent say that they want Republicans, 52 percent Democrats. What do you make of that? Well, Kristen, it's a very difficult environment for Republicans.

44:06I ran in 2018. It was the last Trump midterm. And there was fatigue because Republicans, we controlled the entirety of the government. So you're always going to have a headwind when that's the situation. But back in 2018, the economy was doing pretty well. There was no inflation. There were no unpopular foreign conflicts like this Iran war. So it's a series of factors here that's adding up against Republicans. Having said all that, as we just observed, Democrats aren't popular. So it's not like people are excited to go out and support Democrats. So there is some hope for Republicans, particularly in some of these states where Democrats have tripped up here in the last few days, Alaska and Michigan.

44:46This could be like 2022. We were in these studios. We were expecting a big red wave in the Biden midterm. It never materialized. That is a potential scenario tomorrow. I'm glad you brought up 2018 because the difference between 2018 and now is we did have a proactive positive agenda, which is why we won 40 seats and flipped a lot of Republican seats. We don't have that advantage in the worst economy. Let's talk about some of these states. Actually, let's talk about Michigan, these extraordinary events. Haley Stevens telling Jim Blanchard and many others that she's going to endorse Abdul Al-Sayed and continue to endorse him, be there with him in church the next day, and then went to church with Mike Rogers and wound up endorsing him.

45:26What's the impact? Could it have an impact around the edges when you're dealing with a close race? Well, I mean, here's a real reality. This is why voters don't trust politicians, because they play politics rather than actually putting the voters ahead of their own self-interest and their own egos. And, you know, Haley Stevens, regrettably, I mean, I don't know anything that's more disrespectful or disappointing how you you you campaign with and to black voters begging them for their votes. And then you turn around and you stab them in the back. And this all comes at a time where black unemployment in Michigan is higher than it is anywhere else in the country.

46:02It's 11 percent, more than double that of white unemployment. And so, you know, from my perspective, Haley Stevens owes, I mean, beyond owes an explanation to black voters. But I think this whole thing is going to backfire primarily because there's one thing I do know about my folks, and that is we don't we don't take lightly to disrespect. Carlos, what about that? I have heard Ashley's now making this argument, but a number of Democrats say we think this is going to backfire for the exact reason that Ashley is laying out, because she went to primarily black church, sat with Mike Rogers. The implication being this is the person who's now my guy, and I think you should support him.

46:40Yeah, I mean, look, Haley Stevens is isolated. She I don't know what future she could have in the Democratic Party, if any at all. But I do put some of this on Abdul El-Syed. He has had multiple opportunities to explicitly disavow some of the anti-Semitic rhetoric, some of the people around him, some of the messages. Look, I don't think he is personally an anti-Semite. But when you're in a position of leadership, when you've won your party's nomination for an important position like this, it's important to try to unite your party and to really send clear messages against some of those anti-Semitic statements and messages and ads that have been airing in Michigan.

47:17And even if it was Haley Seamus is now throwing that all under the bus. I mean, now she just kind of exploded all of his efforts to sort of, you know, bring the party together. I want to talk about Texas because it has been in focus. The idea that it could be in play. It has been a white whale for Democrats. Carlos, let me go to you on this. And now there's a sense that it could actually be in play. What are you hearing? What do you see in this early vote? Yeah, Chris, and there are two massive potential earthquakes out there for Republicans, Texas and Florida. For a good decade now, the two parties, they've had the symmetry where New York and California go blue, Texas and Florida go red.

48:00Democrats are threatening to make inroads in both Florida and Texas. If Tallarico wins in Texas, if Abbott goes down in Florida, the governor's race is probably much closer than people might believe at this time. That would just be remarkable. And if that does happen, I think you have to focus on the Hispanic community. This is a vote that in both those states, Republicans have courted since the Bush years. Jeb Bush learned Spanish so that he could campaign in Hispanic communities. George W. Bush won a great share of the Hispanic vote when he was governor of Texas. So this has been decades in the making where Republicans have been so strong in the Hispanic community in both of these states.

48:49If that support collapses and if some of these Democratic candidates can actually win in those states, that is going to scramble the Republican Party. Ashley, final thought to view on Latino voters who were so critical to President Trump's win in 2024. Oh, no, they completely abandoned him. I mean, look no further than my home state of Texas, where you're seeing double digits of Latino voters now flipping to the Democratic side. In the primary race, they had record turnout. They've had record turnout in the early vote cycle. We've seen record turnout of black voters in Harris County, which is going to make up the difference.

49:24Houston Chronicle is now reporting that they think because of the high turnout in Harris County and Hidalgo County that we could actually flip this state. And it's going to be the same issue that we're seeing in Florida. It's going to come down to black and brown voters. Guys, great conversation on election eve. Thank you so much for being here. Look forward to talking to you a whole lot over the next 24 hours. Still ahead, we will take the temperature in battleground Georgia, where Democrats have to hold on if they want to retake control of the Senate. Stay with us. You're watching Meet the Press now.

49:59welcome back now to a pair of races democrats are counting on winning tomorrow a loss in either would be a major canary in a coal mine on election night in georgia democratic senator john ossoff is seeking to hold his seat against republican congressman mike collins while in new york's 17th district democrat kate conley is looking to defeat republican congressman mike lawler this is a district kamala harris narrowly won in 2024 nbc news correspondent aaron gilchrist joins me from Decatur, Georgia, and joining me from Nyack, New York, is NBC News Julie Serkin. Aaron, let me start with you. What are the closing messages we're hearing from John Ossoff and Mike Collins?

50:40Well, Kristen, we've heard from both Mike Collins and John Ossoff today. Senator Ossoff just finishing an event here in the building behind me here in Decatur. And I think really the core of the message from both of them today to voters here in Georgia is turnout. Get out and vote. That's the big thing they're saying is going to really make a difference come tomorrow. We know we've seen early voting already here in Georgia break records. 2.8 million people cast ballots early in this state before voting ended on Friday. And so now we know that leaves about 60 percent or so of the active voter base here in Georgia available to vote tomorrow.

51:12I want you to hear from both candidates as they're thinking about pushing people to make sure they get to the polls. We're going to have no regrets on Wednesday. No regrets. Let's make the most of these 29 hours. Let's win these races decisively. Let's turn the page on this dark chapter in our nation's history. And God forbid if they were to take over that Senate, the witch hunts, the impeachments, the never-ending trials. We've got to support and make sure that we continue to go down the right path in this country. and so we know the polling has suggested that john ossoff does have a lead in this race and expectation that he could win it but uh we know mike collins has said he's gonna he's gonna run this race right up until the very last minute kristen i think it's worth pointing out too if you look at the senate races in south carolina and in north carolina as well they're competitive races that no one expected to be competitive going into this election cycle thinking they would stay Republican.

52:15If the race goes the way Democrats wanted to, you could have Democratic senators in these three southern states. That would be remarkable. That's for sure. All right. Thank you so very much, Erin. Julie, let me turn to you because you actually talked to some voters in New York's 17th congressional district. What are they telling you about the state of play? I did. And if the voters I spoke to are any indication of what the results are going to be tomorrow night. It's going to be close because this area is split. You mentioned it's an area that Harris won very narrowly in 2024. Let's remember that Mike Lawler flipped this seat two cycles ago, and he's been trying to distance himself from the president.

52:53But when I talked to Kay Conley, who's over my shoulder, she essentially said it's too little too late. He appeared at the midterm conventions. He supported the president's war in Iran, the tariffs. And yet the voters that I spoke to still feel like they might vote for Lawler because of the direction they feel like the Democratic Party is trending in. To be clear, though, Conley says she is not part of the DSA movement and she's been running as a moderate candidate. Take a listen to a little bit of what I've heard from voters who are supporting Lawler and Conley. Do you like that Mike Lawler has been independent from the president to some extent?

53:27Yeah, I mean, there should be a balance. You know, you don't have to agree with anybody. I mean, if you're married, you know you don't agree with your husband or boyfriend. So, you know, obviously it's a given to me. So, yeah, I do applaud him. I don't like the way he's flipped himself and now he's saying how he's decreased the taxes with the salt when it was him that started the taxes on the salt. OK, so I think he's a career politician and I'm not happy.

53:58kristin there is a reason that this race has been one that leader jeffries has been personally invested in personally focused and national democrats have come in even today to campaign with kate conley who is a veteran and it's because this is the district that will decide the house majority if this district flips to democrats that's a very good indication of where we could see the night heading tomorrow and that's why democrats are working so hard to defeat mike Lawler, but why he's pushing back and presenting himself as somebody who can push back against the administration and work across the aisle as well.

54:30Kristen. All right, Julie Serkin. Great stuff. Thanks so much. We're back tomorrow with a special edition of Meet the Press Now and a reminder to join me every Sunday for Meet the Press on your local NBC station on NBC News Now streaming every Sunday at noon, 1 p.m. and 9 p.m. Eastern. There's much more ahead on NBC News Now. Real talent is defined by what people can do, not where they learn to do it. So by stopping at the education section of a resume, you might throw away the perfect hire. Skills First Hiring helps you see talent others miss, like more than 70 million stars, skilled through alternative routes.

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