GOP LOSING STREAK: Watch MS NOW's coverage of Democrats big election wins

[0:02] Donald Trump's so-called messaging on affordability does not include increasing [0:07] workers' incomes to help them afford what they need to buy. [0:13] Today, while speaking to an audience of McDonald's franchise owners, [0:17] which includes some of the richest franchise owners in the world, Donald Trump told them [0:24] they're going to have to fight the minimum wage. [0:29] The minimum wage thing you'll have to be talking about. You're going to have to fight. [0:33] We were talking about California, Gavin Newsom from California, [0:38] and I knew he's laying siege on the minimum wage. [0:42] And you people probably know, because that's a very complex subject, and you people probably know [0:47] better than anybody the impact, one way or the other, good or bad. [0:52] And you're going to let your local congressmen, your senators know about it. [0:55] JOHN YANG Joining us now for her first MSNOW interviews since winning the Virginia's [1:01] governor election is Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger. [1:05] GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM [1:05] Virginia sees a former Democratic congresswoman and CIA officer. [1:09] Governor-elect, thank you very much for joining us tonight. It is really great to have you here. [1:14] GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM Thank you so much for having me. I'm glad to be here. [1:18] JOHN YANG [1:19] So, Virginia is one of those states that has a higher minimum wage than the federal [1:23] minimum wage, significantly higher, which Donald Trump seems to think is a very bad idea, [1:28] telling people running McDonald's franchises, you're going to have to fight the minimum wage. [1:32] GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM I mean, what we continue to hear from this president [1:39] is, he's just out of step with what, frankly, I heard on the ground over the past nearly two [1:44] years of my campaign for governor. People are struggling. People are really having a hard time [1:50] making ends meet, whether it's costs at the grocery store, the pharmacy counter, when they get their [1:56] energy bill, when they sign their kids up for daycare, if they can find a spot. And housing [2:02] prices continue to go up, whether you're a renter or a buyer. And the reality is that life just [2:07] continues to be difficult. GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM Right. And the reality is that life just continues to be difficult. [2:09] And to hear this president kind of so flippantly talk about something such as the minimum wage [2:15] not addressing real issues within the housing market, real issues within, across communities [2:22] where we see energy prices going up, real issues that affect people, and, chiefly, [2:29] we will see increased health care costs continue to go up, in part because of the so-called One [2:35] Big Beautiful Bill. So he is wreaking havoc on our economy and on people. [2:39] GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM And ultimately not in any way being responsive. And I think we saw that in the [2:43] results of the Virginia election. People want a governor who is going to be responsive to the [2:49] challenges that they are facing on the ground and in their day-to-day lives. [2:53] GOV. JOHN KERRY If a Democrat wins a state like Virginia by five points, other Democrats want to [2:59] know, how did you do it? What do we need to know? What do we need to know nationally? To win by 15, [3:07] you must have something that nationally is going to be a challenge. GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM Yeah. [3:08] GOV. JOHN KERRY Yeah. GOV. JOHN KERRY Yeah. GOV. JOHN KERRY Yeah. GOV. JOHN KERRY Yeah. [3:09] GOV. JOHN KERRY Yeah. GOV. JOHN KERRY That national Democrats need to know about. [3:11] GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM Well, I will say it's the largest Democratic [3:15] margin of victory in Virginia since the Kennedy administration. [3:19] And the way that we did it, frankly, not just winning our three statewide seats, but also [3:25] flipping 13 seats in the House of Delegates, where we had tremendous candidates who want to [3:30] represent their communities. For me, it was all about traveling all across our state, [3:36] listening to people, which sounds such a simple thing. But [3:40] the reality is that, far too often, people will get prescriptive about what it is that we need to do [3:45] policy-wise. But if you are on the ground, if you are listening, if you are mobilizing people [3:51] around the concerns that they have for themselves, for their kids, for their community, for their [3:56] local economy, people want a government that is responsive. And, certainly, whether it's [4:03] issues of lowering costs, issues of strengthening our schools or, you know, overall safety and [4:09] security within our communities, GOV. JOHN KERRY Yeah. GOV. JOHN KERRY Yeah. GOV. JOHN KERRY Yeah. [4:10] GOV. JOHN KERRY People were really responsive to the campaigning that I did in every corner [4:15] of our Commonwealth, focused on really straightforward policies that are going to [4:21] make an impact on the things that are, you know, front of mind for them, the last things you think [4:25] about before you lay your head down at night and the first things you think about in the morning. [4:29] JOHN KERRY When you talk about every corner of the Commonwealth, I think [4:33] of the corner that goes way down into Tennessee, shares the border with Tennessee, Tazewell, towns [4:40] like that down there. And I looked at those voting returns, and you performed better in those [4:46] places, which are very, very strongly Republican places, than any Democrat I have seen running in [4:52] that kind of region. So, you have found a way to talk to Trump voters and earn their vote. [5:01] Is there something that you were — that was specifically targeted at Trump voters in what [5:06] you were presenting? GOV. RUTH MARCUS I think — and you're talking about the corner of Virginia, [5:12] that is known as the place where Virginia begins. And, you know, if you look at a map, [5:17] it's actually west of Detroit. Virginia is a large state. And in going to communities [5:23] that don't typically vote for Democrats — that is admittedly the case — I think what was important [5:29] for me was to demonstrate interest and true desire to get to know people, to be present, [5:36] to demonstrate respect, because, you know, in every part of Virginia, whether they're historically, [5:42] Republican-voting or Democratic-voting or they're toss-up communities, whether they're, [5:47] you know, down the street from my home or they're hours and hours away, people want to feel rooted, [5:53] and people want to feel that their concerns matter and that their voices matter, that their [5:58] communities matter. You know, and I moved back home to Virginia 11 years ago to be closer to [6:04] family. And, for me, I grew up in the suburbs of Richmond. I was able to move back home. My husband [6:09] was able to, you know, have his job remotely. GOV. RUTH MARCUS You know, I grew up in the suburbs of [6:11] Richmond. I grew up in the suburbs of Richmond. I grew up in the suburbs of Richmond. It worked for [6:13] us. But in so many parts of Virginia, that's just not an option. And so to even be able to speak to [6:19] what it is to, you know, have that — have that feeling of being rooted in a community that you [6:23] love, a place where you want to raise your kids, that's not a — that's not a possibility for so [6:29] many people who are getting either priced out of the communities they grew up in or where there's [6:33] not enough economic opportunity for their kids to come back to. Then you add on to that the [6:38] challenges of child care deserts, and you add on to that [6:41] you know, changing economic frictions, the attack on the federal workforce we're seeing coming out [6:46] of Washington, the fact that, you know, no fewer than six rural hospitals across Virginia will [6:51] close. You know, these are serious challenges that, you know, I intend to address and certainly [6:59] heard about during my time on the campaign trail. JOHN YANG [7:03] Abigail Spanberger, governor-elect of Virginia, thank you very much for joining us here tonight. [7:08] ABIGAIL SPANBERGER Thank you so much for having me. [7:11] JOHN YANG Remember infrastructure week, the week that [7:17] ever happened during the first Trump presidency? Well, it's happening now, and Donald Trump's [7:21] version of infrastructure week is to kill the most important infrastructure project [7:25] in the United States. Donald Trump is trying to stop the funding for construction for a new [7:30] tunnel under the Hudson River, connecting the state of New York and the state of New Jersey, [7:35] a project that already secured funding with bipartisan support during the Biden presidency. [7:41] And now the Interstate Commission in charge of building the tunnel has filed a lawsuit in federal [7:45] court against the Trump administration for with [7:47] holding $205 million in payments for work on the tunnel. [7:52] The last Republican mayor of New York City, billionaire Michael Bloomberg, writes, [7:57] this is not some local pet project. It's of national economic importance. The new tunnel [8:02] will allow passengers up and down the East Coast to move faster and more reliably, while also [8:09] mitigating road congestion in numerous states and relieving air travel pressures. It will also [8:17] reduce the cost of transportation, accelerate housing growth, and increase its business activity [8:21] and investment. From an economic perspective, the tunnel is an absolute no-brainer, and it's long [8:27] overdue. New Jersey's Governor, Mikey Sherrill, won her election last year by the surprisingly [8:33] large margin of 14 points, and fighting for the new tunnel was one of the ways she beat Donald [8:39] Trump's chosen candidate for governor of New Jersey. Joining us now is New Jersey's Democratic [8:46] Governor, Mikey Sherrill. [8:47] Governor, thank you very much for joining us tonight. There is, there's Donald Trump, [8:53] who doesn't understand anything about business and the economy the way Mike Bloomberg does, [8:58] and you, you are going to have to fight for every penny now, it seems. [9:02] That's exactly right. We are already at work on this tunnel. Millions [9:09] have been spent on the high-end tunneling gear. They are at the, it's at the site. We've employed [9:15] about a thousand people already. I was just over at Tunneley Avenue the other day where concrete [9:19] pads are being poured in, in anticipation of getting the tunneling gear ready to go. [9:26] And all this could come to a stop Friday, which is why in New Jersey and New York, our states are [9:32] suing the president because he's illegally withholding this money that could account [9:37] for almost 100,000 jobs in the region and about $20 billion in economic output. [9:43] Yeah. And, and this, this kind of funding is not easy to achieve. It took a bipartisan support [9:50] group to get it done. People were working on it for years, many, many years, some over the course [9:56] of decades from the conception of the, the, the first notion of it. And so you, you win this, [10:03] you get it. And Donald Trump comes in and says, I'm just going to take it away. [10:09] Yeah. Fighting tooth and nail in the first Trump administration, I was called the tunnel [10:12] obsessed Congresswoman. I am now the tunnel obsessed governor because I am not going to quit. [10:17] This is too important to the region. It's too important to the country. This is the [10:22] important infrastructure program in the nation. It is a rail tunnel from New Jersey into New York. [10:29] About 200,000 people go through the current rail tunnel right now. It was damaged by super storm [10:34] Sandy. As you heard from Mike Bloomberg, who talked a little bit about how important it is [10:39] to business and commerce, not just for the region, but for the country, it makes no sense. When you [10:45] see a president who is harming jobs, harming the economy right here, especially when his jobs [10:51] numbers are not looking good. They're not looking good. They're not looking good. They're not [10:52] looking good. They're not looking good. They're not looking good. They're not looking good. They're [10:52] not looking good. They're not looking good. They're not looking good. They're not looking good. They're not [10:52] not looking good. They're not looking good. They're not looking good. They're not looking so hot. [10:53] But as we've seen across the country, every time Trump gets involved, [10:57] costs go up and working people suffer. I mean, New York is the heartbeat of this [11:03] economy and has been for a couple of hundred years now in this country. Donald Trump doesn't [11:08] seem to understand that you cannot you cannot attack it and then expect the economy to thrive. [11:16] Expect to see good economic numbers. And Lawrence, if you'll forgive my state pride, I would say [11:24] a lot of that heart. [11:25] And I think that's what's going to be the key to the economy. [11:27] And I think that's what's going to be the key to the economy. [11:28] And I think that's what's going to be the key to the economy. [11:28] And in order for that to continue, this tunnel has to function. And as I said, the current Hudson River tunnel right now has been damaged. It's over 115 years old. We have got to keep at work on this. It is such a no-brainer. And so to take the money that has already been committed, $15 billion, $4 billion of it already ready to be put to work in an account and to put a stop to it, which will end things in a very, very bad way. [11:55] On Friday, if he is not stopped from this illegal action, it really is such a harm to the region and such a complete waste of money, given that we are already we have already spent money. We are ready to go and any delay will just raise costs. [12:11] What did you learn in your campaign and in this story about Donald Trump's ability to lose elections for Republicans? [12:19] He hurts working people. He hurts families because, [12:26] you know, this tunnel isn't just, [12:28] about all of the people that could be employed with really good jobs in this region. It's also [12:33] about those commuters that go back and forth every single day. My husband's one of them. [12:37] It's the difference if, you know, you're having a delay between picking your kid up at daycare on [12:42] time or making it home to eat with your family or your kid's soccer or basketball game. And Trump [12:48] just doesn't seem to care about families and people across the country. He's been enriching [12:53] himself now to the tune of billions of dollars and really ending the ability for other families [13:00] to make it here, to create the opportunity that this country is so known for. And that's why I [13:04] keep saying it makes no sense. I'm in a fight at tooth and nail. We're in court now, and we are [13:10] going to see that the workers can continue, that commuters get the type of commute they deserve, [13:15] and that the economy can flourish. New Jersey Governor Mikey Sherrill, [13:20] thank you very much for joining us tonight. Thank you so much for having me. [13:26] While there are... [13:26] There are some tea leaves on the Democratic side, albeit small, and we don't know. We've learned not [13:33] to get ahead of ourselves and prognosticate in terms of what might happen. But Democrat Eileen [13:39] Higgins has won the closely watched Miami mayoral race. Higgins made history, becoming the first [13:45] woman ever to lead the city. Her victory also marks the first time a Democrat has won the Miami [13:51] mayoral race in nearly 30 years. Higgins campaigned as a Democrat despite the race [13:56] technically failing. [13:56] She defeated Trump-endorsed Emilio Gonzalez by nearly 20 points. Democrats also claimed to win [14:06] last night in Georgia, where their candidate flipped a statehouse seat in a red-leaning [14:11] district. Democrat Eric Gessler is projected to defeat Republican Matt Guest in the fourth in the [14:18] special election in Georgia's House, District 121, according to unofficial results from [14:23] the Secretary of State's office. Gessler's victory, [14:26] would be a major upset in a district President Trump won last year by 12 points. Gessler lost [14:34] the race for the same district back in 2024 by 22 points. Joining us now live from Miami, [14:42] White House reporter for Axios, Mark Caputo. Mark, what are you hearing about these [14:47] specific elections? I think when you put everything in context, it was a good night for Democrats, [14:55] and it's one of those things, certainly in Florida, where you have a lot of people who are [14:58] trying to win. [14:58] I think the Democratic voting system is a difficult place to live in. When you do have a lot of [15:02] people in Florida, where Republicans said this is sort of a gut-check time, yes, it's true, all of [15:06] these elections are sort of unique in their own way, but there's a general pattern, whether it's [15:11] in Florida, whether it's in Georgia or whether it was in Tennessee with the congressional race [15:15] recently, is that when Republicans are winning in very strong Trump seats, they're not winning by [15:21] as much. And when there are purple seats, Democrats are winning them. The city of Miami is an [15:26] interesting sort of jurisdiction, because even though people are not going to let this go through, you [15:26] know, we're not going to be able to win. And I think, you know, there's, there's a lot of pressure on the [15:27] THOUGH PEOPLE ASSOCIATE THE CITY OF MIAMI WITH MIAMI-DADE COUNTY MORE BROADLY THIS IS SORT OF [15:33] A BLUE PERFORMING CITY IN MAJOR ELECTIONS BUT IN MAYORAL ELECTIONS AND LOCAL ELECTIONS AND [15:39] ODD YEAR ELECTIONS REPUBLICANS HAVE DOMINATED THAT ENDED LAST NIGHT AND IT ENDED MAJORLY AND [15:45] IN A BIG WAY THAT GOT A LOT OF PEOPLE'S ATTENTION SO MARK EILEEN HIGGINS WHO WILL BE THE NEXT MAYOR [15:51] NOW OF MIAMI MADE AS PART OF HER CAMPAIGN AND CENTRAL TO HER CAMPAIGN THESE ICE RAIDS THE [15:56] IMMIGRATION RAGE SHE TALKED ABOUT IT AGAIN LAST NIGHT IN HER VICTORY SPEECH AND WE'RE TALKING TO [16:01] THE MEDIA AFTERWARD AS WELL CALLING THEM INHUMANE AND A SCOURGE IN THE COMMUNITY THERE IN MIAMI-DADE [16:08] SO HOW IMPORTANT WERE THEY TO HER VICTORY I THINK THAT IS IMPORTANT TO USE THE AFFORDABILITY WORD [16:14] AGAIN THAT WAS A MAJOR MESSAGING ISSUE FOR EILEEN HIGGINS THE CITY OF MIAMI MIAMI-DADE COUNTY SOUTH [16:21] FLORIDA FLORIDA VERY EXPENSIVE PLACE TO LIVE IT'S NOT JUST TARIFFS BY THE WAY IT'S INSURANCE [16:26] WHICH IS KILLING A LOT OF PEOPLE [16:27] AND IN ADDITION TO THAT THEY DID A LOT OF MESSAGING THAT WAS SORT OF ANTI-TRUMP IN ORDER TO [16:32] MOTIVATE THEIR BASE IF YOU LOOK AT THE TURNOUT OF LAST NIGHT THERE WAS A ABOUT 41 PERCENT OF THE [16:39] ELECTORATE WAS DEMOCRAT AND ABOUT 34 PERCENT WAS REPUBLICAN THAT'S CALLED A D PLUS 7 ELECTORATE [16:44] SHE WON BY ALMOST 19 POINTS SO IT MEANS SHE DIDN'T JUST WIN DEMOCRATS BIG SHE MIGHT HAVE [16:50] WON A LOT OF REPUBLICANS AND SHE DID REALLY WELL WITH INDEPENDENCE SO HER MESSAGE ACROSS THE BOARD [16:55] WAS WELL RECEIVED AND VERY EFFECTIVE [16:56] MARK I'M [16:58] INTERESTED IN WHO SHOWED UP DOWN THERE TO CAMPAIGN I SAW RAHM EMMANUEL WAS THERE OBVIOUSLY THAT'S [17:05] SOMEBODY WHO HAS HIS EYE ON SOMETHING ELSE AND SEES FLORIDA AS AN ELECTORAL COLLEGE RICH STATE [17:13] AND WANTS TO PUT DOWN ROOTS THERE EARLY WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT WHO SHOWED UP AND FRANKLY I [17:20] THINK COULD YOU CLARIFY WHETHER OR NOT THE DNC GETTING INVOLVED REALLY HAD AN IMPACT ON THIS [17:25] ELECTION MY SENSE IS THAT IT DIDN'T [17:27] YOU ARE [17:29] CORRECT WHEN THE DNC ANNOUNCED ON NOVEMBER 20TH THAT IT WAS GOING ALL IN ON THE MIAMI MAYORAL RACE [17:36] BY THEN IT WAS PRETTY CLEAR THAT EILEEN HIGGINS WAS GOING TO WIN HER OWN INTERNAL POLLING SHOWED [17:42] THAT TRUMP'S NET APPROVAL RATING WAS NEGATIVE 17 PERCENTAGE POINTS WHICH IS PRETTY BAD AND HER [17:48] INTERNAL POLLING SHOWED SHE WAS GOING TO WIN BY ABOUT DOUBLE DIGITS HER HIGGINS CAMPAIGN THOUGHT [17:53] MAYBE SHE WOULD WIN BY 9 OR 10 AGAIN SHE WON BY 18 YOU KNOW MORE BROADLY THE PROBLEM THAT [17:58] DEMOCRATS HAVE IN FLORIDA IS THAT FOR YEARS FOR DECADES THEY HAVE NOT DONE SORT OF THE SPADEWORK [18:06] THAT'S NECESSARY TO KEEP THE VOTER RULES ALIVE TO CONDUCT EFFECTIVE VOTER REGISTRATION THEY'VE ALSO [18:12] BEEN HAMSTRUNG A BIT BY NATIONAL FORCES THAT ARE BEYOND THEIR CONTROL AND BY A PARTY THAT [18:17] DRIFTS MORE LEFTWARD THAN THE ELECTORATE ITSELF THE OTHER THING IS FLORIDA SORT OF IMPORTS [18:23] REPUBLICAN SUPER VOTERS OLDER RETIREES WHO DON'T WANT TO PAY [18:28] INCOME TAXES AND TAXES AND THAT IS SORT OF AN ADVANTAGE FOR REPUBLICANS AS WELL I WOULD [18:34] CAUTION DEMOCRATS LOOKING AT THE MIAMI MAYORAL RACE INTO THINKING OH THIS MEANS WE'RE GOING [18:40] TO WIN FLORIDA THAT HAVING BEEN SAID CONGRESSWOMAN MARIA ELVIRA SALAZAR WHO IS THE SOUTH FLORIDA [18:46] CONGRESSWOMAN ONE OF THE THREE WHO REPRESENTS THE MIAMI AREA AND THE CITY OF MIAMI SHE'S [18:52] PROBABLY LOOKING AT A VERY DIFFICULT RACE SHE HAS ALREADY STARTED TO CHANGE A LOT OF [18:55] HER MESSAGING AND HAS BECOME MORE CRITICAL OF TRUMP'S IMMIGRATION [18:58] POLICIES AND PROPOSALS AND I EXPECT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE MORE OF THAT AS SHE FIGHTS TO [19:03] STAY ALIVE AND AVOID WHAT HAPPENED TO EMILIO GONZALES HERE IN THE CITY OF MIAMI [19:08] YEAH AND MIKIO I THINK THESE ARE LOCAL RACES WE SHOULDN'T YOU KNOW OVERREAD INTO THEM BUT [19:12] I THINK IT'S ABOUT MOMENTUM HERE THIS IS A THIS IS A STRING OF WINS NOW FOR DEMOCRATS [19:16] IN THE LAST SIX WEEKS TWO MONTHS OR SO AND THAT'S IMPORTANT JUST FOR THE PARTY TO START [19:20] FEELING BETTER ABOUT ITSELF FOR FUNDRAISING FOR ORGANIZING AS IT GEARS UP FOR NEXT YEAR [19:25] THAT'S WHERE THIS REALLY MATTERS YEAH AND FLORIDA IS INTERESTING BECAUSE I MEAN A LOT [19:29] OF I MEAN THESE THESE SMALL RACES MIGHT REPRESENT HOW PEOPLE ARE FEELING ABOUT WHAT THEY SEE [19:35] HAPPENING AROUND THEM MIAMI-DADE SPECIFICALLY IS INTERESTING DONALD TRUMP IN 2016 LOST IT [19:40] BY 30 POINTS 3-0 PICKED UP GROUND IN 2020 AND THEN IN 24 HE WON IT BY 12 POINTS WHICH [19:47] IS AN INCREDIBLE SWING RIGHT ALL RIGHT WHITE HOUSE REPORTER FOR AXIOS MARK CAPUTO THANK [19:51] YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING ON THIS MORNING SINCE WE TURN NOW TO THIS WEEK'S HISTORIC SHAKEUP [19:58] IN SOUTH FLORIDA WE'RE IN MIAMI-DADE [19:59] MIAMI VOTERS ELECTED FORMER COUNTY COMMISSIONER EILEEN HIGGINS AS THE FIRST EVER WOMAN TO [20:06] LEAD THE CITY SHE IS ALSO THE FIRST DECLARED DEMOCRAT TO WIN MIAMI'S MAYORAL RACE IN NEARLY [20:14] 30 YEARS HIGGINS BEAT HER TRUMP ENDORSED OPPONENT BY ROUGHLY 20 POINTS AND MAYOR-ELECT HIGGINS [20:22] JOINS US NOW CONGRATULATIONS FIRST OF ALL WHAT A WIN ON SO MANY LEVELS [20:29] AND TO WHAT DO YOU TO WHAT DO YOU POINT TO THAT THAT MADE YOUR YOUR CAMPAIGN SUCH A SUCCESS [20:37] WELL I'VE SERVED THE RESIDENTS OF THE CITY OF MIAMI FOR EIGHT YEARS ON THE COUNTY COMMISSION [20:43] AND SO I HAVE A REAL TRACK RECORD I'M WORKING ON THINGS THAT MATTER TO THEM [20:47] AFFORDABILITY IT'S A REAL YOU KNOW EVERYBODY'S TALKING ABOUT IT BUT FOR US [20:52] OUR HOUSING AFFORDABILITY CRISIS HAS EXISTED FOR SOME TIME SO I BROUGHT WITH ME A TRACK RECORD OF [20:59] BUILDING THOUSANDS OF HOMES IN MIAMI-DADE AND I'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT FOR A LONG TIME [21:00] BUILDING THOUSANDS OF HOMES IN MIAMI-DADE AND I'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT FOR A LONG TIME [21:00] OF UNITS OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND FOLKS TRUSTED ME TO DO THE SAME FOR THE REST OF THE CITY OF MIAMI [21:08] OF COURSE THERE'S OTHER THINGS THAT MATTER TO PEOPLE THE CITY HAS A LONG HISTORY OF CORRUPTION [21:13] AND THEY JUST WANTED THAT TO STOP SO WE COULD GET BACK TO THE GOVERNMENT SERVE THE PEOPLE AND THEN [21:20] THERE'S THIS THE POLITICS OF TRICKLE-DOWN HATRED WHERE OUR IMMIGRANT POPULATION IS NOT ONLY [21:28] INSULTED INSULTED [21:30] BUT ALSO YOU KNOW IT'S REALLY AFRAID NOW OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND I'M SURE THAT [21:38] INFLUENCED A LOT OF PEOPLE'S VOTE I WANT TO I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT IN ONE MINUTE BECAUSE I [21:45] THINK IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO TALK ABOUT THE MASSIVE SHIFT FROM 24 TO THE END OF 25 BUT FIRST LET'S [21:53] TALK ABOUT AFFORDABILITY BECAUSE IT'S SO IMPORTANT FOR PUNDITS FOR POLITICAL SCIENTISTS [22:00] FOR HISTORICAL [22:00] FOR PEOPLE THAT AREN'T ON THE GROUND THAT AREN'T KNOCKING ON DOORS THAT AREN'T SHAKING HANDS THAT [22:05] AREN'T TALKING TO PEOPLE ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL TALK ABOUT THE MAIN ISSUES IF YOU COULD LIST THE [22:11] TOP THREE ISSUES ON AFFORDABILITY WHAT ARE THE THREE THINGS WHERE VOTERS IN YOUR CITY ARE FEELING [22:18] THE MOST SQUEEZE ON RIGHT NOW SO FOR US IN MIAMI IT'S HOUSING HOUSING IS THE TOP ISSUE IF YOU'RE [22:27] RENTING RENTS ARE TOO HIGH IF YOU HAPPEN TO BE A HOMEOWNER THEN YOU [22:32] HAVE TO LOOK AT THE COST OF PROPERTY INSURANCE IN FLORIDA WHICH OUR STATE GOVERNMENT HAS REALLY [22:37] DONE NOTHING TO HELP THEM WITH AND YOU ALSO HAVE WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THIS TARIFF ISSUE WHICH IS [22:44] RAISING PRICES AT THE GROCERY STORE AT THE DRUG STORE AND FOR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS RIGHT WE FORGET [22:51] ABOUT THAT YOU CAN GO INTO A HAIR SALON THAT THE PRICE OF EXTENSIONS THAT THEY USED TO BUY HAVE [22:58] GONE UP BY TWENTY DOLLARS AND DO THEY CUT THEIR PROFITS OR DO THEY CHARGE A LITTLE BIT MORE AND [23:02] THEIR CUSTOMERS IN LITTLE HAVANA TWENTY DOLLARS MORE NEITHER OF THOSE PEOPLE CAN AFFORD THAT SO [23:08] AFFORDABILITY IS ALL OVER THE MAP IT'S NOT JUST FOR RESIDENTS ALSO FOR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS [23:13] I NOW WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE IMPACT OF THE ICE RAIDS OF HISPANICS WHO ARE EITHER ON A GREEN CARD [23:24] OR CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES OR IN THE PROCESS OF LEGALLY BECOMING A CITIZEN OF THE UNITED [23:31] STATES YOU KNOW WE'VE ALL HEARD ABOUT IT WE'VE ALL HEARD ABOUT IT WE'VE ALL HEARD ABOUT IT WE'VE ALL [23:33] HEARD I KNOW YOU'VE HEARD IT SO MUCH MORE THAN US BUT WE'VE ALL HEARD HISPANIC AMERICANS SAYING MY [23:38] GOD I'M SUCCESSFUL I'VE LIVED HERE FOREVER I'M AN AMERICAN CITIZEN AND YET I DON'T LEAVE MY HOUSE [23:44] WITHOUT A PASSPORT BECAUSE I'M AFRAID I'M GOING TO BE STOPPED PULLED OUT OF MY CAR AND AND AND [23:51] TREATED THE WAY WE'VE SEEN TIME AND AGAIN I'M CURIOUS WE'VE SEEN THE HISPANIC VOTE IN NEW JERSEY [23:58] IN THE GOVERNOR'S RACE THERE IN VIRGINIA JUST A WILD SWING OVER THE PAST YEAR TOWARD NEW YORK [24:03] DEMOCRATS WHAT DID YOU SEE IN MIAMI IN YOUR RACE YOU CANNOT GO ANYWHERE IN OUR COMMUNITY WHERE [24:09] SOMEONE DOESN'T COME UP AND WHISPER TO YOU MY BROTHER MY UNCLE ALLEGATOR ALCOTRAS I HAVE NO [24:17] IDEA WHERE HE IS THEY DISAPPEARED HIM SO PEOPLE ARE AFRAID AND I I'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED THAT IN [24:25] ANY OF MY ELECTIONS BEFORE PEOPLE WANTED GOVERNMENT TO WORK FOR THEM THEY WERE NEVER AFRAID [24:30] OF GOVERNMENT AND THAT'S CHANGED SO WE'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED THAT IN ANY OF MY ELECTIONS BEFORE [24:33] PEOPLE WANTED GOVERNMENT TO WORK FOR THEM THEY WERE NEVER AFRAID OF GOVERNMENT AND THAT'S CHANGED [24:34] SO WE'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED THAT IN ANY OF MY ELECTIONS BEFORE PEOPLE WANTED GOVERNMENT AND [24:35] THAT'S CHANGED SO WE'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED THAT IN ANY OF MY ELECTIONS BEFORE PEOPLE WANTED GOVERNMENT [24:36] AND THAT'S CHANGED SO WE'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED THAT IN ANY OF MY ELECTIONS BEFORE PEOPLE WANTED GOVERNMENT [24:37] AND THAT'S CHANGED SO WE'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED THAT IN ANY OF MY ELECTIONS BEFORE PEOPLE WANTED GOVERNMENT [24:38] AND THAT'S CHANGED SO WE'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED THAT IN ANY OF MY ELECTIONS BEFORE PEOPLE WANTED GOVERNMENT [24:39] just the city. About 15% of our population has temporary protective status. So that's [24:45] more or less 300,000 people. Are we really going to deport 300,000 people and ruin the economy of [24:53] South Florida? To me, the politics, this anti-immigrant fervor, it's just gone too far. [25:02] It's inhumane. It's cruel. I'm Catholic, so I think it's a sin. And it's bad for the economy. [25:09] It has to stop. We need a secure border. We want to know who's coming and who's going. And we don't [25:14] want any criminals here. That's what they told us they were going to do. They were going to make [25:18] sure that there were no criminals here. Well, that's not what they're doing. They're going [25:22] after everybody, rich and poor. And it is really, really changing how people think about who they [25:31] want to speak up for them and stick up for them in local government. Mayor-elect for the city of [25:38] Miami, Eileen Higgins. [25:40] Thank you. Congratulations. And we'll be following you along. Thank you very much. [25:45] Thank you very much. Appreciate it. [25:46] Good having you on. [25:48] Today, there is growing anxiety on the right over the results of a Texas special election [25:53] that the Wall Street Journal editorial board summed up like this. How does a Republican lose [25:59] by 14 points in a safe, conservative Texas state Senate seat that President Trump carried by 17 [26:06] points in 2024? Answer, when there's a voter backlash against [26:11] the Trump administration, notably, it's mass deportation debacles. Here's the victor, [26:17] Democratic Taylor Remnett, a union leader and first-time candidate, [26:22] talking to MSNOW's Joe Scarborough about how he won big in that deep red district. [26:27] And a place like Fort Worth, Texas, when you knocked on doors, [26:32] had people that had voted Republican their whole life decide to vote for you? [26:35] To me, it was simple. We had to focus on solutions, not partisan politics, bringing [26:44] people together. That's what it's all about. In Texas, we look out for our neighbors. And that's [26:50] exactly what we did with this campaign. Alejandro Serrano is a reporter for the [26:54] Texas Tribune. Julie Roginski is a Democratic strategist and author of the Salty Politics [26:59] newsletter on Substack. So, Alejandro, what propelled this victory? What can you tell us? [27:07] Thank you for having me. I think there's a couple of things on the ground here in Texas that people [27:11] are still litigating. One is obviously the circumstances surrounding the election. It was [27:16] on January 1st. It was on January 1st. It was on January 1st. It was on January 1st. It was on [27:17] January 1st. It was on January 1st. It was on January 1st. It was on January 1st, [27:18] and right after a cold snap here in Texas that affected campaigning and voting. But also, [27:24] it is the national discourse and the politics that we just heard about at the beginning of the [27:29] segment that might this be a response to the president's policies. And also, in Tarrant County, [27:35] there's a lot of local GOP leaders who have angered presidents in numerous ways through [27:43] their socially conservative policies. So, that's one of the big questions right now. Was this a [27:48] that how much was that part of the conversation this is not the kind of uh campaign that gets [27:55] you know big coverage but when you looked at the ads and i don't know if they had a debate [28:02] what were the conversations like where where was the tension there wasn't any debates but when you [28:09] look at the campaigns you see that they were run very differently um the republican kylie [28:14] wonskans ran a campaign very much around mago issues and tyler remit grant is more of a quiet [28:21] on the ground campaign and part of that was because he was financially outgunned by a lot [28:26] she had millions of dollars in contributions and she had one contribution from one group that [28:32] overshadowed all of remitt's um contributions so i was speaking with his strategist yesterday [28:38] for a report i had today they were saying that you know they kind of knew that they had to go [28:43] door-to-door people [28:44] people's living rooms, kitchens, and kind of hear their issues. And then those issues ended [28:47] up dominating his campaign. So, Julie, even Florida's governor, Ron DeSantis, you know, [28:56] no complainer about MAGA said this. A swing of this magnitude is not something that can be [29:03] dismissed. Republicans should be clear eyed about the political environment heading into the mid [29:08] terms. I mean, that said, Democrats like Beto O'Rourke have been saying for years, Texas is [29:14] about to turn purple. Texas is about to turn blue. But what does this really tell us? Well, [29:20] a couple of things. First of all, any Republican that doubles down on MAGA, and they're expected [29:25] to because it's a loyalty test and Donald Trump demands that they do, is in trouble this year. [29:29] I don't care how red your district is. This should be a wake up call. I mean, this was a very, [29:33] very, very red district, the reddest county in the country. And then just flip blue. I mean, [29:38] what does that say? So is that a damned if you do and damned if you don't? Because the money comes [29:41] from the MAGA folks, right? Well, the money comes from MAGA folks, [29:44] but more than that, it comes from the MAGA folks. And so I think it's a very, very, very red district. [29:44] More importantly, you can't cross this president without him going negative on you. Look what [29:49] happened to Marjorie Taylor Greene. I mean, the woman was beyond loyal to Trump. She stepped out [29:53] of line on one thing. Done. Look what they're doing all over this place to Susan Collins, [29:59] who stepped out of line once or twice, and now he's saying she deserves to lose. I mean, [30:03] consistently, you cannot cross this president without him using his megaphone and the power [30:07] of the bully pulpit to go after his own party. On the other hand, Texas is going to have not [30:13] really a blue wave this year. I believe Texas is going to have a blue wave this year. I believe [30:14] Texas is going to have a brown wave this year. All the Latino voters who voted for Trump in 2024 [30:19] along the border counties and other places, all of a sudden, those people have completely flipped, [30:25] completely flipped on the president. And what you're going to see is the redistricting that [30:29] Texas Republicans undertook to make those districts somewhat more Latino because they [30:33] had to jam those in to make it more Republican. This is going to backfire on them. And if I were [30:38] Greg Abbott and I were the Republicans in Texas today, I would be seriously thinking about, [30:42] oh, my God, what did we just do? Because we, [30:45] essentially, created a lot more Democratic districts than we anticipated doing. [30:48] Alejandro, three times in the 48 hours leading up to the race, [30:52] Donald Trump posted get out the vote messages. But by Sunday afternoon, [30:57] he claimed to know nothing about the race. [31:02] What is your reaction to that? [31:03] I don't know. I didn't hear about it. Somebody ran where? [31:05] In Texas, a special election for legislators. [31:08] The ninth state Senate seat. [31:09] I'm not involved in that. That's a local Texas race. It's too bad. What can I say? [31:14] I have nothing to do with it. [31:15] Had you been seeing any? [31:17] Any signs on the ground? Or are you seeing signs on the ground that Trump's influence [31:21] is waning in Texas? [31:24] You know, it's really difficult to measure that. But to the point about the importance of Latinos [31:28] and Latino voters in Texas, we're talking about a county that one in five eligible voters are [31:34] Hispanic. You know, some of the early analysis coming out of this election is that Mr. Remmitt [31:38] won some neighborhoods in areas that are predominantly Hispanic by more than 50 points [31:45] than former presidential candidate Harris. [31:49] going to be one of the biggest questions heading into November in Texas. Texas is going to be [31:55] fascinating. There's no doubt about that. But these campaigns cost a lot of money these days. [32:00] The numbers never cease to amaze me, despite the polls and the special elections that would show [32:06] you Democrats are doing very, very, very well. The money game isn't necessarily so great because [32:14] the RNC holds a nearly $100 million advantage over the DNC in the latest FEC filings. [32:21] Does that tell us anything? No. I mean, they control levers of government, [32:25] so of course donors give to people who might do something for them down the road. And so, [32:30] of course, you have the Republicans who control everything being able to have an advantage there. [32:33] Look, I'm a consultant. I love spending money. That's what people like me do. But I don't think [32:40] money is this positive this year. You saw that in this election. You see that in other elections [32:43] coming up. You see that in the... [32:44] election coming up in New Jersey in a couple of days where outside groups are spending enormous [32:49] amounts of money against the frontrunner who I still think is going to win, because voters [32:53] ultimately, I think, understand what they're voting for this year. They don't need to be [32:57] convinced by outside groups that Donald Trump is great. They're not going to be convinced that [33:02] Donald Trump is great. They're not going to be convinced that they can't afford the price of [33:06] meat. They can't afford the price of health care. They don't need an outside group telling them, [33:11] no, no, let's spend $100 million telling you that things are fine in your life when you know [33:15] full well they're not. And so money is great to have in a campaign, but not in an environment [33:20] like this. It is almost impossible to spend an amount of money to tell voters that they're not [33:24] feeling what they're feeling right now. Alejandro Serrano and Julie Roginsky, thank you both. [33:31] But I just have to start tonight with that unbelievably delicious rebuke of Donald Trump [33:36] in his literal backyard. I mean, yes, today was election day in Florida's 87th state house [33:41] district, which includes, [33:43] as I said, [33:43] I was just talking with Chris about Mar-a-Lago. And just to give you a sense of how this district [33:48] has voted in the past, because this was, there was no way that this was going to sail into a [33:53] blue seat. A Republican candidate won there by 19 points in 2024, and Trump himself carried it [33:59] by about 11 points in the presidential election. That was less than two years ago. [34:04] And tonight, a Democrat is projected to flip that seat. The Associated Press projected that [34:10] a small business owner, I just, I just shouted her out, but her name is Emily [34:13] Gregory, and she's going to win this race, and she will become Donald Trump's next representative [34:19] in the Florida state house. Now, Trump endorsed the Republican in this race. Trump himself voted [34:26] in this election and voted by mail, which is extra hilarious, given his relentless attacks [34:31] on mail-in voting. And also, he was literally in Florida at the time. So the list of things that [34:37] are amazing about this Democratic flip is kind of, it's kind of too long to go through right now. [34:42] But here's the big picture. It appears that this [34:44] Florida seat is going to be the 29th legislative seat that Democrats have flipped since Trump's [34:50] second term began. Republicans, I should note, have flipped zero, nada, none, no seats since [34:57] the 2024 election. And all of those seats Democrats have flipped, all 29 of them, of all of them, [35:04] this one sure does hit a little different, though, doesn't it? Joining me now, fresh off her [35:09] unbelievable victory tonight, is Emily Gregory. Well, first of all, congratulations. I mean, [35:15] I don't think she's going to win this race. She's going to win this race. She's going to win this race. [35:15] I don't think I can repeat for viewers who are tuning into this enough. I mean, Trump won this [35:19] district by 11 points in the last election. The Republican who formerly held the seat before he [35:23] resigned, Mike Caruso, previously won it by 19 points. You've just flipped the seat tonight. [35:29] How are you feeling? Jen, it's a pretty wild night. I, right when I started this nine months [35:36] ago, I obviously thought it was possible. I think most people thought I was insane, [35:41] looking at the numbers. But I mean, I still, I'm still like pretty shocked. [35:46] We did it. We just did it. What do you think about, there's so much to ask you about, [35:52] but what do you think about the fact that Donald Trump is now one of your constituents? [35:57] I mean, I don't think all of that much about it, right? He's one of 115,000 registered voters in [36:04] District 87. My opponent made, you know, him forefront in his campaign. And I focused more on [36:10] the voters in District 87, you know, what everybody needs, what all of us will do better with, [36:15] with lower property insurance, with expanded health care, [36:19] and with strong public schools. So you answered part of my next question, but let me ask you, [36:24] I mean, you said when you started, when you told friends, when you announced you're running, [36:28] people thought you were insane. I'm sure a lot of your friends and family said, [36:31] why are you doing this? How are you going to win in this district? Have you seen how [36:34] Republican this district is? But for people out there who are thinking about it or who are [36:39] doubting it, what, how did you win? What would you tell them is your advice about how to kind [36:44] of flip a district like this? Jen, I love that question. And I say, [36:50] go for it. I say, back yourself. You know, it only takes you getting off the sidelines to make [36:57] a difference. And if you want the world to look different, then you have to go out and make a [37:00] difference. I think we've learned over the last several years that no one is coming to save us. [37:06] We have to save ourselves. So I might have done some crazy calculus to decide that this was a [37:12] flip opportunity. But it was, and we did it. So my math works. It feels like it's settling in for [37:21] you. And that is so understandable. You're about to be a member of the state legislature in Florida. [37:27] I'm sure tomorrow morning, you're going to wake up and pinch yourself again, which is as you've [37:32] deserved to do. Now, whoever wins, I mean, you, you are also going to be voting on things. There [37:38] are new congressional maps that are going to be part of the special session in April. You previously [37:43] said that you would not support mid-decade redistricting. Is that still the case, I should [37:49] ask? And if so, how do you plan? [37:51] I'm fighting for efforts from the Republican majority in the Florida state house, because [37:56] you're about to be a part of the legislature. It's real now. [38:00] It's really happening. I know, like you said, I think it will sink in tomorrow. [38:04] I'm having a fairly out of body experience right now. But there's five representatives in the [38:10] other room. So yeah, I'm going to huddle with them and figure out how we can fight this. Because [38:14] yes, any efforts to redistrict are a direct call from the president to redistrict in favor of [38:20] Republicans. [38:21] What's your take on the fact that this is an act of law? [38:24] I think it's a great question. I think it's a great question and I think it's a great [38:28] question too. I think it's a great question. It is a great question. It's a great question. [38:32] It's a great question. And I think that it is a great question. As I said, the Constitution [38:37] of Florida is a new law that was passed in the midterms. And the vast majority overwhelming [38:43] majority of Floridians made that illegal in 2010 with the fair districts amendment. So we know [38:49] that voters don't want this. And I'm going to fight every day for Florida families and for District 87. [38:49] This wasn't the only race in Florida tonight. We were watching your race so closely because we've been talking to you about coming on, too. Do you have any sense of kind of how other races or there are other surprises that people should be looking out for elements of the Senate? [38:49] other surprises that people should be looking out for out there, other people whose friends [38:55] told them, this is crazy, don't run, who are going to surprise people? [38:59] I don't know about Florida. [39:00] My phone got taken away like 90 minutes ago. [39:03] But I will say to anyone that's thinking about it, just do it. [39:07] If we want different representation and you want people, you know, normies, as I call [39:12] them, to represent you and to be legislating on your behalf and, you know, set the direction [39:18] for your state or your local government or whatever the case is, go do it. [39:24] I think it's so important that we have different voices that are more representative of the [39:29] average Floridian. [39:31] You won't know until you put yourself out there. [39:33] Emily Gregory, thank you for letting us be a part of your out-of-body experience. [39:38] I thoroughly enjoyed seeing you process this. [39:41] Congratulations again, and we'll look forward to seeing what you do. [39:45] Thanks again for joining us. [39:46] Thank you so much.