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Obama Works The Phones; Romney, Ryan and Biden in Ohio; Obama's Last Campaign Stop; Ron Paul on the Election; Romney, Ryan Arrive in Cleveland; 3 Things to Watch During Election Results; The Congressional Race to Watch
Aired November 06, 2012 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello on this election day. I'm Brooke Baldwin, good to see you. I'm in Atlanta at CNN world headquarters and I am joined by Jim Acosta, live on the tarmac in Cleveland, Ohio. Jim Acosta, we --
JIM ACOSTA, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
BALDWIN: --are emphasizing the importance of Ohio, case in point. Tell me who's there today.
ACOSTA: That's right. We just got off the Romney campaign plane. We've been covering the Romney campaign for a good portion of a year and a half now, and it's all come down to election day, Brooke. He is here in the state of Ohio. He is linked up with his running mate, Paul Ryan. You can see the Romney campaign plane behind me over my right shoulder, and over my left shoulder is the Ryan campaign plane. And way off in the distance, vice president Joe Biden's plane, Air Force Two, looming on the horizon.
So, a picture telling a thousand words here about the battle ground state of Ohio. We can now report, though, that Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are visiting a local what they call a victory center, which is really a call center, volunteer center, for the campaign. That's where they try to get out the vote, make calls to supporters, make calls to people at home, making sure that those people get to the polls. That's the sort of activity there.
And we've been told by the Romney campaign that they're not going to be doing a whole heck of a lot there. That's not a rally or anything like that. They're just thanking supporters and they've -- and they've told us, basically, they don't want to get in the way of that operation because it is key, they believe, to winning this state in the end.
So, Brooke, we'll be watching here momentarily to see when Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan arrive back at their respective planes. And I think I could pass along to you what I heard from a staffer with the campaign a few moments ago. They were feeling pretty confident about what's going to happen later on tonight.
BALDWIN: Confident.
ACOSTA: One of those staffers said to me, perhaps Paul Ryan should just hop on the plane that's off in the distance, --
BALDWIN: Air Force Two.
ACOSTA: -- referring to Air Force Two. Yes. So, they're sounding a little confident today.
BALDWIN: All right. Team Romney confident here, Jim Acosta on a crowded tarmac here. Here we are in the 11th hour, clearly showing that Ohio is key in winning this election. Jim, we'll come back to you.
I want to talk Florida here. Look at these pictures. And this really, though, tells the story. There is these aerial shots. This is really the biggest of the battlegrounds. You've heard so much about that, certainly will decide who the next president will be. But don't forget, senators, representatives, governors, referendums, all on the ballots today, too, all across America. Republican presidential hopeful, Mitt Romney, cast his ballot early this morning. Here he is in Massachusetts alongside his wife, Ann Romney, and then he met up with his running mate in Cleveland for this meet and greet with campaign volunteers.
We were just talking to Jim about that. Jim's been covering this whole campaign. A little later on, we should point out, Mitt Romney will be visiting Pennsylvania, a town just outside of Pittsburgh, a township there. Vice President Biden, meantime, he did cast his ballot this morning in Delaware. And once more hinted, this would not be his last election. Biden, too, stopped in Cleveland. He is there, we saw that Air Force One on the tarmac as well. He will be en route to Chicago where, of course, the president is there and waiting, well, not nearly waiting, we should point out, having cast his ballot early in Chicago.
The president put in some phone time today at a campaign field office. Imagine being on the other side of that phone call. Let me tell you, though, about New Jersey and New York, just staging an election at all here in these parts of the country, really a victory for all concerned. New Yorkers affected by Sandy are being allowed to vote today. But here's the thing, they're being allowed to vote today at any polling place in the whole state. Displaced voters in Jersey can also vote by e-mail.
And you know the election could come down to this, the pivotal swing state of Ohio. Take a look at the latest poll of polls in the buckeye state. President Obama has this razor-thin edge -- razor thin over Mitt Romney, 50 percent to Romney's 47 percent. And CNN's Carol Costello is in Blue Ash, Ohio, it is a suburb of Cincinnati. And, Carol, just set the scene for me there.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's been a steady stream at this polling center in Blue Ash, Ohio. It's right outside of Cincinnati. This is normally Republican country, but in 2008, this county, Hamilton County, swung Obama's way. So, the Republicans have really picked up their ground game here. They're trying to get Republican voters enthused to come out to polls and vote, vote, vote. And, you know, you heard Jim Acosta say that Mitt Romney made a last stop in Cleveland. You know, it just goes to show you how important Ohio is, Brooke, because, combined, the presidential candidates visited the state of Ohio 83 times, Mitt Romney makes the 84th. It's just insane.
BALDWIN: Wow.
COSTELLO: But Republicans are glad -- I know Republicans are glad to see him here, because they think he must have some internal polling that shows he has this chance in Ohio. And polls might show one thing. I know you showed that poll with Obama with the razor thin edge, but that's of likely voters. Mitt Romney wants to get those voters who are still sitting on the couch right now to get their butts off the couch into a polling center to cast that ballot and maybe he can overcome that razor-thin edge that Obama appears to have.
BALDWIN: All right. Carol Costello, while they're hoping for that, we have to go there with these provisional ballots. You know, people talked hanging Chad in 2000, heaven forbid talking provisional battle headaches here when it comes Ohio. Explain the situation there. Explain why someone would have a provisional ballot and how this could be problematic.
COSTELLO: OK. So, this is the big fear, these provisional ballots. Let's say you come to this polling place, and you're ready to cast your ballot, and your address has changed or maybe you were going to vote absentee and you changed your mind. If that happened, you'll be issued a provisional ballot. You'll pull out the regular ballot, you'll put it inside this envelope, and then you'll answer a bunch of question on the front of it. Normally, those questions would be written down and filled in by poll workers, but, this year, the secretary of state says that voters have to fill this out themselves.
Democrats are kind of concerned about that because it's a change at the very last minute. And any mistake on this form could mean your vote does not count. They'd have to throw out this provisional ballot. According to Ohio secretary of state, there might be 200,000 provisional ballots used in the state of Ohio and you may or you may not know that President Obama won the state of Ohio in 2008 by about 265,000 votes. So, you can see, every single vote, no matter how it comes in, is important in the state of Ohio. There's already been a lawsuit filed, just saying.
BALDWIN: Yes. If it's within that 200,000 margin of victory, we will be looking those provisional ballots, won't we, Carol Costello? Carol, thank you.
COSTELLO: That's right.
BALDWIN: You may be in Ohio for a while. We shall see who is in Ohio, who's been certainly following the campaign, the Romney campaign, for a while is Jim Acosta. Jim, to you in Cleveland.
ACOSTA: Hi. That's right, Brooke. All of that talk of provisional ballots is going to keep me up at night, so I hope we don't hear too much of that. But I can tell you that -- and speaking of that, I can tell you, Brooke, that the Romney campaign does have legal teams on the ground, on this election day. They plan on having those teams in place in case these legal issues come up. So, that is something we definitely will be watching.
I want to turn to our Randi Kaye who is in Woodbridge, Virginia, which is, of course. another key important battleground state. There's a new NBC "Wall Street Journal" Marist poll that shows the president there with one-point edge in the state of Virginia. And Prince William County is one of those collar counties around the nation's capital that a lot will be watching later tonight, because it can be one of those swing areas. And my colleague, Randi Kaye, is down there in Woodbridge watching the action down there. How's it looking, Randi?
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's looking pretty busy, Jim, actually. As you mentioned, we are in Prince William County. And you probably recall that President Obama won this county back in '08. We've had a steady stream of voters here. It's about a two-hour wait, earlier in the day, to vote. That's gone down quite a bit since then. But there's about 2,600 registered voters where we are and they were lined up before dawn before the doors even opened. But what's interesting is the landscape of what's changed here.
The political landscape has changed quite a bit. It's sort of the old Virginia versus the new Virginia. The old Virginia is religious and Republican and white working class. And the new Virginia is urban and diverse and that's what really helps Obama get elected here. He won by about 6 percentage points back in '08. Right now, Virginia's about 30 percent minority. Obama is counting on them. He does better with that group than he does with the white working class. We've talked to plenty of voters here, and this is what one of them had to say to me earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
What made you bring out the family today? Is this a lesson in election politics?
ANDREW VAN KLEEK: Yes, I think it was -- I think it was -- it's good for the kids to see mom and dad vote. I think it's even more important to stand in line, so there's a bit of a sacrifice to go and vote, to show how important it is -- for the younger generation to know that it's not only their responsibility but their duty to their country to vote.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: And a lot of people here say the main issues are health care and education, that's very important to them. And, Jim, as you know, we're also watching the big Senate race here. It's a marquee race between two former governors. You have Tim Kaine, who's the Democrat, and George Allen, who is the Republican. This is one of the most expensive, if not the most expensive, race in the country, $53 million of outside spending on this race. Allen has been hammering Kaine and the Democrats on the failure of the debt deal, as he calls it. He's warning people here that if those automatic cuts go in and we go off the fiscal cliff, that it's going to hit the people here in the defense industry pretty hard, Jim.
ACOSTA: That's right, Randi. And we've heard Mitt Romney talk about that defense issue out on the campaign trail almost at every stop. So, that is very good context to have. Randi Kaye, thanks very much, joining us from the battleground county, Prince William County, Virginia. And I just want to point out one more time that CNN is the only network with live continuous coverage here of what is one of the most amazing sites of this election, of campaign 2012. Take a look at this behind me one more time. Mitt Romney's campaign plane, Paul Ryan's campaign plane, parked side by side. We sort of knew that was going to happen today.
The campaign told us yesterday that Mitt Romney was coming to Ohio and that last night Paul Ryan was coming to Ohio. But off in the distance, this is the surprise nobody expected, that vice president Joe Biden would be landing in Cleveland on Air Force Two. And there is his plane in the background being bracketed, you might say, by the Romney and Ryan planes. So, some aircraft bracketing in addition to the political bracketing that has been happening during this very, very long campaign that is finally now coming to a conclusion. And, Brooke, from this reporter's standpoint, not soon enough. Back to you.
BALDWIN: I'm sure. I'm sorry you're not down in sunny Florida. I know it's chilly but Ohio is key. But let's go to Florida, because out of all these swing states, you know, Florida really one of the biggest toss-ups for both President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney with the largest electoral prize. We talk so much about Ohio, but the deal in Florida, we're talking 29. Twenty-nine electoral votes at stake here. That's the most of any of the swing states. Both the president and Mitt Romney, they're in a dead heat. And here's the proof. The latest CNN OCR poll out of Florida, Romney is at 50 percent, Obama is at 49 percent. So, there's the numbers -- the latest numbers out of Florida. But then, there's this. Really, the pictures tell the story in Florida, voters waiting in line for hours, lines stretching for blocks on end.
So, let's go to Ashleigh Banfield. She has been in the thick of things talking to voters. They're running out of cable for the photographer to try to show the lengths of these lines. Ashleigh Banfield, let's go to you. And let me just ask you, I know you're learning -- you're learning that Broward County has rejected hundreds of absentee ballots?
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
BALDWIN: Tell me about that.
BANFIELD: Yes, and I'm going to -- I'm going to get to that in one moment. What I wanted to tell you right now, Brooke, is a little bit of breaking news. It is warm in Florida. These lines are long and in the sun, it can be upwards of 80 degrees. Shoot past me, if you will. We just saw a woman who passed out --
BALDWIN: Oh, no. BANFIELD: from the heat while waiting in line. And at the point where she points -- yes, that point in the line is about the one hour and 15 to one hour and a half mark. Now, she's being treated by three members of the Miami-Dade fire rescue. And it couldn't be sort of a luckier polling place only because -- come over here and take a look where we are, Brooke. The fire rescue station is the polling place. So, they literally just had to run over about a hundred feet to her to help treat her.
BALDWIN: Thank goodness.
BANFIELD: But listen, it's not an easy thing to -- right, thank goodness. It's not an easy thing, because some people have taken upwards of four hours to get their vote actually cast. By the way, speak English? You speak English. How long have you been waiting now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two and a half hours.
BANFIELD: And you expect you're about 25 minutes away now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: About 25 minutes away. Then we get to go to work.
BANFIELD: And then you go to work. Did you try to vote early?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I didn't. I had to work.
BANFIELD: Why did you try not to -- why not an absentee ballot? Why not an early vote?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know. Just wait and enjoy the day, it's a beautiful day.
BANFIELD: Well, you know -- what's your name, sir?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Morgan (ph).
BANFIELD: OK, Morgan has a point. Listen, we've been here since 5:00 a.m., and the mood has been great. I have to say, people have been terrific in lean. There was one little moment of consternation, but apart from that, Brooke, and apart from this moment with this woman who, obviously, has had a difficult time in the sun, things have gone fairly well. But, look, four hours to vote, it can't be too pleasing.
BALDWIN: Not pleasing. We feel for that woman. But Broward County. Let's go back to Broward County. The absentee ballots are getting rejected?
BANFIELD: Yes, 700 votes have been tossed out, sadly. And that's been confirmed by election's official there. What happens is if you don't sign your absentee ballot, your absentee ballot won't count unless they can track you down and that is a very difficult process. They try to do it. We talked to the election's officials today. Chris Cate said, look, this happens. It happens all the time. Whether that is a large percentage -- at this point, in that county, it's only about half of 1 percent of the ballots. But this is Florida, where it was 500 some odd votes that --
BALDWIN: Right.
BANFIELD: -- chose the president in 2000. So, that is critical. But, again, those are absentee ballots, and there were 4.5 million early voters in the state, in a state with a population of about 19 million people. So, about 40 percent of people voted early, whether it was absentee or early voting, but we know those 7,000 -- or, rather, those 700 absentee ballots have been tossed in Broward County.
BALDWIN: OK. Ashleigh Banfield, thank you. We'll be coming back to you as I know Florida is such a huge story here on this election day.
But coming up next, find out what President Obama and Mitt Romney are doing this very minute as the challenger campaigns and the incumbent is making phone calls. You are watching CNN's special coverage of election day 2012.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Welcome to a special edition, "Election Day in America." I'm Brooke Baldwin at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. We have you covered coast to coast. And including, smack dab in the middle of the country, in a key, key battleground state, we have Jim Acosta on the tarmac flanked by not one, not two but three planes. You have Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan --
ACOSTA: Three planes.
BALDWIN: Three planes. And Air Force Two, the vice president -- surprise -- is also in Cleveland. So we're going to come to you, we're going to talk the significance of Ohio here in this 11th hour as polls will be closing in just about five hours. The first wave of polls, I should say. But let's talk about what the president's doing today. President Barack Obama. He finished his second presidential campaign right where he began his first, the battleground state of Iowa.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You know, the great thing about these campaigns is after all the TV ads and all the fundraising and all the debates and all the electioneering, it comes down to this, one day. And these incredible folks who are working so hard, making phone calls, making sure that people go out to vote. And so I just want to say thank you to the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Let's go to Dan Lothian. He's live for us, there he is, in Chicago.
Dan, so the president making some phone calls, thanking some people, and shooting some hoops a little later, huh?
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I mean, you know, the campaign is feeling pretty confident about, you know, what will happen tonight. At the same time, there is still this aggressive effort by volunteers to get out the vote in the key battleground states. They're working the phones. They're going door-to-door.
And so the president also jumped in the game, as you pointed out. He visited a local office here in Chicago where there was a phone bank. He thanked supporters, the volunteers, who have been working very hard during the campaign. And then he, himself, jumped on the phone, made a number of calls to volunteers in key battleground states. One woman, it was an interesting conversation where she appeared to not fully believe that the president was on the other end of the line. But, again, the president thanking her.
And then he also had some kind words for Governor Mitt Romney, saying that he had run a very strong campaign. And then still expressing confidence that he will do, the president believes that he will do well tonight. So, confidence from the campaign, but still believing that this race will be decided by a lot of folks getting out to the polls.
Brooke.
BALDWIN: Dan Lothian, thank you. So, confidence from the president.
Jim Acosta, live for me in Cleveland. You say confidence from Team Romney as well.
ACOSTA: Oh, yes. That's right. They're predicting a clear and decisive victory tonight, Brooke, despite what those battleground state polls show with the president having a slight edge there.
And I just want to get you caught up to speed as to what Mitt Romney is doing today. As we've been reporting the last couple of hours, he did get off this plane behind me and then go off to a get out the vote site here in the Cleveland area. He is there right now with Paul Ryan. They will be coming back soon.
And, Brooke, I hate to break it to you, but we might have to leave you before this hour is over because we have no choice. If we don't get on this plane behind us, we don't have a ride.
BALDWIN: Oh, say it ain't so.
ACOSTA: But -- that's right. But earlier this morning, let's show you the video. Mitt Romney and his wife Ann did vote near their home in Belmont, Massachusetts. He was asked how he was feeling about the state of Ohio and he did predict that he would win this state. And so just -- it seems like as, you know, as we're watching that video, Brooke, that it just seems to be coming back to Ohio.
The polls may not work out that way later on tonight. It may turn out that it might be another state, Virginia or Colorado, that determines this thing. If it's Virginia going to the president's way, early on this evening, that might mean it's a very good night for the president. Not such a good night for Mitt Romney. If it ends up being something in the hands of the voters in Colorado, we could be in for a very long night. That might mean that things are going to drag out for perhaps, you know, the next 12 to 24 hours. We'll just have to wait and see.
But just to let you know right now, my producer, Matt Hoy (ph), who is standing behind the camera, is telling me that we do see a motorcade now arriving back on the tarmac in Cleveland. That appears to be Vice President Joe Biden's motorcade, circling around Air Force Two. And I think that that probably means that the vice president will be getting on that plane shortly and then getting on to where he is headed off to. We understand probably heading back to Chicago at this point to rendezvous with the president and the Obama re-election campaign.
And then as for Mitt Romney, Brooke, I should tell you that his day is not done yet either. He is heading off to Pennsylvania next.
BALDWIN: That's right.
ACOSTA: He is going to be making a stop in the Pittsburgh area and then heading back to Boston to watch the returns come in. It's going to be quite a night.
Brooke.
BALDWIN: It will be quite a night. We will hopefully get some of that tape back so we can see where the vice president was. Apparently at a local restaurant there in Cleveland. And, of course, we'll see what Mitt Romney and what Paul Ryan were up to.
Jim Acosta, we're going to keep you there as long as we can before your ride heads off. So, Jim, stay with me live in Cleveland.
We're going to take you next to another battleground state, that being Iowa. A very, very special place for the president because he took it in 2008. This is where he started his campaign. Tearfully thanking supporters late, late last night. We'll take you to Poppy Harlow live in Iowa, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: President Barack Obama finished his second presidential campaign right where he began his first, the battleground state of Iowa.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Those of you who haven't done this just for me but for each other, for a laid off family member, for a sick child, for a fallen friend, to all of you who have lived and breathed the hard work of change, I want to thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Obama and Romney are in a very, very close race in Iowa. You see the numbers here. The president, a slight advantage to Mitt Romney, 48 percent to his 45. This is the most recent CNN poll of polls. CNN's Poppy Harlow is in Urban Dale, Iowa. This is a suburb of Des Moines.
Poppy, tell me, you're inside a voting center. What are people there telling you?
POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're really split down the middle. And I think, Brooke, it shows you how neck and neck this race is in this battleground state. They're fighting for these six electoral votes. And, you know, you just showed the most recent poll of polls here in Iowa. I talked to the president's campaign who told me, we'll take it. They'll take any lead they can get at this point in time.
You know, what I love about being in Iowa and talking to the folks here is that they are all engaged and they are all informed voters. When you look at the electorate here, over 70 percent usually votes. And that's a very big number. So folks here differ very much on what's most important to them in their vote, who they're voting for. I want to give you a little sample of what we've heard here so far today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: What was the number one issue for you in this election in casting that vote for Mitt Romney?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The economy. I'm really concerned about it. I really think we're in trouble. And I think we need somebody with business background to get us out of it.
HARLOW: But Iowa's economy is doing a lot better than most states.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know. I -- there are problems here, too.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I voted for Obama.
HARLOW: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just believe that his policies are what I believe in and I just liked him the second time around.
HARLOW: What was the number one issue for you casting your vote for President Obama?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I liked his views on the gay marriage rights. I liked the views on the economy. I think he has us leading in the right direction. And I think I just want to keep moving forward.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably the potential appointment of the Supreme Court justices.
HARLOW: Interesting. Can I ask who you voted for?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure. Obama.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: All right. And, Brooke, also very important here, early voting. We've seen a record number of early votes cast in the state of Iowa this year. About 40 percent of all votes will have been early votes. That means they're already in. they're already counted. Here's what we know from the secretary of state's office. About 282,000 of those from registered Democrats, about 215,000 from registered Republicans. About 174,000 from no party affiliation. Those critical independent voters that both candidates want their votes, Brooke. So the Democrats have a lead of about 66,000 in terms of early votes, but nothing's over until the polls close here at 10:00 Eastern.
Brooke.
BALDWIN: Poppy Harlow, thank you. We'll be looking for you a little later on.
And our special coverage here continues on CNN. And now he is known as the Texas maverick. Yes, I'm talking about Congressman Ron Paul. It is Election Day and he still hasn't made a presidential endorsement. So who does he think will win the election? We're going to ask him, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: You know, politicians, they come, and politicians go. But very few can claim to give rise to a movement. And my next guest can.
Ron Paul is a long-time Republican congressman from Texas. And before that, he was a very busy OB-GYN. You know him best as a steadfast champion of small government -- I mean small -- and individual freedoms. Paul inspired millions in his 2008 run for president. And just last year, he decided not to seek re-election to Congress so he could run full time for president this year. And he picked up 190 Republican delegates and still has not endorsed Mitt Romney.
Ron Paul joins me on the phone from Texas.
Congressman Paul, nice to have you back on the show here.
REP. RON PAUL, (R), TEXAS (via telephone): Thank you. Good to be with you, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Good to be with you.
Let's get right to it. In this 11th hour, live on CNN, sir, are you finally ready to close ranks around your party's nominee?
PAUL: Not quite, because I don't think there's enough difference between the two candidates. And I assume the victor today will be the status quo because I think the status quo's been up and there's no competition. We'll continue with basically the same policies that we've had for a long time. So I don't see the election as -- the way it's turning out to be very crucial at all.
BALDWIN: You're saying status quo, which means are you saying the president, the president will win another four years?
PAUL: No, I would say either person would carry on the status quo because they essentially endorse, you know, government-managed medical care, variations, you know, varies a little bit. They endorse the same foreign policy of having our troops around the world and doing a lot of things I don't believe in. BALDWIN: OK.
PAUL: They endorsed the monetary system. They haven't addressed the subject of cutting spending. Maybe --
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Let me jump in, because let's talk money, Congressman, because, I am sure you are aware, this is, by far, the most expensive election in U.S. history. By some estimates, we're hearing $6 billion -- that's billion with a "B" -- raised and spent by all of the candidates and races nationwide. A lot of Americans, Congressman Paul, are shocked by that and a lot of them are appalled by that. Should they be appalled?
PAUL: No, I think we -- I'm indifferent to it. I think we should be shocked to know people are willing to put that money up. Not that they did, but why are they doing it? Why are they hoodwinked into thinking there's a real contest going on? That's where the real problem is.
But the fact that people can spend their money and want to invest in politics, that's fine. But --
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Even if it's in the billions of dollars and you are --
(CROSSTALK)
PAUL: It doesn't --
(CROSSTALK)
PAUL: But, sir, you're appalled by spending in general. It doesn't matter to you if people are spending $6 billion on the races?
PAUL: Not -- not a whole lot. I mean if I spent -- if I were independently wealthy and not involved in the campaign and I had a lot of money and people -- both parties were undermining my liberties and taking away my Fourth Amendment rights in pursuing bills like the Patriot Act and assassination of American citizens, I should be able to spend all of the money I want on trying to tell the people that there's something wrong with the system. So it's how they spend it. What's wrong is all of this money's being spent to influence and control and own government to be used for their benefit --
BALDWIN: Well --
PAUL: -- the special interests, and that's what's wrong. It's how they spend it, not the principle of spending money and being able to lobby and petition --
BALDWIN: OK.
PAUL: -- you know, the politicians and trying to change things. BALDWIN: Congressman, let's talk change and let's talk Congress, because I know, as we mentioned, you are saying good-bye to Capitol Hill. But I want you to hear what one of your Senate colleagues told "60 Minutes" this weekend about the culture of politics.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TOM COBURN, (R), OKLAHOMA: The best thing that could happen is all of us lose and send some people who care more about the country than they do the political party or their position in politics.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: How about that, sir? Do you agree with that? That was Senator Tom Coburn.
PAUL: Yes. Yes, I agree with that, because I think everything -- probably not everything, but close to everything is designed for power. I argue the case there's not much difference. You mean these races aren't very important? Why do they pretend? They want the control. Who has power? Whose special interests will be protected? And so it is very real. And therefore, the party structures are designed to find out which group of people will have the control and who's going to have the benefit. And I think, you know, it's the role of government that's gotten out of hand.
BALDWIN: So --
PAUL: If government wasn't doing so much, there wouldn't be an incentive to invest in. I agree with his statement.
BALDWIN: If you agree with him, don't you though share some of the blame, having largely inspired what we know now is the Tea Party movement?
PAUL: Well --
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: You laugh. You laugh, Congressman.
(CROSSTALK)
PAUL: We're trying to make the point that this is a broke system and we have to do something else and something differently. So hardly would voicing the opinion point out where the problems are would be make things worse. If we say -- sit back and say, well, just let it continue, then there's this pretense that they're really having a debate. But there was no debate on the important issues --
BALDWIN: OK.
PAUL: -- you know, in the last three months or so, when the candidates had been selected. Where did they fundamentally, philosophically disagree on the role of government? On foreign policy, the same thing. On monetary policy, the same thing. Did they talk about spending and how bad the debt was and about the baseline budgeting, the evils of that.
BALDWIN: I hear your frustration. I hear your frustration. I asked you in the commercial break if you voted. You said that was top secret. I asked anyway. You said yes. Once again, you won't tell me who you voted for, Congressman Paul?
PAUL: No.
BALDWIN: All right.
PAUL: Nobody cares how I voted for.
BALDWIN: I tried.
PAUL: I mean, the campaign's over. It's important that the people think about the issues.
BALDWIN: Congressman Ron Paul, thanks for picking up the phone and calling us.
PAUL: All right.
BALDWIN: We appreciate it, from Clute, Texas.
Tens of thousands people still recovering from Superstorm Sandy. Many not only trying to figure out where to live but where to vote today. We'll take you to one polling station where people there are determined to cast their ballots.
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ACOSTA: Welcome back to our special coverage of Election Day 2012. I'm Jim Acosta, standing on the tarmac in Cleveland, Ohio, what is perhaps the ultimate battleground state on this Election Day. We've been reporting to you a fairly dramatic scene for the last couple of hours. Mitt Romney's campaign plane and Paul Ryan's campaign plane on this tarmac. And then within last couple of hours, Joe Biden's plane, Air Force Two, landed on the tarmac. And just a few moments ago he did take of, and heading back to Chicago for their Election-Day celebration later on this evening.
But I want to take you to my colleague, Alina Cho, who is taking a look at what is happening in New York right now at polling site there.
Do I have that right, Alina?
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's absolutely right, Jim. Great to see you.
I'm here at what is really the only school in New York City that is doubling as emergency shelter in the wake of Superstorm Sandy and a polling station today. Polls have been opened in New York for 7.5 hour or so. The lines incredibly long inside this building behind me. In fact, the people coming out are telling us that they've been waiting two, 2.5 hours to vote. They're expressing a lot of frustration, saying that it's disorganized inside. But in the end, they are happy they're able to cast ballots. People are voting, except in rare cases where they can't stand the wait.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just a very long line and probably try around 12:30 or 1:00.
CHO: Think it might be slower then?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know. If it's not, we'll wait for it then.
CHO: How long did you wait before you gave up?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: About a minute. But it's just a very long line.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is inspiring to see so many people up and out to vote already. And there doesn't seem to be much confusion. I guess people were afraid that, after Sandy, people wouldn't have a priority of coming out to vote but they're here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: They're absolutely here. It is inspiring to see the crowds inside, truly.
You know that woman we spoke to voted early this morning. She told us she was doing so she could spend the day volunteering in the Rockaways, which is one of the hardest-hit areas after the storm.
Yesterday, late yesterday, at 11th hour, just hours before the polls opened, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, in an extraordinary move, issued an executive order saying that if you live in a federal disaster area, you can vote today, not just in your district, but in any district in New York. Jim, I should mention, that the governor says it's not a perfect solution. It will complicate some of the hotly contested local races. But if you are one of those people voting in a district that is not your own, what you need to know is that today you will be able to vote in the presidential race, and in statewide initiatives but not local races. In the end, the governor says the important thing is you will be able to cast your ballot today -- Jim?
ACOSTA: Alina, that speaks to the extraordinary challenges they're facing in New York right now.
Thank you for that. We appreciate it.
Just to get you caught up on what is happening with the GOP nominee, Mitt Romney on this Election Day. He and his running mate, Paul Ryan, on their way back to the tarmac in Cleveland. Stopped at a volunteer center in the Cleveland area and a Wendy's restaurant, we understand, from the campaign where both candidates made remarks to the customers waiting inside. So we'll hear those remarks, we hope, within the next couple of hours when that tape gets back to us where we're standing in Cleveland. Then, after they get pack to where we're standing now, they'll both get back on their respective planes and Mitt Romney's going head to Pennsylvania, make a stop in the Pittsburgh area and back to Boston -- Brooke. So our ride business to take off but it was great dropping in on you.
BALDWIN: Yes. It's been fun, Jim Acosta. It's been fun. Thank you so much.
And as Jim points out, Romney and Ryan voted this morning. We should point out the president -- what's the president up to? We know he early voted in Chicago. He's in Chicago today. Tearfully, thanked supporters, I should point out, late last night in Iowa. He is home in Chicago today at a field office. Pop in to just really be thankful to a lot of his supporters, picking up a phone call and personally calling some folks himself.
And as the president is a tad superstitious, we're hearing he is playing a pick-up game of basketball with some of his closest friends here as these polls begin to close.
Speaking of the polls, we'll talk to my favorite political power couple, John Avlon, Margaret Hoover, joining me next, as we'll look out for three things we should all be watching for tonight on Election Day tonight.
You're watching special election coverage here on CNN.
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BALDWIN: Finally, after all of the political combat, after all of the money spent, all of the discussion, it's time to vote and watch your vote be counted.
We have asked married CNN contributors, Margaret Hoover and John Avlon, to put together a list of the three things we should be watching for tonight on election night.
Margaret, you say on the top of your list, you're watching for Virginia, Virginia, Virginia.
MARGARET HOOVER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: And the reason I'm looking at Virginia, Brooke, Virginia's polls close early, 7:00 p.m. eastern time. If you want an early indicator of whether Mitt Romney really may win the presidency tonight he's got to win Virginia. There are other pathways to victory if President Obama does not. For Mitt Romney, this is a must-win. Virginia does not have a history of sordid ballot counting long into the night. They're quick, they're efficient. We'll know early whether Mitt Romney is a contender late into the night based on Virginia.
BALDWIN: Virginia.
Item two, John Avlon, you both agree on this. You'll be looking at demographics, specifically youth versus older folks, black, white, Hispanic, is that correct?
JOHN AVLON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Exactly. You start looking at who turns out for elections, you'll get a good sense which of way this election is going to go. What proportion of the youth vote turns out? What proportion of the elderly vote? What proportion of the African- American vote, the Hispanic vote? These demographic trends will determine the winner of this election. Those are very key indicators because these two candidates and this electorate is so polarized along the demographic lines. In some ways, it is the future versus the past. It is a fascinating look at what the percentage of the key demographics turn out. That will determine the winner.
BALDWIN: Margaret, we talked about this. I was curious for you, you had written that CNN op-ed piece asking during the vice presidential debate, wanting Paul Ryan to call on those Millennials. And, if I remember correctly, he didn't fully call on them like you wanted him to. Has Team Romney effectively reached out to the youth vote?
HOOVER: I am disappointed. I really wish they could have because I think in terms of debts and deficits and generational theft, they have the superior argument. But you haven't seen them reach out to the Millennial Generation in the way I hoped they would. This is a demographic near and dear to my heart. They went two to one for President Obama last time. We'll see how much enthusiasm -- that's what I'll be looking for tonight, is what is the enthusiasm in the exit polls of the Millennial Generation. In many ways, they were part of tipping the scales for President Obama four years ago.
BALDWIN: That third thing you will both be watching for, all these Senate races, and in particular there are several Senate races that could provide, you know, cushion for either of these candidates. I'll talk about that with our senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash coming up next.
BALDWIN: John Avalon, Margaret Hoover, my thanks to you both.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Senior congressional correspondent, Dana Bash, shows us which congressional races to watch tonight -- Dana?
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: To really get a sense of the balance of power and what's at stake tonight, let's look at where things stand right now. 47 Republican seats, that's the key number to look at because it means Republicans need a net gain of four seats in order to get a clear cut 51-seat majority.
Let's, first of all, look at what's at stake. All of these white seats, a third of the Senate, 33 seats, all of those states, people are going to the polls to vote for their Senator at this point. Now, the reality is most of these seats are not competitive. So we filled in the blue and the red to show that, but still, look at al these white seats, about a dozen races that we're going to be watching very, very closely tonight. And what Republicans have to do is they have to flip a lot of these blue seats, but the problem is they also have to defend their own turf.
Let's start with one of those examples, Indiana. Richard Mourdock is the Republican candidate there, he made headlines by saying he believes that pregnancy as a result of rape is a gift from God. He plummeted in the polls. He's really struggling to hang on to this Republican seat. We'll know pretty early in the night whether or not this is going to happen because the polls close in Indiana at 7:00.
This is another fascinating race. Massachusetts, it is a marquis race because Senator Scott Brown is very well known since he surprised everybody by winning what was ted Kennedy's Democratic seat. He's fighting for his political life and keep this a red seat from his challenger, the Democrat Elizabeth Warren. And going into today, Republican sources told us they don't think it is likely, but we'll see, because he certainly surprised us before.
Let's go to the Democratic seats that we're watching. Virginia. This is fascinating because George Allen, the Republican, was defeated six years ago. He wants his seat back and he's been fighting tooth and nail against the Democratic candidate, Tim Kaine. This is a Democratic seat. Jim Webb, who beat him six years ago, is retiring. This is neck and neck in the polls. Over $80 million spent. So far, the most expensive Senate race here. We have seen the ads over and over here in D.C.
The last one I want to point out is Montana. It is a red state, but it has a Democratic Senator, John Tester. He's been fighting for his political life since the day he was elected six years ago. His Republican opponent is Denny Reberg. The two of them have been virtually within a one-point difference for a year plus. And we just simply don't know where this is going to come, but Republicans really need to topple John Tester in order to take control.
And so once again, all of these races are those that are very competitive and we're going to be watching all of them as we see who wins the balance of power tonight.
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BALDWIN: Just a quick reminder, our special coverage of Election Day 2012 on CNN begins at 6:00 eastern tonight. Make sure you tune in.
I just want to thank you so much for being with me the last two hours. I'm Brooke Baldwin at CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. We continue our coverage now with Erin Burnett in Columbus, Ohio, live.
