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Clinton and Cruz Win Iowa; Rubio Rising?. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired February 02, 2016 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[15:00:35]

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And we continue on. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thanks for being with me.

So much to talk about today. After 19 hours of too close to call, the Iowa Democratic caucuses are officially final. The Iowa Democratic Party released the final results, and Hillary Clinton has edged out Bernie Sanders by the closest margin Iowa Democrats have ever seen. Clinton claimed victory last night, shared her relief just a short time ago talking to my colleague Wolf Blitzer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I feel really good and very grateful to the team I had on the ground, to the tens of thousands of Iowans who volunteered, knocked on doors, came out and caucused last night.

And I could feel the energy building in the weeks leading up to the caucus. I was out there making my case about what I want to do and what I think our country must do to get real results with more jobs, rising incomes, build on the Affordable Care Act, deal with climate change, clean energy, defend our rights, all the things I feel passionate about.

And I could just watch. And, in fact, in that last week, I had so many people come up to me and say that they had decided to support me and it could not have been better. It was a great, great night.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So that was Hillary Clinton just a moment ago. Live pictures here, Keene, New Hampshire. We're waiting to hear from Senator Sanders for the very first time responding to this official news of the Clinton victory from Iowa. So stay tuned for that. Obviously, we will take that.

The Sanders campaign not exactly sending over its congratulations to camp Clinton.

CNN senior Washington correspondent Joe Johns is there in Keene, New Hampshire, where we expect this rally any moment now.

Give me a preview. How is the Sanders campaign responding to this official win from Hillary Clinton? JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think they're pointing out that this is not exactly a time for the Clinton campaign to gloat, given the closeness of the caucuses in Iowa.

A couple ticks here and there, fractions of a percent certainly don't add up to a decisive victory for Hillary Clinton. On the other hand, they're also saying that they're not challenging the election in Iowa, the caucuses anyway, even though, as a matter of course, they are asking to see paperwork relating to the numbers that were turned in, especially just to find out what happened and if they can do anything better.

We listen now to the campaign manager for Bernie Sanders, who spoke to Wolf Blitzer a couple of hours ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF WEAVER, BERNIE SANDERS CAMPAIGN MANAGER: Yes, we're not contesting the election. But what we'd like to do is we would like to know the truth on the ground.

I think that the tens and tens and tens of thousands of people who supported Senator Sanders just -- they would like to understand what exactly went on. And I think it will also be good for the party as well to understand what can be improved next time around.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: So there you go. Not challenging the result, but also not exactly conceding defeat either, Brooke.

BALDWIN: How, Joe, is turnout this afternoon there in Keene?

JOHNS: It's been pretty big. I'm told inside holds about 800 people or so. Just a few moments ago, a staffer came out and told the crowd which has been gathering out here all afternoon that it looked like they were going to move into overflow phase.

They're probably going to have a standing room only crowd in there to see Bernie Sanders. It's his second event here in New Hampshire since the caucuses. When he hit the ground in Bow, New Hampshire, early this morning, he was also greeted by supporters there, so keeping very busy and trying to move very quickly.

BALDWIN: We will come back to you the second we see the Vermont senator there behind that podium. Thank you, sir, for now.

With Iowa now officially in the history books, let's take a closer look at what happened.

Joining me now, Ryan Williams, former spokesman for Governors Romney and Sununu and senior vice president of FP1 Strategies, and CNN political contributor Van Jones.

Gentlemen, welcome. My apologies in advance if we have to pivot away and go to New Hampshire. (CROSSTALK)

VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I won't mind. I won't mind.

BALDWIN: You won't take offense? OK, thank you.

Van, let me begin with you. Listen, on the Democratic side, there's sort of like two schools of thought, the fact that you look at Iowa, Bernie rose, you know, he almost beat Hillary Clinton in Iowa or the fact that there really was this massive voter turnout, all kinds of young people, and still he lost. Which camp are you in?

[15:05:06]

JONES: Well, I'm in the camp that says that anybody who a 79,000- year-old Muppet-looking socialist...

BALDWIN: Ooh.

(CROSSTALK)

JONES: Because I love Bernie Sanders. Anybody like that who comes within a hair of beating the Clintons, that lets you know there's something going on just beyond the candidate.

There was a real youth rebellion really in the party in some ways against Hillary Clinton, because young people still want something to believe in. I think if I were the Clintons -- she will almost certainly win this nomination, but she's going to have to work for it with young people.

The young people are basically saying, listen, we have a movement. We don't care about the machine. We have got a movement. We want -- talk to our hearts, not just to our heads. Don't tell us to lower our sights. We want a lot from this country. We're willing to give a lot. We want a lot.

That message from young people is going to be the most important thing. It's not the guy behind the mike stand. It's the young people in the stands that matter. And they sent a clear message to the Democratic Party. They want to aim higher.

BALDWIN: Do you think -- just quickly, Van, staying with you -- this teensy, eensy, weensy win that Clinton eked out, do you think that that will give her the confidence she needs moving forward?

(CROSSTALK)

JONES: Look, in some ways, it's the best of all possible worlds for Hillary Clinton. She won, but she won by a narrow enough margin that she can receive the message. If she had won by six points, five points, eight points, she might not have gotten the message that there's still some pain out there.

Listen, everybody in the Democratic Party respects and loves Hillary Clinton. That is not the issue. The problem is, do they believe that she has their aspirations in her heart? I think now she's going to keep fighting. She's got to get closer to this base. It's going to make her stronger.

BALDWIN: OK, Ryan, to you.

You know the story. You know the deal. You were involved. Romney lost Iowa. This was 2008. You say at the time it felt almost like your balloon just popped when Huckabee stole it from Romney. What would your advice be to those who placed in second/even third, I will throw a Trump, Rubio, and Sanders in there? What would you say to them?

RYAN WILLIAMS, REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN CONSULTANT: The campaign hits a reset coming into New Hampshire.

I think that the candidates are going to need to engage in grassroots campaign here in the state. This is a state that values person-to- person, town-to-town contact over the next week. I think Trump comes in very damaged. He had set expectations for himself very high. He's still waving around polls showing him 20 points up in the state.

While he's still the favorite here, it's unlikely he will win by that much. But he continues to hype himself, to bloviate, instead of organizing, in the state, as he did in Iowa. I think his lack of an organization could hurt him here, as it did in Iowa. He didn't turn out his voters, despite the fact he was trending in polls in the final week and he underperformed expectations.

(CROSSTALK)

JONES: Can I say something about that?

BALDWIN: Yes, yes, yes, go ahead.

JONES: It's really interesting. You have this like a billionaire cheapskate.

Look, you either have to spend the dime or you have to spend the time. You either have to be there on the ground person to person or you at least have to fund a massive turnout operation. He didn't spend the time. Donald Trump didn't spend the time and he didn't spend the time.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: You don't give him credit for self-financing or the fact that it was a strong second in Iowa?

JONES: Here's what I love about Trump.

Listen, both of the insurgent candidates, Sanders is not taking money from billionaires. He's being self -- he's being grassroots-funded. That's great. Trump is self-financing. That's great. But then don't be a cheapskate. Spend the money on a turnout operation. It's like, we don't mind that you're spending your own money, but spend it and have a real operation. He didn't spend the time. He didn't spend the dime. He deserved what

he got.

BALDWIN: Maybe, maybe he will down the road after Iowa after what happened in Iowa. Who knows?

But final question to you, Ryan, with regard to Marco Rubio, listen, I have talked to Van. Marco Rubio scares the hell out of Democrats because he's strong. What do you think he needs to do to eviscerate the rest of the establishment pack? A lot of governors who could do well in New Hampshire. This will be incredibly competitive. How does he become the anti-Trump, anti-Cruz candidate?

WILLIAMS: It's a jump ball in New Hampshire right now for the mainstream lane of candidates. And this is going to come down to a test about who's the most ready to be commander in chief.

Senator Rubio hasn't proved that he's ready to be commander in chief. We have a number of other good candidates. Governor Bush is, in my opinion, clearly the best person in the field. He's someone who's been a chief executive, has governed as a conservative. That's something that voters in the state will evaluate in the final week as they make a decision and decide who is the best person to be our nominee.

New Hampshire has a very good track record of picking nominees, much better than Iowa. And I think the results from this state are going to tell more about who will be the Republican nominee in November.

BALDWIN: A jump ball for the establishment lane, it is indeed.

Ryan Williams and Van Jones, thank you both.

Let me remind you all, tomorrow night, Hillary and Bernie Sanders appear in a live town hall moderated by Anderson Cooper. This is their last chance to talk directly to the voters before that New Hampshire primary one week from today. Don't miss that town hall tomorrow night 9:00 Eastern only here on CNN.

We just were talking a little bit about Donald Trump here. He is ripping the media for its coverage of his second-place finish. But he also brought up voters in recent Twitter traffic this afternoon, whether they're giving him enough credit. Let's talk about that ahead.

[15:10:08]

Also, who has the best ground game after New Hampshire? Long game, let's talk about that and who's ready.

Also, Ted Cruz apologizing today for what Ben Carson called dirty tricks in Iowa. What's Dr. Carson's next move?

You're watching CNN's special live coverage. I'm Brooke Baldwin. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

Just a heads-up. Bernie Sanders is holding his first event after the official word of his Iowa defeat at the Colonial Theatre there in Keene, New Hampshire, packed house. Still waiting for the Vermont senator. So stay tuned to that.

Right on the heels of next week's New Hampshire primary is the first big test in the South. Republicans will hold their primary on February 20 in South Carolina. That is followed by the Democratic primary on February 27. Very often, after the bitter battles in Iowa and New Hampshire, South Carolina has been the tiebreaker among these candidates.

Now, for Senator Marco Rubio, who's coming off a strong third-place finish in Iowa, he's just received a massive endorsement from South Carolina junior Senator Tim Scott.

[15:15:11]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's not just about winning one election. It's about growing the number of Americans who vote on the basis of limited government and free enterprise and a strong national defense. We need to unify the conservative movement and the Republican Party. I can do that better than anyone that's running.

We need to grow it. I can do that better than anyone who's running. And we need to beat Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. I give us the best chance to do that. The Democrats know that. That's why they attack me so often. But I can't wait to run against them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: With me now from Exeter, New Hampshire, is our chief political correspondent, Dana Bash who had a lengthy interview with Senator Cruz after his win last night about how -- who he now considers his toughest competition.

What did he tell you?

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, he's being a bit cagey about that, as you can imagine. But he just wrapped up an event here in New Hampshire, his first since his big win last night.

And he was asked some questions on various subjects. But certainly Marco Rubio was one of the subjects. And he was pretty aggressive going after Marco Rubio still on the issue that they have been starring over on the campaign trail for weeks now, which is immigration.

But, you know, the bottom line is, Brooke, if you look at the results last night, the Marco Rubio surge, there's no question that it helped Ted Cruz, even potentially helped him win, because the votes that he got drew from Donald Trump. That's where I began talking to him about his win when I was with him just moments after he spoke last night in Iowa.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Have you already sent Rubio a bouquet of flowers for taking Donald Trump's votes away? That was a help to you, right?

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, listen, I recognize that folks may want to talk about the third-place finisher, and that's fine. You can talk about that.

(CROSSTALK)

CRUZ: I'm focused on our victory tonight. I'm focused on our victory tonight and the fact that courageous conservatives across Iowa, all across the country generated the most votes ever given to any Republican victor in a Republican primary.

That is an unbelievable grassroots. We had over 12,000 volunteers in Iowa. We have got over 200,000 volunteers nationwide. That's the strength of this campaign. It is a grassroots campaign.

BASH: Who do you think your biggest competition is, given the results tonight?

CRUZ: Well, listen...

BASH: Is it Donald Trump or is he still a factor?

CRUZ: Every candidate is going to have to decide what they do next in the campaign. I like and respect everyone in this race.

BASH: But who is your biggest...

(CROSSTALK)

CRUZ: I like and respect Donald Trump. I like and respect Marco. I like and respect everyone.

Donald and Marco both had a good night. I congratulate them on their second- and third-place finish. Ben Carson had a good night. There are a lot of people. Everyone in this field, I like and respect. We're going to stay focused on making the case to the American people that we can't have another campaign conservative.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, here in New Hampshire, Brooke, Ted Cruz has an operation, but he hasn't been here as much as others. I mean, there are lots of candidates on the Republican side who have virtually been living here for the past couple of months.

And Marco Rubio is trying very much to edge all of those candidates I'm talking about out, whether it's Chris Christie, John Kasich, or Jeb Bush, to try to be kind of be the victor in the establishment lane. He's hoping that that kind of consolidation can help really put down Cruz, but I should also remind people that it is still Donald Trump coming into today who was way, way ahead and is still way ahead in the polls here.

BALDWIN: It's that and, like my last guest perfectly said, it really is jump ball for that establishment lane candidate come New Hampshire.

CRUZ: Yes, it is.

BALDWIN: Dana, thank you.

We are talking Trump. Donald Trump gave what many are calling a gracious consensus speech after Cruz's win, today, changing tone, taking to Twitter to go on the attack. One tweet seems to blame the very people Trump should be impressing in the election, the voters.

He tweeted -- quote -- "I don't believe I have been given any credit by the voters for self-funding my campaign, the only one. I will keep doing, but not worth it."

Let me bring in Sara Murray, who is live in Milford, New Hampshire, where Trump is holding a rally tonight. And speaking of Twitter, he just tweeted what about Ted Cruz?

SARA MURRAY, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, the gracious, humble Donald Trump of last night is long gone.

He just took to Twitter to fire his latest missive on Ted Cruz, saying, "Anybody who watched all of Ted Cruz's far too long, rambling, overly flamboyant speech last night would say that was his Howard Dean moment."

BALDWIN: Ouch.

MURRAY: Of course, we all know that Howard Dean had that whoop that got him out of the race.

And, yes, this is just not a -- this is not a very gracious Donald Trump that we're seeing this morning. And I think that is because the reality is this is a competitive guy who, while he may have been prepared to lose Iowa, he certainly did not want to.

[15:20:01]

And now he's heading here to New Hampshire, a state where he is far ahead of his rivals, and he's got to look at this one and feel like, we can't afford to lose another state, Brooke.

BALDWIN: What -- just quickly, what do you think he will say about voters in Iowa once he's in New Hampshire and what happened there?

MURRAY: Well, that will be very interesting to see, because New Hampshire is where he came to sort of poke a little fun at Iowa's voters. He was very kind toward them last night. Today, we could see a

totally different ball game. He's going to be endorsed here by Scott Brown, Scott Brown expected to join him in a press conference before the event.

And so I think if Donald Trump wants to continue to be gracious in some way, he could still be kind to the voters of Iowa. But if I were Marco Rubio or Ted Cruz, I would be expecting some sharp elbows from Trump, if not tonight, then in the coming days for sure.

BALDWIN: Absolutely.

Sara Murray, thank you.

Coming up next, is Ted Cruz playing the long game, already setting his sights on South Carolina and beyond? He has a campaign event there tonight. But it was Marco Rubio who just picked up an influential endorsement there. We will take you live to South Carolina and talk about that.

Also ahead, Bernie Sanders, we're waiting for him, expected to take the stage any moment now in Keene, New Hampshire. How will he respond to the official word now that Hillary Clinton won Iowa? We will take it live. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:25:53]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TIM SCOTT (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: It's a long way from where I grew up to the U.S. Senate. And I believe that the best days of our country are ahead of us, that 2016 may be the most important election. I'm putting my confidence and my trust in Marco Rubio, because I believe that he takes us to that better future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Senator Marco Rubio, who is coming off a strong third-place finish in Iowa, has just received a big endorsement from his colleague, who just you saw, South Carolina junior Senator Tim Scott.

Let's go to Matt Moore. He's the chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party.

Matt, great to see you.

MATT MOORE, SOUTH CAROLINA REPUBLICAN PARTY CHAIRMAN: Good to see you, too, Brooke.

BALDWIN: So, Tim Scott, you know, talk about a highly coveted endorsement. This is the only African-American Republican in the U.S. Senate. By the way, he also has the backing of Trey Gowdy in South Carolina. But with regard to Tim Scott, how huge is this for him? MOORE: Well, Senator Tim Scott is one of, if not the most popular

Republicans in South Carolina. So it's a very big endorsement, definitely the biggest endorsement in South Carolina so far this cycle.

But I think last night...

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Forgive me, Matt. Let me interject. Forgive me. We're going to back to you, but we have to go now.

Bernie Sanders, first time we're seeing him since camp Clinton officially claimed victory from the Iowa Democratic Party.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (VT-I), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And I don't know what to say, because Gisele (ph) and Eliza (ph) said it all, but I will try.

Last night in Iowa, we took on -- we took on the most powerful political organization in this country. Last night, we came back from a 50-point deficit in the polls.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

SANDERS: And last night, we began the political revolution, not just in Iowa, not just in New Hampshire, but all over this country.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

SANDERS: What is this campaign about? It's not about spin. It's not about 30-second TV ads.

It's about the American people. It's about the woman I met in New Hampshire a number of months ago who said, Bernie, I am not just paying off my daughter's student debt. I am paying off my student debt as well.

It's about millions of people who are being drowned in debt because they chose to seek a higher education. It is about the United States of America being the only major country on Earth that does not have paid family and medical leave.

It is about -- it is about the workers in Vermont and New Hampshire who today are working at two or three jobs, trying to cobble together some income, because real wages for millions of workers have gone down over the last 30 years.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

SANDERS: It's about a rigged economy, when elderly folks and working families are struggling to keep their heads above water economically, while almost all new income and wealth is going to the top 1 percent.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) SANDERS: It is about a nation today which has more income and wealth

inequality than any major country on Earth, and it is worse here today than at any time since 1928.