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Election in 17 Days; Trump Speaks in Pennsylvania; Hillary Mounts Push in Georgia; Fierce Fighting in Mosul; GOP Fears Trump Could Cost Them Senate Majority; Ryan Refuses To Defend Trump, Members Threaten Ryan; Texas, Utah, Georgia, Arizona Turning Into Battleground States; Dramatic Shift In The Asian-American Vote. Aired 11a-Noon ET

Aired October 22, 2016 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:00] COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Madison, take it away. Go.

CHEERSQUAD: Let's go Stanford. Let's go Stanford.

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN: There they go. Coy Wire, thank you so much. Good luck guys. Nice game today and just want to thank you so much. We appreciate the fact that you take some time for us on the weekends in the morning here.

VICTOR BLACKWELL: Always good to have you with us. And there's much more ahead in the next hour of "CNN Newsroom". We are passing it over now to Fredricka Whitfield. Good morning Fred.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, "NEWSROOM" ANCHOR: Have a good day. OK. So do we see a picture of Coy as a Stanford player, in that picture?

VICTOR BLACKWELL: No. No.

CHRISTI PAUL: No. We need to do that.

VICTOR BLACKWELL: Let's google it.

CHRISTI PAUL: It's there.

WHITFIELD: Google, I would say.

VICTOR BLACKWELL: Coy with hair is a treat.

CHRISTI PAUL: But now it feels - there we go. It feels much more real when it's on your screen.

WHITFIELD: Wait a minute.

CHRISTI PAUL: There it is.

VICTOR BLACKWELL: Still got the helmet on.

WHITFIELD: That one in 22.

CHRISTI PAUL: OK. Very good. The day is now made complete.

WHITFIELD: There you go. All right. Thanks, guys. Good to see you. VICTOR BLACKWELL: Thanks Fred.

CHRISTI PAUL: Thanks Fred.

WHITFIELD: But we're going to start all over right now. How about that? OK?

All right. It's the 11:00 Eastern hour. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. "Newsroom" starts right now.

Can you believe we are less than 17 days from election day and we are almost moments away from Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump delivering his closing argument. Live pictures now from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where Trump is expected to layout his plans for his first 100 days if in office in the White House if elected. Trump choosing the same city where Abraham Lincoln, Honest Abe, made his famous speech uniting the country during the civil war.

Trump advisers tell us to expect this, "A lot more details on policy and an outline of the ten principles that Trump wants to get done in his first 100 days if elected." He doesn't plan to name any potential cabinet positions but voters can expect to see a, "real emotional connection with some policies that are near and dear to his heart like trade and sporting police."

Let's begin our coverage with CNN's Sunlen Serfaty who is in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. So, Sunlen, do we know anything more about what might unfold today?

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, Trump campaign officials are billing this as Donald Trump's closing message, his closing argument of this long-fought campaign. And as you can see behind me, this is not a typical setting for a Donald Trump campaign event. This is a more intimate setting. Not a big booming campaign rally. Clearly, the Trump campaign trying to put him out in a more formal policy focused speech perhaps, trying to project a little bit of presidential tone as he works to really turn this race around for himself in the last 17 days.

Now, we do know that the Trump campaign says he will be outlining what his priorities would be in the first 100 days if he were to go on and win the White House. He gave a similar speech in this summer back in June. He outlined about eight policy proposals talking about immigration reform, talking about repealing, replacing ObamaCare. It's not clear if he will be releasing additional policy specifics or if this will just be more detailed around those already outlined principles. So perhaps just a restructuring, representation of what he already has said.

Of course, the setting here, very important. He is very close, Fred, to the Gettysburg battlefield where of course, President Lincoln gave the Gettysburg address. Something campaign aides, Fred, say Donald Trump will specifically mention in his speech later today, talking about how President Lincoln unified the country at a time that it was divided. Fred? WHITFIELD: And Sunlen, what can you tell us about the audience there? You can kind of hear a little hum in the air there seemingly from a lot of excitement. But what can you tell us about how people got their admission there. Who is, you know, making up that crowd, any kind of details like that?

SERFATY: Yeah, and some people who live here in the area, as I said, it's very intimate setting. A very subdued setting. There's not loud music playing. There's not thousands of people here. Clearly, very intimate setting for today. People in the community I would say about 200 people here, Fred, certainly interested to know and -- what Donald Trump will have to say here today and hear his speech of course. You know, the theme billed as a major speech from the Trump campaign heading into the final stretch. This really potentially shaping his message going forward, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Sunlen Serfaty, thank you so much. We'll check back with you.

All right. So let's talk about Trump's closing argument with our political panel. Julian Zelizer is a Historian and Professor at Princeton University. Rebecca Berg is a CNN Political Analyst and a National Politics reporter for "Real Clear Politics." Also with us, CNN National Political reporter MJ. Lee. All right, good to see all of you.

JULIAN ZELIZER, HISTORIAN AND PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Julian, let me begin with you. Is this kind of cart before the horse in terms of an address of ten policies or is this the kind of address or detail that people have been anticipating, wanting for a very long time?

[11:05:04] ZELIZER: Well, I think they've been anticipating it at many stages including there in some of the debates and I think he and the Republicans certainly feel that this is the moment he has to show, A, he is a serious politician, B, he can actually grow the Republican Party rather than leading it into catastrophic election. And, C, with the site at Gettysburg that he can actually be a uniter in this country and not just someone who is divided. So I think it's a sense that this is essential he takes a step like this.

WHITFIELD: And so, Rebecca, you know, just what, less than 17 days away now from Election Day. Is this a speech that could potentially sway any undecided voters?

REBECCA BERG, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, you know, I personally doubt it, Fred, because these are points that Donald Trump should have made over the course of this campaign and points that really should just be a reminder at this stage for voters, not introducing new ideas, not fleshing out new policy ideas. If as it sounds like he is actually fleshing out some of the policy that he would seek in his first 100 days as president, it's a really late stage to be making those arguments. And I would also be interested to hear in this speech today how he plans to get anything done with Congress when he's going out and actively attacking Republican leaders in Congress. It's not the sort of unity message that you would expect from a nominee at this stage in the election. And so I don't think that these messages are really going to be what sway voters at this stage and, frankly, Donald Trump has a very challenging path ahead if he's going to try to win the presidency at this point. You look at the polling across the country and it's very favorable for Hillary Clinton and as we saw in the debate in Las Vegas, he didn't do a lot to really shift the trajectory of the campaign at this stage.

WHITFIELD: And so MJ at Pennsylvania, battleground state. How much went into, I guess, how strategic this might potentially be for Donald Trump to craft this speech there today?

MJ LEE, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER: Well, look, the entire focus r right now is the battleground state, especially because over the last couple of weeks we have seen the map really tilt in favor of Hillary Clinton in just a short span of time. We've seen states like Florida, states like Nevada really move more towards Hillary Clinton's column and then states like Arizona and Utah, which really should have been easier states for Donald Trump to win. Those states are actually become competitive. And that is why we are seeing really both candidates focus their efforts in the last 17 days on these battleground states. And this is also why we are going to be seeing an interesting split screen in Pennsylvania today with both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton campaigning in this very important state.

WHITFIELD: And so Julian, what's the association that you see with Donald Trump's speech today about possibly outlining, you know, ten policies there at Gettysburg and the historical reference of being made Abe Lincoln's Gettysburg address at that city?

ZELIZER: Well, obviously, one is to associate himself with great leadership which has become a fundamental question that Democrats have raised about him for months now. The second, again, is to contradict what many people think of him. Most people including his supporters think of him as divisive figure. And some people love that, some people don't like it. But to speak in Ggettysburg is to evoke a different kind of leadership, a leader who wants to bring people together. But this comes so late in the campaign. In some ways he is desperately seeking to hold on to this state, to do well in this state where the polls don't suggest he can win it. So the math is very unfavorable. And it's doubtful a speech like this can really change the dynamics.

WHITFIELD: And, Rebecca, are you in agreement with that, too little too late to change I guess the narrative, especially as he continues to talk about an election being rigged if he doesn't win?

BERG: Absolutely. I mean, the fact of the matter is for Donald Trump that most voters have already decided how they feel about him and about this election. The polling shows now that the vast majority of voters feel he doesn't have the judgment, doesn't have the temperament to be president. Two categories I should note that Hillary Clinton has had some trouble with as well, especially on the honesty question that we see in so much polling. But she's at a point now in this election where she is consistently outpacing Donald Trump on all of these important metrics and for him now at this stage to change people's minds, change peoples' perceptions about him.

It's really quite late to be doing that, especially if you don't have the organization in terms of grounds game or advertising to really re- enforce those messages and get your supporters to the polls. This is the part of the election where campaigns begin to focus on getting out the vote as opposed to persuasion.

[11:10:08] And if Donald Trump is still in the persuasion phase, that doesn't really bode well for his results on Election Day.

WHITFIELD: And so, MJ, you're in Chappaqua which is, you know, where Hillary Clinton lives but she is going to be making appearances in Pennsylvania today. What do you know about her goal today and why Pennsylvania is a battleground state that she does not want to ignore at this juncture?

LEE: Yeah, that's right. And first of all we should note, really without a doubt Hillary Clinton will mention Donald Trump in her speech in Pennsylvania today. She has been doing that in virtually every campaign speech. And in those speeches, in the portions where she mentions Donald Trump she is hammering home this message that Donald Trump is simply not qualified and doesn't have the temperament to be president.

And I should also note when she talked about Donald Trump she's really trying to seize on sort of the vulnerabilities that have opened up in this race, whether it's because of the "Access Hollywood" tape where we all know that Donald Trump was heard making very lewd comments about women, whether it's the, you know, allegations that have come after that tape was released. She sees an opening and that is why she is really sort of hitting home this message that Donald Trump simply is not qualified to be president.

And really we should be listening in her speech today to really make an appeal not just to Democrats but independents as well as Republicans. We heard her do this in Cleveland yesterday. She specifically said, if you are a Republican in this crowd and you still have questions for me but you are reconsidering your support for Donald Trump, I want to answer your questions and I want to earn your support. This is of course her recognition and her campaign's recognition that if she does want to expand her map winning over these undecided Republican voters could really be key.

WHITFIELD: All right. So neither candidate feeling like it's too late to try to persuade voters just now 17 days away from Election Day. All right, MJ Lee, Rebecca Berg, Julian Zelizer, appreciate it.

ZELIZER: Thank you.

BERG: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, coming up next. Red or blue in some states the political colors have not changed in decades but this Election Day things could be very different.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALBERTO MOSQUEDA, HUSBAND: If it wasn't for the candidate that's running now I probably would have voted for the other candidate rather than Clinton.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You would have voted a Republican?

A. MOSQUEDA: That more than likely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Why one Republican state could be making a big switch, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:16:15] WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. You're looking at what's being described as a rather intimate setting there in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where Donald Trump will be addressing supporters there in his ten policy plan speech that he will be revealing. And we're just now 17 days away from Election Day. The Trump campaign is calling this the closing argument. He will be laying out his plans for the first 100 days if he is to be elected. We'll bring that to you live.

All right, so, just 17 days. Can you believe it, until Election Day? And voters in Georgia are already casting ballots. And Hillary Clinton is hoping to pull out a win in a state that has voted for Republican presidential candidates since 1996. An "Atlanta Journal" constitution poll shows Donald Trump is just two points ahead among likely Georgia voters. CNN Correspondent Nick Valencia has details on how the tide may be turning among some conservative voters in this state, so looking purplish.

VALENCIA: Things are changing here. And that's a big take away that we got from this report. We spent the day yesterday with the Mosqueda family. Things are changing here. It's a historically red state. Now it could be purple though and that's a myriad of reasons. One reason is that new residents are arriving here and they're starting to vote Democratic. Another reason is that Republicans, they are having a hard time trying to vote for bring themselves to vote for Donald Trump like the Republican you're about to meet in this report.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: It's Friday at the Musqueda household. The sun hasn't even come up yet and they're already talking about their future.

KEISHA MOSQUEDA, WIFE: Do you want to try this avocado?

VALENCIA: Alberto and his wife Keisha moved from Virginia to Georgia about two years ago. This will be their first presidential election as state residents. And it's people like them who are changing the historically red state purple. A. MOSQUEDA: And you can tell everybody is looking at him, my friends and ...

VALENCIA: Muscato is a conservative. He didn't vote for President Barack Obama in 2008 or in 2012, nor does he really support Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton but he says he's voting for her anyway.

A. MOSQUEDA: If it wasn't for the candidate that's running now I probably would have voted for that other candidate rather than Clinton.

VALENCIA: You would have voted republican?

A. MOSQUEDA: More than likely.

VALENCIA: What is it about her that it's hard for you to totally accept her?

A. MOSQUEDA: The e-mails, the Benghazi stuff. You know, being a military guy, you know, you take all that into account. The Benghazi especially, the e-mails, the security and all of that and this is like, it's like just -- they're just direct breaches and direct violations of what the simple things that they teach you even as a lower enlisted guy in the military.

K. MOSQUEDA: Try it. It's good.

VALENCIA: You know it's not -- it is good. The Mosqueda are a house divided. While husband Alberto usually votes Republican and relies on his Christian values he says he can't bear to vote for Trump, especially after what he said Latinos. His wife Keisha has always voted Democrat. Her vote she says is guided by what she wants the future to look like for her 5-year-old son Solomon.

K. MOSQUEDA: I'm very concerned about him and the future, a minority male that's something that's just always on my mind.

VALENCIA: Solomon might not yet understand the importance of his parents or the effect their votes could have in Georgia but he knows this much.

K. MOSQUEDA: Which color are you voting for?

SOLOMON MOSQUEDA, SON: Blue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: Solomon is a cute kid there. The future of Georgia perhaps. Here, more Democratic voters. So the Mosqueda family says that they are complicated family. Mrs. Mosqueda actually says that she believes that she's more socially conservative than her husband although it's Mr. Mosqueda who votes along Republican Party lines traditionally. They say one thing that they agree on is that there's nothing that Donald Trump can say at this point that is going to change their minds about him. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: But they do look like a harmonious couple even though they ...

(CROSSTALK)

VALENCIA: ... that way.

WHITFIELD: ... do see things different in some areas politically.

VALENCIA: Absolutely. And for him the main issues that he's worried about are immigration reform he says. He's against building a wall but he believes naturalizing legally is the way it should happen here.

[11:20:06] He also is worried about escalating tension between Russia and the United States and he wants to repeal ObamaCare. He's reluctantly supporting Hillary Clinton. He's a former naval officer. He doesn't think her well, he calls egregious mistakes. Something he says that you heard in that report that you learn at the basic level when you enlist in the military, you just don't do that. But he just he can't bring himself to support Donald Trump especially how Donald Trump announced his candidacy last year going after Mmexican immigrants.

WHITFIELD: Well, nice microcosm of some of the electorate.

VALENCIA: Particularly, yeah.

WHITFIELD: All right, Nick Valencia, appreciate it.

VALENCIA: Thanks Fred.

WHITFIELD: Thank you so much.

All right, still ahead, the worst fears of many Iraqis may be coming true. ISIS using civilians as human shield as fighting intensifies in a key city. Hundreds are now dead. A live report from inside Iraq next on the front lines.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Welcome back. Fierce fighting is still happening outside Iraq's second largest city as the Iraqi-led coalition tries to retake Mosul from ISIS fighters. Intelligent sources tells CNN that ISIS executed hundreds of civilians including children after using them as human shields. The same source also said that is was forced out of the southern part of the city where coalition forces have launched a major offensive. Senior International Correspondent Ben Wedeman is in nearby Irbil, Iraq. So Ben, what can you tell us about today's fighting?

[11:25:07] BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, today's fighting there Fredericka, is really focused around this town of Qaraqosh otherwise known as Hamdaniya. It's a predominantly Christian town just to the East of the city where Iraqi forces initially encircled it and now have gone inside.

Now, there are very few civilians because they fled more than two years ago when ISIS took over the city. But they are experiencing a fair amount of resistance typical of this sort of resistance Iraqi and Kurdish forces have been running into. Lots of suicide car bombs, IEDs, snipers, and part of the problem is that even though the Iraqi forces have advanced relatively quickly, oftentimes they don't clear the towns they advance through.

So for instance there was another town outside of Mosul, Bartella, where on Thursday they said they had taken over the town and then today, Saturday, they found themselves fighting new found pockets of ISIS resistance. So the battle goes on. And there's the added complication, Fredericka, that for instance, in the town of Kirkuk, the city of Kirkuk which is Southeast of Mosul, beginning Friday morning there have been running gun battles between Kurdish security and ISIS militants around 150 of them who managed to kill 40 Kurdish security members.

So you have this problem of the rear, you never know. Fifth columnists popping up in places far from the front and as a result of the fighting in Kirkuk some of the Kurdish forces had to be diverted away from the Mosul front. So the U.S. officials speaking on background today talked about breaking through the hard outer crust outside of Mosul. But there's still a lot of fighting to go when they actually get to the city. And that could be weeks and weeks away. Fredericka?

WHITFIELD: All right. Ben Wedeman, thank you so much in Irbil.

All right, straight ahead, has the Republican Party given up on winning the White House?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTI PAUL: America's future is far from certain but no matter who the next president is, New Hampshire needs a strong voice in the U.S. Senate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A group's new ad backing Republican Senator Kelly Ayotte, will it help the GOP keep its power in the senate in? Details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, live pictures right now as we are just 17 days away from Election Day. You're looking at in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, will soon be delivering what his campaign is calling his closing argument. Trump is expected to layout his plans for his first 100 days in office if he is elected. We will take you there live.

Meantime, many Republicans fear Donald Trump has put pivotal Senate and House races in play for Democrats. With about nine competitive Senate races Democrats are optimistic they can flip enough of them to take control of that chamber.

CNN senior political correspondent, Manu Raju, has more on the fight for the U.S. Senate. MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: Hey, Fred, the map is very favorable for Democrats right now. They're really only worried about losing one seat and that's the Nevada seat. The rest are Republican seats and right now the Republicans are running very, very closely contested races against those Democrats, but the Democrats have been bolstered by this simple fact. Donald Trump's candidacy is sinking.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAJU (voice-over): GOP officials now fear that if Donald Trump loses by a landslide, he could take down the congressional majorities with him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not only am I concerned about the presidential race, I'm concerned about what the impact on down ballot races including the Senate.

RAJU: In New Hampshire, Republicans sound like they're treating a Trump defeat as foregone conclusion. With an ad that attacks Democrat Maggie Hassan by saying voters need a Senate GOP majority to keep a Clinton White House in check.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Just imagine what did she do unchecked in Washington with a new president?

RAJU: If Clinton wins Democrats need four seats to take back the Senate majority. Republican seasoned Pennsylvania and New Hampshire are in danger of flipping. Democrats now have a serious shot at winning in red states like Indiana, North Carolina, and Missouri.

And the battle for retiring Senate Democratic leader, Harry Reid's seat in Nevada is a true toss-up. Reid trying to tie Republican Joe Heck (ph) to Donald Trump.

SENATOR HARRY REID (D), NEVADA: This man we have running for the Senate here in Nevada who is a mini Trump, Joe Heck.

RAJU: Heck revoked his endorsement of Trump after the GOP nominee's vulgar words about women were caught on a hot mic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I cannot in good conscience continue to support Donald Trump.

RAJU: Current opponent, Catherine Cortez Masto is not letting up.

CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO (D), NEVADA SENATE CANDIDATE: After nine months of being his biggest supporter and realizing now that Donald Trump's ship is sinking and now he's trying to scurry off it to save his own political career, no, you don't get credit for that.

RAJU: And in the House, Trump has become so toxic that Speaker Paul Ryan is scrambling to prevent Democrats from picking up the 30 seats they need to win back the majority. But Ryan's refusal to defend Trump is causing some conservatives to threaten his speakership.

REPRESENTATIVE MARK MEADOWS (R), NORTH CAROLINA (via telephone): A lot of the people who believe so desperately that we need to put Donald Trump in the White House that question the loyalty of the speaker. I do think that there will be real discussions after November 8th on who our leadership will be and what that will look like going forward.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RAJU: Now Fred, Paul Ryan in a difficult position in order to get re- elected speaker, but chances of becoming speaker again really depends on how big the Republican majority is after the elections. That is assuming he can keep the majority.

The Republican may lose upwards of 20 seats, but if they lose 30 they lose majority. Even if they keep the majority conservatives will have even more sway in the next Congress because moderates are likely to lose.

Now Ryan is going to face a vote on the floor of the House but he cannot afford to lose many votes in order to get 218 needed to be re- elected speaker. A lot of those Trump supporter, Fred, are just not happy with Ryan's position on the GOP nominee and his refusal to defend or campaign with him -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Manu Raju, thank you so much.

So is it time for the RNC to turn their focus on House and Senate races in a last ditch effort to hang on to Congress and the Senate?

Let's bring back our political panel, historian and professor at Princeton University, Julian Zelizer, and in Washington, CNN political analyst, Rebecca Berg, national political reporter for Real Clear Politics.

All right, good to see you back. All right, so Julian, you first. You know, what are the risks or benefits of the RNC shifting the focus from Trump to those House and Senate seats?

[11:35:03]JULIAN ZELIZER, HISTORIAN AND PROFESSON, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY: I think they have to do this at this point. There are real fears that Republicans will lose control of both chambers which was unthinkable a year ago given the size of the House majority which is historic.

But right now they understand that the chances of Donald Trump winning are very slim. So they want to invest in what has been a bastion of Republican power, Congress.

And I think Hillary Clinton on the other hand faces situation that if the majority in the House shrinks, but the Republicans still keep control, it might be a more conservative House that she faces.

So they are also going to put a lot of effort now as you see in her campaign stops in trying to flip control in both chambers.

WHITFIELD: All right, meantime that buzz of activity of folks listening to the people in the room of that fairly intimate setting there in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where Donald Trump is to make his kind of closing arguments reveal what he would do in his fir 100 days in office if elected.

OK, so meantime, Rebecca, let's listen to a piece of a new ad that makes the case for one Republican senator by almost suggesting that Trump has already lost. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): America's future is far from certain but no matter who the next president is, New Hampshire needs a strong voice in the U.S. Senate. That senator, Kelly Ayotte, she works across the aisle to get things done.

Maggie Hassan's record, has and voted over 100 times for more taxes and fees. Just imagine what she would do unchecked in Washington with a new president?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, so Rebecca, is that ad implying or telling people to bypass the importance of the presidency but focus instead on those down ballot races?

REBECCA BERG, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, it certainly does imply, as you said, that Hillary Clinton is going to win the White House saying that Hassan would be unchecked if she were elected as a Democrat from New Hampshire.

And so certainly on the Republican side, there is this new urgency to keep the Senate, because there is this very high chance that Hillary Clinton is going to win the White House.

Now, I should note that this is an ad from the Chamber of commerce and so they wouldn't necessarily be very happy with Donald Trump in the White House either.

I think that's probably why you hear that language in the ad of no matter who is president, Donald Trump has been very anti-trade and that's a key issue when it comes to the Chamber of Commerce.

But certainly this is going to be the argument that many Republican candidates for Senate are making over the coming days. And, in fact, I should note that this is an argument on the campaign trail that many candidates have been making already.

I was up in Pennsylvania about a month ago and Pat Toomey, the Republican candidate for Senate there, was already using this sort of language in his stump speech, making the case that no matter who is president, everything with-wink, nod-nod.

We would have someone who will be an independent voice and that was the case he was already making. So I think we're going to see this only escalate in the days to come.

WHITFIELD: So Julian, what do you think the electorate is interpreting when they see ads like that and, you know, voters already know and have been very frustrated with a very divided Congress, but now does it seem to many voters that matters have worsened, particularly as they look at the White House race?

ZELIZER: Yes, I think when you see ads like this it's hard for the electorate not to conclude that the candidates' own party no longer has faith in the outcome. I think some voters will be very cynical that this is just being done in desperation rather than some genuine effort to separate the party from Donald Trump.

But they will read this as a sign that Hillary Clinton will probably win so vote for divided government which you might hate but if you're Republican, might be the best step forward.

They have to be careful because Trump has many supporters and they are very loyal and they will remember this. And so people like Paul Ryan are thinking about that, what could some of the backlash be toward this kind of strategy.

WHITFIELD: So that kind of comes across as a vote of confidence for Clinton without saying it out right?

BERG: Well, I mean --

ZELIZER: Absolutely.

BERG: -- these people are looking at the polls, right, Fred? So Republicans understand where this is going, but I would also note on this -- in this vein of these ads, it's a really unique dynamic with Donald Trump at the top of the ticket.

Because in any normal election cycle the Republican nominee would also be looking at the polls, recognizing where the election is going and have some loyalty to the party, to understand that they need to do the best they can, given the circumstances.

Donald Trump as we've seen does not have that sort of sympathy for Republicans.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll leave it right there. Thank you so much, Rebecca Berg, Julian Zelizer, appreciate it.

Again, live pictures there awaiting Donald Trump's appearance there for his address taking place there in Pennsylvania.

All right, meantime, Arizona has voted for a Democratic president only once in the last 60 years. Ahead, why the Democratic Party is cranking up its campaign in the closing weeks there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:43:39]

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. Hillary Clinton's campaign is beefing up its operation in the traditionally red state of Utah. CNN has learned that five new staffers will be deployed early next week followed by an increase in surrogate visits.

The Democratic presidential candidate has been eyeing Utah as a possible expansion state for months as Donald Trump has struggled to garner strong support among more men voters. And if Clinton wins that state, it would be the first time since 1964 that Utah has gone blue.

Meantime, in Arizona, Clinton has a five-point lead. The Democrat seeing an opening on our pulling out all the stops in the new battleground states. CNN's Kyung Lah explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA: When they go low, there you go.

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A battle cry for the Democrats from one of its most potent leaders, the first lady calling out Donald Trump's potential rejection of election results.

OBAMA: And we cannot stand for that. You do not keep American democracy in suspense because, look, too many people have marched and protested and fought and die for this democracy.

LAH: The first lady completes a trifecta of Clinton surrogates hitting the now battleground state of Arizona. Bernie Sanders, Chelsea Clinton just this week.

[11:45:02]The Clinton campaign pledging to spend $2 million in Arizona on ad buys and direct mail as new poll shows Hillary Clinton up five points over Trump. Astonishing to lifelong Democrat Harriet Friedman.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've been volunteering for a long time and this is the first time that I really feel that people are taking us seriously and that we really have a chance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're calling today in support of Hillary Clinton.

LAH: Arizona Democrats say national money and organizers are moving in beefing up their 161 paid staffers and 32 offices, more than the party has ever had in the state. Arizona is changing with more young Latino voters like Laura Roha (ph) and growing disdain for Trump's campaign. The first lady pointing out Trump's words about women.

OBAMA: He demeans and humiliates women as if we're objects meant solely for pleasure and entertainment rather than human beings worthy of love and respect.

LAH: Arizona has voted for a Democratic president only once in 64 years, reliably Republican. But this year Democrats are now edging Republicans in voter registration in the last eight weeks by about 5,000 voters. Arizona's GOP dismisses this recent surge. It has 161,000 more registered Republican voters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know what people's definition of blue is but that to me is bright red.

LAH: Republican state chair, Robert Ram, says his party historically carries a strong ground game, 21 field offices with 60 paid staffers. Given that, he's not worried about the first lady's visit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's going to draw people out. It doesn't necessarily translate to votes.

LAH: Arizona's GOP faithful watching the debate also eyeing the Democratic rollout this week believed it's not enough to move Arizona blue.

(on camera): You've lived here since 1977. You feel you know the state.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very well, yes.

LAH: How will this state vote?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It will vote definitely Trump.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAH: Since March Trump has been here in the state of Arizona four times. In that same time period, Hillary Clinton has been here just once as she hasn't headlined any fundraisers in Arizona. A real sign, say Republicans, that this state still will be a stretch for Democrats. Kyung Lah, CNN, Phoenix, Arizona.

WHITFIELD: All right, next, another twist in this very unconventional presidential campaign. There has been a major shift in how Asian- Americans are voting.

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[11:51:05]

WHITFIELD: Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Again, in this presidential campaign, we are seeing something we have not seen before, for years. Many Asian-Americans have been reliable Republican voters. CNN's Victor Blackwell says that's no longer the case.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, Fred, the numbers are dramatic. Asian-American voters, hundreds of thousands of them are joining the roles every cycle. So many are moving from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party.

The question is, are the Democrats welcoming Asian-American voters or are the Republicans just pushing them away?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL (voice-over): On the campus of the University of North Florida, politics is the topic of the day. Most of these students will be voting for Hillary Clinton.

JUSTIN DATO, UNIVERSITY OF NORTH FLORIDA STUDENT: I think, ultimately, her vision for the United States kind of winds with my vision of open mindedness, accepting everyone. BLACKWELL: Justin Dato and his friends are at the leading edge a seismic political shift among Asian-American voters, from once reliable Republican votes to a Democratic stronghold.

In 1992 three-way race, Republican president, George H. W. Bush earned 55 percent of the Asian-American vote. Twenty years later, Democratic president, Barack Obama, got 73 percent over Mitt Romney.

KARTHICK RAMAKRUSHNAN, DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL ASIAN AMERICAN SURVEY: We have never seen a swing like that for any group.

BLACKWELL: Karthick Ramakrushnan is the director of the National Asian-American Survey.

RAMAKRUSHNAN: Democrats are far more likely to be reaching out to these voters more than Republicans. We also saw Bill Clinton do a lot in terms of outreach activity and also nominating Asian-Americans.

BLACKWELL: Democrats hope that outreach will pay off this year as Asian-American voters could have an oversized impact in November.

RAMAKRUSHNAN: There are new destination states, states like Florida and North Carolina that are now battleground states for the presidency. These are the states where you have newer Asian-American populations and they are growing very rapidly.

BLACKWELL: At the top of the list, Jacksonville, Florida. It's mostly Filipino community has the highest population of Asian- Americans in any of the 2016 battleground states. Most analysts say Donald Trump needs to win Florida to win the White House. It's Mauro Gines' job to find the votes. He's with the Filipino-American Republicans of Northeast (inaudible).

(on camera): The statistics would how that Democrats are doing very well recruiting Asian-Americans.

MAURO GINES, REPUBLICAN: I think they appear to have very effective recruiting. I would probably yield to that statement. I guess they have the support of the -- so, if there's too much they hear from the media about the Democrats, they will lean toward that.

RAMAKRUSHNAN: We have also seen factors on the Republican side that have pushed them away.

BLACKWELL (voice-over): An August rally when Trump reiterated his proposals to ban immigrants from what he calls terrorist nations, he mentioned the Philippines.

TRUMP: Hillary Clinton wants to have them come in by the hundreds of thousands.

BLACKWELL: Soon after a Philippines lawmaker proposed banning Trump from entering their country.

RAMAKRUSHNAN: A majority of Asian-American registered voters have a very unfavorable view to Donald Trump. That should be concerning to the Republican Party. It's possible Donald Trump will turn off Asian- American voters even more.

BLACKWELL: A survey found that 59 percent favor Clinton and just 16 percent favor Trump. But there is opportunity for each party here. For these two voters, the choice is less about who they want to be the next president and more about who they don't.

(on camera): Are you a Trump supporter?

GINES: I am a Trump supporter.

BLACKWELL: Tell me why.

GINES: Because I cannot be for Hillary.

[11:55:01]BLACKWELL: Are you excited to vote for Hillary Clinton?

DATO: I wouldn't necessarily say excited. I'm excited not to vote for Trump.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: And according to the survey, 70 percent of the registered voters they spoke with say they have not been contacted by either major political party. There is a variable that could be influencing that. Despite Asian-Americans having the highest income of any minority group in the country, the best educated, they lag behind when it comes to voter turnout -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Victor Blackwell, thank you so much. Tomorrow night, a new episode of "PARTS UNKNOWN" with Anthony Bourdain. This week Bourdain finds himself in London.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY BOURDAIN, CNN HOST, "PARTS UNKNOWN": Drinking can take on desperation, but never so much as now. Is it the end of the world?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It feels pretty good. When the going gets tough -- it's selfish.

BOURDAIN: It's like the whole city had nervous breakdown. In times of uncertainty, I like to turn to old friends. Will it all work out in the end?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have no idea.

BOURDAIN: Wow.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The honest truth. Nothing is certain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, talking politics of a different kind and food, watch "PARTS UNKNOWN" with Anthony Bourdain tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. on CNN. More live pictures out of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania where Donald Trump, momentarily, will be addressing his audience of supporters. Rudy Giuliani right there. What Trump's first 100 days would look like if elected. More when we come back.

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