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Voters Hitting the Polls in Historic Race; Soon: Trump to Cast Vote Near New York City Home; Trump: "We're Doing Very Well in North Carolina, Florida, New Hampshire; Clinton Casts Vote Near New York City Home; Clinton: Today "Is Most Humbling Feeling". Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired November 08, 2016 - 10:00   ET

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


[10:00:16]

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Here in yellow are the states opening their polling sites this hour. Most are already up and running in the Eastern and Central time zones. The weather, it should not play a huge role in today's turnout but there could be some rain showers in a few key states in the Midwest and the Great Lakes region. But the rain will not be heavy. So no excuses go out and vote.

While voting is underway, CNN is covering this historic election like no one else can. We have reporters following the candidates and reporting from the battleground states across the country. But let's begin this hour with the Trump campaign. CNN's Jason Carrol, live in New York City. Hi, Jason.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And good morning, to you, Carol. Donald Trump, still over at Trump Tower, expected to show up here at P.S. 59 to cast his vote at some time this morning. A little bit of drama this morning. Even though - even before Donald Trump has shown up, two arrests were made inside. Two women, apparently, went inside there, took their tops off, made some anti-Trump types of statements. They were immediately arrested and taken away. So, just a little bit of drama here at P.S. 59, that's the spot there behind me where Donald Trump is going to be casting his vote later this morning.

He made five stops yesterday, five states, five stops. Going over many of the themes that we've heard before, talking about the rigged system, talking about repealing and replacing Obamacare. Saying that he is the candidate of the working class and also today, Carol, he talked about his path to 270, saying that he is going to do well in several key states.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're doing very well in North Carolina. I think we're doing very, very well in Florida. --

STEVE DOOCY, FOX NEWS: Those are the two most important early states, aren't they?

TRUMP: -- We're going to do very well in New Hampshire -- excuse me? DOOCY: Those are the two most important early states, Florida and North Carolina.

TRUMP: Well, I think they're very important. I think we're doing well there. We're doing very well in New Hampshire. Ohio is incredible. They're just a great place. These are, I mean, these are the people are just amazing in this country. Ohio, we're doing incredibly in. We're going to win Iowa.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: So, the candidate says that they basically have several paths. His campaign has several paths to get to 270. Six paths to be specific but that's going to all involve flipping some sort of a blue state. But they feel as though they have the momentum going forward. They also feel as though, the huge crowds that they've been drawing, Carol, is eventually going to translate into many voters coming out and casting a vote for Trump here today. Carol?

COSTELLO: All right, we'll get back to you when Donald Trump arrives at that precinct to cast his ballot. Let's turn our attention now to the Clinton campaign. CNN's Joe Johns is in Chappaqua, New York, where Hillary Clinton has already voted. Good morning, Joe.

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. A unique little moment in U.S. history here at little Douglas Grafflin Elementary School in Chappaqua, New York, Hillary Clinton, showing up with her husband, the former President to vote, trying to get that picture out early, encouraging their supporters around the country to show up at the polls in large number. The Democratic nominee reserved in her comments to reporters. While her husband, the former President Bill Clinton, weighed in on this unusual moment when he and his spouse essentially trade places on Election Day with their names at the top of a national ticket. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is the most humbling feeling, Dan, because you know, I know how much responsibility goes with this. And so many people are counting on the outcome of this election, what it means for our country, and I'll do the very best I can, if I'm fortunate enough to win today.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Anything you're worried about today?

CLINTON: Thank you, thank you.

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, it's been that way for several years now. I'm good. I've had 15 years of practice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: Hillary Clinton expected to have an easy day here in Chappaqua, doing a number of radio interviews before making her way over to New York City for what her supporters hope will be a victory celebration, Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Joe Johns, reporting live from Chappaqua, New York. Thank you so much. Let's head to North Carolina, shall we, where the strong turnout from early voting has carried over to this Election Day. These are pictures from Raleigh where many are waiting to make their voices heard. Isn't that crazy? CNN's Victor Blackwell is there. Hi, Victor.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol, good morning. We are here in North Raleigh. This is Bedford, this community where these voters are lined up. Let's take a look at the line here. Because there's been a significant and constant line here. We saw what we would expect on an Election Day. That rush of voters coming in, who vote typically before they go to work. But this line has stayed pretty long. Let's take a look at the other end here and show you how far it goes back.

Now, Wake County is where we are. And this is a county that votes every election cycle -- in 2012, the national average was - where the voter turnout, I should say, was 58 percent. Here in North Carolina, it was 68 percent, but in wake county, this battleground of 2016, 75 percent voter turnout. And we have seen this line here in the community of Bedford all morning long, 3 1/2 hours into voting.

Now, let me take you next door. Because we have had some reports from the Durham County Board of Elections

[10:05:16] and I got some information from the North Carolina State Board of Election that there had been some problems with the polling check-in system there, computerized system in at least five locations. There have been some problems with the computers that they use to check people in.

So, out of an abundance of caution, they've moved to polling books. Now, this will not affect tabulation, we're told, however, it will cause some of those lines to get a little longer. But again, they tell us that this should not affect the tabulation of the votes. It's a Democratic county. Democrats there outnumber Republicans 5-1 with a substantial number of unaffiliated voters that's next door in Durham County. We'll keep an eye on that. Carol?

COSTELLO: OK. So, Victor, the real problem might come when people get off work and go out to vote and the lines may be long and people might get -- might not get up to the polling station by the time the polls close. But just to be clear, if you are in line before those polls close, you still get to vote, right?

JOHNS: That is right. The polls close here at 7:30. If you're in line, you get to stay in line and get to vote. That may be a bigger problem next door in Durham County where they're having to check people in according to those books and can't check them in according to their computer system as planned, Carol.

COSTELLO: It's going to be a long night. Victor Blackwell, live from Raleigh, North Carolina. Another key battleground state is Florida of course. And it's not just the presidential race that's sending voters to the polls there. Let's head to Florida now, to Miami-Dade County and Boris Sanchez. Hi, Boris.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Carol. Yes, the big story out of Florida is the turnout. More than 6.5 million Floridians have already cast their ballots in this election. To give you some perspective, that's more people that voted in the entire 2000 election. It's nearly 50 percent of all registered voters here in the state of Florida. And we are expecting big turnout today on Election Day.

So far, things have been pretty slow. We've had a steady stream of turnout at this voting location behind me in Hialeah in Miami-Dade County. Right now, the way things are trending, it is a county that is leaning, at least in early voting, for Democrats. They have about 112,000 vote advantage here. Across the state, it's 90,000. So look at the big picture, back in 2012, Democrats had about a 100,000 vote advantage going into Election Day. The question now is, are they going hold on to that lead.

The other big thing going on in Florida right now, that Senate race that you mentioned between Patrick Murphy and Marco Rubio, it has been a heated and nasty race. Right in June, Marco Rubio decided that he was going to jump back into the race for Senate here in Florida. He's confident that he's going to win. A lot of Republicans that I've spoken to say, that they are happy about his chances. He put out some new ads in the past week.

Patrick Murphy is not letting up, though. He has been campaigning hard across the state. We actually had a campaign stop with him in Daytona Beach last week. He's also relied on some very powerful surrogates. The President Barack Obama was here last week. And he spoke very highly of Patrick Murphy. So, obviously, a full-court press, as we get into the final hours of Election Day. Believe it or not, the polls are going to close in just a few hours, Carol, and Election Day will finally be history.

COSTELLO: Oh, gosh, at least we hope so, Boris Sanchez, reporting live from Miami-Dade County this morning. -

SANCHEZ: We hope so.

COSTELLO: -- Yes exactly. So as Boris said, the long wait begins. Here to talk about that and more, Frank Sesno, director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University, Asma Khalid, political reporter for "NPR" and Thomas Burr, Washington Correspondent for "The Salt Lake Tribune." Welcome to all of you.

FRANK SESNO, DIRECTOR SHOOL OF MEDIA AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS AT GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: Thanks.

COSTELLO: Can you believe this day has come?

SESNO: -- Well, at last.

COSTELLO: At last.

SESNO: After years it seems like years, we've been doing this. COSTELLO: Exactly - actually we have.

SESNO: I look at all these people lined up and it's like, the people are speaking. They're saying enough, enough, we're going out, we're going to vote.

COSTELLO: That's right. They're braving long lines -

SESNO: That's right.

COSTELLO: That's awesome. OK. So, I just want to focus on the history making nature of this race. And I want my director, Scottie, to bring up that picture of Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton. Because we've not seen that ever before in America's history, we have a former first lady, right, who is casting her ballot to become President of the United States, with her husband, the former President of the United States, standing behind her.

SESNO: It's amazing, isn't it? I mean, we've had the brothers, the Bush brothers, one of them tried to do it, he didn't make it, but Bush father-son. And now, we have husband-wife. It's a real question for us as to what kind of democracy we are and whether this going to be kind of dynastic politics that we're doing for a long time. But this is amazing. Not only husband and wife, president, former first lady, senator, secretary of state, but impeached president, --

COSTELLO: Right.

SESNO: -- disgraced president who's come back through his wife. It's an amazing thing. It will -- without question though, be a continued combative presidency, without any question.

[10:10:16] COSTELLO: Yes. Let's not go there quite yet.

SESNO: I know. I know.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: And we'll talk about Donald Trump's history making in just a minute. But Asma, I know you go across the country and you talk to voters. It's been such a nasty campaign. Is that somehow obscuring the historic nature of this election?

ASMA KHALID, POLITICAL REPORTER "NPR": You know, I was out with the Clinton campaign last week. And I think that's the moment when I started to sort of see how many of her supporters see this through a really historic lens. You know, you've heard about women who are saying that they want to down pantsuits and go out to the polls today.