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Erin Burnett Outfront

U.S. Attacks Iran For Downing Of Apache, Iran Retaliates; Now: South Carolina Polls Close, Big Test For Graham Platner In Maine; CNN Projects Republican Steve Hilton Will Advance California Governor's Race. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired June 09, 2026 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:24]

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:

Breaking news, the U.S. attacks Iran tonight, Trump's payback for the downing of an Apache helicopter with two pilots. Iran now retaliating. We are live on the ground in Tehran tonight.

And it is election night in America. Polls are just closing. In a race putting Trump's power to the test tonight, this is a pick for governor. Can he pull out a win in South Carolina? And why is Lindsey Graham right now in one of the toughest fights of his career tonight?

Also breaking, we're about to get the first look at whether Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner could survive the controversies. Polls are about to close there, too.

We're going to bring you the results as they come in this hour. John King is at the magic wall.

Let's go OUTFRONT.

(MUSIC)

BURNETT: And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.

And OUTFRONT tonight, we have breaking news. The U.S. attacking Iran. Iran now retaliating, a dangerous escalation in the war that's now on day 102. Tehran claiming it's firing missiles and drones towards U.S. targets, an attack after CENTCOM confirms the U.S. hit a number of targets in Iran.

So this has been a back and forth, multiple explosions reported now along the Strait of Hormuz. And it all started, Trump says, when Iran shot down a U.S. Apache helicopter as it patrolled the crucial waterway. And that was a significant strike, maybe at the hands of an Iranian Shahed drone coming amidst a ceasefire that was broken two days ago with missiles hitting back and forth once again between Iran and Israel.

The president tonight telling ABC's Jonathan Karl that "this is a response to what they did with our helicopter last night and I believe the response should be very strong, very powerful, and that's what this one is."

Now, this is the first time in the war that Apache's gone down by a country whose military, right, Trump claims to have obliterated. Certainly when it comes to things like the Navy and the Strait, it's been obliterated or left at the bottom of the sea many times, according to Trump.

The attack coming just hours after Trump said the U.S. would be declaring victory in Iran in the next two weeks, and also that there was a deal, the cusp of a deal with Iran, which is a claim, in fact, that Trump has now made at least 38 times since the war began.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They're begging to make a deal.

I think they want to make a deal very badly.

Iran is dying to make a deal.

We're going to end that war very quickly. They want to make a deal so badly.

We're close to a very good deal.

We're in the final throes of what will be a very, very good deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Where does that deal stand tonight?

Well, in a moment, we're going to take you live to the ground in Tehran.

But first, I want to go straight to Kristen Holmes because she's OUTFRONT, live outside the White House.

And, Kristen, now a back and a forth happening in the Strait of Hormuz between the U.S. and Iran. I mean, what are you learning about the scope of the strikes this hour?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Aaron, it certainly doesn't seem as if they're moving in the right direction in terms of some kind of a peace deal. What I'm told is that right now there is a limited scope when it comes to these strikes. They're looking at military targets along the Strait of Hormuz, but we are told that they are expecting more strikes throughout the evening.

Now, one of the things that we have been told was that this was meant to be somewhat of a warning shot fired to Iran after the downing of that Apache and that they don't think long term this is going to affect any of those negotiations. Now, it's unclear whether or not they noted that Iran was going to retaliate and retaliate so quickly. We saw a post from Iran's foreign minister saying that any strike from the U.S. would essentially be countered. Now the U.S. is still maintaining that it is somewhat optimistic about

these negotiations about reaching a peace deal. However, it's unclear whether or not that two to three-day timeline, which President Trump laid out last night still holds. Of course, we had heard that kind of timeline before and we are still in the midst of this no longer or even ceasefire as the two sides are trading strikes.

BURNETT: Yeah, absolutely, and days away from a deal for 102 days.

Thank you very much, Kristen Holmes.

I want to go to Fred Pleitgen. He's live on the ground in Tehran, so actually there.

And, Fred, you know, obviously where you're standing, 2:30 in the morning, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, says they're launching missiles and drones toward U.S. targets in the region. You're actually there and able to tell us what the Iranian regime is thinking or what they're telling you. What are you learning?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're saying that there's going to be a powerful response to this. They generally have said, Erin, that there's going to be a powerful response to any sort of strikes that happen against Iranian territory.

And you're absolutely right. The IRGC has already come out and said that they've launched missiles and drones towards what they call U.S. military targets in the region.

[19:05:02]

It's unclear what exactly is under fire at this point in time. It's quite interesting because about 30 minutes ago, the Iranian foreign minister also came out with a new post on X saying, quote, "Despite its defeats on the battlefield, the U.S. opted to test our determination. Our powerful armed forces will leave no attack or threat unanswered. Leave our region if you want to be safe." So that coming just a couple of minutes ago from the Iranian foreign minister, obviously sounding very different than a possible peace deal being very close to this point --

BURNETT: All right, it looks like it was finished. There we go. Okay. Looks like we've lost Fred's shot there. Obviously, you can imagine having communications to Tehran is not the easiest thing, but we're very grateful that Fred is there. As many of you may know, he was with incredible journalism as the war began.

OUTFRONT now, retired Navy Admiral William McRaven. His storied military career includes organizing and overseeing the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. He is also the author now of the new book, "Duty, Honor, Country and Life: A Tribute to the American Spirit," something important to read and to think about as we reach this 250th anniversary as a nation.

Admiral McRaven, I want to begin with the breaking news here, though, the U.S. striking Iran. Trump says that Iran took out one of America's elite Apache helicopters, and then there's then this back-and-forth.

And you heard what Fred was just reporting before that communications issue when he was reporting that the foreign minister is threatening the U.S., saying, "Our powerful armed forces will leave no attack or threat unanswered, leave our region if you want to be safe." The IRGC is retaliating.

What do you see happening here, Admiral?

ADM. WILLIAM H. MCRAVEN, U.S. NAVY (RET.), FORMER COMMANDER, U.S. SPECIAL FORCES: Yeah, well, unfortunately, this ceasefire is beginning to escalate, and this is not what the administration wants. Trump truly wants a deal, and I actually think the Iranians want a deal. But until we can stop shooting at each other, nobody's going to come to the negotiating table.

I've been saying for quite some time that the president needs to think about his kind of long-term strategic goals, and those should be first and foremost to get the straight open. The only way that strait's going to get open is if the president lifts the blockade under the auspices that the Iranians have got to open the straits. And then sit down and begin the long-term negotiations that are going to be required for the highly enriched uranium, the state sponsor of terrorism, and all the things that the Iranian regime has been doing that we want to put in better balance.

BURNETT: Yeah. And of course, the irony of what you say, the first strategic coal is to return to the way things were before the war started, at least when it comes to the Strait of Hormuz itself, right, with reopening that.

It does come in the context of this deal, Admiral, where Trump, as I said, the number that we counted is at least 38 times. Over the past couple of months, he has said that a war -- a deal with Iran was close to being finalized, right? There's a deal. There's a deal.

And we know it often comes over the weekend. It comes ahead of the market opening. I played a few of those claims a few moments ago.

But you say you believe the Iranians also want a deal as well. How do you think they view, though, the reality that it is now very obvious to anyone on this planet that Trump really wants to make a deal?

MCRAVEN: You know, of course, one of the Iranian stipulations for coming to the negotiating table was for the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel to stop. And that has continued, which is why you -- you've heard about the very contentious phone call that President Trump had with Prime Minister Netanyahu. You've seen the continual, you know, bombardment going back and forth between Israel and Hezbollah. And of course, this is what precipitated the Iranian attack the other day and then the counterattack by the Israelis.

So unfortunately, the president really has a lot of things going on here. He's got to convince the Israelis, yes, they have the right to self-protection, they need to protect themselves, but we've got to figure out a way to kind of broker some sort of ceasefire in Lebanon so that, that can be one of the stipulations that we kind of take off the table.

Then the next thing is, we've got to figure out a way where we convince the Iranians that we will lift the blockade if they open the straits, and then sit down and begin the long term and the hard negotiations that will come.

BURNETT: Yeah, and long and hard, as you said, and with the prior deal, of course, we know it took years to get it done.

MCRAVEN: Right.

BURNETT: Now, Trump's claims of an imminent deal, as you know, Admiral, have been preceded by bombastic rhetoric that was unsettling to everyone, from both Trump as well as the Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Here are just a few things that they've said to remind everybody of those moments where your heart would be in your throat many times in the early days of this war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I had to do a little stopover in Iran, and we had to knock the hell out of them.

PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: We negotiate with bombs.

TRUMP: We just keep bombing our little hearts out.

HEGSETH: Death and destruction from the sky all day long.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[19:10:03]

BURNETT: That last threat from the defense secretary, death and destruction from the sky all day long, also comes in the context of Trump and the Easter post, which, of course, is unforgettable, Admiral. The president wrote, "A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again."

I'm thinking in the context of the fact that you're writing a book in honor of America's 250th anniversary. What are the consequences on the world stage for an American president and the leader of its military, his defense secretary, to be speaking in this way?

MCRAVEN: Well, certainly, the rhetoric doesn't help. It certainly doesn't help in the process of negotiations. As I mentioned before, at the end of the day, Trump wants to broker a deal with the Iranians. And the deal has got to begin with opening the straits.

And so, he's got to get them to the negotiating table. He's got to provide some sort of incentive that opens the straits and brings the Iranians to the negotiating table. The rhetoric won't help.

But to your point about my book, "Duty, Honor, Country and Life," it really is about the incredible soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines that I worked with over my 37 years. And it's those same soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines that are out there in the Gulf right now responding to the threats from Iran.

So I hope when people read this book, they'll realize how incredible the young men and women of this country are, not just in the military, but frankly, everywhere I go in the country.

BURNETT: That's an optimistic note I think that gives people heart. Your book is a collection of speeches, letters, even poems, frankly, Admiral, that you've written over the years, which I think is important and I hope inspirational to many young women and men.

But ahead of the country's 250th birthday, at one point you write, "Keeping our democracy alive past 250 years will not be easy. It will require our leaders to be men and women of integrity, the same integrity that I saw in public servants who raised their voices against corruption, malfeasance, and the mistreatment of their fellow Americans."

It's a poignant statement in the context of the moment in which we're having this conversation. Admiral, do you think American democracy is in danger right now?

MCRAVEN: Look, I am worried about American democracy, but American democracy has always been this grand experiment, Erin. And the fact of the matter is, if we're going to keep the American democracy moving for another 250 years, then we have to expect better from our leaders -- our leaders in the administration today, the ones in the next election, and on and on and on.

And not just, yeah, we need to expect better from our leaders at the local, state, and federal level. That's what will move our democracy forward. That's what will keep it in place 250 years from now.

BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Admiral McRaven. And I hope everyone will obviously take a look at your new book, as well as your original one, "Make Your Bed," and other important things to know in life, which, as I said, I know is being read in my family.

Thank you so much, Admiral.

MCRAVEN: Thanks.

BURNETT: And next, breaking news, polls just closing in a race that's testing Trump's influence over the Republican Party tonight. This is in South Carolina. Can Trump's pick pull out a win? John King is standing by with new results.

Plus, polls also closing in Maine. Democrats on edge right now waiting to see how embattled Senate candidate Graham Platner weathers the string of controversies he's facing.

And a website tied to the Trump family now is selling a $12,000 coin with shockingly President Trump's face on it. The website says it's to celebrate America's 250th anniversary. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:18:02]

BURNETT: Breaking news on this election night in America, polls closing moments ago in South Carolina, where Trump is facing a major test tonight of whether his candidate for governor will win. Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette is facing a crowded primary, including a challenge from Congresswoman Nancy Mace who, of course, Trump has aggressively snubbed.

And after two high-profile Trump candidates, L.A. mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt and Iowa gubernatorial candidate Representative Randy Feenstra lost, the big question is, how will Trump fare in the test in South Carolina tonight?

Also in South Carolina, surprisingly, I mean, when you talk about incumbent, I mean, this defines the word incumbent. Lindsey Graham is fighting off a Republican challenger. Graham has represented, obviously, a deep red South Carolina for more than two decades. He has never been in a runoff, which could happen this year if he doesn't get 50 percent of the vote. How in the world is that even in question?

Well, a lot of the commentary he has been making during the war is part of the reason. He does, though, have the endorsement of Trump. And in the last weeks of the race, he has spent big money to try to keep his seat on defense to try to prevent this runoff, as I said, in part because of comments he's made about the war with Iran and Israel.

And of course, we're also watching one of the most talked about races right now, which is the Democratic Senate primary in Maine, where Graham Platner is expected to prevail. Now, whether he can beat incumbent Republican Susan Collins is what this is about, and that may come down to the turnout and enthusiasm that we see in the primary tonight. His performance will be closely watched because for Democrats, the Maine Senate race is crucial if they are going to regain control of the Senate.

All right, Arlette Saenz at Platner's campaign headquarters in Blue Hill, Maine, and Dianne Gallagher is in South Carolina, where we are standing by for the first results, which could come here in the next few seconds. But we've also got David Axelrod, Maura Gillespie, Astead Herndon, and Mark Sanford, also all here standing by.

Let's start with you, though, Dianne, because polls have now closed in South Carolina. And what are you learning here?

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Erin. Polls just closed, which means we had to come outside from the polling place we were so they could get everything together, get it to the county election seat that's happening all across the state right now.

[19:20:07]

Of course, most of the eyes watching that South Carolina GOP gubernatorial race here, which has really just a stacked field of five candidates, including the Lieutenant Governor Pamela Abbott, who is endorsed by Donald Trump, the longtime Attorney General Alan Wilson, two sitting members of Congress and Ralph Norman and Nancy Mace and businessman Rom Reddy.

A lot of the questions about the Trump endorsement and whether or not it's going to get a Trump bump or not. And I will tell you talking to voters here today, there is no clear leader, which is what we've seen in a lot of polling here in this state locally as well. We spoke to people who say that they loved President Trump but had already made their decision about their candidate before the endorsement came down and there was nothing in his endorsement that caused them to want to switch up candidates.

Now, because South Carolina requires 50 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff. We are likely heading to one in this particular race. And many of the voters I spoke to here said that if Evette were to make that runoff, at that point, they may then put more stock in Donald Trump's endorsement. But again, it would depend on who she was going up against.

Each one of these candidates, all five of them, have tried to align themselves as closely with the president's agenda as they can. Congresswoman Mace calling herself Trump in heels and MAGA Mace. Of course, she did not get that endorsement, but it has not stopped any of the candidates from saying that they are all about the Trump administration.

You mentioned the Graham race just really quickly. There are six Republicans, including Lindsey Graham, running for U.S. Senate here. There is talk. We only found two or three people who said they voted for Lindsey Graham. Most of them said, though, they weren't really sure about the person they voted for against him. They just didn't want to vote for Graham again.

BURNETT: Yeah, it's fascinating to watch that. Just think about the moment in history we're at for Lindsey Graham.

All right. Thank you very much, Dianne. We're going to be going back to you.

I do, just before we go to Maine, want to put that board up again that we had put up for just a second. Very first votes coming in in South Carolina, fewer than 1,000 counted. So take it with that grain of salt.

But here's what you have. You have Alan Wilson right now, 23 votes ahead. So that's why I'm emphasizing how very few votes this is. Pamela Evette is the lieutenant governor, the Trump endorsed candidate. But you got to keep a close eye on this as more votes come in these next few minutes here.

Let's go now to Arlette Saenz, who is in Blue Hill, Maine. That is Graham Platner's headquarters there.

And, Arlette, polls about to close where you are. So what is the mood inside the room right now where all eyes are going to be on what is turnout, what is enthusiasm on the heels of these controversies surrounding Platner?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erin, attendees are starting to fill in, in this gymnasium in the very county where Graham Platner is from as they hope to hear a victory speech from their chosen candidates this evening. Platner is expected -- is favored to win this Democratic primary, but what we will be watching very closely is the margin of that victory, which could offer a gauge of how much enthusiasm he does or does not have within the Democratic Party after those scandals that have come out around his campaign.

Now we spoke to a mix of voters throughout the day and they really had differing views about Platner's candidacy and viability in this campaign going forward. We spoke to people who voted for Platner sticking with him, but others who said that they voted for Janet Mills, the state's governor, who has suspended her campaign but whose name is still on the ballot.

Take a listen to two of those voters on opposing sides that we spoke to earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB CARTEN, VOTED FOR GOV. JANET MILLS: In terms of Mr. Platner, it's how many strikes do we need against the guy? I don't think he's ready to be a senator.

ERIN EVANS, VOTED FOR GRAHAM PLATNER: He's absolutely going to win. I have no doubt. Mainers are not falling for this political crap. And frankly, the more people from away that come and try to influence our thoughts, the more we dig in with what we really believe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now the biggest test for Platner will come in November, where he is expected to face off against Republican Senator Susan Collins. Republicans have made clear that they plan to put plat Platner's controversies front and center in their messaging against him in this campaign. A Democratic primary electorate is far different than a general electorate, so Platner will have some work to do in the coming months if he wants to try to overcome some of the concerns about the controversies here, but this is one of those states that will be crucially watched until the very end as it the makeup of the Senate next year -- Erin.

BURNETT: All right, Arlette, thank you very much. A Platner's headquarters as we await for results there.

Everyone's here with me.

So, David, we'll put those results up in South Carolina very, very early. Let's see if we get a few more votes in there. But we had -- so there you go. I think we've doubled the number that we had. Alan Wilson is now ahead. Now, look, you've got five people running. You start to see this flip up and down because we're very early on.

[19:25:00] Pamela Yvette, though, this lieutenant governor, that is the Trump- backed candidate, and that is the test for Trump tonight. How important is it for Trump that she win?

DAVID AXELROD, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: You know, I think it will be added to the list of -- it's so unusual for Trump not to win that anytime somebody doesn't, the question comes up, is he losing his influence with Republican voters.

I wouldn't read too much. I defer to the governor on this. I wouldn't read too much of it, too much into that. I don't know how much he leaned into this. When he leans in, it tends to make a difference. We saw it in Texas, we saw it in Louisiana. This didn't seem one in which he was leaning real hard.

BURNETT: Leaning in too heavily.

What about, Governor, you know, you served obviously two terms as governor, so you've been through this, but there's also the GOP Senate race and Lindsey Graham, and it was interesting with Dianne's reporting that some people were saying they literally were just voting to vote against Lindsey Graham.

MARK SANFORD (R), FORMER GOVERNOR OF SOUTH CAROLINA: I think that's real. I think that Lindsey -- had he drawn a real opponent, would have been in profound trouble. I think he's in trouble, the fact that we're having this conversation.

I've been through my share of runoffs in South Carolina. They are not fun. I mean, it's a blood sport. I mean, it's sort of gladiator style, whoever walks out alive wins it.

But I mean, it'll be a rough two weeks, if Mark ends up. I mean, they will bring, you hear talk of the president coming in if Mark ends up in that runoff with Lindsey. So we'll see.

BURNETT: Yeah, I mean, obviously early, early on, he's ahead by -- Lindsey Graham's ahead by a lot now, but again, you're looking at just a few thousand votes. You can see 1 percent, I believe, need my glasses. 1 percent of the vote is in.

Astead, so I'm not going to read anything into that at this point. But it is incredible that we're having this conversation. And in part, it comes from Lindsey Graham's fealty to Trump and a lot of the commentary that he has made in the past few months on the Iran war and Israel's importance compared to voters in South Carolina's importance to Lindsey Graham.

ASTEAD HERNDON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yeah, I mean, he's run afoul of both the right, and this has been building for a while. I remember being in Myrtle Beach four or five years ago with a different Lindsey Graham challenger and there was still that kind of air because he was softer on immigration issues than kind of that base one. There's been multiple efforts and I think to the governor's point.

What Trump really did was insulate him from maybe a more stronger challenger. It's kind of a tale of two shape-shifters. I think of interesting thing in that governor's race is how Donald Trump kind of punished Nancy Mace, particularly for their vote to release the Epstein files. And I think that's someone who has tried to tie herself to him so closely. And you see how in that break, specifically on that issue, he has made, I think, obviously, the conscious choice to not only endorse her opponent, but to make sure folks knew he was sidelining her.

AXELROD: I just wonder, you know, in both parties and in this country, there is this great divide today, and it is establishment candidates versus anti-establishment candidates. And Lindsey Graham, he's been around forever.

SANFORD: Yeah.

AXELROD: He's an establishment candidate. I think he, you know, he built his relationship with Trump as a firewall against the anti- establishment movement, but I'm not sure voters really see him that way.

MAURA GILLESPIE, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST; FOUNDER, BLUESTACK STRATEGIES: There's a reason for that.

BURNETT: Yeah, go ahead, go ahead.

GILLESPIE: What I was going to say is that which version of Lindsey Graham are you talking about? There's been many iterations of Lindsey Graham.

He was a John McCain best friend. He was somebody who then turned and said that he was all for Trump and has been a champion for Trump. And then really, I think MAGA got upset when he was talking about "I'll bomb anyone and everyone".

And so this idea that he -- there is this idea within the MAGA cohorts that Lindsey Graham is the reason that -- partially the reason that Donald Trump has gone after and attacked and bombed the cartel boats and Iran and different things. And so I do think that's coming back to bite him in a way that MAGA is not happy with. It doesn't necessarily mean that they are doing this against Donald Trump. They're doing this against Lindsey Graham.

BURNETT: You've worked for House Speaker John Boehner, also Adam Kinzinger. I'm curious in the context of what you just said about Nancy Mace, though. Nancy May's describing herself as Trump in high heels, but Trump turned on her over the Epstein files.

It's like he turned on Thomas Massie. They would say, oh, well, Thomas Massie also didn't vote with him on the war. It was about the Epstein files when he had these original shifts on people.

You know, what does that say to you, that so much of this for Trump comes down to Epstein?

GILLESPIE: But it also comes down to personal -- it's a personal thing for Trump because he's also not endorsed Ralph Norman, and so because of his support for Nikki Haley. You know, he has these vendettas that he holds on to and he won't let them go.

But I do think when you talk about the Epstein files, that is also something that he, one, feels very strongly about. And we watched as Pam Bondi passed the buck to Todd Blanche and said that it's his fault. Let's go have him deal with it. MAGA's not going to forget that either.

But also the general public's not going to forget the fact that that has been withheld. And we really haven't gotten answers for a lot of things. We also haven't gotten answers on why Ghislaine Maxwell is sitting in a cushy prison, right? There are questions that people want answers to and we're still being denied.

[19:30:00]

And from a campaign that ran on transparency. Not having that come to fruition is very frustrating.

BURNETT: I mean, it's kind of amazing. Platner, so obviously, the other person on the ballot had already gotten out of the race, so it's not really a race. But what does matter is what tonight? Turnout, what can you look at to see?

HERNDON: I think you can look at the margins. Like the last polling we had was having at 70-something percent, 60-something percent, since her 24, when she was more campaigning high. Do you see people come out on her side? I really think this is a question of what happens going forward. Is there more information that comes out about him, I think is the principal question. But, you know, I think what that voter shared in the package is a real sentiment. Platner, and I think to David's point, these kind of anti-establishment candidates have made have made the targets against them part of the appeal, right?

Like they're saying, and part of thumbing your nose at Washington is not just the policies that kind of prioritize the working class, but sending a person they don't think it's supposed to be there. That's built in the Platner campaign.

BURNETT: And do you see that in South Carolina, too?

SANFORD: Absolutely. I mean, to your point, to David's point, the anti-establishment thing is a big deal in this governor's race. For instance, Rom Reddy of the last week has been surging, I mean, really moving. He just had $400,000 run against him in negative ads by Ralph Norman and crew, but that may have stopped it.

But the anti-establishment fervor is alive and well, I suspect, to your point, across the country, but you really feel it in South Carolina. And were it not for those ads, were it not for the Trump endorsement, I think Rom would have ended up in this runoff. I don't think he will.

AXELROD: Well, I think Platner is counting the minutes to turn this race on Susan Collins, and I think we're probably hear that tonight.

BURNETT: Yeah. All right. Everyone, stay with me. You're going to be with us here as we continue our breaking news coverage of election night in America.

Live pictures out of Los Angeles because this is the witching hour every night. This is when we get a big pile of votes from that room.

So can we make a governor's call? We'll see. We can determine whether Republican Steve Hilton will advance to the runoff or not.

Plus, Trump today dismissing what has become one of the biggest issues for voters this election year.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:36:51]

BURNETT: Breaking news. We're watching whether a Trump-backed candidate in South Carolina will win in tonight's primary for governor after Trump's preferred candidates in Iowa and California recently lost. As a major Trump ally, Lindsey Graham, the senator there, is fighting a crowded primary field, trying to avoid being forced into a runoff election for the first time in his Senate career.

So let's go to John King. He's at the magic wall OUTFRONT.

And, John, Trump backing South Carolina's lieutenant in the race there. So how is she doing right now is we're starting to see votes populate the screen?

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: She's in the lead right now, but it's very, very early. Number one, let's start there. We only have about 3 percent of the voting, Erin, so we need to be very careful. This is just a few precincts in a few counties. You see them lighting up in here.

I'll go through and the other point is if you don't get to 50 percent plus one. You have a runoff, but the lieutenant governor is Trump's endorsed candidate. You see, she's on top right now. The state attorney general, Alan Wilson, is second. Businessman Rom Reddy is running third.

I heard the former governor talking earlier about the anti- establishment sentiment we see over the country. Two members of Congress, Ralph Norman and Nancy Mace, at the bottom of the pack right now. Forgive me, I moved that over a little bit. Let's come back over.

But again, it's only three percent of the race as it comes in. So number one, it looks like if the two Congress -- members of Congress stay down there, you're going to have turn over in Congress anyway. The question is whether they can move on up. It's too early to the call again.

And with three percent, you would say oh they're going to run off but it's three percent. So check back in we'll let this we'll let the count go on.

BURNETT: All right. And so, now, let's talk about Lindsey Graham Trump's ally has been his fierce ally on many issues recently, but specifically the Iran war. So he's now facing final five opponents in his primary also needs a 50 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff.

So where do things stand there for Senator Graham?

KING: So flip side of the same explanation. He's way ahead right now, but everybody calm down if he's still only three percent of the vote. And if he stays there against a more conservative candidate, Mark Lynch, if Lindsey Graham can stay above 50, he will avoid that runoff, but at 3 percent of the vote, you know again very He's the incumbent senator, so there's nothing you can make of it except if you Lindsey Graham, you want to stay up there. But as more votes come in, we'll see if he does.

BURNETT: All right, John, I just want to -- I'm about to ask you a question here, but first we do have some breaking news.

We can make a projection in the race for governor in the state of California now that Steve Hilton will be advancing to the general election, so he will be advancing along with Xavier Becerra. That means that Tom Steyer will not advance to the next -- to the general election. But this means that Republican Steve Hilton will advance in the California race for governor to the general election.

And you can see that is the vote count here that we are making this projection here at CNN based on right now.

So, John, we saw Steve Hilton maintain that lead. Steyer had caught it, you know, cut into it a little bit. But what do you see that stands out now that these results are in California with Becerra and Hilton advancing in the gubernatorial race?

KING: Several things to think about as you go through this here. Number one, unless you are a supporter of Tom Steyer, and this is a defeat and you're bruised by this and you're upset by this -- other Democrats are happy that you have a Democrat and a Republican running against each other in November because California doesn't mean Mr. Hilton can't win. This is a volatile year.

[19:40:00]

It is an anti-incumbent, anti-establishment year. And in California, Democrats are the establishment. So we'll watch this play out.

But Xavier Becerra's campaign and other Democrats did not want to have more spending millions of dollars again on Democrat-Democrat ads and violence if you will. So now you have a Democrat and a Republican advancing to the fall campaign in California, our most populous state.

The other thing I will note is just look at this now just in terms of your panel is having this conversation. People are not happy with politics and in California there was no clear favorite. Mr. Becerra and Mr. Hilton will move on by 28 percent, 25 percent, 23 percent, you know, 5 percent, 3 percent. Just you had all these candidates running in the vote was split all over the place and the two people who will advance essentially getting 28 percent and 25 percent. So, a number of candidates in the race, voters all over the map, to

borrow a phrase as you get there. But now, again, in our most populous state, Gavin Newsom term limit going out. Mr. Becerra, former congressman, former state attorney general, former member of the Biden cabinet, running against Steve Hilton, former Fox News host, the more conservative candidate.

So California has a Democrat-Republican match[up because of the jungle primary year, and it could have been Democrat on Democrat, which would have been a lot of money. spent Democrats would rather spend money on the governor's race and have resources elsewhere and not be fighting each other from now until November.

BURNETT: All right, thank you very much, John King.

So, David Axelrod, it is obviously you could say Democrats. other than Tom Steyer's supporters, wanted an outcome like this because they think it favors them to have a Democrat versus a Republican so you don't split the vote. So, fine.

But Steve Hilton has advanced. You had a Republican advance. He is a former Fox News host. He's also a very energetic person who has now been trying to position himself as a much more of a California Republican.

AXELROD: Yes, and the first thing he did to do that is to dispute the president's interpretation of the count as being a rigged election.

BURNETT: Yeah.

AXELROD: And that was a declaration of Independence. The president was his booster rocket to get into the runoff because he -- there were two Republicans who were relatively even in the competition. Trump came along, he endorsed Hilton. But as I've said before, he puts wind in your sails in a primary and he's an anchor in the general. He's trying to separate himself from Trump.

But let's just say for a second, that was what made the Trump's outburst over the weekend so absurd, because the idea that the election was being rigged to keep Republicans out was insane. And Karen Bass was mourning the loss of Pratt in Los Angeles, and I think Becerra is celebrating the ascension of Hilton because it's a Democratic state.

Los Angeles is even more Democratic than the state. They'd love to run against Republicans. Democrat on Democrat is harder.

BURNETT: Astead, it is interesting, though, as the governor pointed out, and as John King said, this is an anti-establishment, anti- incumbent year. I mean, we'll see. You're talking about California, okay? So I guess I got to just say you're talking about California.

But Xavier Becerra is as traditional and incumbent and, you know, all of those things as it gets. And Steve Hilton isn't?

HERNDON: Yeah, I mean, I do think that gives an opportunity for someone to kind of play themselves as outsider. But I was actually thinking about the failures of the left in California specifically. I think that a lot of folks were trying to boost Tom Steyer. He tried to really spend a lot of money in that new media ecosystem, lean into the wealth tax there. That didn't necessarily pay off.

You have, I think in California, a history of that more mainstream Democrat being able to crowd out the progressive left lane. And they haven't still been able to overcome that. But I still don't think that takes away from what is a general tenor of anti-establishment-ism. And I think that there are some issues that are guiding that.

I think that A.I. kind of rejection or anti-data centers or wanting to share the profits of the future of work comes up all the time. I think that sentiment change about Israel is something that is undeniable in polling and is now a kind of uniting figure among base right and left. And you're seeing that as a disconnect with elected officials.

So I feel like when you think about anti-establishment, you have to add in the issues in there, too, that are sometimes driving the gateway for these candidates.

BURNETT: And it is interesting as David pointed out, that when you saw in California, Steve Hilton saying going against Trump and saying, I'm not saying I have any evidence that this is rigged. He actually said it 24 hours ago here. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE HILTON (R), CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR CANDIDATE: We've been very vigilant on it. We're keeping an eye on it. We've got teams standing by, lawyers standing by. And actually, it's the same answer that actually I've been giving for a few days now. We've seen nothing that would give us cause to intervene in that way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Okay, we're in a world where a Republican endorsed by Trump saying, I'm not seeing election, any evidence of election fraud, everything seems fine when Trump says they're out to get him is actually -- it's a big deal.

[19:45:06]

Okay?

SANFORD: Big deal. Survivable in California, maybe not in South Carolina.

AXELROD: Required in California. Required.

SANFORD: Right, right, right.

BURNETT: Do you think required in California?

SANFORD: Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, it's the nature of the different states and the compositions that go with it. But I mean, I don't think it's a bellwether yet, I guess is what I'm saying. To your point, required or needed. But take it to South Carolina or some other states down south, maybe a little different.

GILLESPIE: But for Steve Hilton to agree with the President, to agree with Vance and to agree with Speaker Johnson that there was widespread fraud happening here in California would diminish what he just accomplished.

SANFORD: Right.

GILLESPIE: He got to this point, so it would diminish the votes that he got. So why would he? You know, he's got it -- someone's got to call the spade a spade here, right? If it's not fraud because his team's working on it -- one, I would hope that he's having a conversation with the president's team and calling him behind the scenes and saying, please stop saying that, because you're cheapening my win.

(CROSSTALK)

GILLESPIE: You're cheapening my win, essentially. Yes.

BURNETT: Yeah, yeah.

AXELROD: I think one of the things that's really interesting is Steyer. He ran as kind of a self-loathing billionaire, and he spent hundreds of millions of his own dollars flaying billionaires. If he had gone to the general, he might have spent so much money, he wouldn't be a billionaire anymore, but it just shows you that you can't take the progressive kit, toolkit, put $200 million behind it, and expect that progressive voters are going to follow you.

BURNETT: All right.

GILLESPIE: Yeah.

BURNETT: Okay, everyone stay here. We are continuing to follow the breaking news as we have made that call in California with advancing for Steve Hilton and Xavier Becerra. Made that call.

And Iran now retaliating tonight against the US as well. We understand these strikes back and forth, launching missile and drones toward the U.S. The escalation is coming after that Apache went down along the Strait of Hormuz.

And a website tied to the Trump family is trying to cash in on the White House cage fight. This is a whole new way that maybe you never would have thought of celebrating America's 250th anniversary. They are selling a $12,000 coin with Trump's face.

And we also have new results coming in in South Carolina.

We'll have those for you right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:51:14]

BURNETT: Back with our breaking news, election night in America on this Tuesday. Polls are about to close any moment in Maine here. On the Democratic side, Graham Platner fighting after a number of controversies.

And we're just getting new numbers in as well from South Carolina. The latest total on the Republican side in the race for governor, as you can see, Pamela Evette, who is the current lieutenant governor backed by Trump, is ahead, but a very small percentage of the vote is in, only just a few percentage points in.

And so keeping that same caveat in mind, look at the GOP race for Senate, where Lindsey Graham is facing an unexpected challenge. He's never had to go to a runoff. He's far ahead now, but again, only a few percentage points are in. So, really can't read much into any of that right now, but important to see these numbers.

Everyone's back here with me now.

Okay, let's just give you a chance, Governor, first, to react to what we're seeing in South Carolina. Obviously, the numbers are a big lead now, but it's early, and we don't have a lot of votes in.

SANFORD: Yeah, but I think the numbers that you just saw in the governor's face will hold. I think that the Trump endorsement ensured Pamela's spot in the runoff. And the question is, who's number two? I think that Alan is sort of the safe bet, and as a consequence will end up in the runoff with her. I think the two congressmen are out, and I think the wild card was Rom Reddy who had real momentum last week, but I think that's been thwarted. I think it'll be Alan and Evette in the runoff.

BURNETT: In the runoff.

All right, and we'll see as those numbers come in. Maura, let's talk about Maine. Graham Platner, what are you looking for there? I mean, it had been -- you know, he had been in this anti-establishment, people embraced him, this guy, there was a Nazi tattoo.

Now there's a series of controversies with women, extramarital affairs. But what are you looking for tonight to gauge where this goes, right? Because he's not running fully unopposed, even though the person on the ballot running against him is not in the race anymore.

GILLESPIE: Right. But she did say last week, just as a reminder, she's still on the ballot. She's let people know because of all these stories and all these shoes that dropped about Graham Platner, she let some people know I'm still on the ballot. And you're seeing, you know, your reporter who was in the field earlier showed us that there were people who were for her because they didn't want to vote for Graham Platner, knowing that maybe as it gets farther ahead and goes to the general, Graham Platner is going to win, at least to get through to the general, but they didn't want to have themselves voting for someone like that. And I think that there's a concern when it comes to wanting to put

forward someone, you know, Chuck Schumer put his kind of backing behind Janet Mills early on that got rebuffed. And then you have Graham Platner.

Was there vetting done for this? I mean, how many more shoes are going to drop? And so do you have to support him as a Democrat? What does that do to you as a member of Congress? Are you going to throw your support? What is it doing to Ro Khanna in California who has gone out there and campaigned for him?

I think there is a concern if you're not fully vetting these candidates, what does it say about you? Does it does it show a bit of hypocrisy? And what I'm looking for is how many people in Maine show up tonight and say, you know what? I don't like Graham Platner. I'm voting for Janet Mills.

BURNETT: And the Democrats know they need that Senate seat to turn the Senate.

AXELROD: Oh, it's absolutely pivotal. I think we started the year and the assumption was that North Carolina and Maine were the two seats that Democrats would likely pick up. And what other seats could they pick up?

BURNETT: Yeah. They need four.

AXELROD: Now, they may pick up -- they may pick up more seats. They're certainly in a better position to pick up other seats than would have been suspected earlier in the year when you look at Ohio and Alaska and Iowa and Texas. But Maine was going to be one of the pillars of this. So there is a lot of anxiety about this race.

BURNETT: And you know what, Astead? When I said extramarital affairs, it was sexting. And I think the fact that I said one and you know, there's a lot of -- there's a lot of storm clouds around Grand Platner, right? People can't even keep track right now of what's happening, what might come next. And that's the storm clouds.

HERNDON: Yeah. And it's been -- it's been growing as he's been in this race. But you know, for as controversial as this race has been, I think for maybe folks nationally, the Democratic Party, Washington, D.C., it hasn't been that controversial in Maine, seemingly, since the second he's gotten in that race, he has dominated.

[19:55:06]

And he has raised -- he's raised money. We have not seen Janet Mills being able to break through. And so I think we have to wrestle the reality of the scandal with the fact that we don't see a Democratic electorate right now penalizing him for that. Maybe that starts tonight. But I think the buy should be high.

BURNETT: We'll see.

All right, everyone, stay with us. And next, the Trump family hoping to profit from Trump's cage fight at the White House. The $12,000 coin with Trump's face on it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BURNETT: As we watch the election results coming in, we'll bring you new numbers as we get them, and also this hour, a $12,000 coin with Trump's face on it. That's what a website tied to the president's family is selling ahead of the UFC brawl at the White House this weekend that Trump is hosting for his own birthday on America's 250th.

The website Trump Coins, which says it's coins are designed by Trump, is partnering with the UFC to sell the collection of themed coins, which come alongside, complete with the president's face and signature. There is a cheaper silver coin option that you can get for 250 bucks. The coins are billed as a celebration of America's 250th anniversary, and construction of the UFC cage for the fight is continuing on the White House lawn today, as you can see.

Thanks so much for joining us.

Our continuing coverage of election night in America continues now with Anderson Cooper.