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Talarico Triples Republican Opponent In Senate Fundraising; Progressive Challengers Oust Incumbent Democrats; One-On-One With Democratic Congressional Candidate Brad Lander; Brad Lander Endorses Abdul El-Sayed In Michigan Senate Primary. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired July 10, 2026 - 12:30   ET

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

[12:30:00]

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: And the question right now is whether James Talarico, who is the Democratic nominee there, can turn that very red seat blue. Ken Paxton, the state attorney general, is the nominee. And if you just look at the numbers, the fundraising that James Talarico did in the last quarter, it is eye-popping. $30 million just in the second quarter. Ken Paxton, $9 million.

What does that tell you, Christina?

CHRISTINA RUFFINI, CO-HOST, "BLOOMBERG THIS WEEKEND": I do want to say, that's a -- I mean that's a huge disparity in fundraising, but as we have seen in many races throughout our time covering this, that doesn't always equate to a win at the ballot box, right? For him it's going to be all about turnout, it's going to be about messaging.

And in Texas you're seeing the demographic shift, right? We've got a lot of young people moving in, we've got this new tech boom in Austin. I went to school down there, you've got a lot of people who stayed down there because of good housing and good jobs. And so the -- there are more progressives in Texas than I think there have been in the past.

However, as we've talked about over and over again, all the data says everyone wants to focus on kitchen table issues. How am I going to pay that mortgage? How am I going to fill up my car? And Democrats once again seem to be on the verge of losing the thread. And even though that's not happening as much in Texas, it's all a knock-on effect.

And as we talked about last time I was here, when you ask people who the leader of the Democratic Party is, they can't answer that. They also struggle with command and control on messaging, and as long as they can stay focused they've got a chance, but I think that's a big if.

BASH: Yes. I mean, in fairness, there is no leader of the Democratic Party --

RUFFINI: Correct.

BASH: -- because there's not a Democrat in the White House. Just quickly, just to put a little meat on the bones that you were talking about when money doesn't always matter, we have some proof of that, some examples. Beto O'Rourke spent $38 million. He raised that and spent it, raised.

In the 2018 race, he lost to Ted Cruz. That was a record at the time. Jamie Harrison, South Carolina, $57.9 million in one single quarter in 2020. Sara Gideon, who we showed before, lost and lost badly in the third quarter of 2020, raised $39.4 million. And just to understand -- make sure everybody understands the thread here, they all lost.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR, CNN NEWS CENTRAL: Beto O'Rourke in 2018 got close, though. And I don't think there are any Democrats complaining that there's money going to James Talarico in Texas right now. Sometimes you see fundraising, you know, bombs in these states and people know that Democrat or that candidate's never going to win.

I don't think Democrats feel that way quite in Texas yet. And Harry Enten points out on CNN News Central, in the morning, 7:00 to 10:00 a.m. every day.

BASH: I love that show.

BERMAN: He's pointed out to us --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nice plug.

BERMAN: -- that James Talarico's doing better than Beto O'Rourke kind of ever did. Talarico's doing better against Paxton in the polling than really Beto ever did against Ted Cruz. Now, it's not to say it won't go south, but the negatives on Ken Paxton are just huge. He had the most bruising primary you could ever imagine. It went on forever, right?

S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes.

BERMAN: It went into overtime. So if Democrats are ever going to have a chance, it would be now, but it may just very well be that, you know, it's Lucy in the football once again.

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A very different kind of candidate with Talarico. My favorite data point on this fundraising hall is the individual donations because when you talk about turnout, that is what he needs, 780,000 individual donations.

I think that's an interesting data point that tells you about what people are paying attention to, to the point of being willing to open up their wallets and donate to a political campaign. And I think it will be all turnout messaging, which I think he has a better handle on than perhaps a few years ago under Beto.

BASH: We'll see. Lots of time left. Don't go anywhere.

Coming up, I'll speak to one of the progressives who beat an incumbent right here in New York City.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:38:19]

BASH: Progressive challengers have ousted three incumbent Democrats in primaries just over the past month. Two of those happened right here in New York City. Brad Lander and Darializa Avila Chevalier both beat Democratic incumbents and are likely to win their November elections in this deep blue districts.

Brad Lander joins me now. Thank you so much for being here.

BRAD LANDER (D), NEW YORK CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: Thank you.

BASH: I want to ask -- we were having these conversations earlier in the show that there's definitely a leftward shift towards where you are philosophically. Showed up in your primary and others. But in less blue districts, there still are more moderate Democrats being elected. Even right here in New York, in New York 17, where Republican Mike Lawler is the congressman, Kate Connolly won the same day you did.

So do you think that progressives like yourself could actually win in a place that isn't deep, deep blue?

LANDER: Well, I don't think the line really so much should be thought of as progressives versus moderates. To me, it's fighters versus folders. People are fed up with the status quo. They don't feel it's working for them. And that's true for working families in more moderate or frontline districts.

Look at someone like Pat Ryan in the Hudson Valley who's been fighting on utility costs and just showing people I'm out there fighting for working families. And that's what I think can unite us. You know, whether you use Medicare for All and the Green New Deal or whether you say, let's go confront the utility company that's bilking us. Like, that's the energy all Democrats need to bring this fall.

BASH: One of the big reasons you won your primary here is that you separated yourself from the incumbent Democrat Dan Goldman on Israel. You use the term genocide. He does not. You don't want to have the U.S. funding Israel militarily. You call yourself a liberal Zionist. What is a liberal Zionist?

[12:40:13]

LANDER: I believe in the vision of a Jewish and democratic Israel. I care about the place, but I don't think it's possible for it to be democratic while it's occupying the West Bank and Gaza. And I don't think that Israel's conduct in Gaza, which I do consider a genocide, is consistent with Jewish values.

So to me, it's like you stand up and you call it as you see it. I don't want to keep sending U.S. military aid to Israel while it's violating international law and Palestinian human rights. But I want it to actually honor international law and Palestinian human rights. So it can be the Jewish and democratic Israel that I grew up believing in.

BASH: I'm sorry, I just want to make sure I understand. You said that you don't think it's a democratic Israel?

LANDER: I want it to be a Jewish and democratic Israel. Right now, I don't think it's modeling democracy while it occupies the West Bank and Gaza and half the people under its sovereignty can't vote. But I believe that when occupation ends --

BASH: Yes.

LANDER: -- then it can be Jewish and democratic. And that's what I am going to be -- I'm fighting for.

BASH: Why are you not just a Zionist? Why do you say liberal Zionist? What do you think the difference is?

LANDER: I mean, the Declaration of Independence that founded Israel says it would be a place for the ingathering of exiles and full civil and political rights for everyone living there. But Palestinians living in the West Bank facing settler terrorism or living in refugee camps in Gaza because their schools and hospitals were destroyed, they don't have full political and civil rights.

So it is not living up to its founding vision. And to me, believing in Jewish and democratic means you've got to fight for the human rights of Palestinians at the same time as you fight for the safety of Jews. I guess maybe a shorthand way of saying it is I don't think Israelis will be safe until Palestinians are free and they both need that.

BASH: Can I just ask you a point blank? Do you not call yourself a Zionist because it is a term that many people on the hard left have started to use as a slur against Jews?

LANDER: Well, no, I mean, a liberal Zionist is a Zionist. I just want to make clear I'm not a Zionist like Ben-Gvir or Smotrich who want to eliminate Palestinians. So that's why I say that.

BASH: You can be an American and not believe in what Donald Trump believes in.

LANDER: To me, that's what I am here. I believe in the vision of a Jewish and democratic Israel. But it's got to change if it's going to be that. Just like, yes, this country --

BASH: Can I ask you one other question on this? The -- because you said you talked about genocide and you talked about occupying Gaza. And I've also heard you talk about the fact that Israel went too far after October 7th. What would you have wanted Israel to do when a bunch of civilians, about 1,200 maybe 900 civilians also members of the military kibbutzniks, these were peaceniks like you --

LANDER: I'm solely --

BASH: -- who lived on the border with Gaza because they were desperate for Palestinian rights. And they were murdered brutally. If you were asked what would you do in response, what would you have done?

LANDER: I mean, let me first clarify, I think Hamas committed an act of genocidal terrorism on October 7th and there had to be a response. I mean, priority one should have been return of the hostages, getting them back to their families and that I think would have been done faster with a political deal. And yes, accountability for the Hamas militants who conducted October 7th 100 percent --

BASH: They claim that they --

LANDER: -- but not killing 5,000 Palestinian kids under 5 and destroying --

BASH: And when Israel says that they tried, they tried hard to avoid this -- I'm just playing devil's advocate here --

LANDER: Yes,

BASH: -- the civilians but Hamas is so evil that it hid those terrorists and the weapons inside civilian population centers. War crimes don't justify other war crimes and destroying every single school and hospital and mosque and community center in Gaza and still occupying 70 percent of Gaza in addition to being a violation of international law, it's just not working. This isn't actually going to make Israelis safe.

BASH: Can I ask you about today? You endorsed Abdul El-Sayed who's running against Haley Stevens in Michigan. They're running to be the Democratic nominee for Senate there. He was asked by my colleague Isaac Dovere if someone could be a Zionist and a progressive.

Here's what he said. "Every definition of a Jewish state ends up in some articulation of illiberal values, every single one." How did you square what you just said about believing in the notion of a democratic Israel and what he said which is there is no such thing --

LANDER: I mean, we disagree on that. That's how I square it. Now we agree on a lot of --

BASH: It's not important enough for you that, let's see --

LANDER: Well, I met Abdul through our dear mutual friend Ady Barkan, this amazing activist who died of ALS courageously championing Medicare for All. And I don't think anybody's going to fight as hard to fulfill Ady's vision of healthcare for everybody as Abdul El-Sayed and fight to get money out of politics. We disagree on this.

[12:45:15]

Now, I believe that he cares about fighting for the safety of Jews in Michigan and the human rights and dignity of Israelis. He believes in a bi-national state with equal rights for all its people. I believe in two states. One, majority of Jews with equal rights for its Palestinian minority. One, a majority of Palestinians with equal rights for its minority Jews.

BASH: You're going to have to get Hamas out for that.

LANDER: That's a difference. Of course we are and a lot else is going to have to change. We're going to have to get Netanyahu out and Ben- Gvir and Smotrich out and Hamas out. It's a difference that we have but at the base level, you don't compromise on anyone's humanity.

BASH: And you don't think by him not believing in what you believe in the notion of a Jewish state of Israel compromises your humanity?

LANDER: I don't. I mean, you know, he's been clear that he wants full and equal civil rights and human rights for Israelis and Palestinians and for Jews. We have a difference in how we approach achieving it but I believe that there's a room to work together.

BASH: Just one other question on the question of Zionism because I've heard -- I've been listening to some of the podcasts that you're on and watching some of your interviews and you talk about how you get attacked from the left of which you are a part being called a Zionist baby killer and on the right or maybe in the Jewish world calling you a kapo, which for people who don't know, those were the Jews who were helping keep the peace so to speak in the Nazi concentration camps.

And I ask this because this word Zionist has been turned into a slur by a lot of people and you just -- you talk about how you have experienced that yourself. Deborah Lipstadt who is a very world renowned scholar on these issues, I asked her. She said, "I do believe that anti-Zionism is antisemitism. However, I also believe that anti- Zionism has morphed into its own kind of demonization and hatred. A prejudice all its own."

LANDER: So I disagree with that also. I mean Zionist can be used as a slur. And believe me, if you look at my mentions, I hear it that way. But, you know, my kid, my son is named after this guy Marek Edelman who was a Bundist, a Jewish democratic socialist in the Warsaw Ghetto who helped lead the Warsaw Ghetto uprising like that.

So seriously, I take the legacy of Jews who fought Nazis. He was not a Zionist. He didn't believe in a sovereign Jewish state. Even Albert Einstein, who they asked to be the president of Israel, wanted it to be safe for Jewish life in present Israel and Palestine. But he worried that Jewish sovereignty would have dangerous consequences.

So there are anti-Zionists who are members of my synagogue who I can tell you are absolutely not antisemitic, who care about the safety of Jews, who don't believe that the state is making Jews safer. That's not my position --

BASH: Yes.

LANDER: -- but I don't think it's antisemitic

BASH: I'm told we have to get to a break. Will you stick around for one other --

LANDER: Of course. Sure.

BASH: OK. Stick around. Brad Lander will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [12:52:24]

BASH: Welcome back to Inside Politics. Brad Lander, the candidate for Congress here in New York City, who won his primary a couple of weeks ago now, beating incumbent Dan Goldman, is back. Let's look ahead to 2028. What do you expect and want from a Democratic candidate for president?

LANDER: First and foremost, a vision of an economy that works for working people, a vision for health care and housing and child care that people can afford. Folks are desperate. They feel the system is rigged against them. Now they see like AI data centers poisoning their water and taking their jobs, a vision that works for working people, a vision for political reform.

We're going to have to do something about the Supreme Court, about gerrymandering, about money and politics. And also a hopeful energy I have to tell you like what's been moving in New York since the Knicks won and we have the World Cup. There's a hopeful energy that Mayor Mamdani has been able to tap into. I wanted something like that for our country as a whole.

BASH: Going back to our discussion before, there are I think at least a trio maybe more of potential candidates in 2028 who are Jewish. You have Josh Shapiro, governor of Pennsylvania, J.B. Pritzker, Illinois, Ossoff, Senator Ossoff, Senator from Georgia, and Rahm Emanuel, they're all critical of Prime Minister Netanyahu, but they all believe in Israel's right to exist and have stopped short of calling what's happening in Gaza genocide.

Do you think that somebody with those views and that religion could be the nominee for president in the Democratic Party?

LANDER: I do. I think it's going to require clarity that we need a reset in the U.S. relationship with Israel. I think saying we're not going to continue to provide the 2,000-pound bombs that destroyed Gaza, that we're going to insist on human rights and international law compliance, and we're going to stop aid until that happens. And that Israel has to step up to recognizing that what's necessary is self- determination for Palestinians and Israelis, a horizon of political mutual recognition and peace.

Look, and I'm happy to explain to any of them why I think Raphael Lemkin, the Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor who developed the term genocide. The Lemkin Institute considers what's happening there a genocide, like Omer Bartov, an amazing Israeli Holocaust scholar.

BASH: So is that a litmus test?

LANDER: I don't think it's a litmus test. I think it's something useful for people to look at and grapple and reckon with.

[12:55:06]

We've spent thousands of years as the victims as a rough grappling with what it means in some ways to be a perpetrator. I think it's a useful dialogue for American Jews to have, but I don't think it's a litmus test in the presidential race. I do think a reset in the U.S.- Israel relationship is.

BASH: Brad Lander, thanks for sticking around. Thank you for coming in.

LANDER: Thank you.

BASH: I really appreciate it.

Thank you for joining Inside Politics. Don't miss a slate of great guests on Sunday morning. Michigan Democratic Senate candidate, we were just talking about him, Abdul El-Sayed, joins Inside Politics on Sunday at 8:00 a.m. Eastern, followed by the U.S. Ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, on State of the Union at 9:00 a.m. Eastern with Jake.

CNN News Central starts after a quick break.