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Inside Politics

Stevens, El-Sayed Clash In Heated Final Dem Primary Debate; Stevens Pressed On Record-Setting AIPAC Money In Dem Primary; House Dems Announce Five House Seats They Hope To Flip; Fetterman Slams Dem Socialists Running As Democrats; World Leaders, Members Of Congress Remember Lindsey Graham. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired July 28, 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]

MANU RAJU, CNN ANCHOR: -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has just wrapped. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the meeting was positive and productive. More details ahead.

And now, turning to our other top story. We're officially one week away from the Democratic Senate primary in Michigan, and it's devolved into a pretty ugly contest between Congresswoman Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive backed by Bernie Sanders. Between the party's moderate establishment and its progressive flank battling it out.

Here they are on the debate stage last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABDUL EL-SAYED (D), MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE: When you ask $60 million to come into a race for you and then say that somehow you're electable, I think you don't quite understand what electability means. If you need a $60 million crutch, you probably can't be elected on your own terms.

REP. HALEY STEVENS (D), MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE: I know it's great to host rallies and have these fun events, but everywhere I have gone in Michigan, I have taken the time to visit a minority-owned business.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: My panel is back. Tia, who has the edge heading into next Tuesday?

TIA MITCHELL, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION: I think the polling has shown them going back and forth. I will say that I think Haley Stevens has had a good week. You know, she had that viral TMZ video that made a lot of people go, OK, I get it now. She continues to enjoy strong support among black voters in Michigan, which we know are important -- are an important part of the Democratic base in any state.

RAJU: That's where the big push is right now --

MITCHELL: Yes.

RAJU: -- the black voters in the Detroit area.

MITCHELL: Absolutely. And you heard her mention that every campaign stops, she stops at a minority-owned business. So -- and at the end of the day, she does have all that AIPAC money on ads, ads that are supporting her. And so she's on the air in ways that El-Sayed, because he's not getting those -- that big outside spending in the same way, cannot be on air.

RAJU: Yes.

MITCHELL: That being said, it's going to still come -- you're going to spend all the money in the world, but you got to get your people to turn up on Election Day.

RAJU: The thing that's so fascinating about this race is that it's an ideological fight. There are some major differences between the candidate and it's an electability fight. And of course, this is a state that Democrats desperately need to hold if they have any chance of taking back the Senate majority.

TYLER PAGER, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORK TIMES: I think there's just two big storylines here. One is obviously, as you're saying about the Senate majority, there's a big debate about who is better to win in Michigan between the two candidates. But I also think the Democratic Party is watching this race very closely for what it tells them about voters' mood toward Democratic Socialist candidates outside of these major urban areas.

We've seen DSA candidates have success in Colorado, in Denver, in New York, in New York City, but we haven't seen it on a statewide level yet. And particularly in a key battleground state that doesn't just account for Senate control, but is also a must-win state for any presidential candidate in 2020.

RAJU: Yes.

PAGER: So I think this race is a harbinger not just for Senate control, but for what it means for the future of the Democratic Party heading into what is expected to be a heavily contested and heavily attended Democratic primary.

RAJU: Yes, and Abdul El-Sayed will say that he is not a socialist. I've asked him that question. But his policies are very similar to that wing of the party. Of course, he's backed by the biggest Democratic socialist of them all, Bernie Sanders. But one of the big things, too, will be AIPAC and Israel. That's a huge dividing line in this race.

The views of the two candidates so different. And AIPAC coming to Haley Stevens' defense. This is what came up last night at the debate about this issue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But no concern about the $46 million-plus spent on the behalf of AIPAC that should worry people about perhaps you doing their bidding should you win the seat.

STEVENS: Well, I don't think there's much difference between Super PACs going in for Abdul or super PACs going in for me.

EL-SAYED: So I just want to say the difference between us is $46 million of AIPAC spending.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: I mean, AIPAC has come in huge. I mean, they spent more than $30 million -- more than -- the money that they've spent is more than any single race. It's a record for AIPAC.

JEFF MASON, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, BLOOMBERG: Well --

RAJU: It just shows how important it is to this lobby organization.

MASON: Super important to this organization, but also kind of putting a spotlight on Israel again as a dividing point right now in the Democratic Party. And that is, I mean, it's a dividing point in Washington right now as we were talking about earlier with Netanyahu's visit to President Trump. But it is -- it's a tough one for Democrats. It was hard in 2024 for Kamala Harris, certainly for Joe Biden.

Also, I would add as we're talking about Michigan, not a coincidence that President Trump went there yesterday, bringing some spotlight to the Republicans, giving Republicans a lot of airtime during his speech yesterday, bringing them up on stage. Very happy to give a contrast to the Democrats.

RAJU: Yes, no question about it. Such a complicated issue for Democrats, especially in Michigan, a huge divide between a lot of Jewish voters, a lot of Muslim American voters, particularly in the Detroit area and in Dearborn as well. So we'll see one week from today that primary.

[12:35:01]

All right, next, the organization responsible for helping Democrats win back control of the House just named five red seats that they claim they can turn blue. We're diving into those picks, that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

RAJU: House Democrats are adding a handful of races to their target list for this November. The Red to Blue program is an effort by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, known as the DCCC, to put resources behind candidates they think can flip GOP seats. And they added five new names to the list today.

A few candidates include Sam Forstag, a smokejumper in Montana, Jake Johnson, a public school teacher in Minnesota, Laura James, a minister and mom in Iowa, Pia Dandiya, a former school principal in Florida, and Amish Shah, an ER doctor in Arizona.

[12:40:06]

And joining me now is the chair of the DCCC, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene. Congresswoman, thank you so much for being here. Appreciate your time.

So of the five candidates you just added to your so-called Red to Blue program, one of them is actually Amish Shah, who lost in 2024 to the GOP incumbent from that Arizona district, David Schweikert, by less than 17,000 votes. But this year in the primary, your committee actually backed a different Democratic candidate, former Republican Marlene Galan-Woods in that primary.

Your group actually spent more than $500,000 to beat Shah in the primary. So did you guys make the wrong call there?

REP. SUZAN DELBENE (D), DCCC CHAIR: You know, Amish ran a strong campaign and won that primary and absolutely is going to win in Arizona 1. We are going to do everything we can to make sure that we win across the country. And we get involved in races because we think it's critically important that we are in the strongest position possible, given that the stakes are so high during this election.

And we're going to make sure that we're in the strong position to win. But, you know --

RAJU: But why did you --

DELBENE: -- Amish has done a great job and we're excited to support him. And he's going to win. I mean --

RAJU: But why did you try to -- if you don't mind me interrupting, I'm sorry about that. But why did you try to defeat him, Amish Shah, in the primary?

DELBENE: We are going to continue to get involved to make sure that we're in a strong position to win. But we're not trying to defeat anyone. We're trying to make sure we're in a strong position. And absolutely, Amish did a great job. And he's a strong candidate and he's going to win.

His opponent is -- I argue you can't find any place where his opponent, Jay Feely, disagrees with Donald Trump. People want folks who are going to stand up for them, who are going to be strong voices in their community. That's who Dr. Shah is. He's been serving this community for a long time. And that's why he's going to win.

RAJU: So there have been questions about your committee's track record in getting involved in primaries this cycle. For instance, two other DCCC candidates lost to progressives, Matt Dunlap in Maine and Randy Villegas in California. Many in the Congressional Progressive Caucus here in the House have expressed frustration at your operation, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who said, quote, "There's no reason for us to put our thumb on the scale when you have a healthy field of many viable candidates. The DCCC believes one type of candidate, or one type of approach, or one type of ideology is what will win in every swing seat in America.

So, Congresswoman, is AOC right?

DELBENE: So, first of all, I have folks who tell me to get involved in primaries, don't get involved in primaries, get involved in some, not others. The stakes of this election are high, and we're going to make sure we're in the strongest position to win all across the country.

And we should be clear that there are not cookie-cutter candidates. These, every race that we have, and as you see in the additions to Red to Blue that we made today, are candidates who are uniquely positioned to win in their districts. They are deeply connected to their communities.

They have crossover appeal. These are swing districts, after all. And they are running for Congress to stand up for their communities. They are authentic and independent-minded, but they all are uniquely fit to their communities. That's what's key, especially when you look at House races across the country, and all of our 30 now Red to Blue --

RAJU: Yes.

DELBENE: -- candidates are different. Some of them -- you know, some have had support from Bernie to Blue Dogs, and some with both --

RAJU: Yes.

DELBENE: -- but they are all unique to their communities.

RAJU: Congresswoman, speaking of Bernie, we have seen a surge of these progressive and democratic socialist candidates in some races across the country. Some Democrats actually want your party, want the leadership, to repudiate some of the ideas from the socialist wing of the party.

Listen to what Senator John Fetterman told me about this last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN (D), PENNSYLVANIA: Do you see what these freaks are running on? Now, abolish the Senate right here, abolish the presidency, abolish the border, abolish prison and the presidency. Now, like, they've never been Democrats.

RAJU: Should the Democratic leaders distance themselves more from the socialist Democratic wing of the party?

FETTERMAN: No, no, no, they won't call it out. I mean, how many other Democrats like me will just call it what it is?

RAJU: Should more call them out?

FETTERMAN: Yes, they -- you know, like, isn't our responsibility to police our own kinds of ranks?

(END VIDEO CLIP) RAJU: So, Congresswoman, should you call out the Democratic socialists and police your kind of ranks and repudiate the platform of the Democratic socialists of America?

DELBENE: First of all, I think you're talking about some races in bright blue districts in a few parts of the country. The folks in Iowa who want representatives to stand up for them aren't interested in who is running for election in New York City. They're focused on who's going to stand up to represent them.

[12:45:12]

RAJU: But what about Democratic leaders? Should you guys repudiate them?

DELBENE: The path to the majority is through these swing districts across the country. And having candidates who are talking about the issues that matter, who are focused on the issues they hear from their communities is what makes the difference. And so, absolutely, we are united in making sure that we're addressing the number one issue we hear from folks across the country.

Families are struggling. Affordability is the top issue. Housing, food, health care --

RAJU: Yes.

DELBENE: -- child care, energy costs, rising gas prices. We need a Congress that's going to stand up for people across the country. That's our priority, and that's what we're going to do when we have the gavels, and we will have the gavels in November.

RAJU: Congresswoman, one last question. There's been a lot of controversy around the Democratic National Committee, Ken Martin, the chairman of that committee, over fundraising and reportedly volatile behavior. Do you have confidence in him as leader of the DNC?

DELBENE: Well, I think we always have to look at where things are at and understand that we need to do better, and I think he understands how important it is and the need to do better. When I look at the House, my focus --

RAJU: So should he resign? You don't think he should resign? Some people are calling on him to resign. Should he resign?

DELBENE: In the House, we're in a strong position, but we have to -- the DNC is an important partner, and they need to do better, and I think they understand that.

RAJU: OK. Congresswoman Suzan DelBene, we're going to have to leave it there. Thank you so much for taking the time. Really appreciate it.

And right now, guests are beginning to arrive at the National Cathedral to remember the late Senator Lindsey Graham. Next, Dana Bash talks to former Vice President Mike Pence about Graham's legacy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:51:16]

RAJU: Right now, guests are arriving at Washington National Cathedral where a memorial for the late Senator Lindsey Graham is about to begin in about an hour. The casket carrying Senator Graham will arrive there soon. Dana Bash is there outside the National Cathedral with the former Vice President Mike Pence. Dana?

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Manu, and thank you, Mr. Vice President, for being here. I know that you were very close with Senator Graham. You served for one term in the House with him, but obviously knew him quite well through the years as governor and, of course, as Vice President.

MIKE PENCE (R), FORMER VICE PRESIDENT: Yes. Well, I have a heavy heart today. I'm saddened at the passing of a friend, but I'm also saddened at the passing of a true American statesman who I think was maybe the greatest champion of American leadership on the world stage that we had in Washington, D.C., over the decades.

I had the privilege of meeting him when I was in the House of Representatives, Dana, when we first met, and then worked with him over the years as a senator and then, of course, as vice president. What I loved about him was his commitment to principle, the principle of freedom, the principle of limited government, the principle of the right to life.

But what I also loved about him was he was just a happy warrior, and I expect that will be remembered at the National Cathedral today.

BASH: You were telling me as we were waiting to come on about the experience of being on a CODEL, a congressional trip with Senator Graham and also Senator McCain.

PENCE: I did. Just a few of us went on a trip. We traveled to visit troops, Operation Iraqi Freedom. And it was one of the most compelling things about Lindsey Graham was his deep devotion to our Armed Forces. I don't know that our military men and women had a greater champion in Washington, D.C., than Lindsey Graham. Not surprisingly, he was one of them.

BASH: Thirty-three years in the Air Force.

PENCE: Thirty-three years.

BASH: Yes.

PENCE: He was a colonel in the reserves. But traveling with those two men was an experience of a lifetime because they fought and fought hard, even though they had a close bond, but always it ended up in a place of respect. I think they're two different men, had different political philosophies in many respects, but it's one of the things that blesses my heart.

You know, the Bible says, mourn with those who mourn, grieve with those who grieve. But I -- my heart is lifted in part knowing about a great reunion that took place between two great friends.

BASH: In the first term of vice president, you witnessed the impact that's on President Trump, particularly on issues of foreign policy.

PENCE: I did. I think he was an absolutely invaluable counselor to President Trump during our term. And from the outside looking in, I've seen evidence of his winsome influence as well. You know, the President has always brought a great deal of skepticism to, you know, to even many of our allies.

But Lindsey Graham, in our time, and I expect in recent years, he's been a voice for Ukraine since that brutal and unprovoked Russian invasion like no other voice in the United States Senate. He spoke clearly with moral clarity about the threat that Iran opposed to us and authoritarian regimes (INAUDIBLE).

[12:55:03]

So, I'm confident there will be other voices that emerge to fill that in, but there's no doubt in my mind that in our time and since that President Donald Trump listened to and on occasion was moved by the clarity and the vision and the leadership of Senator Lindsey Graham.

BASH: Yes. Well, I know that, again, you witnessed that, and you are one of many people who are here to pay tribute to Senator Graham on both sides of the aisle. And I appreciate your time, Mr. Vice President.

PENCE: Well, Dana, thank you, and I'm honored to be here. People in both political parties that will gather to remember the life and legacy of Senator Lindsey Graham will do well. But I'm also heartened to know that the United States Senate tonight will take up the Russia sanctions bill that could well be the work of his life, and it could well set into motion a chain of events that will finally put Russia back on its heels and achieve, even after his passing, what Lindsey longed to achieve, and that is really a victory for freedom and a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.

BASH: Mr. Vice President, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

PENCE: Thank you.

BASH: Thank you.

Manu, I'm going to toss it back to you in the studio.

RAJU: All right. Thank you, Dana. Thank you to the Former Vice President.

Thanks for joining Inside Politics. CNN News Central starts after a very quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)