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Inside Politics

Blanche at Capitol After Meeting With Holdout GOP Vote Canceled; Iowa Senate Candidate, Josh Turek, Releases New Video Featuring Obama. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired July 29, 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 CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR OF 'INSIDE POLITICS': -- four o'clock deadline, Eastern Time that Grassley put out there. And the fact that Todd Blanche didn't just say, OK, I'm going to stay over at the Justice Department, but still went to Capitol Hill and is parking himself, at least for now, in another Republican Senator's office means that these are high-stakes talks, as we speak, to get that Cornyn vote.

LEIGH ANN CALDWELL, CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, PUCK: Yeah, but it also seems like Todd Blanche is not doing what is necessary to get Cornyn's vote at this point anyway, or Thom Tillis' vote either. You know, where this heads, I'm not sure. Republican Senators who aren't necessarily in Trump's camp like to make it difficult, a lot of times they fold. We'll see what happens.

Senator Cornyn, though, politically has no incentive to appease the Trump administration if he actually does have real concerns with Todd Blanche. Senator Cornyn is a former prosecutor himself, and I think a judge, so he has a lot of credibility on this issue.

But what's also fascinating politically, when Donald Trump did not endorse John Cornyn, he was warned repeatedly that he needs John Cornyn's vote for the rest of his term, or at least the rest of this year, and Donald Trump did not matter -- it did not matter to him and so now we are seeing the impacts of that.

BASH: Yeah. I just really quickly want to go back to the hearing earlier this month when John Cornyn was pressing Todd Blanche on this issue that is still unresolved.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD BLANCHE, ACTING UNITED STATES ATTORNEY GENERAL: It's an enforceable document, so I suppose if President Trump's counsel sought to enforce it, they potentially could.

SEN. JOHN CORNYN, (R-TX): Including the weaponization fund.

BLANCHE: WELL, they could try to enforce the contract. They can't force the Department of Justice to move forward with the weaponization fund. They could potentially say that, I suppose, that we breached by not moving forward. (END VIDEO CLIP)

SHELBY TALCOTT, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, SEMAFOR: I mean, yeah, this is classic lawyer talk, I would say, and that's Cornyn's problem, I think, right now, is that he senses that there is still an avenue for this weaponization fund to be risen from the dead at some point, and he wants to make sure that that's not going to happen.

And to your point, there's no incentive for him to fold to the Trump administration, right? The president -- he believes that the president screwed him, and he's going to go out fighting. He has made that very clear. And so this becomes, I think, a matter of what does Todd Blanche do? And I think that's important because that also ties into the president, because Todd Blanche has made it very clear that he does believe that the DOJ can take direction from the president.

And so whatever Todd Blanche ultimately ends up doing, you can be sure that that was checked with President Trump first, and he said, sure, go ahead, or no, you're not allowed to do this.

BASH: Right. And so we'll see if, at this point, that letter or document in writing signed by him that this will not go forward actually materializes.

TALCOTT: Which the DOJ said that -- a DOJ official told me that the department, quote, "Provided a written proposal to Senator Cornyn's staff yesterday," but Cornyn's staff is telling my colleague that this, whatever document, they have not seen anything that responds to Cornyn's concerns.

BASH: Yeah. So not enough.

TALCOTT: Yes.

BASH: Do better, basically, is clearly the message.

All right. Everybody stand by. Up next, former President Barack Obama goes back to the state that gifted him his favorite political moment. Why Obama is choosing this race to give an assist.

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[12:38:03]

BASH: Basketball is really in the political zeitgeist this election year, and now former President Barack Obama took to the court with Iowa's Democratic Senate candidate, the four-time Paralympian, Josh Turek, in a new video. It's not a surprise, of course, that Obama would back a Democratic candidate, but the full court press in Iowa by the last Democrat to win a presidential election there is an interesting play.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSHUA TUREK, (D) IOWA SENATE CANDIDATE: Who's got next?

BARRACK OBAMA, (D) FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I got it. You ready for me, Josh?

TUREK: I'm ready.

OBAMA: Let's go. We playing horse or what?

TUREK: We're playing Iowa.

OBAMA: I know a little something about winning Iowa. Here we go. Are we ready?

TUREK: You know when it's --

OBAMA: Come on, I'm not going to just give it away.

TUREK: All right.

OBAMA: That thing is silky smooth. Not only did I get whooped, but you've got here a man of character, somebody who knows how to win. Now the ball's in your court, Iowa.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: David?

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR & WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF: Obviously, you know, Barack Obama on the basketball court with a Paralympian gold medalist playing basketball, that's going to be compelling content. And the Turek campaign was wise to get this out.

It is intriguing to me, you know, part of what they talk about in this ad, in this video is nothing to do with politics. It's like two guys talking about who they would put on the Mount Rushmore of the NBA, who is your favorite, I mean, that that kind of stuff that is going to appeal to people who are not all the most politically engaged people.

Obviously, Obama has a unique relationship to Iowa. He launched his entire presidential career there, won the state twice, no Democrat's done that since. But it's interesting to me that this comes out. And Obama talks about how Iowa is his most favorite thing he's ever done in politics, just days after the DNC removed Iowa from the early nomination process and the Democrat, there will be no future Democratic president who could say their greatest days are most fun they had in Iowa, because the party just said, it's not for us anymore to compete there, even though they're competing in the Senate race.

[12:40:11]

It's such a deep red state. And I think gets to even Obama's there, and yes, it shows it's in play, but it is so deeply red that this is still going to be an uphill climb for sure.

BASH: Yeah, no question about it. But just to kind of explain, this is an open Republican seat, because Joni Ernst, the sitting GOP Senator is retiring. And Josh Turek, the Democrat you saw there in that video is running against Ashley Hinson, who's by even Democrats' accounts, a pretty impressive candidate. There's also a libertarian there as well.

David said a Democrat hadn't won there for president since Donald Trump became president in 2016, and it wasn't by a small margin. It's growing, growing, growing. So it is an uphill climb. However, one of the things that Democrats are hoping for is because of the president's policies, a lot of people in Iowa are hurting.

And I'm just going to show you some of the examples of headlines. These are just over the summer. And by the way, the president's pick for the primary there actually lost. These headlines are talking about the economy and health care costs going up for rural Iowa, the problems with the tariffs and how that's affecting people and their jobs there, the trade wars, also, the question, which I don't think is on here, but a big issue is how the war in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz being effectively closed is affecting their ability to get fertilizer.

SABRINA RODRIGUEZ, POLITICS REPORTER, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: I mean, as someone who covered trade policy during Trump's first administration --

BASH: This is why I came to you.

(LAUGH)

RODRIGUEZ: As someone who covered it during his first administration and took many trips to Iowa ahead of the 2020 election, I mean, this is certainly something that Democrats are leaning into, have leaned into, clearly to make success when you see that that president Trump has won before. But I mean, we have seen him escalate the trade war in this second administration.

And we have seen that outside of just the tariffs, as you said, how the Iran War is impacting the day-to-day for farmers and for other exporters that are based in Iowa. That is, I mean, a huge industry in Iowa. I think it's interesting though, the choice of having Obama -- I think it's both the mutual relationship of Turek wanting Obama and Obama wanting to get involved in this.

I mean, it's not that former President Obama is not involved in Democratic politics today, but we certainly see him be very selective of when he chooses to wade in. And I think it's certainly a choice because he is someone who was popular in Iowa and poll after poll shows us that he remains one of the most popular Democrats in the country today.

So I think that, I mean, as we see this race shape up and see it sort of as one of the most competitive ones, it makes sense to see president Obama want to be part of it.

BASH: All right. And as we go to break, just to back up my comment that this is -- the basketball very much is in the political zeitgeist this year, check out Bernie Sanders. He was shooting hoops at a Minnesota rally for Peggy Flanagan. I mean, listen, that's impressive. How old is he?

RODRIGUEZ: 82, I think.

BASH: In his 80s. And he's not bad at basketball. So there you have it. Coming up, Mississippi hasn't sent a Democrat, speaking of, to the Senate in 44 years. I'm going to speak with a candidate who thinks he can do what most say is politically impossible. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:48:08]

BASH: Mississippi is one of the most solidly GOP states in the entire country. President Trump won Mississippi by almost 23 percentage points. A Democrat hasn't won a Senate election in that state since 1982, and that Democrat was a segregationist.

My next guest thinks he can change all of that. Scott Colom is running to unseat incumbent Republican Senator, Cindy Hydesmith in the Magnolia State, and he is here and joins me now. Thank you so much for being here.

SCOTT COLOM, (D) MISSISSIPPI SENATE CANDIDATE: Thank you for having me.

BASH: Why do you think you can change recent history and win?

COLOM: Well, I'll tell you, part of it is the why. You know, right now, we have record levels of corruption coming from our president and his family, and our junior Senator, she's allowing it, and she's partaking in it.

You know, there's reporting coming out that she took money from fertilizer companies that are under investigation for price fixing at a time where our Mississippi farmers are struggling. I mean, I was talking to a farmer in the Delta, and he told me that he's paying 40 percent more to make 20 percent less, and I'm a prosecutor. I fight corruption.

You know, I prosecuted a Democratic sheriff that was sexting a female inmate, and so when I say to the people of Mississippi, I'm going to fight the corruption that's ruining our country and I'm going to put their needs first, that's why we were able to increase turnout in the primary by 90 percent. That's why the polling has been within the margin of error.

BASH: So you talk about increasing Democratic turnout, but because of, you know, the raw math --

COLOM: Yeah, yeah.

BASH: -- in Mississippi, to win and to unseat the incumbent Republican, you will likely have to convince a healthy number of Trump voters --

COLOM: Yeah.

BASH: -- to cross over and vote for you. So is there anything that you think the president has done right that you're campaigning on?

COLOM: Yeah, I mean, he secured the border effectively and I think that's important for our country. He's also been, you know, good at protecting Second Amendment rights.

[12:50:00]

As a prosecutor, I understand the importance of protecting Second Amendment rights as a father of two daughters. I also think that outside of presidential years, our elections are a lot more competitive in Mississippi than people realize.

Our last candidate for governor, a Democrat named Brandon Presley, got within 27,000 votes of winning. And you look at my strategy, it's all about centering the voters. You know, I go all across the state of Mississippi talking to Democrats and exciting them because our national party has forgotten.

BASH: What does centering the voters mean?

COLOM: That means actually campaigning.

BASH: OK.

COLOM: Not relying on 30-second commercials when we try to advertise to them. And our national party has forgotten Democrats in Mississippi for a long time. They've ignored us. And that's how we've gotten failed policies from people like Cindy Hydesmith, because we haven't been competing.

And then when it comes to Republicans, I was on the golf course and some former Republicans invited me. And what they told me is, listen, Scott, we're tired of the corruption. We're tired of a Senator that's putting D.C. politics over what's best for Mississippi, cutting our health care -- cutting our health care, you know, the war in Iran, giving away our voice, which has gas prices through the roof.

And we need somebody that's going to actually fight for us, that's going to put our needs first, and that's going to show up. And they were happy to support me. That's why you see the momentum we're building in Mississippi.

BASH: The incumbent that you're trying to unseat, Cindy Hydesmith, calls you off-the-charts extreme, a transgender defender, handpicked by George Soros, and would be in lockstep with AOC and Chuck Schumer.

COLOM: Yeah.

BASH: A recent national poll by Marquette -- this is national, not Mississippi -- showed just 36 percent of voters had a favorable view of Democrats. How do you get around the brand problem and the branding that we're hearing from your Republican opponent?

COLOM: Well, I'm a Mississippi common-sense Democrat that's fighting for our state. The reason she's saying all those lies is because she feels that -- she knows that I'm a threat. She knows what I did in the primary to increase turnout. She's saying that I'm fundraising all across the state of Mississippi. All 82 counties, I've got contributions. I've out-raised her.

She's getting almost no money in Mississippi. All her money is coming from corporate lobbyists and PACs.

BASH: Let me sort of press you on you saying that the things that she's labeling you as lies.

COLOM: Right.

BASH: You mentioned that you wish that the National Party would pay more attention to your state of Mississippi.

COLOM: Right.

BASH: But beyond that, is there something that you think, or more than one thing, that you think the National Democratic Party isn't getting right, where you are different from them?

COLOM: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, part of it is the national party doesn't focus enough on rural America. They've conceded that ground to Republicans, despite the fact that we're getting policies that are terrible for Republicans and Democrats.

And so, what we've got to do is we've got to go back to centering the voters. We've got to care about that social worker that I talked to in Jackson, Mississippi, that says she has patients coming in telling her that they're barely getting by right now with inflation.

And the dirty secret that she has to live with is she's barely getting by. She's struggling. She's one emergency from bankruptcy. And you have to go back to listening to those voters, building their trust, actually showing up. And I'm doing that in Mississippi, even in red areas. And she's not doing it.

She hasn't done a town hall in six years. I did more town halls last week than she's done the entire time she's been in the United States Senate.

BASH: Would you support Chuck Schumer as leader if he won?

COLOM: The issue what I have with the national party is we don't have enough leadership that represents rural America.

BASH: So, is that a no?

COLOM: Well, I would say this. We've got to have leadership that understands rural America. I don't want to get into hypotheticals, but what I'll say is, I don't like the fact that too many of our leaders are from New York and L.A. and Boston. We've got to have leaders that understand rural voters, their needs, how to center them, and go back to being a party that represents our whole country.

Listen, Mississippi is a very important state, right? We can't be a country that's successful unless the people of Mississippi have jobs with dignity. They have -- they're able to pay their bills. They have access to health care. And the reality is not only are Democrats -- have Democrats ignored Mississippi too long, so has Cindy Hydesmith. She's stolen the voters, too.

BASH: It's not just Cindy Hydesmith that you're running against, rather Ty Pinkins, who ran for Senate as a Democrat in 2024, is now running against you both as an Independent. He's been very critical of you and the Democratic Party.

He says that you are not calling out Senator Hydesmith for what he says were racist comments about attending a public hanging for voting in the 2024 GOP primary. He even suggested that black voters may struggle to trust you.

COLOM: Well, I think the results from the primary show that I've been able to gain the trust of all Mississippians. We increased turnout by 90 percent. You know, you look at the gap between Democratic voters and Republican voters, in my primary, it was only 8,000.

[12:55:00]

I mean, that's a historic thing to do in Mississippi. And you know, for me, the policies that we're getting, the betrayal, the corruption we're getting from D.C., that's hurting Democrats, Republicans. When you talk about folks not being able to afford what they need to survive, that's not a partisan issue. That's a people issue. And what I'm doing is I'm running to make everybody in Mississippi's life better. And that's what it's going to take to win.

BASH: Scott Colom, thanks for being here. Appreciate it.

COLOM: Thank you so much for having me.

BASH: Thank you. And we have reached out to Senator Cindy Hydesmith to come on and talk about this campaign. She's welcome here anytime.

Thank you so much for joining us on "Inside Politics." "CNN News Central" starts after a quick break.

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