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Today: Trump Rallies For Senator Hyde-Smith In Mississippi; Democrats Urge Court To Shut Down DOJ's Alaska Election Lawsuit; Can Dems Flip A Kentucky District Trump Won By 15 Points? Aired 12-12:30p ET

Aired October 26, 2026 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DANA BASH: We're watching the early vote, and nearly 30 million Americans already voted as candidates race to reach the millions more who are about to cast their ballot. I'm Dana Bash. Let's go behind the headlines and inside politics.

Just eight days until the election, and we're tracking the races, candidates, and stories that could shift the balance of power right here in Washington and across the country. Here's what's on our midterm radar. Tonight, President Trump will campaign with Republican Senator Cindy Hyde- Smith in Mississippi. It's a state president won by 23 percentage points just two years ago hasn't sent a Democrat to the Senate in nearly four decades.

He'll also hit Texas, Ohio, Florida, and Iowa this week. Four other states he won by double digits. Yesterday in Michigan, the president focused his closing pitch on the Democratic Senate candidate's Muslim faith. Here's just some of what he said and how Abdul El-Sayed responded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm here to keep a jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States senator. Abdul Muhammad El-Sayed is a jihadist.

ABDUL EL-SAYED, (D) MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE: I don't even care that he remembers my whole name, because he can just go on and call me senator after November. I will be Senator Mohamed to you, bro.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Here's a new CNN analysis on one of the key midterm issues, gas prices. The average price of gas during President Trump's second term is more expensive than it was under President Biden. The gap is small, but marks a sharp reversal from before the war in Iran, and will keep widening as long as prices stay high.

In Alaska, Democrats are asking a judge to throw out a Trump Administration lawsuit challenging a Senate loss before votes are counted. The Justice Department is seeking to preemptively block the certification if the incumbent Republican Dan S. Sullivan loses, alleging voters might confuse him with Dan J. Sullivan, who is also on the ballot. I spoke with the Attorney General Todd Blanche about this on State of the Union yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD BLANCHE, ATTORNEY GENERAL: The groundwork that we are laying is for Alaska, for the state of Alaska. If it becomes an issue after the election, we'll have the ability to determine whether there was confusion that violates the law in determining who the senator should be. That is not Donald J. Trump. That is not our president

BASH: I have your complaint right here. You said to guard against a danger, it is vital that defendants not certify any election results that may be impacted by voter confusion. You're putting into the ether, into a complaint, into a lawsuit to potentially --

BLANCHE: Read the rest of the complaint. That's not -- that's not where it ends.

BASH: I've read the whole thing.

BLANCHE: That's not where it ends. It's -- that -- that is not the whole thing. What -- what the -- the rest of that paragraph says, and what the rest of -- the -- the relief that we are seeking is not to not certify. It's to not certify if the law is broken.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: New comments from someone both parties fear could have a major impact on the Senate race in Texas even though you may not know his name. Here's what Libertarian candidate Ted Brown said about spoiler concerns in an interview with News Nation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TED BROWN, TEXAS LIBERTARIAN SENATE CANDIDATE: Democrats are saying, hey, that I'm taking votes away from Tallerico, and Republicans say I'm taking votes away from Paxton. But in reality, I'm just promoting my candidacy and the Libertarian Party. I don't believe that votes for me are against -- you know they're for me and for an alternative, not to take down one of the major parties.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: A poll from the Cook Political Report shows Brown polling at 3 percent, and those three percentage points could very well decide the election in Texas. I'm joined by a terrific group of reporters on this fantastic Monday. Hi, everyone. Nice to see you. Let's start by playing a little bit of what President Obama said on the campaign trail, he was all over this weekend, and then how President Trump responded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: After

10 years of chaos and cruelty and corruption and incompetence, you get to say enough is enough. What's up with the gold? I mean, he's got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a cheesecake factory.

TRUMP: You know, I saw Barack Hussein Obama was in Michigan, and the place was empty. Obama got the Nobel Prize about two weeks after he got into office, and he had no idea why he got it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Jonah?

[12:05:00]

JONAH GOLDBERG, CO-FOUNDER AND EDITOR IN CHIEF, THE DISPATCH: Well, I don't -- I think get David Axelrod on here sometime and ask him. I don't think the Obama people thought they should have gotten the Nobel Prize, and they were -- they were upset about it. But that doesn't mean Donald Trump should either.

And I just think it's a very weird closing message in terms to tackle back and forth between calling Norway an S-hole country because it didn't give him a Nobel Prize, and talking about how certain male Republican candidates attract the president's gaze.

DASHA BURNS, CO-AUTHOR, PLAYBOOK: And Nicki Minaj now.

GOLDBERG: Wait, and Nicki Minaj now.

BASH: Gays, G-A-Z-E.

GOLDBERG: Yes. Well -- well played.

BASH: I just wanted to make sure that we have that on the record.

BURNS: Yes, yes, yes.

GOLDBERG: Well, we can debate what I meant.

BASH: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

GOLDBERG: But it's -- it's just it's all very, very strange and one last thing about the him saying that Norway now can't send immigrants here. I've been arguing for 10 years that Trump basically betrays any faction that supports him wholeheartedly, whether it's on nationalist grounds, free market grounds, socialist ground, doesn't matter.

He always, because he always spins around and changes his positions. He is now betraying a very small slice of racist immigration hawks who only want white people to come here because he's now saying Norway can't send its Teutonic people here because they didn't give a Nobel Prize.

BASH: Let's listen to part of what you're discussing. I mean, that -- that is part of it. I think the -- the more sort of head snapping part of that riff was what he said about people who come from African countries.

GOLDBERG: Yeah.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: 98 percent of the people that we have here now in Somalia don't work. They don't really have to work because they steal so much. Low IQ, and they live better than you do. Why do we always have to take people from shit house countries? Why can't we take people from like well, Norway, Sweden? Why not Denmark?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Just in case you don't get it, he's saying why can't -- why do we have to take people --

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, BLOOMBERG POLITICAL & POLICY COLUMNIST: Yeah. Black people.

BASH: -- from shit house countries?

HENDERSON: Yeah, yeah.

BASH: Black, and then the others are white countries.

HENDERSON: Yeah, yeah. He would prefer white people to black people. Listen, this was a debate and a discussion in his first term, right when it was revealed that he said these derogatory, racist remarks about African countries. They denied it.

They sort of played it down. But now it's all out in the open. Donald Trump has revealed himself to be, you know, somebody who prefers white people to black people, to brown people, and it'll be up to the audience and his voters and Republicans to decide what they do with that.

BASH: Right.

HENDERSON: And this is --

BASH: Go ahead. I'm sorry, Nia.

HENDERSON: No, I mean I think he thinks this works, right? And in some ways it has worked, right? There wasn't any sort of you know illusion about what Donald Trump thought of brown people versus white people.

BASH: Except that you know part of the 2024 coalition was more people of color voting for Donald Trump --

HENDERSON: Yeah.

BASH: -- than they had in the past, and part of this year's dynamic is a lot of Democrats are looking to see how big the turnout is in African American communities all over the battleground --

BURNS: And Latinos. BASH: -- and Latinos for a lot of reasons, but on the on the on the

black vote, in part because of the Supreme Court decision striking down a big part -- part of the voter rights legislation.

BURNS: I mean, to Nia's point, there is so much about this moment in the Trump Administration that feels like Trump 1.0, and part of what he's doing here, I do think, is trying to incite that that anger that fueled him the first time around because anger is actually is what's helping Democrats right now.

There is large frustration in the country, and that's what Democrats are tapping into for a change election. Voters are not happy with the status quo, and that is what might usher in this blue wave, and so I think what you see the president trying to do here is -- is ramp that up on -- on his side of the aisle.

The -- the thing that both Obama and Trump are doing right now is trying to fuel turnout on their side and suppress turnout on the other side. We had some great reporting in Playbook this morning from my colleague Adam Wren about how Democrats are using the Epstein files. There are ads all over the airwaves in these competitive states pointing to the Epstein files not to try to flip anybody to vote for Democrats, but to try to get Republicans to stay home.

And frankly, Republican operatives that we are talking to are terrified of this. They think it's a great strategy for Democrats because it is one of the things that -- that has gotten some of Trump's most ardent supporters to break from him.

HENDERSON: Back in the war. Yeah, I mean --

[12:10:00]

GOLDBERG: Part of the problem also is just you know Trump loves to play this. He plays it for guests in the Oval Office. That's Harry Enten clip from -- from CNN saying that Trump has 98 or 99 percent support from self-identified MAGA. The problem with that is self- identified MAGA is only a slice of actual Republican voters, but he thinks that's the only thing that matters.

He actually said it again to Byron York in an interview recently, and so the reason they're in the mess that they're in is they thought that the -- the blacks and Hispanics that voted for him in 2024 were all bought in on the full MAGA agenda when really what they were voting for was their nostalgia for the pre-COVID economy of his first term.

And now Trump thinks it'll work for him to lean into the pure MAGA message, which is racist and all sorts of other things, for boosting turnout. But that's actually going to repel Hispanic and Black voters and a lot of other people too.

BASH: Let's turn to Michigan, and you were on the panel with Haley Stevens yesterday when we -- who of course lost the Democratic primary to Abdul El-Sayed, and the question has been why aren't they campaigning together. I want to play a little bit of that conversation. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: You haven't campaigned alongside him. Why?

REP. HALEY STEVENS (D-MI): Well, look, my specialty is House Racist.

BASH: You're still fully behind Abdul El-Sayed?

STEVENS: Look, I'm -- I'm on the Democratic ticket. You know, I -- I can't say that I agree with everything that's going on. You know, I wish that first debate had been more about you know that rubber stamp for Trump because we got a lot of chaos in Michigan. You know, I don't want to debate you know who's are the enemy of the United States.

I'm looking to be on the team to support, you know, my next governor, Jocelyn Benson, and frankly, these great Democrats who are working their tails off, who are going to make Hakeem Jeffries the first Black Speaker of the House.

BASH: You didn't mention Abdul El-Sayed in that last answer.

STEVENS: Well, look, I -- I would just say you had asked me if I'm still on the team. I'm on the team.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: OK, he hasn't called her.

HENDERSON: Yeah. Yeah.

BASH: She said he hasn't called her.

HENDERSON: You know, there is clearly a lot of bad blood from what was a very close and contentious race. You know, I think the problem from -- for Abdel El-Sayed going forward is whether or not that tension lingers among particularly African American voters who were all in for Haley Stevens.

BURNS: And some female voters too. I mean that -- the attack got very personal.

HENDERSON: The attack was very, very personal and so there you see Haley Stevens not really fully being on the team. But listen, it's up to Abdul El-Sayed to run this race, to win this race, and to get a winning coalition. It's not up to Haley Stevens.

BASH: Did you see Mike Rogers' tweet afterwards? He put up that exchange and said, "We have a Democrats for Mike sign waiting for you, Haley from Michigan."

BURNS: Yeah, I don't think Haley Stevens is going to be picking up one of those.

BASH: No, of course not.

BURNS: But I'm not surprised that, given how brutal that primary was, that she's not shouting from the rafters in support of El-Sayed.

BASH: Yeah. Well, thank you all. Appreciate it. Good to talk to you. Don't go anywhere. Can Democrats flip a seat in Kentucky, one that President Trump won by more than 15 percentage points? Zach Dembo thinks he can do it, and he'll be here next. And later, new CNN reporting on Kamala Harris. She's opening up to our Isaac Dovere about her ambitions for 2028. You're going to want to hear this. Stay with us.

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[12:15:00]

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BASH: Over the last 12 years, Republican Andy Barr has won Kentucky's sixth district by double digits, five out of six times. Well, now Barr is leaving the House. He's going to run for the Senate, and Democrats are hoping they can finally take this seat with Democrat Zach Dembo, a former federal prosecutor who left the Justice Department over corruption concerns.

He's running against Dr. Ralph Alvarado, former GOP Kentucky state senator who lost a bid for Lieutenant Governor back in 2019. Democrat Zach Dembo joins me now. Thank you so much for being here. So, the one time the Democrats didn't get blown out in your district was in the party's last blue wave. That was 2018 when the candidate came the closest. It was within three percentage points. Why do you think this is different from 2018? Why do you think you can win now in a Trump- plus 15th district?

ZACH DEMBO, (D) KENTUCKY CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: Sure. Well, Dana, thanks for having me. And there are a lot of big differences between this cycle and 2018. First, as you noted, it's an open seat. Second, the candidate in 2018 didn't have the benefit of having the most popular Democratic governor in the country, Andy Beshear, working alongside her.

And then the third thing is we just have so much more disastrous policy coming out of D.C. In 2018, gas was not over $4, diesel was not over $6. We were not stuck in an endless foreign war. We were not in these senseless trade wars. Things are hurting folks in Central Kentucky now in a way where they want a change. That's what our campaign represents. And for even those folks who voted for Trump in this district, they wanted costs to go down and an end to foreign wars. They feel betrayed, and they've found a home in our campaign.

BASH: You and 48 other Democratic candidates just wrote an open letter saying anti-corruption legislation is your number one priority should you be elected to Congress. How are you going to do that? How do you get buy-in to rein in elected officials, including your fellow Democrats, if some of them are the very ones doing things you point to, like individual stock trading, like lobbying after they get out of office.

[12:20:00] DEMBO: Well, the most important buy-in is what I already have from my

future constituents here in Central Kentucky. Democrats, Independents, and Republicans are fed up with things that should have gotten fixed a long time ago, like individual stock trading. I have already committed to sell all stock I have. My opponent has up to a million dollars in stock, has made no such commitment.

I think the real answer is this is a time for change, and we have to do more than just change the makeup of the House. We have to change some of the underlying corruption that led for Central Kentuckians to feel abandoned by D.C. So that's why I came out in favor of term limits, in favor of ending Citizens United, getting dark money out of our politics, and banning stock trading. It's common sense.

It's nonpartisan. We should have done it a long time ago. Those 48 folks you're talking about, I know, are going to be working alongside me. But most importantly, the folks here in Central Kentucky believe in this mission. So that's why --

BASH: It is interesting that you say that that's your first piece of legislation, you and the 48 others, and not affordability, which is the number one issue right now. I'm not saying that corruption is not a big one, but affordability, I would imagine that you hear more about that than anything on the trail.

DEMBO: So, I hear about both. You're absolutely right. Affordability is a huge concern, and that's why I'm the only candidate who's opposed these tariffs. Why I'm the only one opposing these Medicaid cuts that are going to be disastrous for our rural healthcare system here, and I'm the only one who has opposed the Iran war from the beginning, but at the same time, you're hearing about costs.

You're having hardworking Central Kentuckians seeing folks in D.C. getting rich, as you pointed out on both sides of the aisle. And so, costs and corruption go very much hand in hand because we are paying the cost of corruption here in the Kentucky Sixth.

BASH: You have made getting money out of politics a big part of your campaign as well. In your race, there are Democratic Super PACs, including one funded by a billionaire, Reid Hoffman. They're spending nearly $4 million, more than twice as much as your own campaign is spending. How can voters take your push to get money out of politics seriously when a lot of the ads that they're seeing are paid for by big money funders?

DEMBO: Well, as you know, unfortunately, in the post-Citizens United world, not only do I have nothing to do with any of those entities, I'm legally not allowed to coordinate with them. But the way voters can know it that I am going to clean this up is I'm the only person saying none of these super PACs should exist at all, whether they're supporting a Democrat or a Republican.

And you're right, there's been a lot of outside money. President Trump's Super PAC has poured over $2 million in against our campaign. I don't think any of them should exist. You can go right on my website and see that. That's why they can have confidence. That is the only veteran in this race, the only former prosecutor in the race.

I'm standing up for the oath I swore to the Constitution, not to any donors, and certainly not to any shady, dark money Super PACs. They all should go. I don't care who they support. That's what I'm going to advocate for in Congress.

BASH: Yeah, I know you said in your debate that you haven't spoken to Reid Hoffman. You just explained a part of the law as to why. Now you're speaking in public. Do you have a message for Reid Hoffman about the Super PAC ads running in your campaign?

DEMBO: I don't know the guy. I've never talked to him. I've never asked for this donation. I -- and so what I would say is, for anyone listening, Super PACs and big money in politics is part of the problem. It's why we haven't been able to have action on so many important things like healthcare reform, like immigration reform, like things that people have wanted Congress to do for decades and we haven't been able to.

And so, what I'd say to anyone is, let's get rid of this. We need the money out of politics. As a former prosecutor, it offends me and my sense of values. And I know from talking to Central Kentuckians, it offends them as well.

BASH: Zach Dembo, thank you so much for being here. I really appreciate it. And I should note that we invited --

DEMBO: Thank you so much, Dana.

BASH: -- thank you. We invited Ralph Alvarado, the Republican in this race on the program. We do hope that he joins us before Election Day. Coming up, CNN's John King is all over the map in Iowa, where high fuel prices and frustrated farmers could have a major impact on the control of Senate.

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[12:25:00]

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BASH: CNN's John King has been all over the country for years talking to voters, and this week he's hitting five states in five days to hear from the people who will decide this election. His first stop is in Iowa; a state President Trump won three times. This year, Republicans are dealing with many nail-biting races going on there in the beautiful Hawkeye State. What are you hearing from voters, John?

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Dana, we first came here -- we started this project almost three and a half years ago. Back then, the big question was, could Donald Trump win the Republican nomination? Could he get back to the White House after January 6?

At a time, many people in Washington were saying, I don't think so; Iowa gave Trump a rebounding yes. And you mentioned he also carried this state three times. So how is this state in play? Now we got the mini magic wall on the road with us. Look at 55-56 percent, if you round that up for Donald Trump in 2024, a Republican governor, two Republican senators, all four, we go to the House districts here, all four of the House districts in Iowa held by Republicans.

[12:30:00]