Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Today
America Votes 2002: 34 Senate Seats at Stake Today
Aired November 05, 2002 - 12:35 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: What happens today in polling places all across the country will, of course, largely determine what happens in Congress and dozens of state capitals for years to come. Thirty- six governorships on the line, most of which currently are held by Republicans. In Congress, 34 Senate seats are up for grabs, and as many as eight of those races are completely up in the air right now. Just one turnover, of course, could change the balance of power. Dozens of turnovers are possible in the house, actually not that many, because most of the races are very, very close, but all 435 seats are being decided currently. Currently, Republicans hold 223 of those seats, Democrats 208. There's one independent, three vacancies right now.
Joining us now to discuss all of this on our daily debate segment, the former Congressman Tom Downey, he's now president of a Democratic consulting group, and the Republican strategist and former White House aide Ed Rogers. Thank to both of you for joining us. Ed, when you look at these Senate races, which one or two do you think are the most important in determining the balance of power in the Senate.
ED ROGERS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, maybe there's more than one or two, but keep an eye on the New Hampshire race, Sununu versus Governor Shaheen. If Sununu is doing good, the Republicans are going to do good. In Georgia, Congressman Chambliss is mounting a very strong challenge to incumbent Democrat Senator Max Cleland. Cleland is in real trouble, and that could be the difference in control of the United States Senate tonight when the results come in.
BLITZER: Tom, which ones are you looking at.
TOM DOWNEY, FMR. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE: Well, I think that Ed is right about New Hampshire, and I think the Jean Shaheen, Governor Shaheen is going to win that seat. The other one that clearly you have to watch is South Dakota, because so much is at stake, and both heavyweights in both parties have worked so hard, and the sleeper I would urge people to watch is in North Carolina, where former White House chief of staff Erksine Bowles is making a last-minute push.
BLITZER: But the most recent polls in North Carolina show Elizabeth Dole still with a pretty significant advantage outside the margin of error.
DOWNEY: Yes, but I think our ground game there and our turnout is going to make a big difference.
BLITZER: The advantage the Democrats the Democrats say they have in North Carolina is the highest unemployment rate in the country, and people are pretty miserable down there.
ROGERS: And they've got a Democrat governor to blame for that. And we have the best candidate. She has the best campaign. We feel really good about her election. We feel really good about that campaign. Another one to watch, that's big for the Republicans is the other Democratic incumbent, one of the other Democratic incumbents that's in trouble is in Missouri. So we expect Jim Talent, former Congressman Jim Talent, to beat Senator Carnahan tonight.
BLITZER: Jean Carnahan -- do you think that's doable for Talent?
DOWNEY: I think it's going to be a tight race. As long as we're talking about tight races that look like they're going to go different ways, take a look at what happens in Arkansas. I think the Attorney General Pryor is going to beat Hutchison in Arkansas, and I think former U.S. Attorney Strickland is going to beat Wayne Allard in Colorado.
BLITZER: What do you make of the Democrats going to the bench, if you will, with these two veterans, Frank Lautenberg in New Jersey, Walter Mondale in Minnesota, to help come rescue them, in effect, with these surprise developments, Torricelli dropping out in New Jersey and Paul Wellstone, unfortunately, dying in Minnesota?
ROGERS: On the face of it, it says something unhealthy about the Democrat Party, that they have to go deep into their retirement bench to pull these people back in to give them some chances in these races that were going in the Republican column. There's been five seats that belong in the Republican column, Paul Coverdale in Georgia, Ashcroft's seat when Carnahan died in Missouri, Torricelli going politically dead in New Jersey, Paul Wellstone and Jim Jeffords switching, so the normal ballot process hasn't given the Democrats the control that they've got, and there's the chance to correct it tonight.
BLITZER: He's suggesting that these freak developments have given the Democrats the majority?
DOWNEY: Well, the voters in both states, in New Jersey and in Minnesota, are pretty astute, and I think what they realize is that Frank Lautenberg is a vastly superior candidate than Forrester. That's why he's so far out front. Tragically in Minnesota, I think Paul Wellstone had he lived would have won that race going away, and proven to everybody that you could take on the president on the war and still win, but the voters there now have a chance for a man of experience and integrity, Walter Mondale, and they're going to choose him.
BLITZER: How much of a referendum is this for President Bush, this election, this midterm election. You once worked in a Republican White House. Obviously, the president's been very busy, incredibly active on the campaign trail.
ROGERS: Yes, the president hasn't been shy about saying this is important to him, that he has high stakes. He's put a lot of time, a lot of energy into it, and it's not inconsequential. His ability to govern is impacted substantially today, so he hasn't been shy about putting his prestige out there on the line. If things go good, he deserves a lot of the credit.
BLITZER: And if things go bad, will he get a lot of the blame.
DOWNEY: Well, of course, he will. And in fact, the economy has been hemorrhaging jobs, we've lost two million since he's been president. The stock market has lost a third of its value. I think Democrats would like to say to the American people, I wish the president was as concerned with the American economy as he is a war with Iraq.
BLITZER: All right, we will pick up war with Iraq in just a moment.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 5, 2002 - 12:35 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: What happens today in polling places all across the country will, of course, largely determine what happens in Congress and dozens of state capitals for years to come. Thirty- six governorships on the line, most of which currently are held by Republicans. In Congress, 34 Senate seats are up for grabs, and as many as eight of those races are completely up in the air right now. Just one turnover, of course, could change the balance of power. Dozens of turnovers are possible in the house, actually not that many, because most of the races are very, very close, but all 435 seats are being decided currently. Currently, Republicans hold 223 of those seats, Democrats 208. There's one independent, three vacancies right now.
Joining us now to discuss all of this on our daily debate segment, the former Congressman Tom Downey, he's now president of a Democratic consulting group, and the Republican strategist and former White House aide Ed Rogers. Thank to both of you for joining us. Ed, when you look at these Senate races, which one or two do you think are the most important in determining the balance of power in the Senate.
ED ROGERS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, maybe there's more than one or two, but keep an eye on the New Hampshire race, Sununu versus Governor Shaheen. If Sununu is doing good, the Republicans are going to do good. In Georgia, Congressman Chambliss is mounting a very strong challenge to incumbent Democrat Senator Max Cleland. Cleland is in real trouble, and that could be the difference in control of the United States Senate tonight when the results come in.
BLITZER: Tom, which ones are you looking at.
TOM DOWNEY, FMR. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE: Well, I think that Ed is right about New Hampshire, and I think the Jean Shaheen, Governor Shaheen is going to win that seat. The other one that clearly you have to watch is South Dakota, because so much is at stake, and both heavyweights in both parties have worked so hard, and the sleeper I would urge people to watch is in North Carolina, where former White House chief of staff Erksine Bowles is making a last-minute push.
BLITZER: But the most recent polls in North Carolina show Elizabeth Dole still with a pretty significant advantage outside the margin of error.
DOWNEY: Yes, but I think our ground game there and our turnout is going to make a big difference.
BLITZER: The advantage the Democrats the Democrats say they have in North Carolina is the highest unemployment rate in the country, and people are pretty miserable down there.
ROGERS: And they've got a Democrat governor to blame for that. And we have the best candidate. She has the best campaign. We feel really good about her election. We feel really good about that campaign. Another one to watch, that's big for the Republicans is the other Democratic incumbent, one of the other Democratic incumbents that's in trouble is in Missouri. So we expect Jim Talent, former Congressman Jim Talent, to beat Senator Carnahan tonight.
BLITZER: Jean Carnahan -- do you think that's doable for Talent?
DOWNEY: I think it's going to be a tight race. As long as we're talking about tight races that look like they're going to go different ways, take a look at what happens in Arkansas. I think the Attorney General Pryor is going to beat Hutchison in Arkansas, and I think former U.S. Attorney Strickland is going to beat Wayne Allard in Colorado.
BLITZER: What do you make of the Democrats going to the bench, if you will, with these two veterans, Frank Lautenberg in New Jersey, Walter Mondale in Minnesota, to help come rescue them, in effect, with these surprise developments, Torricelli dropping out in New Jersey and Paul Wellstone, unfortunately, dying in Minnesota?
ROGERS: On the face of it, it says something unhealthy about the Democrat Party, that they have to go deep into their retirement bench to pull these people back in to give them some chances in these races that were going in the Republican column. There's been five seats that belong in the Republican column, Paul Coverdale in Georgia, Ashcroft's seat when Carnahan died in Missouri, Torricelli going politically dead in New Jersey, Paul Wellstone and Jim Jeffords switching, so the normal ballot process hasn't given the Democrats the control that they've got, and there's the chance to correct it tonight.
BLITZER: He's suggesting that these freak developments have given the Democrats the majority?
DOWNEY: Well, the voters in both states, in New Jersey and in Minnesota, are pretty astute, and I think what they realize is that Frank Lautenberg is a vastly superior candidate than Forrester. That's why he's so far out front. Tragically in Minnesota, I think Paul Wellstone had he lived would have won that race going away, and proven to everybody that you could take on the president on the war and still win, but the voters there now have a chance for a man of experience and integrity, Walter Mondale, and they're going to choose him.
BLITZER: How much of a referendum is this for President Bush, this election, this midterm election. You once worked in a Republican White House. Obviously, the president's been very busy, incredibly active on the campaign trail.
ROGERS: Yes, the president hasn't been shy about saying this is important to him, that he has high stakes. He's put a lot of time, a lot of energy into it, and it's not inconsequential. His ability to govern is impacted substantially today, so he hasn't been shy about putting his prestige out there on the line. If things go good, he deserves a lot of the credit.
BLITZER: And if things go bad, will he get a lot of the blame.
DOWNEY: Well, of course, he will. And in fact, the economy has been hemorrhaging jobs, we've lost two million since he's been president. The stock market has lost a third of its value. I think Democrats would like to say to the American people, I wish the president was as concerned with the American economy as he is a war with Iraq.
BLITZER: All right, we will pick up war with Iraq in just a moment.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
