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Republicans Take Control of Senate in Midterm Elections; Interview with Governor Chris Christie; Interview with Senator Rand Paul; Interview with Senator-elect Thom Tillis

Aired November 05, 2014 - 08:00   ET

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

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Chris, we saw this same story in the House with Republicans gaining at least 14 more seats, giving them their largest Congressional majority since World War II. And in governors' races, the GOP added at least four seats, also on the ballot for the midterms, recreational marijuana is now legal in Washington, D.C., and Oregon, with Alaska appearing to follow suit, but the numbers there are still being tallied. We'll have full coverage of all of the latest developments for you.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Washington, D.C., has legalized marijuana. That means members of Congress can legally buy it. Would that help the situation? How could it hurt?

Let's look at key Senate races, several not yet decided including Alaska. We're waiting there. We're told the latest vote count does show challenger Dan Sullivan with an edge over the Democrat incumbent Mark Begich, but again, not official, not counted, not called.

All right, in Virginia, Democrat Senator Mark Warner claiming victory, but Republican challenger Ed Gillespie not conceding. It could be headed for a recount. We'll keep a watch on that for you.

It will certainly take a runoff to figure out Louisiana's hotly contested Senate race. Democrat incumbent Senator Mary Landrieu, Republican challenger Bill Cassidy battled to a draw essentially. However, you're not looking at his face right now but you will in a second. Third party candidate played a big spoiler here, Ron Maness. He got 14 percent, Tea Party candidate. Who is going to get those votes December 6th when the runoff is, that will make a difference.

CAMEROTA: In Iowa Republican Joni Ernst won the seat being vacated by retiring Democrat Tom Harkin. Ernst becomes Iowa's first female senator in an easier than expected win over Democrat Bruce Braley. It was a bruising, big money battle, with the candidates spending nearly $80 million between them on campaign ads including her famous one about castrating hogs.

And a big hold for the GOP in Kansas. In one of the most hotly contested Senate races, Republican Pat Roberts defeated the independent challenger Greg Orman. Republican Congressman Cory Gardner has won the Senate race in Colorado. He defeats the incumbent senator Mark Udall. It's a significant pickup for Republicans because this is a state that voted for President Obama twice in 2008, 2012 so now it switches hands. CUOMO: Arkansas, the Republicans had that on their list, they got it.

Tom Cotton, decisive victory over Democrat two-term incumbent Mark Pryor. The Democrats thought they had a chance there, they were wrong. The GOP keeps the Senate seat in Georgia thanks to something went against the polls, easy victory for Republican David Perdue, he beat Democratic challenger Michelle Nunn. She's got a famous name there in Georgia, was not enough. It was thought to be a tossup until yesterday.

Rare glimmer of good news for Democrats is in New Hampshire, that's Jeanne Shaheen. She's going to hold onto her Senate seat. She had a good field operation in that helped her resist Republican challenger Scott Brown. Hey got a little stink painted on him with being a carpetbagger, but a very close race.

CAMEROTA: And another big win for the GOP in North Carolina. Thom Tillis defeated incumbent democrat Kay Hagan, flipping the key swing state. And Montana has a new Republican Senator as well. Steve Daines easily defeated Democrat Amanda Kurst to win the seat held for decades by Max Baucus. And minority leader Mitch McConnell could be the next majority leader. The Kentucky senator easily won a sixth term in the senator defeating Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes.

CUOMO: That was a big metaphor race also. We said it was really close. Mitch McConnell showed what happens when you pound out 122 counties in Kentucky. He was like on all of them playing it really hard and fair, and Alison Lundergan Grimes really spoke to the need of the voter out there to hear exactly who you are. You'll remember she wouldn't say who she voted for in the last presidential election. That became a big issue. He coasted to victory. May have a tougher time becoming majority leader.

House Republicans also keep control of the House of Representatives. There was never really much in question, but they did pick up 14 additional seats. I think they only lost one, still a bit of tally to be done there. You've got Speaker John Boehner beating his rival in Ohio's eighth district. Boehner is expected to run again as speaker of the House. And you had some history in Utah where Republican Mia Love won the fourth district. Listen to this -- she becomes the first African-American female Republican ever elected to Congress. That's got to make everybody happy.

CAMEROTA: We have so much to talk about this morning, and joining us now is someone who campaigned hard for many of the Republican candidates who emerged victorious last night, Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey is here with us. He's also the chairman of the National Governors Association. Great to see you.

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE, (R) NEW JERSEY: Good morning, thanks for having me.

CAMEROTA: You had a good night.

CHRISTIE: We did. Republican governors and Republican gubernatorial candidates all across the country had a really good night. So they had a good night, it was good for me. CAMEROTA: Where were you watching and what did you say when you

realized that the Senate was tipping in favor of the Republicans?

CHRISTIE: Well, I was in 19 states in the last five days. So last night I was at home. But we had a great night. And you know, when Thom Tillis won in North Carolina, Joni Ernst won in Iowa, we knew it was a good night for Republicans in the Senate. But my focus last night was on my governors' races, and you know, when you have Bruce Rounder win in Illinois, Charlie Baker win in Massachusetts, and Larry Hogan win in Maryland, that's a really good night for Republicans to win in those blue states. As a blue state governor myself and as a Republican, that was particularly gratifying.

CAMEROTA: So to what do you attribute that success particularly in those blue states for governors?

CHRISTIE: I think that they've seen Republican leadership in other states and it's been enormously effective. We had a lot of folks last night who said a lot of Republican incumbents were going to lose. But Rick Scott won in Florida, Rick Snyder won in Michigan, Scott Walker won in Wisconsin. They say they like governors who get things done, and I think you saw that across the country. If you're a governor who gets things done, the voters rewarded you.

CAMEROTA: Do you think it suggests that the country is more right leaning than some pundits would have people believe?

CHRISTIE: Well, I've always thought that. But I think more importantly there's such anxiety in the country about what's happened in Washington and how things just haven't gotten done. And I think what they were doing with governors was rewarding the governors they believe get their job done and don't engage in all this partisan bickering and ugliness, but they worked together with their legislatures, whether they're the same party or a different party. So the fact is that's what I think is really rewarding. People are so tired of the gridlock and the ugliness in Washington they want to see things get done. I think they rewarded Republican governors because they've been getting things done.

CAMEROTA: So it's the morning after the midterms and you know what that means. It's time to talk about 2016.

CHRISTIE: Yes, we don't get to breathe, huh?

(LAUGHTER)

CAMEROTA: No, we don't. It's time to set our sights forward on 2016. I know you get this question all the time, but, really, what is your timetable for when you're going to decide?

CHRISTIE: You know, sometime next year, sometime next year. There's no rush in making this kind of decision. I think there's no reason to rush a decision as important as this. I've said it all along, there's three questions I'll ask myself -- is it right for me, is it right for my family, is it right for my country? And if I don't answer yes to all three, I won't run. And if I do answer yes to all three, then I will.

CAMEROTA: And today on a day when there's been such victories for Republican governors, isn't the answer to all of that yes?

CHRISTIE: I didn't even ask the questions yet.

CUOMO: Come on.

CHRISTIE: No.

CUOMO: Come on.

CHRISTIE: No, Chris, I have not.

CUOMO: I'm liking the kinder, gentler, the pink tie, I respect that. That's a nod towards the sensitivity. I've been listening. We can see how you're building the future of the party.

CHRISTIE: Right.

CUOMO: But you're the one who is leading the Republican governors.

CHRISTIE: Yes.

CUOMO: OK, you have as much credit for what happened there, and we know that, you know, success has many fathers, right?

CHRISTIE: Yes.

CUOMO: You're certainly going to be one of them. Rand Paul was out there last night, he was punching Hillary in the nose every chance he had. He's talking about you and what was perceived as bullying somebody at a press conference. It started. So you can't just step to the side. You're going to have to get into the race or the race will come to you.

CHRISTIE: Says you.

CUOMO: Says me. I'm the media. We will force you to make a decision.

CHRISTIE: Well you know how it happens when people try to force me to do anything.

CUOMO: I'm already sitting down.

CHRISTIE: You know, it just doesn't work. And I'll make this decision based on my own timetable and not on anybody else's, because it's just too important a decision. It's life-changing and you don't make that decision overnight.

CUOMO: We know they're asking you to do that. How do you deal with that? You care about your party. Everybody says that, that this was important to you to show you could give a message in as many states as possible where governors would be helped by it. It worked. That's got to tell you something about your ability to message. You know that your party is pushing you towards getting more involved in this. How do you say no?

CHRISTIE: Well, I don't know that you do say no, but I haven't said yes, and that's a big difference. And I'm flattered. Yes, how you react to it, it's incredibly flattering, Chris, to have lots of people ask you to consider running for president of the United States, and I'm incredibly flattered.

But this morning what I feel is incredible pride in really great candidates across the country. This is not easy to run statewide anywhere, and to be a Republican who runs statewide in a tough state like Illinois or Massachusetts or Maryland and wins, I'm incredibly proud of those guys. They deserve the credit.

CUOMO: It shows there's a window of opportunity for a different kind of leadership. Sure, I'm certainly baiting you. There's no question about it. I know you see it coming.

CHRISTIE: That's OK.

CUOMO: And so what's going to be the big foil? It will be, can Chris Christie control himself on the national level?

CHRISTIE: Why is that?

CUOMO: Because they'll say you can't yell at people like that.

CHRISTIE: First of all, why would anybody think what I did last week wasn't controlled? First off.

CUOMO: By definition it wasn't controlled.

CHRISTIE: Why would they think I didn't do exactly what I wanted to do?

CUOMO: I know, but the question is can you be that way at the next level?

CHRISTIE: Yes.

CUOMO: And not be seen as a bully?

CHRISTIE: Yes, yes. Be yourself. How about just be yourself? That's what I try to do every day. My mother said to me a long time ago, she said, you know, Chris, be yourself, and tomorrow you don't have to worry about trying to remember who you pretended to be yesterday. And you know, I'm going to be myself. And if I decide to run for something else, if that's not good enough, then it's not good enough. But I'm not going to change who I am, not for anybody.

CAMEROTA: And that is certainly what New Jersey voters embraced about you. They love the Jersey style, the no-nonsense style. Perhaps we should remind people of what that testy exchange was last week, just to remind people for one second.

CHRISTIE: Could they possibly have forgotten after how many times it's been played, but sure, one more time, why not? CUOMO: Just for good measure.

CHRISTIE: I was there. I remember.

CAMEROTA: Cue the tape.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIE: So listen, you want to have the conversation later, I'm happy to have it, buddy, but until that time, sit down and shut up.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: You wouldn't do it differently if you had a chance?

CHRISTIE: No.

CUOMO: Why? Who you are and how you are, are two different things.

CHRISTIE: But, Chris, listen, what you don't see in the tape that for about 60, 70 seconds before that, he was standing up, he was talking over me. I was trying to work my way through it and give him his time to say what he wanted to say. But we had 200 other people there who were there to listen to what we had to say about Sandy relief and Sandy recovery. It wasn't fair to those people.

And after giving him a period of time to express his point of view, which I did, then it was time for him to stop. And if you're a leader, then you tell the guy, stop it. And that's what I did and I wouldn't do it any differently. That's who I am.

And you know, the fact is, he was there to make a statement. He made his statement. He had time to make his statement. He had plenty of media coverage afterwards. Great. I don't begrudge him that. He has got his right to say what he wants to say, but not to interrupt an event that 200 other people were sitting there looking to hear. And if you listened to the crowd afterwards they wanted him to sit down also.

CAMEROTA: And that is the point. In New Jersey your authenticity and your blunt style works really well, but do you think that it plays across the country? Do you think that voters in Iowa would feel the same way about it?

CHRISTIE: Listen, what I found being in 37 states in the last 11 months is this country's much more alike than it is different. And you know, people always say well, you play here or in the south, anyplace other than New Jersey or New York they think you won't possibly play. It's wrong. It's just wrong. I got great reactions from people all over this country in the last 11 months, and what they say to me most of the time is we like the way you act like yourself. Be direct, give them hell. Those are the things people say to me, and it doesn't matter whether I'm in Iowa or Alabama or Illinois or Arizona. It's the same thing. So I think this country is a lot more the same than different.

CUOMO: Sweet strength is what works best across the country. It's the harshness that sometimes can turn people off.

Let me ask you something. When you're deliberating, people say it's going to be Rand Paul, Rand Paul is going to run also. Are you worried about Rand Paul?

CHRISTIE: I don't make that decision based on anybody else, because if you try to figure out the politics of this stuff, Chris, you're just throwing darts with a blindfold on. That's not the way it works. You need to decide, do you want it? Are you ready? Is it good for you? Is it good for your family? Can you help the country? And then the politics takes care of itself or it doesn't.

Listen, lots of people run, only one person is going to win. And so that means everyone else who decided is going to lose. So you can't make the judgment based on that, and there's not any one particular person that I sit around and think about other than myself and whether I'm ready and I want to do this, and whether it's good for my family or not. That's the way you make the decision.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Governor, let me ask you something, since I have an opportunity since you're sitting here. One of the things I think there will be conversations about as we look ahead to 2016, I'll let you do the pushing on whether you're going to run or not, but in terms of the perception of the Republican Party and the perception that certain people aren't necessarily spoken to within that party, how do you counteract that now going these two years ahead?

CHRISTIE: Listen, I don't need to wait. I did it in New Jersey.

PEREIRA: So how do we do it on a national level?

CHRISTIE: You do what I did in New Jersey. We got 51 percent of the Hispanic vote last year. Let's remember, a year ago yesterday I won 61 percent of the vote in New Jersey, 51 percent of the Hispanic vote, 23 percent of the African-American vote. How do we do it? We worked for four years to include people, to give them a seat at the table, to do more listening than talking, and to make sure that you treated everyone with the type of respect that they need to be treated with, and listen.

I don't always agree with any one of those groups on every issue and they don't expect me to. I tell folks in my state all the time, you look for a candidate you agree with 100 percent of the time, go home and look in the mirror, you're it. You're the only person who agrees with yourself 100 percent of the time. So I don't think people are looking for you to pander and on a particular issue. They're looking for you to be yourself and treat them with the kind of respect that would make them want to sit at the table with you. I think that's the way do you it.

CAMEROTA: Governor Chris Christie, great to have you here. Congratulations on the successes last night. CHRISTIE: Thanks. It was a great night for our guys and women and

I'm really happy for them.

CAMEROTA: Thanks so much.

CUOMO: Appreciate you coming on the show.

CHRISTIE: Thank you, Chris.

CUOMO: Good luck to you going forward.

CHRISTIE: You got it.

CUOMO: All right, so Republicans decidedly got a vote of confidence from you. What are they going to do with it? Are they going to cooperate with the president? We're being joined now by another name that you're going to be hearing a lot, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, and there you are. Good morning, Senator, good to have you. We were just talking to your friend Governor Christie here about what this means going forward. How do you see it?

SEN. RAND PAUL (R), KENTUCKY: You know, I think it's all good news. I think last night in Kentucky we had a huge victory. And particularly in Kentucky, Iowa, Arkansas, this was not only a repudiation of the president, but I think really repudiation of Hillary Clinton. I've already thought oh, hey, I'm going to be a Clinton Democrat, turns out that's not so popular in a lot of states either and trying to separate this into Obama Democrats and Clinton Democrats really wasn't a successful strategy for the Democrats yesterday.

CUOMO: Senator, are you worried about Hillary Clinton, you bring her up on a day usually you're ignoring the other side. Are you worried about Hillary?

PAUL: Not necessarily worried. I think that she has a record and she wants to either separate herself or say she's somehow different than Obama, really it turns out that on most policies, they're pretty much identical.

CUOMO: Why now? Why do it? Is this your way of setting yourself up for 2016?

There's a lot of talk about that last night. You could have talked about anything you wanted, you had it in your home state, playing out in Kentucky, you were there with Mitch McConnell -- not so much about what the new Senate majority will do, not so much about the Republican agenda, you went right are her, you created a hashtag.

Seems pretty obvious what your motivation is. Am I missing something?

PAUL: You know, the Clintons have long been represented as the leaders of the Democrat Party. She's said to be the front-runner for the nomination for their party.

So, really, elections are about who the leadership is in the party and about either accepting or rejecting those leaders, and frankly, I think that yesterday was a repudiation of Hillary Clinton.

Think about it -- 90 percent of incumbents win, but over 50 percent of the candidates that she campaigned for that were incumbents lost. So, that really is a message that the public sent both to the Clintons, to President Obama, and to their policies.

CUOMO: Right, the president probably at the top of that list, though if you're going to go after the head of the Democratic Party, but you're ignoring him in favor of Hillary Clinton. My suggestion would be you're doing that because you see yourself ling up in a race against him.

(CROSSTALK)

PAUL: I'm happy to say there's enough blame to go around for the president. I think he has to decide and that decision will happen over the next couple of months is he going to work with us, because frankly, he's been saying it's his way or the highway and that's what it's been. Nothing occurred in the last several years because both he and Harry Reid decided, hey, we're going to do nothing.

And so, I think some of the message also is a message that the American public is tired of gridlock. They're ready to see something happen and I want to be part of that.

CUOMO: You know, Senator, in an election where the Democrats I think it's fair to say ran away from their base, ran away from their president, ran scare through most of the elections and pay the price.

Hillary Clinton could you argue didn't, she did what a leader should do, went out and stood by what she's about, what she believes her party is about, fought the good fight and she lost. Do you think that the races that she weighed in on would have gone a different way if she weren't there?

PAUL: I don't think she was an asset. I think that she, the Clintons for a long time have been perceived as oh, hey, they can help Democrats convince people in the South that there still be some conservative Democrats, but guess what? It doesn't work anymore, even in their home state in Arkansas, it didn't work last night. They campaigned heavily in Iowa, didn't work in Iowa. They campaigned heavily in Kentucky. They're supposed to be this Clinton cache.

Well, the shininess has worn off of that.

CUOMO: All right. So, let's talk about who is shiny. I'm saying you're shiny, Senator. Are you going to run for president?

PAUL: Maybe. You know, I haven't decided yet.

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: Let me ask you something, I understand, I've heard your answer before. Here's why I'm cutting before, all due respect, I'm very happy to have you on the show.

PAUL: You ask the same question you get the same answer. I'm not giving you a different answer.

CUOMO: I know. That's why I don't get. We asked Governor Christie the same thing.

It is the most powerful position in the world, for people like you, who say you want to serve through elected office, that's the place that is the shiny jewel that gives you the power to do it. Why this indecision? Why run around the country and make all these cases and exhaust yourself on so many levels and then vacillate on going for the crown? Why vacillate?

PAUL: Well, it is an important decision, it's an important position, and it will take a while to make the decision.

As you know in politics, politics isn't always the friendliest of atmospheres for family, there's a lot that families go through, there's attacks and personal -- it's just a big decision to make, but there's also the decision to make and this depends on the facts on the ground, and that is -- are the things that you're talking about, the things you want to do to make the country bigger, better, are they resonating, and is there a chance that they will be successful?

I don't have a great desire to do it just on a lark. I would only do it if I thought that we had a real chance at the nomination and at winning so we'll make that decision sometime in the spring. I think I've been more forthright than many. I haven't demurred. I haven't said, oh, not me, I'm not thinking of it.

We've actively said we are thinking about it. We are making preparations should it occur. But we haven't made the final decision and we'll make that in the spring.

CUOMO: Well, look, I mean, you grew up in it, you put your family in it, someone who grew up in politics. You know what it takes to be in this kind of situation and you certainly are in the crosshairs of everybody who is talking about 2016 positive and negative.

If not you, and if you're not going to do it, most would suggest that means you think there's someone better for the job. Do you think Chris Christie would be a better president than you?

PAUL: You know, I think there are a lot of good candidates and I think we need moderates in the party. I think it's great that there's a big tent and that there will be moderates and people from different regions of the country in our party.

You know, I don -- I'm not ready really to declare to endorse another Republican, but I think having people from different facets of the ideological spectrum in the party is useful and good for the party.

CUOMO: When are we going to hear you come on NEW DAY and say, "I'm in, I have a tie on today, I'm ready to run"?

PAUL: Do I have to wear a tie to run? That's my real question.

CUOMO: N, you look good in that, I like the mock neck. PAUL: We'll make a decision in the spring. It's probably not going

to be early next year, it will be in the spring sometime and truly we haven't made the decision and had all the final discussions we have to have, and to decide whether we want to do this or not.

CUOMO: Well, Senator, you got a lot of big decisions to make, you've been given a significant mantle of power by the American people. We look forward to seeing how you use it. Thank you very much for joining us on NEW DAY.

PAUL: Thank you.

CUOMO: Alisyn?

CAMEROTA: Thanks so much, Chris.

Well, his win clinched the Republican's Senate majority win overnight. We'll speak with North Carolina Senator-elect Thom Tillis about that history-making night.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: Last night was a big night in North Carolina, a hotly contested Senate race between incumbent Democrat Kay Hagan and Republican challenger Thom Tillis. It went late but Tillis emerged with the win, pushing the GOP the majority in the Senate.

So, let's bring in North Carolina Senate-elect Thom Tillis.

Good morning Mr. Senator-elect.

THOM TILLIS (R), NORTH CAROLINA SENATE ELECT: Good morning.

CAMEROTA: How does that sound?

TILLIS: Well, if I look like I'm wearing the same suit I was last night and I'm tired, it's because both of those are true.

CAMEROTA: Got it.

Tell us about the moment that you realized that your win had pushed the GOP into control of the Senate.

TILLIS: Well, we were just pleased to see Georgia be decided last night and Joni Ernst and I were getting it done and I'm looking forward to Dan Sullivan joining the new majority caucus next year.

CAMEROTA: So, you clinched the majority for the GOP, which everyone was excited about in your party, but your race is also known for a more dubious reason, and that is that yours was the most expensive race in North Carolina Senate history.

Now, I'm sure from where you sit this morning that seems like money well-spent but voters say that all of the sort of runaway spending for these races sometimes makes them a little disgusted. TILLIS: Well, yes, us, too. The money that was spent was almost a

2:1 difference between what Harry Reid spent and what folks who supported me did, and I think the problem with it is that suddenly you try to cast two candidates as being good or bad.

I don't think that was not what really was, this race was about. It was about very different visions for America, and we're glad that we got it done. Incidentally it may be the most money spent in any Senate race in U.S. history and I'm glad, I'm proud of my volunteers and everybody that withstood that challenge.

CAMEROTA: There were a lot of negative ads in your campaign against you, obviously on both sides, it was a negative campaign. Your opponent painted you as having cut funding to public schools, saying you sliced and diced the budgets. You created chaos in the classrooms.

When you get to the Senate, will you be dealing with education? Will you be trying to cut funding for education?

TILLIS: Well, the only problem with the premise of that, the argument is that we didn't cut spending. We actually have increased spending by $1 billion a year since I've been speaker of the house. We gave one of the highest pay raises in a generation.

That's the negative consequence of how these campaigns were run. We've actually tried to make education a priority, and health care in North Carolina a priority. That's what we need to do at the federal level.

CAMEROTA: All right, Senator-elect Thom Tillis, thanks for taking time for us this morning. Congratulations on your win, you can go get some sleep now.

TILLIS: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: OK, take care.

Let's go over to Chris.

CUOMO: You know, it's an interesting developing narrative here, Republicans, the Democrats, but really what we're seeing is a growing independent streak in voters. We're going to bring on an independent and get their take on what just happened here. A conversation with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders coming up, what does he think about the races, the money spent and 2016, when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)