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CNN Poll: Voters Have Mixed Feelings of Melania Trump; Trump Poised for Super Tuesday Sweep?; Clinton Looks to Pull Away from Sanders; Obama Meeting GOP Leaders Over Supreme Court Vacancy. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired March 01, 2016 - 07:00   ET

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

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: She seems to know him and be comfortable talking about him. It's interesting to get to know her. A new poll shows how few people think that they know anything about the possible future first lady. She has a 27 percent favorable at the moment, Melania Trump. Unfavorable, 30 percent. Unsure, which is much bigger, 43 percent.

[07:00:20] CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Not unlike the numbers the country has of just about everything.

All right. So we have a lot of coverage for you. This is Super Tuesday, my friends. We'll give you the stakes and the state of play. Let's get to it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Little Marco Rubio. I call him lightweight.

Ted Cruz, we call him Lying Ted.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You say David Duke to me, I say, "racist," immediately.

TRUMP: All lives matter.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We will defeat Mr. Trump. Love trumps hatred.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You can't say whatever pops into your head. People around the world actually listen.

TRUMP: You don't want to listen to it four years, folks. Your country will be torn apart.

RUBIO: Friends don't let friends vote for someone under FBI investigation.

Friends don't let friends vote for con artists.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump is not the right candidate to go head to head with Hillary Clinton.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

CAMEROTA: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to your super edition of NEW DAY. It is Super Tuesday, with voting contests in a dozen states, and the stakes could not be higher. Nearly half of the Republican delegates need to clinch the Republican nomination get awarded today. If the polls prove true, Donald Trump could be so dominant after today the GOP race could be over.

Democrats awarding 1,015 delegates and super delegates, more than third needed to clinch their nomination.

Meanwhile, a new CNN/ORC poll shows both Democratic candidates beating Trump in a head-to-head matchup. Hillary Clinton tops Trump 52 percent to 44 percent. Bernie Sanders beats him by an even wider margin: 55 percent to 43 percent.

CUOMO: In fact, Clinton faces a tougher challenge from the second- tier Republicans, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz. So will Trump and Clinton each cement their front-runner status today? Could this be the end of the line for some of the other candidates? We have it all covered for you.

Let's begin with CNN's Jim Acosta. He's in all-important Ohio -- Jim.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Chris.

Donald Trump has all the momentum heading into Super Tuesday. His nearest rivals are showing no signs they could stop him. And more top Republicans are rejecting him, pointing to the daily firestorms that seem to be ignited by his campaign and warning he will be a disaster for the party come November.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRUMP: Trump, 49 percent. Little lightweight Marco Rubio, 16 percent. Lying Ted Cruz, 15 percent.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Donald Trump is poised for a sweeping Super Tuesday victory tonight amid a swirling campaign controversy over the issue of race.

TRUMP: Are you from Mexico?

ACOSTA: Chaos erupted at this Virginia event as protesters disrupted the rally. Just moments before a violent encounter, a Secret Service agent choke-slammed a photographer to the ground. The incident came as Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz blasted Trump in a last-ditch effort to gain ground before Super Tuesday.

RUBIO: We will not lose conservatism to a con artist.

CRUZ: If we nominate Donald Trump, in all likelihood, Hillary Clinton wins. We lose the future. RUBIO: Pouncing on the GOP front-runner after he refused to disavow

support from a former Ku Klux Klan leader, David Duke, in a CNN interview.

RUBIO: There is no place for bigotry, for prejudice, for hatred, for David Duke or the Ku Klux Klan in the Republican Party or the conservative movement.

ACOSTA: Trump later rejected that support, blaming the matter on a bad earpiece. But 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney isn't buying it, tweeting that Trump's response is disqualifying and disgusting, as two Republican senators are voicing their concerns over Trump as the nominee. Even though Ohio Governor John Kasich is still in last place, he says he'll continue to refrain from mudslinging.

KASICH: I would rather not win than lower the bar. I don't think that you beat Donald Trump by attacking him personally.

ACOSTA: While Cruz is optimistic about winning the 155 delegates in his home state in Texas tonight, failure could put his campaign on thin ice.

CRUZ: Donald Trump will have a whole bunch of delegates. And we will have a whole bunch of delegates. And then there will be a big, big drop off between us and everybody else in the field.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: Now Trump's campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, tells me it will be tough to defeat Cruz in Texas, saying it will be like beating the New England Patriots on their home turf.

As for the GOP front-runner, he's already looking ahead beyond Super Tuesday with a rally here in Ohio later this morning. And his watch party tonight down in Florida, where he hopes to beat Marco Rubio in his home state later this month.

[07:05:07] And Chris, if Donald Trump rolls to a big victory tonight, the math is just going to be harder and harder to solve for Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.

CUOMO: Well said, Jim Acosta. Thank you very much. We'll check back with you in a little bit.

Let's look at the Democrat side. Hillary Clinton already looking past rival Bernie Sanders and attacking potential opponents on the Republican side in the main. The question for her: will she dominate today, or are we in for a Sanders surprise?

Let's take a look at the state of play. We have CNN senior political correspondent Brianna Keilar live from Sanders's home state of Burlington, Vermont. What's the feel on the ground?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

Well, a lot of optimism, Chris, here in Vermont. Of course, it is Bernie Sanders's home state. But he hasn't been looking past Hillary Clinton. He really took her on last night in the final push into Super Tuesday over her Wall Street ties.

But Hillary Clinton has been laying off Bernie Sanders noticeably. That's no accident, aides tell us. That's part of her strategy. But both of these candidates have been treating Donald Trump as the presumptive Republican nominee.

Here's what Bernie Sanders said, sort of describing himself as an alternative to Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDERS: The other night, Donald Trump in the Republican debate said he thought wages in America are too high. When you're a billionaire, you don't know what goes on in the real world. Wages are not too high. They're too low.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: So this is going to be a back drop of victory, we expect, for Bernie Sanders here in his home state of Vermont. He is expected to get a big win.

But overall, he has an uphill climb today in Super Tuesday. Hillary Clinton is leading in more polls in more of these Super Tuesday states.

But just sort of a sign that he's not going anywhere, today his campaign touting his fund-raising for February. He raised $42 million, they say. And highlighting that $6 million raised yesterday alone, that Leap Day, that final day of the month. That is akin to what he raised after his New Hampshire win, a sign that he is not going to be stepping down anytime soon, even if today doesn't quite go his way.

CAMEROTA: OK, Brianna, fascinating. Thanks for that background.

Polls opening in more states at this hour, including Georgia, one of 12 states taking part this Super Tuesday. CNN's George Howell is live in Marietta at a polling location.

How's it looking there, George?

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn.

I'm here at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, where the polls opened just a few minutes ago. And, you know, according to the polling manager, he's expected to see lines well outside the door. We haven't quite seen that yet, though. We've seen people, as you see there, going in to make their choices here in these Democratic and Republican primaries.

You hear some of this behind me, some supporters for Donald Trump. I want to show you some video. These people who have shown up, even bringing a dog out, Alisyn, with a Donald Trump sign, though the dog won't get a vote in this. Some 3,000 registered voters at this particular polling center. And this one really is key of the state of Georgia. It's representative in the sense that the polls show Donald Trump well ahead of his rivals in Georgia. Hillary Clinton ahead of Bernie Sanders.

And, you know, we've seen these candidates in this state over the last weekend. Hillary Clinton, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz over the weekend. And Donald Trump the other night at Valdosta State University drawing a crowd of 7,500 people. So, you know, expect a lot of focus on the state of Georgia. It's 76 delegates for Republicans and 117 delegates that are on the line for the Democrats.

CUOMO: The numbers are flying, George. Thank you very much.

Also, Virginia we have to focus on. It's one of the first Super Tuesday states to start voting. It will award 109 delegates. So that's another one of the biggest prizes for Democrats. It's also considered a battleground state.

So CNN is there. Brian Todd in Ashburn.

Brian, what's it like?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Chris, the early read here is voter energy. A lot of voters have turned out in the early going here. We're only a little over an hour into the vote here in the Dominion Trails precinct here in Ashburn, Virginia. Already a very steady turnout. Voters checking in here. That takes just a few seconds.

Then you move over here. You vote on these paper ballots. Here's a sample ballot. You vote in these -- behind these partitions. Then it goes into a tabulator right here. The scanner, they'll put it in right here. It runs through. A printout comes out at the end of the day. A thumb drive comes out with the electronic version of it here.

We'll move over here and let this gentleman put his in so we can show you how he's doing it.

What we've learned here, Chris, is the dynamic here is such we polled about 14 people coming in here just a moment ago. Half of them were first-time primary voters. That tells you about the energy here. The Republican Party chairman of this county says they've got super motivation coming in here today. And we're seeing that. A lot of first-time primary voters. A lot of them have gone for Rubio that we've seen, a couple for Cruz. So we're going to see how that turns out.

[07:10:13] Rubio does do well with the late deciders and the first- time primary voters. We're going to see if that is a consistent theme here.

Now back to you, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: OK, Brian, thanks so much for that. Joining us now is Sam Clovis. He's co-chairman and policy adviser for the Trump campaign. Good morning, Sam. SAM CLOVIS, CO-CHAIRMAN/POLICY ADVISER, TRUMP CAMPAIGN: Good morning.

How are you doing?

CAMEROTA: I'm doing well. Nice to have you here in studio.

CLOVIS: What a great pleasure to be here, as always, to look you guys eyeball to eyeball. Makes a big difference.

CAMEROTA: It sure does. None of that pesky satellite stuff.

CLOVIS: No, we're good.

CAMEROTA: OK.

CLOVIS: What's up?

CAMEROTA: Let's talk about the numbers.

CLOVIS: Sure.

CAMEROTA: Shall we? Let's look at what is up for grabs today with the delegates on the GOP side. Big numbers. They add up to 595. Is Donald Trump going to win every one of these states?

CLOVIS: I think he's -- we have an opportunity. We're ahead, in I think, 9 of the 11 primary states, where we're going to be able to pick up delegates. We're within the margin of error in the other two. If we have a good turnout, a large turnout, I think we're going to do extremely well. We have the possibility of winning all the states.

CAMEROTA: The biggest piece of the pie is Texas.

CLOVIS: Texas, of course. Yes.

CAMEROTA: And in the latest polls, I'll just show you these. Ted Cruz at this time last week had a handy lead. He had 39 percent to Donald Trump's 26 percent. What makes you think that that gap has closed?

CLOVIS: Well, I think it has. You know, a lot of it is what we've been seeing on the ground. We just sense that we're doing -- doing much better down there than what the polls indicate.

The other thing is to take a look at the split of the delegates come out of that. There's a 20 percent threshold. I don't want to get too wonkish here, because we can get into a lot of these -- these numbers. But I think if we come out of there with close in delegates, what that really means is that Ted Cruz cannot close the gap on us as we start to build our delegate count. And then they run out of states. It literally becomes a math problem for the other candidates.

CAMEROTA: Not to rain on your primary parade, but if we move forward to the general election...

CLOVIS: Right. CAMEROTA: ... Donald Trump is the only candidate right now, according to the new CNN/ORC polls that have just been released that loses to both of the Democratic candidates. Look, Donald Trump loses. This is against Hillary. Fifty-two percent, she gets. He gets 44. If you look at it against Sanders, it's an even wider spread. Donald Trump at that time gets 43, and Sanders gets 55 percent.

CLOVIS: And what's the date the today? What's the date?

CAMEROTA: You're making the point that it's too far away?

CLOVIS: Way too far away. And the other factor is we're looking at what has been in the news cycle. We're looking at a lot of these issues here. We take a look at general elections. Ronald Reagan was 40 points behind, you know, Jimmy Carter. So I really don't put much stock in that right now.

I think what's going to count is what the people do today. And then we'll start to be able to see. If we have a big day today, and we pick up a huge block of delegates, then I think it's going to be difficult for anybody to catch us.

CAMEROTA: Let's talk about this dust-up with the KKK and David Duke.

CLOVIS: Yes.

CAMEROTA: As you know over the weekend, in an interview with Jake Tapper, Donald Trump did not disavow David Duke or the KKK. Mitt Romney has tweeted this as a result. He says, "A disqualifying and disgusting response by Donald Trump to the KKK. His coddling of repugnant bigotry is not the character of America."

CLOVIS: And Mitt Romney lost two elections for president. The -- the fact of what we're seeing here is they're clinging and jumping on every little thing that comes out. And...

CAMEROTA: But it's not a little thing.

CLOVIS: This is not a little thing. No, no. Alisyn, I'm not downplaying the fact this was -- you know, it was probably -- if you want to look at how this came about. There was confusion over the issues. I didn't hear -- I have not listened to any of this. I've been on the road, and I haven't had a chance to even listen to it. But the issue that there is a dust-up has to be dealt with, and it's being dealt with. And I think our campaign will -- is doing well with that.

CAMEROTA: Do -- relevant -- Republicans are coming out. High-profile Republicans are coming out and saying he botched this one so badly.

CLOVIS: That is their opinion. And -- and here's the issue. The people today will tell us whether it had an effect or not.

Let me finish. One of the things that we're seeing here is -- was one of the questions that I've been asked often, is where -- where are we with the party and why do you think -- why is the party so adamantly against Donald Trump?

And I think the reason that the party is so adamantly against Donald Trump is because they're losing control of the Republican Party. We can go back and look at the history of this party, how it evolved, how it developed. Go back to the 1850s and see what happened then.

CAMEROTA: Let's not too get too wonky.

CLOVIS: No, I'm not going to get wonky. You asked the question. You deserve an answer.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

CLOVIS: The answer is that I think what we're really seeing here, we're seeing the establishment of the Republican Party, the ruling elite of the Republican Party, are seeing an existential threat to their power and their ability to control the American people.

CAMEROTA: Sam, isn't the KKK in a different category? For someone who wants to be president, shouldn't a blanket disavowal stand for...

CLOVIS: I thought he did. I thought he disavowed.

[07:15:15] CAMEROTA: He disavowed on Friday.

CLOVIS: So...

CAMEROTA: And then on Sunday, because Jake Tapper asked him three times. That's what we call a softball in this business. That should have been hit out of the park. But he didn't do it. Why wouldn't he do it?

CLOVIS: Well, I wasn't there. I've heard it, but I haven't watched a second of that.

CAMEROTA: All right. Let me play it for you.

CLOVIS: OK.

CAMEROTA: We have him on Sunday with Jake Tapper, in which he was given three opportunities. Let's hear it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I don't know anything about David Duke, OK? I don't know anything about what you're even talking about with white supremacy or white supremacists.

You've got David Duke just joined, a bigot, a racist, a problem. This is not exactly the people you want in your party.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: In 2000 he got it right. On Sunday, he didn't get it right. How do you explain? CLOVIS: I don't know. Honestly, I don't have an explanation for

that. I don't -- I don't know if there was confusion about what the question was. I don't know if there was any technical issues that were there. I do know that he answered the question as directly as he could.

CAMEROTA: Would you say that, like Mitt Romney, it is disqualifying for a president who doesn't disavow KKK.

CLOVIS: I think he's disavowed him. Why are you talking about this? He's disavowed him, didn't he?

CAMEROTA: On Friday. Not on Sunday.

CLOVIS: On Sunday, I don't think that's true. I think that he's already disavowed him, and he was moving on to the next topic. He didn't want to talk about that anymore. And I think that's where we are.

CAMEROTA: One more thing.

CLOVIS: Sure.

CAMEROTA: There were reports that there was this off-the-record meeting at the "New York Times."

CLOVIS: Well, OK. Off-the-record?

CAMEROTA: Yes. But...

CLOVIS: Do we need to go any further?

CAMEROTA: Well, something has leaked from it.

CLOVIS: Really?

CAMEROTA: Yes.

CLOVIS: I wonder who that might have been.

CAMEROTA: Here's what has leaked.

CLOVIS: Off-the-record with the editorial board of "The New York Times."

CAMEROTA: Yes.

CLOVIS: Wow. What an ethical standard they have established in journalism.

CAMEROTA: Let's talk about the substance of what has leaked. And that is that, apparently, in this meeting Donald Trump said, "Don't worry about the things I've said on immigration policy, because once I'm elected president, I would change all of those things. I wouldn't be as extreme. You don't have to worry. Those things would change." As his policy adviser, can you guarantee for us that he would stick to

what he has said about immigration or would he sort of move to the middle if he were elected president?

CLOVIS: We have a plan. We're working on a plan. And if we're fortunate enough to become -- if he is fortunate enough to get elected in November, then we'll roll out the plan.

CAMEROTA: And that plan is to deport all 12 million illegal immigrants?

CLOVIS: The plan is to have a methodical and deliberate approach to enforcing the law of this country.

CAMEROTA: Including deporting everyone, as he has promised?

CLOVIS: If they are here illegally, then they -- they will be administratively charged, and they will be removed from the country. That's enforcing the law, isn't it?

CAMEROTA: OK.

CLOVIS: That's a rule of law.

CAMEROTA: That is what Donald Trump has promised to do.

CLOVIS: That's why people are voting for him. That's the rule of law. You know, of all the values in America, the polls since the 1890s, the one value that's treasured above all others in America is the rule of law. And the reason is, is because people view the rule of law as the only place where true equity take place, where all people are equal before the law.

CAMEROTA: Sam Clovis, great to have you here on NEW DAY.

CLOVIS: Always. Thanks, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: All right. Coming up on NEW DAY, we'll have more of Anderson Cooper's interview with Donald Trump's wife, Melania. Stick around for that.

Also CNN's comprehensive coverage of Super Tuesday is just getting started. We have the latest throughout the day. And special coverage beginning at 6 p.m. tonight as the votes are counted. Also, of course, tomorrow morning, we'll be on early to analyze it all right here on NEW DAY.

CUOMO: In other news, there was a critical day for President Obama and his battle to forth a Supreme Court nominee. That day is today. He's going to meet with two Republican leaders who are refusing to even schedule hearings for his eventual pick.

This comes a day after the Supreme Court got a jolt from Justice Clarence Thomas. He's known for really not speaking during oral argument. By not really, I mean never. He spoke for the first time in 10 years. CNN justice correspondent Pamela Brown live in Washington with more.

Channeling Scalia, some say. What was it like?

PAMELA BROWN, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. That is the speculation right now. It really just stunned reporters, Chris, who are listening to these oral arguments yesterday in this under-the- radar criminal case about whether domestic abusers should lose their gun rights. In the first time in more than a decade, Justice Thomas spoke up, and he posed tough questions to the assistant solicitor general.

And during that exchange, he asked the government's attorney about the Second Amendment, saying this is a misdemeanor violation. It's a constitutional right. Can you give me another area where a misdemeanor violation suspends a constitutional right?"

So everyone at that point leaned in, disbelieving, this according to one of the reporters in the room, Dalia Lithwick (ph).

[07:20:07] And of course, the timing of this cannot be ignored, as you point out, Chris. Because it is just the second week of arguments since his friend, Justice Antonin Scalia, died. Thomas and Scalia sat next to each other on the bench. They share very similar conservative views.

But they had radically different styles during oral arguments, so court watchers believe that it's possible, with Justice Scalia's voice now absent, Justice -- Justice Thomas needed to step in and fill that void.

Meantime, the political fight over when Scalia's successor should be nominated continues. At 11:30 this morning, President Obama will meet with his Republican adversaries, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley. Both of them announced last week they won't schedule confirmation hearings or even welcome a nominee into their offices for a traditional courtesy call. So should be a very interesting meeting at the White House today -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Indeed. We know you'll be keeping an eye on it for us, Pamela. Thanks so much for that.

So the numbers are in. And they suggest Hillary Clinton could face trouble if she has to face a Republican not named Donald Trump in the fall. How can she improve her chances against the GOP? We're talking to a member of team Hillary about it all next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:25:06] CUOMO: Super Tuesday, will it be super for Hillary Clinton? What would that mean? That would mean that she'd have such a big lead that she looks like the presumptive nominee.

But the fates could go in different directions, OK? There's no question that, in our latest polling, she is beating Donald Trump by more than she was in the last polling cycle. Hypothetical. But looking more likely as the November matchup. Right?

Clinton versus Trump, if we're just judging by the primary polls. The minus is, she's in a very close race with Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz. She actually loses to both, but within the margin of error.

So let's get a reaction especially what the state of play today is. How will Super Tuesday go?

We have the senior spokesperson for Hillary for America, Karen Finney.

Hello, Finney.

KAREN FINNEY, SENIOR SPOKESPERSON, HILLARY FOR AMERICA: Hello, Cuomo.

CUOMO: It's good to have you here. Let's put up the map of the states that are in play today, OK?

FINNEY: OK.

CUOMO: And we see that there are different tiers of how many will be offered in terms of delegates and super delegates. When you look at the list of what's in play, what do you think the outcome is? How many states do you think you win?

FINNEY: Well, I'm not going to predict states...

CUOMO: You must.

FINNEY: No, I don't. Here's what I'm going to say, though. I think we'll do well. We have great ground games. We have great people, you know, getting out our voters.

I was -- I did a thing last night on Facebook, reminding people here's how you find out where your polling location is and all of that.

But what I -- here's what I think comes out of today. And that is something that I think we saw in South Carolina. We see it in Nevada in terms of Hillary's message resonating. And that it is resonating across the country in different parts of the electorate.

When you're talking about breaking down barriers, when you're talking about increasing incomes. When you're talking about equal pay for women, criminal justice reform, investing in the African-American community. But these are messages that this is what you want to hear about. They want to hear about solutions; they want to hear about your record.

That if you have a -- kind of a one-note message, it's not going to work, because we're not a one-note country.

CUOMO: I'll tell you what the message is.

FINNEY: That's what I think we're going to see.

CUOMO: ... from Clinton, but the question is how does it resonate, as seen in the polls? What do you define as victory today? Is it just getting one more delegate count than Bernie Sanders? Or do you have to see that you win a plurality of the states, that you get even more the majority of states, 8-3, or 7-4? What do you see as victory?

FINNEY: I see it as people coming out to vote in big numbers. I would love to see big numbers. We saw great numbers in South Carolina in terms of turnout. So that's a big thing that we're looking for. And again...

CUOMO: Do you think they can close the door on it on Super Tuesday today or not?

FINNEY: I don't like to make those kind of predictions so early on...

CUOMO: You're here. You're here to make the case for your candidate.

FINNEY: I'm making the case. I'm just not...

CUOMO: She's doing well against Sanders.

FINNEY: Yes.

CUOMO: She's doing well against Trump. I'm talking in polling.

However, how do you reconcile the fact that she beats Trump by more than she does against Rubio and Sanders, Rubio and Cruz? Compared to Sanders, Sanders does better against Rubio and Cruz than Clinton does. Why?

FINNEY: Because it's a hypothetical matchup at this point. I think it is a far different -- I mean, all these hypotheticals I sort of never buying into, only because until it's very real, you are standing there in the booth. And it is this person or this person.

CUOMO: Why would Sanders do better in hypothetical than Clinton?

FINNEY: Because it's a hypothetical. Because they're not saying to people, here is what is at stake right now, right here. Right? I think when it -- as this campaign becomes -- we move into the general election, if you're fortunate enough to be the nominee, I think it becomes a different conversation. Because it's so obvious in terms of where the Republicans are, and the things that they're talking about and the way they want to strip away everything President Obama has done. That is a different conversation...

CUOMO: Bernie Sanders is voting right now.

FINNEY: Oh, good.

CUOMO: He voted before Hillary Clinton did. Is that true?

FINNEY: Yes.

CUOMO: Has Hillary Clinton voted yet?

FINNEY: I don't know the answer. I don't think she has. But the New York primary isn't for -- we've got a little bit of time, you know. CUOMO: I know.

FINNEY: And I would hope that he would...

CUOMO: It was a leading question. I was trying to box you in.

FINNEY: You see how I danced right out of it?

CUOMO: You did very well.

Obviously, Bernie's Vermont. Vermont is up today.

FINNEY: Yes.

CUOMO: New York is not. And he -- that's his home state.

FINNEY: I'll tell you one thing that I find interesting. I think Massachusetts is a very interesting state, because that's one, if you go by the Sanders argument, he should be up quite a bit more than he is. So that's one state that I'll say I'm curious to see how that shakes out.

I think the fact that Hillary is doing very well in Massachusetts, I think, bodes well for today. And again, I think it goes to the argument that her message is resonating, and it is resonating all over this country.

CUOMO: So when you look at what is going to be working going forward now, do you believe that today is a big day in determining how long it takes for her to lock up the nomination? That if -- it can become a very big lead today. Not as much as on the GOP side. No question about it. But if it doesn't get done today, this could be a very long slog. Are you guys aware of that?

FINNEY: Absolutely. And we've always been prepared for that. We've always been prepared that. It wasn't just going to be about the first -- early four states, although they're very important and would give us some information about, I think, you know, where voters are -- where they are and what messages are resonating.