RIGHT NOW, TOO CLOSE TO CALL RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW. BUT AS YOU’RE SEEING WE’VE GOT
LESS THAN 30,000 VOTES.
JOINING US NOW LIVE FROM
MISSOURI IS SENATOR CLAIRE
McCASKILL.
McCASKILL. SENATOR McCASKILL, THANK YOU SO
MUCH, WE KNOW THIS IS AN
INCREDIBLY FRAUGHT AND BUSY
EVENING FOR YOU.
>> YES, A LITTLE NERVE RACKING.
>> 1% OF THE VOTE IS IN.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT HOW THINGS
HAVE GONE OVER THE COURSE OF THE
CAMPAIGN BUT ALSO IN THE CLOSING
DAYS?
DAYS? >> WELL, YOU KNOW, WE HAD TO
CRAWL OUT OF A PRETTY DEEP HOLE.
DONALD TRUMP WON THIS STATE BY
20 POINTS.
20 POINTS. SO I’M REALLY PROUD THAT WE KIND
OF CLAWED OUR WAY TO DEAD EVEN
NEAR THE END OF THE CAMPAIGN.
BUT YOU KNOW ME, I’M GOING TO BE
REALLY HONEST WITH YOU, I HAVE
NO FLIPPING IDEA WHAT’S GOING TO
HAPPEN TONIGHT.
HAPPEN TONIGHT. WE COULD WIN AND WE COULD LOSE.
I FEEL LIKE OUR TURNOUT WAS
GREAT.
GREAT. >> GO AHEAD.
>> THE TURNOUT WAS GREAT IN
PLACES WE NEEDED IT TO BE GREAT.
BUT IT WAS ALSO STRONG IN OTHER
PARTS OF THE STATE WHERE WE’RE
NOT GOING TO DO AS WELL.
I THINK IT COULD GO EITHER WAY.
>> MISSOURI IS SUCH A TOUGH
STATE.
STATE. IT’S LIKE RIDING A BUCKING
BRONCO REPRESENTING THAT STATE.
I REMEMBER OF ALL THE WEIRD
THINGS EISENHOWER LOST IN ’56,
HE WON IN ’52 AND THEN THEY
DUMPED HIM IN MISSOURI.
IT’S LIKE A BUCKING BRONCO OR A
MISSOURI MULE MAYBE, WHAT IS IT
ABOUT MISSOURI THAT MAKES IT SO
HARD TO STAY ATOP OF?
>> WELL, IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT,
I GOT -- RUNNING IN THIS RACE AS
A DEMOCRAT IN MISSOURI HAS BEEN
VERY REPUBLICAN LATELY.
SO NOT ONLY DO I HAVE TO EXCITE
THE BASE AND GET THEM OUT, BUT I
ALSO HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT
PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT I’M NOT
ASHAMED TO BE A MODERATE.
IT’S LIKE WALKING AND CHEWING
GUM AT THE SAME TIME AND
JUGGLING ALL AT ONCE TO MAKE
EVERYTHING WORK.
EVERYTHING WORK. TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND
THAT MY MODERATION IS
PRINCIPLED, BUT I’M NOT AFRAID
TO COMPROMISE, WHICH I THINK A
LOT OF MISSOURI VOTERS LIKE THAT
I’M INDEPENDENT, I DON’T ALWAYS
VOTE THE PARTY LINE.
SO -- BUT IT’S TOUGH.
THIS IS A TOUGH STATE IN TERMS
OF -- IT WILL NEVER BE
COMPLETELY RED OR COMPLETELY
BLUE.
BLUE. BUT IT’S PRETTY CLOSE TO RED
THESE DAYS.
THESE DAYS. >> SENATOR GENE ROBINSON, THE
PRESIDENT HAD THAT BIG RALLY OUT
IN YOUR STATE.
WHAT IMPACT DO YOU THINK THAT
HAD?
HAD? DID IT -- WAS IT POSITIVE OR
NEGATIVE FOR YOU?
>> OH, LISTEN, HE WAS HERE SO
OFTEN, I FIGURED HE WAS BUILDING
A GOLF COURSE, RIGHT?
HE WAS HERE TIME AFTER TIME
AFTER TIME.
AFTER TIME. AND THEN OF COURSE HE FINISHED
THE CAMPAIGN HERE WITH RUSH LIMB
BAUG AND SEAN HANNITY AND GENE
PEROT AND KELLYANNE CONWAY, IT
WAS A CAST IN CAPE GIRARDEAU
LAST NIGHT.
LAST NIGHT. WHILE IT MOTIVATES THE TRUMP
BASE WHEN HE’S HERE, IT ALSO
MOTIVATED A LOT OF PEOPLE IN MY
BASE THAT REALLY ARE NOT HAPPY
WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP.
SO I DON’T THINK WE’LL KNOW
WHETHER OR NOT ULTIMATELY IT
WORKED OR NOT UNTIL EVERY VOTE
IS COUNT TONIGHT.
>> SENATOR McCASKILL, AS A WOMAN
IN THE SENATE, AND AS A WOMAN
LEADER IN MISSOURI, WHO’S HELD A
LOT OF DIFFERENT POSITIONS OF
AUTHORITY AND YOUR STATE AND
YOUR COUNTRY, I HAVE TO ASK YOU
HOW YOU FEEL LIKE GENDER PLAYS
RIGHT NOW IN TERMS OF BEING A
SENIOR ELECTED WOMAN AT A TIME
WHEN GENDER POLITICS IN OUR
COUNTRY EIGHT NOW AND THE FIGHT
OVER SEXISM AND SEXUAL
HARASSMENT AND SEXUAL ASSAULT
AND ACCOUNTABILITY AND ALL OF
THOSE THINGS IS JUST IS RED HOT
AND SUCH A VOLATILE ISSUE.
WE’RE SEEING A RECORD NUMBER OF
WOMEN RUNNING THIS YEAR,
PARTICULARLY ON THE DEMOCRATIC
SIDE.
SIDE. BUT I JUST WANTED YOUR
PERSPECTIVE ON THAT RIGHT NOW,
ESPECIALLY RIGHT NOW, NOT
KNOWING HOW TONIGHT’S GOING TO
END FOR YOU.
>> WELL, I THINK THESE -- IT’S
ALWAYS GOING TO BE AN ISSUE
THAT’S OUT THERE.
SOMETIMES IT’S MORE SUBLIMINAL.
SOMETIMES IT’S FRONT AND CENTER.
IT’S PROBABLY BEEN MORE FRONT
AND CENTER THIS TIME.
I’VE GOT TO TELL YOU, HONESTLY,
RACHEL, THE BIGGEST PROBLEM FOR
ME IS NOT AS MUCH GENDER THAN IT
IS IN POLITICS TODAY IT’S A MARK
AGAINST YOU IF YOU KNOW WHAT
YOU’RE DOING.
YOU’RE DOING. EXPERIENCE, THIS IS ONE OF THE
FEW FIELDS WHERE EXPERIENCE IS
CONSIDERED A NEGATIVE RIGHT NOW.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW IN MOST
CAREERS, IF YOU’VE DONE A LOT OF
DIFFERENT THINGS AND LEARNED A
LOT, THEN THAT IS A POSITIVE
THING.
THING. BUT RIGHT NOW PEOPLE REALLY
DON’T GET EXCITED ABOUT FOLKS
WHO HAVE SPENT THEIR LIFE IN
PUBLIC SERVICE.
PUBLIC SERVICE. THEY WANT SOMETHING NEW.
AND SO I THINK THE FACT THAT I
HAVE SERVED THE PUBLIC SO LONG,
AND MAYBE THAT’S ONE OF THE
THINGS THAT’S HURTING BILL
NELSON.
NELSON. IF YOU’VE BEEN SERVING THE
PUBLIC FOR A LONG TIME THAT’S A
DIFFICULT HURDLE TO GET OVER
THESE DAYS.
THESE DAYS. >> SENATOR CLAIRE McCASKILL
TONIGHT AWAITING NEWS OF HER OWN