>>> LISTEN, HERE IS MY RECOMMENDATION, GRAB YOUR
FAMILY, GRAB YOUR FRIENDS, GRAB
YOUR NEIGHBORS, GET TO THE POLL
BECAUSE IF NOT YOU’RE GOING TO
HAVE ANOTHER TWO OR ANOTHER SIX
YEARS OF THIS CRAZINESS.
MAKE SURE YOU VOTE.
>> PRESIDENT TRUMP’S FORMER
FIXER MICHAEL COHEN EXPLAINING
TO CNN ON FRIDAY HIS RECENT
TWEET.
TWEET. CALLING ON HIS FELLOW AMERICANS
TO GET OUT AND VOTE.
CALLING THE MIDTERMS THE MOST
IMPORTANT VOTE IN OUR LIFETIME.
HIS PLEA COMES AFTER COHEN
CHANGED HIS VOTER REGISTRATION
FROM REPUBLICAN TO DEMOCRAT.
FLORIDA’S STATEWIDE RACES HAVE
BEEN NECK AND NECK, BUT A NEW
ROUND OF POLLING THIS WEEKEND
SHOWS A BIT OF A TILT TOWARD
DEMOCRATS.
DEMOCRATS. THE CNN POLL HAS DEMOCRATIC
SENATOR BILL NELSON WITH A
FIVE-POINT LEAD OVER REPUBLICAN
GOVERNOR RICK SCOTT.
50% TO 45% AMONG LIKELY VOTERS.
THEN IN THE GOVERNORS RACE,
TALLAHASSEE MAYOR ANDREW GILLUM
IS AHEAD BY 12 POINTS OVER
REPUBLICAN RON DeSANTIS, 54% TO
42%.
42%. IN LAST NIGHT’S DEBATE BOTH MEN
WERE ASKED ABOUT PRESIDENT
TRUMP’S INFLUENCE ON KIDS.
AFTER THAT DeSANTIS CAMPAIGN AD
THAT SHOWED HIM PLAYING BUILD
THE WALL WITH HIS DAUGHTER AND
READING A TRUMP BOOK TO HIS SON.
>> DO YOU THINK PRESIDENT TRUMP
IS A GOOD ROLE MODEL FOR THE
CHILDREN OF FLORIDA?
>> WELL, JAKE, MY WIFE AND I
WERE POKING A LITTLE FUN AT
OURSELVES BECAUSE OF THE WAY
THAT CAMPAIGN WAS GOING AND I’M
PROUD OF MY FAMILY, THOUGH.
I DON’T ACTUALLY READ THE ART OF
THE DEAL TO MY SON MASON, HE IS
A GREAT KID, HE SMILES AT
ANYTHING, BUT THAT’S NOT
NECESSARILY HIS CUP OF TEA.
HERE IS WHAT I KNOW, I WAS VERY
PASSIONATE ABOUT MOVING OUR
AMERICAN EMBASSY FROM TEL AVIV
TO JERUSALEM, DONALD TRUMP
PROMISED IT AND FOLLOWED THROUGH
WITH IT.
WITH IT. TO ME WHEN YOU GIVE YOUR WORD
AND YOU FOLLOW THROUGH WITH IT
AS AN ELECTED OFFICIAL, THAT IS
THE MODEL THAT WE’RE SUPPOSED TO
DO.
DO. HE WAS RIGHT TO MOVE THE EMBASSY
TO JERUSALEM, I WAS THERE FOR A
HISTORIC EVENT, I KNOW ANDREW
DIDN’T SUPPORT THAT AND DOESN’T
THINK THAT’S RIGHT, BUT TO ME
THAT WAS TRUE LEADERSHIP.
>> I’M CONFUSED BY THE QUESTION.
>> THE QUESTION WAS WHETHER OR
NOT HE THINKS PRESIDENT TRUMP IS
A GOOD ROLE MODEL FOR THE
CHILDREN OF FLORIDA.
>> THAT’S WHAT I THOUGHT
ORIGINALLY, I GOT CONFUSED.
NO, HE’S NOT.
DONALD TRUMP IS -- DONALD TRUMP
IS WEAK AND HE PERFORMS AS ALL
WEAK PEOPLE DO, THEY BECOME
BULLIES.
BULLIES. >> WOW.
>> WOW. I TELL YOU WHAT, THAT WAS --
THAT WAS QUITE A DEBATE LAST
NIGHT.
NIGHT. THE CLOSING REMARK WAS
SOMETHING.
SOMETHING. MIKE BARNICLE, SOMETHING ELSE
HAPPENED THAT WAS FASCINATING
DURING THAT DEBATE, AFTER
PARKLAND, AFTER THE MASS OF
SCHOOL SHOOTINGS THAT HAVE BEEN
GOING ON, ANDREW GILLUM ACTUALLY
WENT AFTER THE NRA FOR NOT
NEGOTIATING, NOT COMPROMISING,
NOT DOING THE MOST BASIC THINGS
FOR GUN SAFETY AND THE
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE STOOD MUTE,
SAID NOTHING.
SAID NOTHING. THAT IS CERTAINLY ONE WAY
POLITICS ARE CHANGING, BUT I
DON’T KNOW IF YOU SAW MUCH OF
THAT DEBATE LAST NIGHT.
>> I DID.
>> I DID. >> IF MAYOR GILLUM WAS 12 POINTS
AHEAD BEFORE THAT DEBATE, IT
WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE HOW
HIGH THOSE NUMBERS GO AFTER THE
DEBATE BECAUSE THAT ONE WASN’T
EVEN CLOSE.
EVEN CLOSE. >> YEAH, KRISTEN, LET ME ASK YOU
ON THAT POINT, ANDREW GILLUM AND
I’M TRYING NOT TO BE PARTISAN
HERE, BUT HE WAS A VERY -- IT
WAS A VERY IMPRESSIVE
PERFORMANCE LAST NIGHT BY ANDREW
GILLUM AND IT WAS A VERY
STANDARD POLITICAL AND CAUTIOUS
PERFORMANCE I WOULD THINK BY THE
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FOR
GOVERNOR, MR. DeSANTIS.
DID YOU SEE THE DEBATE?
>> UNFORTUNATELY I DID NOT.
>> OKAY.
>> OKAY. SO LET’S LOOK AT THE NUMBERS.
THIS SUDDEN JUMP TO 12 POINTS.
WHAT IMPACT DO YOU THINK JUST ON
THE CLIPS THAT WE SAW AND THE
GENERAL TENOR OF CAMPAIGNS AND
THE CONTRAST BETWEEN THE TWO
CANDIDATES, WHAT’S YOUR
ESTIMATE, WHERE ARE THE NUMBERS
GOING TO GO HERE?
>> IT’S INTERESTING THAT THERE’S
SUCH A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
THE WAY THE GOVERNORS RACE AND
THE SENATE RACE IS PLAYING OUT
IN THAT STATE.
HE HAD CURRENT GOVERNOR RICK
SCOTT WHO HAS BEEN A VOCAL
SUPPORTER OF PRESIDENT TRUMP
ALONG THE WAY, PERFORMING MUCH
MORE STRONGLY THAN THE
GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE WHO, AS
YOU SAW, RAN THAT AD SORT OF
SAYING LIKE I AM TRUMP LIGHT.
I THINK GOVERNOR SCOTT HAS WON
HIS RECORD AS GOVERNOR TO RUN ON
THERE, WHERE FOR RON DeSANTIS I
THINK HE’S MOSTLY KNOWN IN THE
STATE OF FLORIDA AS SOMEONE WHO
HAS A STRONG PRESENCE ON FOX
NEWS, BUT IS STRUGGLING TO MAKE
THAT PIVOT AWAY FROM THE GUY HE
NEEDED TO BE TO WIN THE
REPUBLICAN PRIMARY TO THE GUY HE
NEEDS TO BE TO WIN IN A STATE
THAT LEANS SLIGHTLY RED, BUT IS
ULTIMATELY A SWING STATE.
I THINK SOMEBODY LIKE RICK SCOTT
ALREADY HAS MORE OF AN
ESTABLISHED IDENTITY, WHICH IS
HOW HE’S ABLE TO PERFORM MUCH
MORE STRONGLY IN THIS
ENVIRONMENT AND DISTANCE HIMSELF
FROM THE PRESIDENT.
>> YEAH, SO, STEVE KORNACKI,
FLORIDA, FLORIDA, FLORIDA AS TIM
RUSSERT WOULD SAY.
IT REMAINS THE BELLWETHER.
WHEN IT LOOKED LIKE DONALD TRUMP
WAS GOING TO PULL AHEAD AND STAY
AHEAD IN FLORIDA, SUDDENLY YOU
KNEW THAT OTHER STATES WERE
GOING TO FALL.
IT’S INTERESTING IN THESE TWO
RACES -- LET’S TAKE THE SENATE
RACE FIRST.
RACE FIRST. IT’S BEEN A RACE RUN IN THREE
PARTS, RIGHT AFTER THE PRIMARY
GILLUM WAS AHEAD IN JUST ABOUT
EVERY POLL AND AHEAD
COMFORTABLY.
COMFORTABLY. I WAS SURPRISED, BUT HE WAS
AHEAD BY 3, 4, 5 POINTS.
THE KAVANAUGH HEARINGS FLATTENED
THAT OUT, SUDDENLY IT BECAME
CLOSE, BUT HERE WE ARE MOVING
BEYOND THE KAVANAUGH DEBATES AND
SUDDENLY YOU HAVE GILLUM UP
COMFORTABLY AND NOW YOU HAVE
BILL NELSON FOR THE FIRST TIME
UP BY, WHAT WAS IT, FIVE POINTS
IN THIS POLL.
STILL COULD BE AN OUTLIER BUT AT
THE SAME TIME YOU HAVE BOTH
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES BREAKING
PRETTY HARD WITH TWO WEEKS TO
GO.
GO. >> YEAH, AND I DO WANT TO SEE
SOME MORE HERE JUST IN TERMS OF
THE OUTLIER POTENTIAL, BUT I
WOULD SAY OVERALL YOU’RE RIGHT.
SINCE THE PRIMARY IT’S BEEN VERY
CONSISTENT.
CONSISTENT. GILLUM HAS CONSISTENTLY LED THE
GOVERNORS RACE.
GOVERNORS RACE. THIS IS THE LARGEST MARGIN I’VE
SEEN HIM HAVE A LEAD BY, BUT
HE’S CONSISTENTLY BEEN AHEAD
THERE.
THERE. THE QUESTION THAT THAT’S RAISED
TO ME IS IS THERE GOING TO BE AN
EFFECT THERE WHERE GILLUM ENDS
UP HELPING NELSON SURVIVE
BECAUSE SCOTT HAS BEEN RUNNING
SO MUCH CLOSER IN THAT RACE.
THE OTHER VARIABLE IS THE
FALLOUT FROM THE HURRICANE.
YOU HAVE HAD TWO POLLS TAKEN IN
FLORIDA SINCE THE HURRICANE AND
WHAT THEY’VE SHOWN IS THERE’S
VERY BROAD, I THINK NOT
SURPRISING HERE, VERY BROAD
SUPPORT FOR HOW GOVERNOR SCOTT
HANDLED THE HURRICANE DOWN
THERE.
THERE. ONE OF THOSE POLLS ACTUALLY PUT
HIM AHEAD OF NELSON BY TWO
POINTS, THIS POLL SHOWS HIM
BEHIND NELSON BY FIVE POINTS.
BOTH OF THOSE POLLS SHOW GILLUM
LEADING IN THE GOVERNORS RACE.
AGAIN, IT’S A QUESTION HERE OF
HAS THIS THING BROKEN OPEN IN A
NEW WAY WHERE GILLUM IS NOT JUST
AHEAD BUT IS AHEAD DECISIVELY
AND IS AHEAD AT SUCH A LEVEL
THAT HE CAN PULL NELSON OVER THE
TOP OR IS IT A BIT OF AN OUTLIER
AND MAYBE THAT SENATE RACE IS
MORE IN PLAY.
IN THE GOVERNORS RACE I THINK
IT’S CLEAR THERE IS AN ADVANTAGE
TO DWIL THUMB HERE?
IT LOOKS, JOHN HEILEMANN LIKE WE
WILL BE FOLLOWING TWO TRACKS TO
ELECTION DAY.
ELECTION DAY. THE NELSON RACE IS GOING TO BE
FIGHT, THE SENATE RACE IS GOING
TO BE TIGHT ALL THE WAY TO THE R
TIGHT.
TIGHT. THE SENATE RACE IS GOING TO BE
TIGHT ALL THE WAY TO THE END.
BUT GILLUM LOOKS LIKE HE HAS A
SPACE BETWEEN HIMSELF AND DESAN
TIS AND HE’S BACK TO WHERE HE
WAS BEFORE THE KAVANAUGH
HEARING.
HEARING. RAN A SCORCHED-EARTH CAMPAIGN,
DONALD TRUMP CAMPAIGN TO WIN THE
PRIMARY.
PRIMARY. MAYBE THAT WORKS IN IDAHO.
PROBABLY DOESN’T WORK IN THE
STATE OF FLORIDA.
>> LOOK IF YOU LOOK AT THAT
SENATE RACE THAT’S A RACE THAT
REFLECTS THE STATE OF FLORIDA.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE GOVERNOR’S
RACE RIGHT NOW WHAT YOU’RE
SEEING I THINK IS ONE OF THE
RACES THE DIFFERENT OF CANDIDATE
QUALITY IS THE WHOLE STORY.
CANDIDATE, AS MIKE SAID, NOT IN
A PARTISAN WAY, IF YOU WATCHED
THAT DEBATE LAST NIGHT, GILLUM
HAS A VERY POWERFUL PRESENCE ON
THE STUMP.
THE STUMP. VERY CHARISMATIC CANDIDATE.
HIS PERFORMANCE SKILLS ARE VERY,
VERY HIGH.
VERY HIGH. DESANTIS ARE NOT.
AROUND THIS RACE, THERE’S ENERGY
AROUND THIS NEW FACE.
ANDREW GILLUM IS A FRESH FACE IN
FLORIDA EVEN THOUGH HE’S BEEN
MAYOR FOR A WHILE UP IN
TALLAHASSEE.
TALLAHASSEE. PEOPLE ARE JUST MEETING HIM.
HE’S ELECTRIFYING THE DEMOCRATIC
BASE.
BASE. >> ALL RIGHT, "MORNING JOE" WILL
BE LIVE IN FLORIDA, FLORIDA,
FLORIDA.
FLORIDA. THIS FRIDAY.
THIS FRIDAY. WE’RE HEADING TO ROCCO’S TACO
AND TEQUILA BAR.
IN BOCA.
IN BOCA. IF YOU’RE BACA RATON, COME BY,
STOP, BE PART OF THE SHOW.
>> HAVE SOME COFFEE.
>> AGAIN, THESE TWO RACES WE
HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT, TWO OF
THE MOST EXCITING RACES IN
AMERICA.
AMERICA. AS WE ALWAYS SAY GOING TO BREAK,
AS WE GO TO BREAK, WE MENTIONED
ANDREW GILLUM’S CLOSING ARGUMENT
LAST NIGHT.
LAST NIGHT. JUST 15 DAYS UNTIL VOTERS GO TO
THE POLLS.
THE POLLS. THIS WAS HIS CLOSING ARGUMENT.
>> BECAUSE MY MOTHER AND FATHER
WOULD HAVE TO GET UP SO EARLY IN
THE MORNING THEY WOULD LOAD US
ALL INTO A CAR, DROVE OVER US TO
OUR GRANDMOTHER’S HOUSE.
TWO RITUALS.
TWO RITUALS. SHE WOULD TAKE HER BOTTLE OF
OLIVE OIL AND BUILD A CROSS ON
MY FOREHEAD TO SEND US OUT WITH
A BLESSING AND COVERING.
MANTRA, GO TO SCHOOL, MIND YOUR
TEACHERS, GET YOUR LESSON, ONE
DAY BRING THAT EDUCATION HOME.
BRING IT HOME FOR YOUR MOM AND
DADDY.
DADDY. BRING IT HOME FOR YOUR LITTLE
BROTHER AND LITTLE SISTER.
WHAT MY GRANDMOTHER WAS
COMMUNICATING TO ME UX IT’S NOT
JUST ABOUT ME IT’S ALL ABOUT US.
WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY ON
NOVEMBER 6 AS A COLLECTIVE, AS A
STATE, TO SAY WE DESERVE BETTER.
WE WANT BETTER.
WE WANT BETTER SCHOOLS, ACCESS
TO HEALTH CARE, A CLEAN ECONOMY,
A RESTORATIVE JUSTICE SYSTEM.