>>> WELCOME BACK.
EVEN THOUGH ITS BEEN 8 MONTHS
SINCE DONALD TRUMP LOST HIS BID
FOR REELECTION, HIS POWER OVER
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY DOESNT
SEEM TO BE WANING AND MAY BE
GETTING STRONGER.
THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS ARE
TURNING INTO A TRUMP LOYALLY
TEST.
IN WHAT IS NORMALLY A HIGHLY
UNUSUAL MOVE, LISA MURKOWSKI OF ALASKA JUST LOST THE SUPPORT OF
ALASKA JUST LOST THE SUPPORT OF
HER STATES REPUBLICAN PARTY.
THE CROWDED PRIMARY FIELD FOR
THE OPEN SENATE SEAT IS BECOMING
A RACE TO BE THE TRUMPIEST
CANDIDATE.
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IS BETTING
BIG ON TRUMPISM IN 2022.
THE QUESTION NOW, WHETHER IT
WILL PAY OFF OR WHETHER IT WILL
SCARE OFF INDEPENDENT VOTERS.
HENRY GOMEZ IS A REPORTER BASED
IN THE MIDWEST.
HE JOINS ME FROM THE SUBURBS OF
CLEVELAND, OHIO.
LOVELY TO SEE YOU.
YOU AND I HAVE SPOKEN MANY TIMES
IN THE STATE OF OHIO ON THE
CAMPAIGN TRAIL.
THERES NO ONE ID RATHER TALK
TO ABOUT THE CRITICAL OHIO
SENATE RACE.
ITS A PRETTY GOOD EXAMPLE OF
HOW REPUBLICANS ARE FALLING ALL
OVER THEMSELVES TO GET IN LINE
BEHIND TRUMP.
SHERROD BROWNS DESCRIPTION OF
WHATS HAPPENING THERE IS PRETTY
EVOCATIVE.
WHAT DO WE NEED TO KNOW?
>> SHERROD BROWN, THE DEMOCRATIC
SENATOR WHOS NOT ON THE BALLOT
IN 2022, SUMS IT UP AS FIVE
CANDIDATES ARE BASICALLY ON THE
PLAYGROUND SAYING DONALD TRUMP
LIKES ME BETTER THAN HE LIKES
YOU.
ITS PARTISAN BUT ITS A
DISTILLATION OF WHAT THIS GOP
PRIMARY HAS BECOME IN OHIO.
YOU HAVE FIVE AN NUANCED EDNOUNC
CANDIDATES WHO HAVE GONE TO
VARYING LENGTHS TO DEMONSTRATE
LOYALTY TO PRESIDENT TRUMP, HOW
EARLY THEY ENDORSED HIM, WHETHER
THEY SAID SOMETHING NICE ABOUT
HIM, WHETHER THEY RAISED MONEY
FOR HIM.
THERES NO TIE TOO SMALL TO
FLAUNT IN THIS RACE IF YOURE A
REPUBLICAN RUNNING FOR THE SEAT. >> PRETTY REMARKABLE.
>> PRETTY REMARKABLE.
WHEN YOU TALKED TO VANCE, THE
AUTHOR OF "HILLBILLY ELEGY" WHO
CRITICIZED TRUMP, YOU PRESSED
HIM ON WHETHER JOE BIDEN WAS THE
LEGITIMATE NOMINEE AND WHETHER
THERE WAS ROOM IN THE PARTY FOR
PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE THAT BIDEN
LEGITIMATELY WON THE ELECTION.
I THOUGHT HIS ANSWERS WERE
PRETTY INTERESTING.
>> YOU KNOW, VANCE DID NOT
DIRECTLY ANSWER THE QUESTION.
HE BASICALLY SAID, IM JUST
ASKING QUESTIONS AND THERE ARE
IRREGULARITIES THAT NEED TO BE
POINTED OUT AND WE NEED TO ASK
QUESTIONS ABOUT.
IT REALLY SIDESTEPS AROUND THE
DIRECT QUESTION OF DO YOU
BELIEVE JOE BIDEN IS A
LEGITIMATE PRESIDENT.
YOU KNOW, ACTUALLY THATS A
MILDER APPROACH THAN SOME OF THE
OTHER CANDIDATES IN THIS RACE
HAVE TAKEN.
JOSH MANDEL HAS SAID THERE WAS
ELECTION FRAUD ON A LEVEL THAT
DEPRIVED TRUMP FROM WINNING.
OF COURSE, THESE ARE THINGS THAT
ARE NOT TRUE OR CANNOT BE
SUBSTANTIATED.
VANCE IS, RATHER THAN TELLING
THE TRUTH AND SAYING THAT JOE
BIDEN WON, DONALD TRUMP LOST,
HES SORT OF NIBBLING AROUND THE
EDGES WITH HIS ANSWER.
I THINK THATS WHAT SOME
REPUBLICANS WHO ARENT WILLING
TO FULLY COMMIT TO THE LIE ARE
TRYING TO DO.
ITS INTERESTING TO HEAR.
YOU HAVE TO LISTEN CLOSELY TO
THE ANSWERS TO FOUND OUT WHAT
THEYRE SAYING AND NOT SAYING.
>> THATS TRUE.
HENRY, BIG PICTURE HERE, HEADING
INTO THE MIDTERMS THE SENATE IS
GOING TO BE ON THE LINE FOR
SURE.
ITS 50-50, BUT THERE DOES SEEM
TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE
CONFIDENCE AMONG DEMOCRATS THAT
THEYRE GOING TO BE ABLE TO FIND
A WAY TO HANG ONTO THE CHAMBER.
ITS REALLY THE HOUSE WHERE
THINGS ARE POTENTIALLY DICEY.
THAT HAS TO DO WITH
REDISTRICTING.
IM JUST CURIOUS YOUR SENSE,
THERE ARE A LOT OF DIRECTSSTRICT
ACROSS THE MIDWEST WHERE WE
TALKED A LOT HEADING INTO 2020
ABOUT THE BLUE WALL THE
PRESIDENT NEEDED TO REBUILD
ACROSS THE MIDWEST.
HE DID IT AND IT GAVE HIM THE
WHITE HOUSE AND WINS IN GEORGIA
AND OTHER PLACES THAT ARE
TURNING BLUE.
IM CURIOUS TO YOUR SENSE OF
WHERE THINGS STAND NOW IN SOME
OF OHTHOSE REALLY TRICKY HOUSE
RACES.
WHAT ARE YOU HEARING ABOUT
POLICING AND CRIME AND VOTING
RIGHTS AND WHETHER OR NOT THEY
ARE BUYING INTO ARGUMENTS THAT
DEMOCRATS ARE GOING TOO FAR OR
IF THEY DONT LIKE ALL THE
TRUMPISM WE JUST OUTLINED?
>> THERES A COMBINATION OF
THAT.
ITS HARD TO PUT ANY VOTER
ESPECIALLY IN THE MIDWEST INTO
ONE BOX.
WHEN YOU HAVE A MESSAGE THAT
SAYS SOMETHING AS EXPLICIT AS
DEFUND THE POLICE, IT TAKES A
COUPLE OF CONVERSATIONS AT LEAST
TO EXPLAIN TO A VOTER WHAT THAT
MEANS AND WHAT THAT DOESNT
MEAN.
WHEN YOU GET INTO THE MORE
NUANCES OF THINGS, YOU CAN HAVE
A CONVERSATION WITH THESE
VOTERS, MAYBE HAVE AN
INTERESTING DEBATE.
BUT GETTING, YOU KNOW, HEADLINES
AND A COUPLE SNIPPETS HERE AND
THERE, ESPECIALLY IN THESE TV
ADS, WHAT BOTH PARTIES ARE
WORRIED ABOUT OR WATCHING GOING
INTO 2022 ESPECIALLY WITH
REDISTRICTING IS HOW THESE
SUBURBS ARE CARVED OUT, WHAT
DISTRICTS THEY GO IN, HOUSE THAT
AFFECTS THE MAKEUP OF THE MAP.
THE SUBURBS WERE BIG FOR BIDEN
IN 2020.
DEMOCRATS HOPE THEY ARE AGAIN IN