>>> THIS MORNING DEMOCRATS ARE CELEBRATING A NARROW SENATE
MAJORITY AFTER WEEKEND WINS IN NEVADA AND ARIZONA.
BUT A NUMBER OF HOUSE RACES STILL UNDECIDED, A LOT OF THEM
IN CALIFORNIA WHICH IS FASCINATING.
>> THE DEMOCRATS HAD A STEEP CLIMB TO MAINTAIN MAJORITY.
IT'S GETTING STEEPER. RIGHT NOW IN THE RACES CALLED,
REPUBLICANS 212 FOR THEM, DEMOCRATS 204.
YOU NEED 218 TO CONTROL THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
WHICH MEANS REPUBLICANS WOULD NEED SIX.
DEMOCRATS WOULD NEED 14. THERE ARE CURRENTLY 19 UNCALLED
RACES IN THE HOUSE. LET'S LOOK AT WHERE THOSE 19
RACES STAND. REPUBLICANS LEAD IN TEN, THEY
ONLY NEED SIX, DEMOCRATS LEAD IN NINE, THEY NEED 14.
WHICH MEANS IF YOU LOOK AT THIS MAP, DEMOCRATS NEED TO HOLD
EVERY BLUE SEAT HERE AND FLIP FIVE.
FIVE OF THESE RED SEATS TO BLUE. IS THERE A PATH?
>> IS THERE? >> IT'S TIGHT.
IT'S VERY TIGHT. MAYBE.
BUT AS I SAID, IT'S GETTING MORE DIFFICULT.
LET'S LOOK AT CALIFORNIA QUICKLY.
THE TWO MOST PROMISING RACES FROM DEMOCRATS WHERE THEY'RE
STILL TRAILING ARE CALIFORNIA'S 13th, 84 VOTES SEPARATE THE TWO,
ONLY 46% -- >> 84 VOTES.
>> RIGHT. THERE'S ROOM THERE.
THEY COULD WIN THERE. HERE CALIFORNIA'S 22nd DISTRICT,
ALMOST 3,000 VOTES BUT ONLY 39% IN.
STILL POSSIBLE THERE. IF YOU'RE BEING OPTIMISTIC AND
GIVING BOTH OF THOSE SEATS TO THE DEMOCRATS, THAT'S TWO.
CAN YOU GET THREE MORE? THAT'S WHERE IT GETS VERY, VERY
HARD. LOOKING DOWN TO CALIFORNIA'S
41ST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT. 4,000 VOTES SEPARATE THE TWO.
BUT SATURDAY IT WAS 2,000. THE LEAD FOR THE INCUMBENT IS
GROWING, ONLY 59% IN BUT GOING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION FOR THE
DEMOCRATS. WHERE DEMOCRATS' HEARTS MIGHT
GET BROKEN IS ARIZONA. IN ARIZONA'S SIX CONGRESSIONAL
DISTRICT DOWN HERE, THE LEAD ACTUALLY GREW A LITTLE BIT LAST
NIGHT FOR THE REPUBLICAN. GOING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION FOR
DEMOCRATS HERE. 1,700 VOTES SEPARATE THEM.
THIS IS THE ONE THAT REALLY IS BUGGING DEMOCRATS THIS MORNING.
YOU CAN SEE DAVID SWIEKERT THE REPUBLICAN, AHEAD.
BUT GOING INTO THE WEEKEND, THE DEMOCRAT ACTUALLY LED IN THIS
DISTRICT BY 4,000 VOTES. >> AND 85% REPORTING.
>> YES. VOTES REPORTED LAST NIGHT
FLIPPED THAT AND NOW YOU HAVE THE REPUBLICAN AHEAD BY SOME.
SO YOU CAN SEE YOU'RE STUCK NATIONALLY AT THESE TWO SEATS,
THEY WOULD NEED THREE MORE TO GET THERE.
NOT IMPOSSIBLE BUT CHALLENGING FOR THE DEMOCRATS.
>> WHERE'S PIMA COUNTY? >> I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU THE
GOVERNOR'S RACE HERE, THIS IS TIGHT.
YOU CAN SEE KATY HOBBS THE DEMOCRAT AHEAD.
PIMA COUNTY IS RIGHT HERE. YOU CAN SEE KATIE HOBBS THE
DEMOCRAT WITH THE LEAD THERE. STILL 40,000 VOTES TO BE
COUNTED. SHE'S BEEN GETTING 60% OF THE
VOTE IN PIMA COUNTY, THAT COULD EXPAND HER LEAD.
KARI LAKE WOULD NEED ABOUT 58% OF THE VOTE THAT'S LEFT, 170,000
OR SO VOTES LEFT, SHE NEEDS 58% TO OVERTAKE KATIE HOBBES, IN
MARICOPA LAST NIGHT, ABOUT 55% SHE GOT, AND PIMA COUNTY ABOUT
40%. SO A STEEP CLIMB FOR KARI LAKE.
>> ALMOST VERTICAL. >> A LITTLE LESS VERTICAL BUT
STEEP. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH, JOHN
>>> REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS BRACING FOR TENSE TALKS AS THE PARTY
CONDUCTS POST MORTEM ON DISMAL MIDTERM PERFORMANCE.
FLORIDA'S RICK SCOTT SAYS IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO HOLD THE
ELECTION THIS WEEK. HE'S CALLING FOR A DELAY.
>> WHAT IS OUR PLAN? WHAT ARE WE RUNNING ON?
WHAT DO WE STAND FOR? WHAT ARE WE HELL BENT TO GET
DONE? YOU KNOW, THERE'S NO PLAN TO DO
THAT. THE LEADERSHIP IN THE REPUBLICAN
SENATE SAYS, NO, YOU CANNOT HAVE A PLAN.
WE'LL RUN AGAINST HOW BAD THE DEMOCRATS ARE AND ACTUALLY THEN
THEY CAVE INTO THE DEMOCRATS. THEY WANT TO RUSH THROUGH AN
ELECTION BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THEY DON'T WANT TO DO ANY ASSESSMENT
OF WHAT WE'VE DONE WRONG. INSANITY IS DOING THE EXACT SAME
THING AND THINKING YOU'RE GOING TO GET A DIFFERENT RESULT.
WE WON'T. >> SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM ALSO
JOINED THE CALLS FOR DELAY TO THE LEADERSHIP ELECTION UNTIL
AFTER THE RUNOFF IN GEORGIA. SCOTT SAYS A LOT OF PEOPLE ASKED
HIM TO RUN FOR SENATE MINORITY LEADER.
SCOTT SAYS HE'S NOT TAKING ANYTHING OFF THE TABLE.
LET'S BRING IN CNN POLITICAL ANALYST AND COAUTHOR OF
"UNCHECKED" GOOD MORNING, RACHEL.
>> GOOD MORNING, CHRISTINE. >> SO DOES McCONNELL HAVE
COMPETITION AFTER THE GOP UNDERPERFORMED IN THE MIDTERMS?
>> YEAH. LOOK, THIS WEEK IS GOING TO BE,
AS THEY SAY IN SEINFELD, A FESTIVUS.
A LOT OF AIRING OF GRIEVANCES AND FINGER POINTING.
IN TERMS OF REPUBLICAN LEADERS, THEY'RE GOING TO OBVIOUSLY BE ON
THE HOT SEAT. KEVIN McCARTHY WILL HAVE
POTENTIALLY A CHALLENGE THIS WEEK TO TRY TO RUN FOR SPEAKER.
HE'S IN MORE TROUBLE I WOULD SAY THAN MITCH McCONNELL.
McCONNELL IS SEEING A LOT OF SENATORS TRY TO PUT THE BLAME ON
HIM. AND IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE A
LOT OF THE SENATORS WERE MOST VOCAL CRITICIZING McCONNELL ARE
SENATORS WHO ARE LOOKING AT RUNNING IN 2024 AND KIND OF WANT
TO WIN OVER TRUMP'S BASE. SO THEY'RE NOT CASTING BLAME ON
TRUMP. IN THE CLIP YOU JUST AIRED, RICK
SCOTT, FOR INSTANCE, HE WAS ACTUALLY RUNNING SENATE
REPUBLICANS CAMPAIGN ARM AND SAYING IT'S SILLY TO DO THE SAME
THING OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND HAVE THE SAME RESULTS, YET HE'S
NOT TALKING ABOUT TRUMP AND THE DRAG THE FORMER PRESIDENT REALLY
WAS ON REPUBLICANS THEMSELVES. SO, IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF
SELECTIVE HEARING AND SELECTIVE LESSON TAKING BUT IT WILL BE
UGLY ON THE HILL THIS WEEK. >> YEAH, TOTALLY.
NOW CONTROL OF THE HOUSE STILL UNDECIDED.
YOU MENTIONED KEVIN McCARTHY. IF REPUBLICANS WIN A SLIM
MAJORITY, McCARTHY HAS TO MAKE CONCESSIONS RIGHT TO BECOME
HOUSE SPEAKER. WILL HE HAVE ENOUGH SUPPORT?
>> THAT'S THE BIG QUESTION RIGHT NOW.
I MEAN, McCARTHY'S CAMP HAS BEEN PROJECTING A LOT OF CONFIDENCE,
SAYING THEY HAVE BEEN LAYING THIS GROUND WORK, REACHING OUT
TO MEMBERS WHO KEPT HIM FROM BECOMING SPEAKER IN 2015 AFTER
JOHN BOEHNER RETIRED. BUT IT'S DEJA VU FOR HIM.
IT'S THE SAME CROP OF FREEDOM CAUCUS CONSERVATIVES WHO ARE
SAYING WE'RE NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU OUR VOTE UNTIL YOU GIVE US
WHAT WE WANT IN TERMS OF RULES CHANGES.
THE THING TO WATCH CAREFULLY IN THE HOUSE IS THE MOTION TO
VACATE. IT'S BASICALLY THIS RULE THAT
ALLOWS ANY CONSERVATIVE, ANY TRUMP ALLY TO TRY TO OUST
McCARTHY BY THEMSELVES, ONE PERSON, IF THEY'RE UNHAPPY WITH
HIM. RIGHT NOW THEY CAN'T DO THAT
BECAUSE OF RULES CHANGES. THEY WANT THE ABILITY TO DO
THAT. McCARTHY HAS BEEN VERY RELUCTANT
TO GIVE THAT OVER. BUT LOOKING AT THE SLIM MARGIN,
HE'S PROBABLY GOING TO HAVE TO GIVE THEM.
>> DOES THIS SOUL SEARCHING POST ELECTION IN THE GOP HAS BEEN
FASCINATING TO WATCH. LARRY HOGAN, THE OUTGOING
REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR OF MARYLAND IS BLAMING DONALD TRUMP FOR THE
GOP'S POOR PERFORMANCE IN THE MIDTERM.
LISTEN. >> PEOPLE WHO TRIED TO
RELITIGATE THE 2020 ELECTION AND FOCUSSED ON CONSPIRACY THEORIES
AND TALKED ABOUT THINGS THE VOTERS DIDN'T CARE ABOUT.
THEY WERE ALMOST UNIVERSALLY REJECTED.
AND I THINK IT'S BASICALLY THE THIRD ELECTION IN A ROW THAT
DONALD TRUMP COST US THE RACE. AND IT'S THREE STRIKES YOU'RE
OUT. >> AND THEN PETER MEYER WHO LOST
HIS RACE IN MICHIGAN, CONGRESSMAN, HE SAID THIS, THE
PARTY CONTINUED TO SLEEPWALK DOWN THE PATH OF CRAZY FOLLOWING
THE JANUARY 6th INSURRECTION. DO YOU THINK THE PARTY PIVOTS
HERE? >> LOOK, WE'RE ALREADY SEEING
TEFLON TRUMP RETURN. THERE WAS SORT OF THIS GUT CHECK
RIGHT AFTER THE ELECTION LAST WEEK.
WE SAW THE MURDOCH MEDIA EMPIRE, TV AND PRINT NEWSPAPERS,
POINTING THE BLAME AT TRUMP. AND LET'S BE HONEST, IF
REPUBLICANS WERE TO BE HONEST WITH THEMSELVES, THEY WOULD BE
SAYING SAME SORTS OF THINGS. BUT WE'RE ALREADY SEEING THAT
SORT OF WHIPLASH HAPPEN, RIGHT? ON CAPITOL HILL, IT'S MOSTLY
THESE TRUMP ALLIES WHO ARE OUT THERE BEING MOST VOCAL AND
SAYING WE HAVE TO GO IN ANOTHER DIRECTION.
IT'S NOT PEOPLE WHO ARE TRUMP CRITICS OUT THERE SAYING WE NEED
TO ASSESS HOW DAMAGING TRUMP HAS BEEN TO THE PARTY AND THE BRAND
GOING FORWARD. SO, PEOPLE AGAIN ARE JUST TAKING
WHAT THEY WANT TO SEE AND SORT OF RUNNING WITH IT.
AND THERE'S OBVIOUSLY A BIT OF COVERING THEIR EYES FOR TRUMP
ALLIES AND ACTING LIKE EVERYTHING WAS HUNKY DORY FOR
THE PRESIDENT WHEN THAT WAS NOT THE CASE.
>> NICE TO SEE YOU.