WE HAVE ONE MORE, RHODE ISLAND GOVERNOR, IT’S GOING TO BE
RAIMONDO, GINA RAIMONDO, THE
DEMOCRAT.
DEMOCRAT. AND LET’S GO TO JAMES CARVAL,
LONG-TIME DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST.
I THINK IN 2016 FLORIDA WAS
TURNING.
TURNING. WHEN WE WENT TO JAMES CARVAL.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE SPECTRUM OF
BENJAMIN MOORE PAINTS, I DON’T
KNOW WHAT COLOR I WOULD HAVE
DESCRIBED YOUR FACE AT THAT
MOMENT.
MOMENT. BUT WHATEVER BLOOD WAS DRAINING
OUT, YOU STARTED TO -- YOUR MOOD
STARTED TO GO SOUTH, JAMES.
HOW ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT THE
COUNTRY RIGHT NOW?
>> WELL, 2016, I SAT BETWEEN
CHUCK TODD AND HUGH HEWITT.
CHUCK TODD SAID SHE WAS RUNNING
AHEAD OF -- HUGH HEWITT, SAID
65% CHANCE THAT TRUMP WINS
FLORIDA.
FLORIDA. I KNEW RIGHT THERE, AND THE
BLOOD DID GO OUT OF MY FACE.
TONIGHT THERE WAS SOME HOPE THE
DEMOCRATS WOULD HAVE A WAVE
ELECTION.
ELECTION. IT’S NOT GOING TO BE A WAVE
ELECTION.
ELECTION. IT COULD STILL BE A GOOD
ELECTION.
ELECTION. YOU KNOW, THERE’S A LOT OF
TRAUMA LEFT IN FLORIDA, AND SOME
OF THE STUFF IN TEXAS I THOUGHT
WAS ENCOURAGING.
WAS ENCOURAGING. IT’S STILL A LOT OF POLITICS
LEFT.
LEFT. BUT I WILL WAIT AND SEE,
HOPEFULLY THE DEMOCRATS GET THE
HOUSE BACK.
HOUSE BACK. I WAS A LITTLE MORE OPTIMISTIC
ABOUT FLORIDA THAN IT’S TURNED
OUT TO BE.
I THINK WE’RE IN FOR A NAIL
BITER.
BITER. >> JAMES, HOW TOUGH DO YOU THINK
IT WILL BE?
WE KEEP RUNNING THE NUMBER ON
THE RIGHT-HAND CORNER OF OUR
SCREEN, 21 FOR THE DEMES IN THE
HOUSE.
HOUSE. >> WELL, I THINK THEY’RE GOING
TO DO WELL IN SOME OF THESE
SUBURBAN SEATS, YOU KNOW.
PLACES LIKE NORTH CAROLINA, SOME
OF THEM, GEORGIA WILL DO WELL,
PICK UPS IN TEXAS.
BUT THE ASPIRATION THAT PICK UP
A LOT OF SEATS DOESN’T SEEM LIKE
IT’S COMING TO FRUITION.
A LOT WILL BE CLOSE.
STILL A GOOD CHANCE THAT THE
DEMOCRATS WIN THE HOUSE.
BUT I SEE THE CHANCES OF A WAVE
KIND OF DISSIPATING EVERY TIME I
SEE SOMETHING ON THE BOARD.
>> JAMES, THIS IS RACHEL IN NEW
YORK, THANKS FOR BEING WITH US
TONIGHT.
TONIGHT. YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT HOW YOU SEE
THE WAVE DISSIPATING AND NOT
BUILDING THERE.
BUILDING THERE. OBVIOUSLY THE DEMOCRATS HOPE TO
GET CONTROL OF THE HOUSE WITH AS
BIG A MAJORITY AS THEY CAN GET.
EVEN IF THEY’VE ONLY GOT A
ONE-SEAT MAJORITY THAT MEANS
THAT THEY WILL TAKE OVER THE
COMMITTEE CHAIRMANSHIPS, NANCY
PELOSI WILL BE SPEAKER ONCE
AGAIN.
AGAIN. HOW IMPORTANT IS THE SIZE OF THE
DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY, IF THAT
WAVE DOESN’T MATERIALIZE, BUT
THEY DO WIN?
>> YOU ALWAYS WANT -- YOU NEED
SAFETY IN THERE.
PEOPLE CAN SWITCH, PEOPLE CAN
DIE, A THOUSAND THINGS COULD
HAPPEN.
HAPPEN. SO YOU WANT SOME MARGIN THERE.
YOU KNOW, LET’S WAIT AND SEE.
STILL COULD GET IT.
DON’T GET ME WRONG.
I’M SAYING -- THIS IS NOT GOING
TO BE THE WAVE ELECTION THAT
PEOPLE LIKE ME WOULD HAVE HOPED
FOR.
FOR. IT CAN STILL BE A GOOD ELECTION.
BUT SOME OF THESE RACES ARE
GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, VERY
TIGHT.
TIGHT. YOU KNOW, IT’S STILL VOLATILE IN
FLORIDA.
FLORIDA. YOU’VE GOT A LOT OF BROWARD OUT,
A BIG COUNTY, AND HARD FOR SCOTT
TO MAKE THIS UP IN THE
PANHANDLE.
PANHANDLE. BUT IT’S GOING TO BE CLOSE.
I WENT IN THIS MORNING FEELING
ALMOST CONFIDENT, TO THE POINT
OF BEING COCKY ABOUT FLORIDA.
>> HOW YOU FEELING ABOUT GEORGIA
TONIGHT, JAMES?
TONIGHT, JAMES? >> WELL, SOME OF THESE -- THE
VOTE TURNAROUND IN GEORGIA IS
GOING SO HIGH IN A PLACE LIKE
SUBURBAN ATLANTA, THE FULTONS
AND THE MARIETTAS AND ALL THE
COUNTIES COME IN, THEY DWARF THE
RURAL COUNTIES.
RURAL COUNTIES. THERE’S A LOT OF COUNTING LEFT
TO DO.
TO DO. I’M GOING TO BE WATCHING IT
REALLY CLOSE.
REALLY CLOSE. BUT, YOU KNOW, WE’LL SEE.
BUT RIGHT NOW, WITH FLORIDA
SENATE IS KIND OF CENTRAL TO
WHAT’S GOING ON, I THINK.