Judy: It's election day eve, and
some
41 million people have already
voted ahead of tomorrow.
Lisa Desjardins begins our
extensive coverage of the 2022
midterm elections.
Lisa: Across the country, close,
dramatic elections and big
closing issues, including in key
state, Georgia.
>> Top of my mind, especially
being in Georgia, is women's
rights.
And of course, the economy is a
concern as well.
But, top concern for me, women's
rights.
>> I already voted.
And it's economy, security,
national security, those types
of things.
Lisa: And as far as closing
messages, peachtree state
governor Brian Kemp stuck to
that.
Republicans number one theme,
the economy.
>> We have had a great team in
Georgia for a while, and thata™™s
-- that is why our state is
doing so well.
Despite Joe Biden's 40-year high
inflation, a disaster at the gas
pump, a disaster at the border
and in Washington, D.C.
Lisa: Polls indicate Kemp has an
edge over voting rights activist
Stacey Abrams.
Even more eyes are on Georgia's
U.S. Senate race.
A must-win for Democrats,
incumbent Rafael Warnock is now
in a dead-heat with Republican
challenger and former NFL star
Herschel walker.
Their final plays?
Words about high stakes.
>> I am that warrior for god who
is sick and tired of people
trying to destroy this country.
>> I think competence matters.
You should ask yourself if the
person you are voting for has
actually demonstrated any
interest in the subject matter.
Lisa: But no where are there
more messages and more
politicians than Pennsylvania,
with its toss-up senate race.
Republican TV doctor mehmet oz
closing plan is to send messages
to very different groups.
He sat down with moderate
U.S. Senator Susan Collins in
swing buck county and separately
appeared with president trump in
latrobe.
Lieutenant governor John
Fetterman brought in a
president himself, and one of
Democrat's most popular figures
too, former president Barack
Obama as their senate race
closer.
President Obama: Fundamental
rights are on the ballot.
Lisa: Current president Joe
Biden finds himself with low
approval ratings and his
Democrats on the back foot in
even some deep blue places like
New York state where he
campaigned for governor Kathy
hochul this weekend on a message
about democracy.
Pres. Biden: Look, this election
isn't a referendum.
It's a choice.
It's a choice between two
fundamentally different visions
of America.
Lisa: Hochul faces a strong
challenge from Republican
congressman Lee Zeldin, in a
state that hasn't elected a GOP
governor in two decades.
It is not just message, but also
audience.
Among former president trump's
other stops was this one
yesterday in Miami part of a key
GOP demographic strategy this
year.
Mr. Trump: The socialist,
communist and marxist direction
of the radical Democrat party is
one of the biggest reasons that
hispanic-americans are joining
our movement by the millions and
millions and millions and so
many.
Lisa: The weekend battle of the
presidents also raged in Nevada.
Where former president bill
Clinton campaigned for
vulnerable senator Catherine
Cortez masto with a closing
message of moderation.
>> She doesn't go around
demonizing Republicans, she just
gets up and does what she thinks
is right.
Lisa: But some newcomers have
dominated headlines by throwing
fire like Arizona gubernatorial
candidate Kari lake one of the
GOP's most high-profile election
deniers who pounds away about
the border.
>> I no longer want Arizona to
be overrun with drugs and have
the cartels controlling this
border.
This is our border.
And we will build that wall.
We will build the wall.
And they're going have to stop
us from building the wall.
Lisa: Aiming to stop lake from
winning is Arizona secretary of
state and democratic candidate
for governor Katie Hobbs whose
closing push is an plea for
democracy.
-- Is a plea for democracy.
>> Is a choice between sanity
and chaos.
It is going to be close.
Every single poll has us tied
and that means we need every
single person in this room to
vote.
Lisa: 36 governors races as well
as 35 senate seats and all 435
house seats are up for grabs in
tomorrow's ballot.
Judy: And Lisa joins me now,
along with white house
correspondent Laura
barron-lopez, to share with us
what they are watching for
during these final hours.
Hello.
Laura, I'm going to start with
you.
When you put it all together,
what do you see as the party's
closing messages?
?
In particular from the president
and others?
Laura: President Biden and
Democrats, it comes down to
three things.
The economy, democracy, and
abortion.
We have seen in these closing
weeks that the president and
president Obama have, on the
economy, focused on not just
what president Biden past,
trying to show that things like
the inflation reduction act,
specifically prescription drug
reform, could help people in
their pocket -- and their
pocketbooks.
Also social security and
medicare.
What they are looking at their
and what they have seized on his
proposals by Republicans to cut
spending for the safety net
programs.
We heard Obama as well as
president Biden talk about this
a lot when they were traveling
the country.
Then on democracy, president
Biden really feels this closely,
it is part of why he ran for
president when he saw threats in
charlottesville in 2017 with
neo-nazis rallying.
What the historians talk to the
president say, he feels the
need, as the president, to
interject and say that he sees
it as a big defining issue, that
there are a number of Republican
candidates who say they may very
well not accept the election
results if they lose.
Judy: What about?
The issue of abortion?
?
Is something that the Democrats
put a lot of stock in.
Where has it ended up?
Laura: Democrats have wanted
abortion five months away from
the supreme court decision to
stay front of mind for voters.
We have seen ads like one from
senator -- Catherine Cortez
masto in Nevada, trying to
strike this contrast with her
opponent on the issue of
abortion.
As well as democratic candidate
for governor in Pennsylvania,
Josh Shapiro, focusing
specifically, saying it is not
freedom to tell women what they
can and can't do with their
bodies.
Two quick anecdotes.
When I was in Michigan, every
democratic voter I talked to
named abortion or democracy as
the issues that were defining
who would they would vote for.
I also spoke to a Pennsylvania
voter, an older woman who says
she is voting for Democrats
based on abortion because of the
fact that she has a 16-year-old
granddaughter.
She voted for trump in 2016,
voted for Biden in 2020.
She knows a dozen women who will
votes for Democrat -- who will
vote for Democrats based on
abortion and not tell their
families.
There could be an element of a
silent abortion voter.
Judy: Really interesting.
That is the Democrats.
What about the Republicans?
Lisa: The Democrats three
points, Republicans have three
points as well.
Our viewers will not be
surprised with what is at the
inflation and the economy, they
are driving that home.
I think we are seeing them ramp
up on crime.
And the idea that crime,
especially in cities where there
are many democratic voters, that
they would like to stay home,
and suburban women outside the
cities who they are hoping to
bring to the Republican fold.
.
Those messages we see a lot from
Republicans.
We are seeing some Republicans,
to all of this negative ads,
throw in something more human.
For example, senator Ron Johnson
has an ad is raking leaves.
In contrast to the tone we have
seen.
One of the as is something I
have been looking at from the
Republican gubernatorial
candidate in New York, hoping to
regain the governor's mansion.
Look at this ad.
He is showing his children, that
his hand has a humid, and then
this ad pivots from his children
to crime.
There was a shooting in front of
his house, and he is trying to
make that connection, while
using his family to make that
point.
One other thing Republicans are
running on, the answer to
democracy for Democrats, they
are talking about nationalism.
They are trying to say that the
fabric of the country is at
stake.
Judy: We are seeing in a number
of the polls group -- moving in
the Republicans direction.
What do they think their chances
are?
Lisa: Very good.
If you talk to Republicans and
Democrats alike, they would all
tell you that moment on has been
swinging Republicans way in this
-- these last crucial few weeks.
When you talk about the house,
Republicans need to pick up five
seats in the house, as many of
our viewers no.
Some Republicans think they will
do much better than that.
I spoke to Democrats who believe
they could even lose 40 or more
seats in this election.
Is that likely?
They will say no.
Is it possible?
To the senate, Republicans need
to pick up one seat, and it
seems like it is a tacit.
Very close, many close races.
But it is interesting some of
the seats Republicans thought
were out of reach like new
Hampshire where Maggie hassan is
up against don Bolduc, is
suddenly more competitive.
The timing of tomorrow's vote
really matters.
Judy: Lisa, one other thing, you
have been following the number
of candidates who are election
deniers, the 2020.
What are you seeing there?
Lisa: This is something Laura
and I have been talking about a
lot.
We have carefully looked at all
of the Republican candidates for
governor and secretary of state,
looked at what they said,
analyze what their positions are
on the 2020 election.
It may tell us something
important about future elections
if they win.
I want to show you the map of
the secretary of state
Republican nominees.
In dark purple, those are
Republican nominees who have
rightly denied the 2020 -- have
flatly denied the 2020 election.
Some are in states that have
competitive races like Arizona.
I want to point out and talk
about two candidates mark finch
and,, the secretary of state
nominee in Arizona.
He is a self member of the oath
keepers.
And in addition, Christina
Romer, the secretary of state.
Mark has said that he will not
concede if he loses.
Christina Corona in Michigan,
similarly has not said if she
will concede.
Just today in the last few
hours, she lost a lawsuit in
Detroit where she was trying to
get tens of thousands of ballots
thrown out.
The lawsuit has been lost.
It may be an up it is for her to
stay, that she is not going to
concede.
Very meaningful and important to
watch.
Judy: No question about it.
So glad you are continuing to do
that.
Laura, in connection with all of
that, these claims that the
election may -- that there may
be rampant fraud in parts of
this election.
What effect is that having on
the people who work around these
elections?
Laura: It is having a
significant effect.
Is booked to in a election
official today who told me that
what is keeping them up at night
is the postelection period.
These lies about election fraud,
which there was no widespread
fraud in 2020, and a lot of
these election officials expect
this election to go off smoothly
from an administrative level.
They are worried once the polls
closed and the period between
Paul's closing and when the
results are certified, that is
when they are most concerned
about.
I spoke to the institute for
strategic dialogue, she said
already, they had seen any
increase in the number of
legitimate threats released
across social media platforms
like GABA, Facebook.
Threats that are being directed
toward election officials, and
that there has been an increase
in that, and that these are very
specific threats.
Judy: I know these are all
things we will be following very
carefully tomorrow and tomorrow
night.
Laura Berl Lopez, Lisa
Desjardins, thank you both.