>> I LIKE THAT HE’S WATCHING THE
REST OF THE SHOW TOO.
HE’S GOT A LOT ON HIS PLATE AND
STILL WATCHING.
>>> TODAY IS A HUGE DAY IN
GEORGIA, IT IS ELECTION DAY, AND
THE STAKES ARE HIGH.
WITH CONTROL OF THE U.S. SENATE
IN THE BALANCE, HERE’S A LIVE
LOOK AT VOTERS IN CANTON,
GEORGIA, LINED UP TO CAST THEIR
BALLOTS.
>> OKAY.
SO HOW DID WE GET HERE?
WELL, GEORGIA STATE RULES, THEY
REQUIRE A WINNING CANDIDATE TO
GET 50% OF THE VOTE.
WELL, IN NOVEMBER, NO SENATE
CANDIDATES TOPPED THAT MARK.
SO TODAY REPUBLICAN INCUMBENT
DAVID PERDUE IS FACING
DEMOCRATIC CHALLENGER JON
OSSOFF.
REPUBLICAN KELLY LOEFFLER IS
DEFENDING HER SEAT AGAINST
DEMOCRAT REVEREND RAPHAEL
WARNOCK.
NOW, IF THE DEMOCRATS ARE
VICTORIOUS IN BOTH RACES,
THEY’LL ESSENTIALLY SEIZE
CONTROL OF THE SENATE.
SO HERE WE TURN TO, OF COURSE,
MASTER OF THE BIG BOARD, MSNBC
NATIONAL POLITICAL
CORRESPONDENT, MR. STEVE
KORNACKI!
HELLO, STEVE, HOW ARE YOU?
>> GOOD MORNING, HAPPY ELECTION
DAY TO YOU.
>> I LOVE THIS.
SO WHY DO THESE TWO GEORGIA
SENATE RACES MATTER?
AND HOW COULD THESE SENATE SEATS
POTENTIALLY IMPACT THE INCOMING
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S PLANS?
>> YOU JUST LAID OUT THE BOTTOM
LINE THERE.
WE ARE BASICALLY -- IN 2021,
THIS IS STILL THE 2020 ELECTION
THAT WE’RE SETTLING HERE.
WE KNOW DEMOCRATS ARE GOING TO
HAVE THE WHITE HOUSE.
WE KNOW DEMOCRATS ARE GOING TO
HAVE CONTROL OF THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES.
THIS IS THE REMAINING UNFINISHED
PIECE OF BUSINESS, CONTROL OF
THE U.S. SENATE.
SO RIGHT NOW REPUBLICANS ARE
GOING TO HAVE AT LEAST 50 SEATS.
DEMOCRATS AT LEAST 48.
IT IS THESE TWO GEORGIA SEATS
TODAY THAT ARE IN THE RUNOFF
THAT ARE GOING TO DECIDE THIS.
IF THE REPUBLICANS WIN EVEN ONE
OF THESE SEATS TODAY, JUST ONE
OF THE TWO, THEY’D BE AT 51,
THEY WOULD HAVE THE MAJORITY IN
THE SENATE AND CONTROL THE
SENATE FOR THE INCOMING BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION.
SUDDENLY THERE IS A GIANT
POTENTIAL ROADBLOCK IN TERMS OF
GETTING ITS AGENDA THROUGH,
HAVING REPUBLICANS CONTROL THE
SENATE.
IF DEMOCRATS PICK UP BOTH OF
THESE SEATS, 50-48 BECOMES
50-50.
A 50-50 TIE IN THE SENATE IS
BROKEN BY THE VICE PRESIDENT.
THAT WOULD BE KAMALA HARRIS.
DEMOCRATS WOULD THEN, IF THEY
KEPT EVERYBODY IN LINE ON EVERY
VOTE, WOULD BE ABLE TO MOVE
THROUGH A BIDEN AGENDA THROUGH
THE SENATE, POTENTIALLY THROUGH
THE HOUSE AND THEN POTENTIALLY
INTO LAW.
SO POTENTIALLY HUGE DIFFERENCE
HERE FOR THE INCOMING
ADMINISTRATION.
>> STEVE, THIS IS USUALLY ALL
OVER MY HEAD BUT YOU EXPLAIN IT
SO WELL DOING WHAT YOU DO.
BUT WHAT DID WE SEE IN TERMS OF
EARLY VOTING?
WHERE DO THE RACES STAND AS
VOTERS IN GEORGIA HEAD TO THE
POLLS THIS MORNING?
WHAT ARE YOU SEEING?
>> LET’S TAKE A LOOK HERE.
EARLY VOTING, I ALWAYS CAUTION
FOLKS BE CAREFUL BECAUSE IT CAN
BE DECEIVING.
THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED.
A QUESTION FOR DEMOCRATS TODAY
IS BASICALLY CAN THEY REPLICATE
THIS?
CAN THEY DO IN THE SENATE RACES
TODAY EXACTLY WHAT JOE BIDEN
DID?
LOOK AT THIS MARGIN FOR BIDEN.
UNDER 12,000 VOTES
STATEWIDE, 0.2 OF ONE POINT.
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME A
DEMOCRAT CARRIED GEORGIA IN THE
PRESIDENTIAL RACE SINCE ALL THE
WAY BACK IN 1992 AND HE DID IT
BARELY.
SO DEMOCRATS NEED TO REPLICATE
THAT TODAY.
THEY FEEL GOOD ABOUT GETTING
SOME OF THEIR CORE VOTING GROUPS
OUT DURING THE EARLY VOTING
PERIOD.
ONE AREA, THERE’S A LOT OF
COUNTIES IN THIS SECTION OF THE
STATE RIGHT HERE WITH LARGE
BLACK POPULATIONS WHERE
DEMOCRATS FEEL THEY COULD HAVE
DONE BETTER IN NOVEMBER IN TERMS
OF TURNOUT AND THEY FEEL
POTENTIALLY THEY HAVE DONE
BETTER IN THE EARLY VOTING
PERIOD IN GETTING A LARGER
AFRICAN-AMERICAN TURNOUT.
WE WILL SEE, BECAUSE THE
QUESTION, OF COURSE, THE BIG
VARIABLE IS WHAT YOU JUST SHOWED
THERE.
CANTON, GEORGIA, FOR INSTANCE,
SAME-DAY VOTING.
HOW MANY REPUBLICANS ARE GOING
TO TURN OUT AND VOTE TODAY.
IS THAT GOING TO OVERWHELM ANY
ADVANTAGE DEMOCRATS BUILT UP IN
THE EARLY VOTING PERIOD?
WE HAVE SEEN THIS STORY MANY
TIMES BEFORE WHERE IT HAS.
DEMOCRATS ARE FEELING OPTIMISTIC
THIS WILL BE THE TIME THE EARLY
VOTING GETS THEM OVER THE TOP.
WE WILL FIND OUT HOPEFULLY
TONIGHT.
>> I WAS GOING TO ASK YOU,
STEVE, WE PROBABLY WON’T KNOW,
BECAUSE EVEN IF YOU GET
EVERYTHING IN, IF THERE’S A
CERTAIN PERCENTAGE, THE PERSON
CAN DEMAND A RECOUNT.
>> RIGHT.
IF WE’RE ANYTHING LIKE WE WERE
IN THIS BIDEN/TRUMP RACE BACK IN
NOVEMBER YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT A
POTENTIAL RECOUNT.
BIDEN ENDED UP WINNING THE
STATE.
BIDEN DID NOT TAKE THE LEAD IN
THE VOTE COUNT IN GEORGIA UNTIL
3:00 A.M. FRIDAY MORNING OF
ELECTION WEEK BECAUSE -- NOW, I
HAVE TALKED TO SOME COUNTY
OFFICIALS.
THEY BELIEVE THEY LEARNED A LOT
OF LESSONS IN NOVEMBER ABOUT HOW
TO COUNT AND PROCESS THESE MAIL
VOTES SO THEY THINK IT WILL BE
QUICKER THIS TIME.
BUT THIS DID TAKE DAYS BACK IN
NOVEMBER.
>> STEVE, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
WE’RE GOING TO BE SEEING A LOT
MORE OF YOU, BY THE WAY.
YOU’RE GOING TO JOIN US THE NEXT
COUPLE OF FRIDAYS TO PREVIEW
SOME MAJOR NFL GAMES, SWITCHING
GEARS A LITTLE BIT.
BUT YOU’VE GOT THE BIG BOARD AND
WE CAN’T WAIT, YOU’VE BEEN DOING
SUCH A GOOD JOB ON "FOOTBALL
NIGHT IN AMERICA."
>> I CAN’T WAIT TO DO IT.
WE’VE GOT MORE PLAYOFF GAMES