Dem majority would focus on affordability, corruption

>> The last word with Jonathan Capehart influence starts right now. Hey Jonathan. >> Hey Jen, can you believe we are just 11 days away from knowing hopefully what the heck is going to come next? >> I know and we're talking about Kansas and we're talking about Mississippi and South Carolina. It is unbelievable and we're also talking about crazy things and tactics that are going to be tried between now and the election day. So, yeah, it's unbelievable. >> And we're talking about Florida but we're going to be talking to David Jolly in a moment. But Jen, go be free and enjoy your weekend. >> All right, I'll go be free. Thank you Jonathan. Have a good weekend. >> Thanks, you too, Jen. Well, as I just said to Jen, 11 days until election day and the news and the polling suggests the race is going in one direction and it's not for Donald Trump. The latest New York Times poll has Democrats with an 11 point lead, 52% to 41% on the generic congressional ballot, with Trump at a record low 34% approval. And the NBC News poll shows a majority of voters now believe Trump and his administration are uniquely corrupt. But even as the polls inevitably tighten as November 3 approaches, remember election day is already happening and has been for weeks. More than 23 million ballots have already been cast. So that means 23 million ballots unaffected by whatever surprises the Trump administration might pull. 114 million votes were cast in 2018 during the first Trump turn, the highest midterm voter turnout in a hundred years. The Democrats won 41 House seats and put the speakers gavel back in Nancy Pelosi's hands that year. But that was a more innocent time. That was before Americans watched Trump's supporters violently attack the Capitol in January 6th to stop the certification of Joe Biden's trouncing victory over Donald Trump. Before we watch some elected Republicans try to help Trump do it. Before we watch this Supreme Court give criminal immunity to Donald Trump for his actions leading up to and on the day of that attack. Before Donald Trump was elected again with 49.8% of the vote, and after he lied about bringing down prices on day one. Before we watch Donald Trump on his first day of his second term, pardon every one of the people who rioted and beat police officers for him at the Capitol on January 6th. Trump has shown us things we never could have imagined. Donald Trump unilaterally knocking down part of the White House and feckless corporations lavishing money on the vanity ballroom Trump wants to build there. Televised meetings where cabinet members slaughter all over Donald Trump as he appears to fall asleep. Elon Musk hopping around the Oval Office like he owned the place, the super glued gold. Donald Trump's face on federal buildings, the corruption, the cronyism, the incompetence, the beyond parity, Natalie Harp of it all. Elon Musk, an immigrant who's become rich with the help of US government contracts is now spending half a billion dollars to elect Republicans. Steve Whitcoff calling Vladimir Putin "a humanitarian" to his face for the whole world to see. These are the unfathomable things Donald Trump and Trumpism have wrought. There is nothing America cannot do. We used to only think of the stars, but Trump has shown us it applies to the gutter as well. America can do rampant corruption. America can do dictator worship. America can have a wannabe king, but now we know what we're dealing with. We have our eyes wide open when ex-Trump defense lawyer Todd Blanche says he won't rule out DOJ blocking election certification in Doomsday scenario. Chuck Schumer immediately replied, "Nope. Senate Democrats have been preparing for this four months and will be ready for whatever they try. As Trump and his cronies attempt to steal this election, we are fighting them at every turn." Today the Trump Justice Department filed a lawsuit to block the certification in Alaska's Senate race, but only if the Democrat narrowly wins. Democrats have already sued four and one in injunction to block Trump federal agents from knocking on doors in a search for purported voter fraud in nine states, and Democrats in Arlington County, Virginia, are suing to block Trump federal agents from polling places. Of course, it wouldn't be a Trump election without Russian interference. After Bloomberg reported last week about the Russian operation to hurt Democrats and help Republicans with lies and faked AI videos and social media, the New York Times supports today covert Russian group injects baseless claim into the Texas Senate race. The Times reports influence operations appear to be stepping up efforts to metal in the midterms, according to intelligence officials most are targeting Democrats. That is a sign of how much the American people are done with Trump regime politics that Republicans said at candidate Ken Paxton needs a bazillion dollars from Elon Musk and help from Putin to drag him across the finish line in Texas. And that's what we have to remember. These are bunker moves. People making bank in the Trump regime version of America while everyone else is paying $4.00 a gallon more or more for gas. These people are desperate to keep power. Meeting Putin's help to win a midterm, that's desperation. Be vague Rama Swami's despicable ad that has Republicans turning on him, desperation, doorknox to scare people from voting, desperation. The don't certify the results, moves this week, desperation then that's what losers do. And there will likely be more in the next 11 days and it will likely be even uglier. So buckle up and keep focused. Because 11 days from now, American voters, you, you have the chance to stand up and say, nope, leading off our discussion tonight Timothy Snyder, professor of history at the University of Toronto. He is also the author of New York Times bestsellers on freedom and on tyranny. Professor Snyder, thank you for coming back to the last word. What's your advice to voters who are trying to buckle up for whatever the next 11 days might bring? My advice is, think about the chance that we have. We have a chance, probably a once in a lifetime chance, to do something absolutely transformative in this election. There's a chance for the opposition party, the Democrats, to take a clear majority in the House and the Senate. There's a chance to take big steps towards removing corruption, getting money out of politics and doing all the good things that government can do. We're not going to be handed a chance like this again. So the important thing is to vote, help other people to vote, vote when they tell you not to vote, do everything you can, because this is a chance that has to be seized. My basic advice is history is in your hands. It's not in the hands of Trump. You're the ones who have the power now. Use that power. The final big No Kings rally before election day was just last weekend. In authoritarian countries, images matter a lot. What did it mean for those images to exist during the first 22 months of Trump 2.0? Well, I think it's really important that there have been these big movements. I think it's really, I think every rally, not just these, but every rally has been important, because it teaches people that it's normal to be upset. It teaches people that the possibility for action includes the vote, but it's also greater than the vote. It teaches people that you not only have the power to change things at the ballot box, but you also have the power to defend your vote afterwards if necessary, and it gives people confidence. It's not surprising that the Trump people have tried to belittle these demonstrations all the way through, but it's also not surprising that Americans have been more and more attracted to them the more time has passed. My colleague, Vaughn Hillard, has an important interview coming up on the 11th hour with Ukraine's Shajeda Fair. Vaughn asked about the startling slowdown that left Ukraine vulnerable to attacks by Russia. Listen to this. over 10 days, you guys have had your Starlink actions. So we don't have explanation and we understand that this is something that has to come right from the top and we are still waiting. The top is the leadership of SpaceX along Musk or the Department of War. So Professor Snyder, we have Musk and/or Hegseth hurting Ukraine, Russian election interference to hurt Democrats and Bloomberg reports today a Russian diesel tanker headed for the U.S. after the Trump Putin deal. How do you see it? How can we stop it? Well, in your intro, you nicely talked about desperation. There's desperation for Trump because of the election. There's desperation for Putin because he can't win the war in Ukraine in any conventional way. The Ukrainians are doing very well at the front. The only way for Putin to win at this point is to destroy the Ukrainian economy and the only way for him to do that is to get Trump on his side. So the way to understand this is that you have two oligarchs, a real authoritarian, a one of the authoritarian for reaching out and holding hands and trying to help each other when each of them is due to lose. That's how to understand it. Looking ahead, we know one election won't undo all the damage Trump has brought. For one thing, he'll still have two more years in office. And Americans can't unsee what Trump has shown us about the abuse of government. Where do we go from here? Yeah. I mean, it's good that we have seen things. It's good that people understand that Trump is more corrupt than the system itself. And the steps, the important thing is to take the victory, transform the victory into power and transform the power into policy. And the Democrats have majorities in the House and in the Senate. It's very important for them to begin loud investigations of soft targets around the president who have made money illicitly during his presidency. It's very important to do that to show that we are a country where there's the rule of law, where the Constitution matters, where there's accountability. It's also important to do that, to deter people from clustering around Trump in 27 and 28. And the Democrats have to pass laws getting money out of politics, addressing inequality, giving Americans a sense that they're on the right side of these issues, even if Trump decides to vote to veto them, that will make the issues much clearer. The really important thing, though, is for us not to think of ourselves as spectators. We have to vote in huge numbers. And then we have to push the Democrats forward to do the things that are necessary. We, the voters, have one shot at this. But then the Democrats are also going to have a once in a lifetime chance to change the system. And it's really important that people push them along in that direction because if they miss that chance, then we're truly in bad shape. So take the chances we've got. And I had one more thing to you, what you just said, Professor Snyder. And that is we, the voters, have agency, Professor Timothy Snyder. Thank you for joining us tonight. And joining us now, Congressman Joe Naguze of Colorado, he is the assistant Democratic leader and the head of the litigation task force for the Democrats, Congressman Naguze. First, we read leader Schumer's comment at the top of the show, Senate Democrats have been preparing for this for months and we will be ready for whatever they try. Can you assure voters that House Democrats are ready for whatever Trump and Blanche and Republicans try? >> Well, good evening Jonathan, it's great to be with you. And the answer is yes, House Democrats have been preparing for quite some time, engage in a number of tabletop exercises over the course of the last several months, really going back to early April of this year. In advance of what we anticipated would be very nefarious attempts by this administration to both subvert a free and fair election. And then of course, post November 3rd is you well know, potentially engage in a variety of different efforts to try to stop or abrogate the certification of the results of a free and fair election. Joe Morelli, who you've had on this program previously, the ranking member of the House administration committee, Jamie Raskin, myself and others have been engaged in those conversations for many months. And of course, there are a wide variety of legal scholars, jurists, you perhaps read judge Ludwig's really profound, hard to pull just a few weeks ago, and of laying out the various scenarios that could unfold. So suffice to say we will be prepared and I suspect our colleagues in the Senate Democratic Caucus R as well, and I anticipate that you'll see some swift response from them in light of the DOJ's baseless lawsuit to try to stop in advance the certification of the Alaska Senate results. Of course, as you noted, only if the Republican candidate loses, which in and of itself is, as I said, baseless and reprehensible, but of course, consistent with the Trump administration's efforts in the past. Looking forward, Congressman, if Democrats do win the House, they will be tasked with dealing with more corruption than we ever thought possible. And I just want to pick up on something that Professor Snyder said a moment ago. I'm hopefully you were able to hear what he said. And he had a charge for you, Democrats, that if you take back the House in these midterm elections, that you do loud vigorous investigations. And he said, go after the soft targets around President Trump, who basically have made money as part of this administration. We've seen, it is a couple of polls where corruption is the number one concern of people who were polled. And that's above affordability and inflation, but not that far above first, will Democrats take Professor Snyder's advice and conduct these loud vigorous investigations for the sole purpose, not the sole purpose, but among the purposes to show that the rule of law means something in this country. Yes, I believe we will. I mean, I agree with Professor Snyder's kind of broad assessment and charge with respect to the necessity for us to be very serious about uncovering and exposing and holding accountable the mass corruption that has become pervasive in Washington, DC, where you have the Trump administration, his family and sycophants that he surrounded himself with political allies all making money hand over fist. And look, the empirical data, as you noted, tells a very clear story, which is that the American people are profoundly concerned about this corruption, the entrenched corruption in Washington, DC, because it is directly tied to affordability. I mean, the reality is, is American struggle and you noted this at the outset of the program, they know that folks in Washington, DC, are corruptly enriching themselves and they are sick of it, which is why I believe we will ultimately prevail on November 3rd and Democrats will regain majorities, hopefully in both chambers of the U.S. Congress. But yes, I believe that we will be prepared to ultimately address, you know, very in a muscular way, the corruption that has become, as I said, so pervasive in Washington. And then there's sort of a tee up or one about to ask you next is a possible preview of what's ahead for Trump cronies. Here is your questioning of Homeland Security Secretary Christie Nome, under oath, back in March. Your agency made a decision not to proceed with competitive bidding and one of the contractors that got the award was this Safe America Media Company that received $143 million. Where is Safe America Media headquartered? I don't know. I don't know either. Madam Secretary, we can't find it. We can't find a website. We did find an address that's registered for this company. Do you know where that address is? The company is registered to a political operative in Virginia. Do you know, just by way of example, whether this company that received $143 million in taxpayer dollars has it ever done work for the government before? I don't know. I can't. The answer is it has not. I don't know why we know that because it was incorporated eight days, eight days before this contract went out. That was rough. Your questions were pointed and direct and the fact that she kept saying, I don't know, was very, very telling. Two days later, though, she was fired and now the DOJ has opened a criminal investigation into Nome's aid and confidant, Cory Lewandowski, who has denied wrongdoing. But should your questioning that we just saw serve as a warning for people in the Trump administration as to what they should prepare for? I certainly hope so. I mean, I look, I heard the president's comments today regarding the potential criminal investigation into Mr. Lewandowski, and as I said several months ago during the course of that questioning that you just showed, my, you know, ultimate assumption is that President Trump was most offended that he apparently was not, I guess, getting a cut of that particular misconduct that we had exposed during the course of the hearing. Oh, look, at the end of the day, I think it is folly for any of these folks to have assumed that this would not ultimately become public and that there would not be accountability. And I anticipate that the oversight committee, the judiciary committee, the Homeland Security committee, my colleagues across the House Democratic caucus are going to be well prepared to follow the facts where they may lead and ultimately ensure that taxpayer dollars are not wasted and that we vindicate the Constitution. So that work will continue. Congressman Joe Negus, Colorado, thanks for joining us tonight. Thank you, Jonathan. Coming up, Barack Obama has entered the Florida governor's race. here about that next. Donald Trump rallied in Georgia and Florida today, two states were Democrats see an opening to win some big statewide races. Florida is a tougher lift for Democrats, Republicans have a voter registration advantage of more than one and a half million. But it hasn't always been that way. Former president who won in Florida in 2008 and 2012 Barack Obama put out this new video supporting David Jolly for governor tonight. This is Barack Obama. Florida holds a special place in my heart. We won twice because you believed in a better future. Now I'm supporting David Jolly for governor because he believes in it too. David is independent minded. He's focused on lowering the costs of housing and health care and making sure every child gets a great education. He has a long record of taking on corruption and I know he's tough enough to stand up against the powerful special interests that make your life harder. Elections are about who will fight for you and in this election it's David Jolly. So let's do this Florida, vote for the change you deserve. Vote David Jolly for governor. That's big. A new NBC News poll shows Trump's 2024 coalition is pretty much dead. Trump's approval rating sits at 21% with independence among men under 30, a group Trump won by one point in 2024 exit polling. His approval rating sits at 28%. And among Latinos who also shifted toward Trump in 2024, his approval rating is 31%. Former Republican David Jolly, now the Democratic nominee is facing Republican Congressman Byron Donalds in the Florida race, Florida race for governor. Earlier this week, Jolly campaigned with former President Bill Clinton and said this. Listen, we've been all over the state in the last 18 months. We've got two weeks to go in this election cycle and I'll tell you what's going to happen. What's going to happen on election night is this state's about to elect a Democratic governor for the first time in 30 years. That's about what's going to happen. Joining us now is former Florida Congressman David Jolly. He is the Democratic nominee for governor in Florida. Congressman, thank you very much for coming to the last word. As I mentioned before, Republicans have a major, yes, Republicans have a major voter registration advantage in Florida of about one and a half million voters. What's your path to overcoming this gap? What are you seeing on the ground that makes you believe Florida is competitive? And how helpful is it to now have the support of former President Barack Obama? Well, listen, it's a special night to secure the support of President Obama coming on the heels of, as you mentioned, President Bill Clinton being in town as well. And John, and then I think what we are quietly building in the Florida governor's race is a new coalition in American politics. Consider this a former Republican, now a proud Florida Democrat, amplifying the values of the Democratic Party, that the economy should work for everybody, that we're going to let the private sector lead, but government has to do its part to fill in the gaps, right? Investments in housing, healthcare education, and that we're going to protect everybody's rights and respect everybody's dignity, regardless of the color of your skin, where you're born, who you love or who you worship. Those are values rooted in the Democratic traditions from FDR to JFK, and yes, to President Obama and President Bill Clinton. But we're doing it now in a coalition with independence and Republicans, some former Republicans like me, who understand in a moment where the nation's broken, when I think every voter knows, regardless of party registration, that we're facing a crisis in our economy and in our own national identity, that we can amplify the basic values that have made America strong, an economy that works for everybody, government to do it a little bit to help, and everyone's rights being protected. That's the new coalition in American politics, and so voter registration, Jonathan, doesn't matter this cycle. The less in this cycle, from all of our special elections, is you don't have to be a Democrat to vote for a Democrat. I'm a proud Florida Democrat, but we built a coalition with independence and Republicans alike. I'm going to put this set, MSNOW polling partner 50 plus one, shows you trailing your opponent, Byron Donalds, by roughly 4.48.5% to 44.1%, with 11 days until election day, what's your final message to voters who are still undecided? Housing, healthcare, education, and no data centers. Look, I think the race is a pure toss up right now. I really do Jonathan all of the data, but understand when people say, hey, Jolly, what do I need to know coming down to election day? I say housing, healthcare, education, and no data centers. And yes, that's our platform, right, to address an economic crisis, but I want you to understand the contrast. Byron Donalds, Donald Trump are arguing that if we just hate each other a little bit more, if we just stay a little more divided, if the president, as he did day, calls me a dog. If I get called radical or socialist or communist, then somehow that division and that hate is going to improve our lives. So in my candidacy, I talk about housing, healthcare, education, and no data centers because that's what people want. And I think what you're seeing across the country right now, Republicans are arguing ideology and division because they don't have answers on the economy. And you've got Democratic candidates saying, look, if you'll trust us, if you'll trust us with your vote, give us a shot. We're going to invest in an economic platform that empowers the most number of people. That is why I think Florida is about to elect a Democratic governor. David Jolly, the Democratic nominee for Governor Florida, thanks for joining us tonight. Thank you, Jonathan. And joining us now, Democratic Congressman Maxwell Frost of Florida, he is a member of the House Oversight Committee, Congressman New Polling from NBC News shows Trump's approval rating at just 21% among independents, 28% among men under 30, 31% among Latino voters. Do you believe these numbers could put Florida in play for Democrats? 110%, it's simple. Donald Trump lied about everything. He said he was going to bring down the cost of groceries, groceries, you walk out of the grocery store with two grocery bags and you pay $100 for it. He said he would cut utility costs in half, utility costs are skyrocketing across the entire country. People are losing their health care, they're paying more for health care that is worse than they had the year before and everybody is in a worse position now than they were a year and a half ago. And I think voters in Florida and across the entire country are going to go to the ballot box and vote for Democrats because we are going to hold this president accountable and actually focus on legislation that's going to help the majority of Americans, which are working class people crying out for relief. And I think we're going to see that represented across the state of Florida with David's race when he becomes an ex-governor of Florida and with Angie Nixon, who's going to be our next senator. >> Well, I was just about to ask you about her that there's a Senate race in Florida that's also gaining attention. The Democratic Senate nominee Angie Nixon recently held a major rally with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. What does the enthusiasm around that rally tell you about what Florida voters, particularly young voters, are looking for from Democrats? >> Yeah, the type of excitement in Angie's campaign we haven't seen in a long time in Florida. I actually spoke at the rally that was in Tallahassee with Bernie and Angie. And I spoke to the overflow crowd, which was hundreds and hundreds of people outside waiting on the cold to hear from Angie to hear her message and what I can tell you is it's not just Democrats at these rallies. I spoke with Bernie's team to look a little bit about the people who are signing in. There are Republicans, there are independents, all types of people coming to the rallies. And that's where her campaign is about. It's not about just talking to the people who normally come out to vote. If that's what we did, then we'll lose, right? But if we focus on expanding the electorate within agenda that they can see themselves represented in, that's how you win in a state like Florida. And from Angie Nixon fighting for working with families and showing them what it looks like when someone's going to take your agenda, the DC or someone like David Jolly was saying, we know what you want. We know you don't want data centers in your backyard. We know you want good funding for education for housing because the rent's too damn expensive and homeowner's endurance is out the roof. I think those two messages are going to bring out a very broad coalition of not just Democrats, but people who have never voted before. Our top thing, of course, we want Republicans to vote for us. Of course, we want independents of vote for us and that will happen. But one of the top places where we need to get voters are the people who have never voted before. And I think both of our candidates in Florida are doing that. That's about to ask me. What do Democrats need to do to close the deal? Not just with undecided voters, but with those Republican voters who, to get them from the rally you were just talking about, to the voting booth. I think it has to do with them hearing policy that they can see themselves represented in. And that's really what it's about. And I think we see that from both of our candidates in the state of Florida. And I got to say, and across the entire country, I've been on the road. I was just in Michigan, campaigning for Abdul Saed, William Lawrence, and Chris McDonnell Rivet. I'm in Maine right now doing everything I can to help Matt Dunlap win, enjoy Jackson. I'll say the energy here, the energy in Florida, the energy in Michigan, everywhere I've been, it's a very similar story. People are pissed off about an economy that's not working for them. 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. And Donald Trump and Republicans in DC want us to believe it's because 60% of Americans America is lazy. And so for us, the Americans are the hero in this story for them. You're the problem. And I think that's why we're going to win it in Florida on November 3rd. We will know for sure in 11 days. Florida, Congressman Maxwell Frost, thank you for joining us tonight. Thanks, Jonathan. Coming up, Arizona incumbent governor Katie Hobbs, be one of Trump's most notorious election, election, election liars. It's going to say election deniers, but you get what I mean. She did that the last time. And she'll try to do it again in 11 days. Governor Katie Hobbs joins us next. It was in Arizona last week that Donald Trump did this epic cell phone. It's called a cognitive test. It's a very standard test, but very tough. Donald Trump was in Arizona campaigning against Arizona's Democratic Congresswoman, Governor Katie Hobbs, who is running for reelection in the midterms. And Donald Trump, being a person with zero self-awareness or shame, also said this. But Katie Hobbs would not do well in the cognitive test. I would venture to say those comments aren't totally surprising. Katie Hobbs has been a thorn in Donald Trump's side for a half decade now. She was the Secretary of State who oversaw Donald Trump's 2020 presidential election loss in Arizona. Two years later, Hobbs narrowly defeated Trump loyalist in 2020 election denier Carrie Lake, becoming Arizona's first Democratic governor since 2009. Now, in 2026, MSNOW's polling data partner 50 plus one has Katie Hobbs with an eight point advantage over Donald Trump's chosen Republican gubernatorial candidate and 2020 election denier, the Congressman Andy Biggs, who voted not to certify Arizona's votes president. So remember what Donald Trump said about Katie Hobbs at that rally last week? Turns out she was collecting receipts and she used them in her latest campaign ad. I would venture to say Governor Hobbs is helping ease the financial burden for Arizona families erasing more than one billion dollars of medical debt. We're putting more money back in your pocket and ensuring you have what it takes to make ends meet at the end of the month. It's why Governor Katie Hobbs just signed a new executive order that lowers the cost of prescription drugs. She is terminating a water deal with Foddemonte, the Saudi run company has been in default since 2016. 126 million for child care assistance. The largest investment in child care since funding was cut during the Great Recession. We've secured over nine million dollars to deliver 25 million free school meals across our state. I'm proud to say that we have delivered. Joining us now is Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs. She is running for re-election in the midterms governor. Welcome to the last word. Your opponent, Congressman Andy Biggs is no normal Trump loyalist. He's a January 6 guy. MSNOW's Ebony Davis reports Biggs, the former chair of the House, the conservative House Freedom Caucus, voted against certifying electoral votes from Arizona and other battleground states following the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol. Governor, how big of a factor has that been in this election? Well, it's a huge factor and it means that this race is not just important for Arizona. It's important for the whole country or one of seven swing states that will decide the next presidential election. And there's a reason that Donald Trump wants Andy Biggs in the governor's office. He's not just a regular election denier as you pointed out. Not only did he not certify Arizona's electors, but he also helped orchestrate the fake electors scheme. And he helped plan January 6th. This is something he sought a pardon for. So it is dangerous to have someone like that overseen the presidential election in a swing state in 2028. And the time to stop that isn't now or isn't 2028. It is right now. And folks can join me in doing that by going to KDHubs.org. When there's an election in a bad economy governor voters generally can be in an anti-incumbency mood. It does not seem like that's the case in Arizona. Do Arizona voters connect the policies to the politician who launched a war in Iran and slapped tariffs on them? Andy Biggs has been nothing but a rubber stamp for Washington's cost-hiking agenda. And Arizona's are feeling the pinch of that. I hear that all over the state. And they are fully aware that the high cost they're experiencing right now are because of tariffs, because of the war in Iran that's making gas more expensive. And they're worried about health care. You, the governor, you won 50.3% of the vote in 2022. But you beat Kerry Lake by less than a point. How did you turn a narrow election victory into a governorship on track to win re-election? Well, look, I'm not taking anything for granted. And I will tell you that our internal polling has us a lot closer than your poll were tied within the margin of error. So not taking a single vote for granted. And look, Arizona is a tough state for Democrats. Trump won here with five and a half percent. That's the biggest margin of any swing state. Our electorate is plus nine Republicans. So I am spending the next 10 days all over the state on the last leg of our Arizona first tour, taking the case right to voters about what's at stake in this election. Locally, water rights have become a major issue in your election. The Washington Post reports. Governor Katie Hobbes and her allies are spending millions on ads saying she will fight to ensure Arizona's water is for Arizona's. Her challenger, Congressman Andy Biggs, is blasted Hobbes as handling of Colorado River negotiations and discuss the merits of desal, short for desalination from the debate stage. What is your plan, Governor, to solve Arizona's water issues? Well, our top priority right now is fighting for our fair share of Colorado River water. And we were faced with a 77% cut from the federal government to our Colorado River water. We entered a deal with other lower basin states to ensure that those cuts were shared and protected us for now. And where top priority is solidifying that deal. But there everything has to be on the table. We're focused on how we can continue to protect our groundwater. And that will involve a new framework for rural groundwater protection to keep out of state corporations from coming in and pumping unchecked. But we have to look at new water supplies, whether it's advanced water purification, desalination. And we have recently entered into an MOU with San Diego to talk about, to talk with them about desal. There's a lot of options and we're looking at all of them. Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, please forgive me for coughing throughout this interview. Thank you very much for joining us tonight. Thank you. And coming up, the path to a Democratic House majority runs through Scranton. That's next. Democrats have several paths to victory in the U.S. House of Representatives next month. And one of them runs right through Scranton, Pennsylvania. That's because the nonpartisan Cook Political Report has incumbent Republican Congressman Bob Brezenahan in a toss-up race against Democratic Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti in Pennsylvania's eighth congressional district. And a new Emerson College poll is showing Paige Cognetti with a four point lead over Congressman Brezenahan, a statistical tie within the margin of error. Joining us now is the Mayor of Scranton, Paige Cognetti. She is the Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania's eighth congressional district. Madam Mayor, welcome to the last word. What is resonating most with the voters in your district? This region or these from Pennsylvania is a place where public corruption has been a problem for generations. Folks here just want government to work for them and they want somebody representing them that is there to fight for them. Unfortunately, that's not what we had here in Scranton. That's why I ran for mayor in 2019 as an independent against our local Democratic Party that was just going to do more of the same in the wake of a corruption scandal. And that's why I'm running now. Unfortunately, in our new member of Congress, we have somebody who ran on a platform of banning congressional stock trading, said it was his words sickening to make your money on votes. And information the American people don't have. He then has traded over $8 million worth of stocks since becoming a member of Congress just last year. People are sick and tired of the corruption. They are now tying corruption with costs. That is a huge issue here. We see that, though, it's clear to people in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Our costs go up when there's corruption in the way. We've got to push corruption out of the way. And that's why I'm running is we need to make sure that we clean up DC. And we'd love to have you join our campaign at pageforpa.com. You got Governor Josh Shapiro's endorsement early on. on in your campaign. How big of a boost was that for you? >> Governor Shapiro and I have been working together for nearly a decade. First, when I was on the school board and he was at the attorney general, I asked him to come help us. When we had actual criminal activity happening in the Scranton School District, it is an honor to campaign along him, his side. We both get a lot of things done, him at the state level, me at the local level. We're both executives as mayor. We have gone from really a terrible situation in the city of Scranton. We were almost bankrupt seven years ago. We had a junk bond credit rating now. We have an A-credit rating. We've cut our debt in half. We're in a very strong financial track in the city. We're getting things done and I'm honored to have Governor Shapiro's support. >> According to the river reporter, and we're quoting here, Scranton Mayor and Congressional candidate for Congress in Pennsylvania's eighth Congressional District, Paige Cognetti, announced that her campaign raised nearly $2.5 million in the third quarter of 2026 without accepting a single cent from corporate paths. >> Madam Mayor, what do you attribute that sort of campaign momentum to? >> We raise our money person by person. Absolutely no corporate PAC money. I have had folks in Washington call me up and say, you don't you don't mean this. You're going to take corporate PAC money. I say, no, you are not listening. You need to leave the beltway. You need to go talk to real people. We are so sick, entire of corporations running the show. That's why our health care costs are skyrocketing. That's why our utility costs are skyrocketing. That's why food is costing so much. In addition, of course, to this reckless war in Iran and these ridiculous, irresponsible tariffs. We are so tired of the corruption. The American people want change. That's why our anti-corruption agenda is so powerful. Of course, it bans corporate PAC money. Of course, it bans congressional stock trading. It also talks about term limits. 18 years for Congress, the Senate, and the Supreme Court. People are begging for this kind of reform. And that's what really resonates here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. >> Scranton, Pennsylvania Mayor, Page Cognetti. >> Thanks, Jonathan. >> Tonight's last word is next. Coming up on the weekend, we will talk to Texas gubernatorial nominee Gina Inahosa, Michigan gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson and former attorney general of the United States, Eric Holder, the current chair of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. That's all on the weekend, starting tomorrow at 7 a.m. Eastern right here on MSNOW. I hope you will join us.