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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
First Major Elections Of Trump's Second Term; Sen. Booker's Protest Speech Breaks Senate Floor Record; Soon: Polls Close In Wisconsin As GOP Seeks Clean Sweep Tonight; WI Officials: Some Ballot Shortages Due To "Historic Turnout". Aired 8-9p ET
Aired April 01, 2025 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[20:00:00]
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: And I talked to one top official today, Republican official who said yes, Musk fired up Democrats. But he also reminded Trump voters that they needed to turn out. One pattern that we have seen again and again, if Trump's, name is not on the ballot, the people don't vote necessarily so, Musk helped with that.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes and you saw the more liberal candidate in that race saying that he is essentially her opponent, as you were saying about Elon Musk.
Jake, back to you.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Thanks, Kaitlan.
Polling places are closing in the Western Panhandle of Florida and that special election to Replace Former Republican Matt Gaetz. Every in seat, of course is crucial given the GOP's narrow majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Key race alert right now is that it is too early to call between Valimont and Patronis in the race to succeed Matt Gaetz in Florida's first congressional district, too early to call. The balance of power, because we have called Florida 6. Republicans have 219 votes, Democrats have 213. There are three vacancies. Florida one is one of those vacancies.
We believe Senator Booker, Democrat of New Jersey, is close to wrapping up his record breaking Senate floor speech. So, let us dip in and take in some of that history right now.
SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ): I ask you, look at your financial self, are you better off than you were 72 years ago financially? Well, the answer for most people who believed in him is no, because he didn't set out to do anything to lower prices. He set out to rename the Gulf of Mexico, to threaten Canada, to say, I'm going to take over Greenland. He's done a lot of things, 140 executive orders, many of them actually drive up your costs, make it more expensive to enroll in the ACA, reduce a lot of the tax credits there.
He's increased your costs, he's taxed your bedrock services, stock market tumbles, your 401(k) accounts are less, inflation is up, consumer confidence is down. This is what the voices we brought into this chamber. The voices of our constituents, Red states, Blue states. The voices of Democrats and Republicans, Republican governors, Democratic governors. We brought all the people that are saying, no. This is a moral moment, not left or right, right or wrong.
And so, I've tried over the last 25 hours in one minute to center the conversation back on what will we do of good conscience. People who are saying, I serve this country. I risked my life shouldn't be able to keep my job. People are saying this country once made itself the envy of the world, because we invested in high quality education for every child. I don't like what's going on at the end of the Department of Education. People are saying, I worked harder than I ever have, but the prices on everything in my life are getting higher. People who are saying that the America I learned about in school, the one where people's rights are protected, the people who are saying that, why are we yet again going through another health care battle that threatens millions of people? The people are saying that I'm worried about the financial security in the future of my country. The voices of folks.
And so, I end by saying simply this, where I started was John Lewis. I don't know how to solve this. I don't know how to stop us from going down this road. Chuck Schumer has now told me that they're greasing the skids to do these things. I'm sorry. But I know who does have the power. The people of the United States of America, the power of the people is greater than the people in power. It is time to heed the words of the man I began this whole thing with John Lewis.
I beg folks to take his example of his early days, where he made himself determined to show his love for his country at a time the country didn't love him, to love this country so much, to be such a patriot that he endured beatings savagely on the Edmund Pettus Bridge at lunch counters, on freedom rides, he said he had to do something.
He would not normalize a moment like this. He would not just go along with business as usual. He wouldn't know how to solve it. But there's one thing that he would do that I hope we all can do that I think I did a little bit of tonight. He said for us to go out and cause some good trouble, necessary trouble, to redeem the soul of our nation, I want you to redeem the dream. Let's be bold in America, not demean and degrade Americans, not divide us against each other. Let's be bolder in America with a vision that inspires, with hope that starts with the people of the United States of America. That's how this country started -- We, the People.
Let's get back to the ideals that others are threatening. Let's get back to our founding documents that those imperfect geniuses had some very special words at the end of the declaration of independence was one of the greatest in all of humanity -- declarations of interdependence. When our founders said, we must mutually pledge, pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor, we need that now from all Americans. This is a moral moment. It's not left or right. It's right or wrong. Let's get in good trouble.
My friend, Madam President, I yield the floor.
[20:05:30]
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER: 360": And Cory Booker has just stopped his marathon. Speaking 25 hours, five minutes, and you hear the applause there from his colleagues. Ashley, what do you think the impact of that is? What is it a sign of to you?
ASHLEY ALLISON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, I often think in organizing and in politics, we want, you know, one silver bullet, but I think it is the totality of circumstances. Will this filibuster or this speech, because it's not an official filibuster, actually change someone's vote today? Maybe not, but what it does, it's an example of strength. It's an example of courage. I mean, sheer strength. I couldn't stand it for 25 hours. I mean, maybe you could, but I couldn't.
And I think it is a testament of to do something. We don't know the thing that will work, but try and do something. And so, I commend Senator Booker. I'm proud to know him. And I encourage other Democrats to follow his lead. Don't do a copycat of what he did, but do something bold, do something unique, do something courageous.
And I'll just point out in a moment where many people feel attacked, Black folks feel attacked. Queer folks, Brown folks feel attacked. The fact that he broke a clear segregationist record is important in this moment and shouldn't be overlooked.
COOPER: Mandela, is it a sign of confusion in the Democratic Party? Is it a sign of strength in the Democratic Party? Does it say anything?
MANDELA BARNES, (D) FORMER WISCONSIN LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR: Well, doing nothing is not an option. And again, to just echo what Ashley said, it should be a call for other democrats to stand up and be bold in their own ways, whether it's at home in the district or whether it's on the floor of the House or the floor of the Senate.
And I think that for so long, or at least these last 60 plus days, the very real frustration, not just with the general public, but even Democrats in Congress, is something that makes it very hard for us to organize around Democratic candidates. And when somebody like Cory Booker steps up and says, well, I'm going to take this and do this my way, I think that other people it leaves very little room for people to say, oh, well, what can I do? What can I do? Be creative in this moment, stand up and fight back with every tool that you have in your disposal.
COOPER:: And Cory Booker is going to be joining the program a little bit later tonight -- Alyssa.
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Listen, my initial thought when he launched this was its not the 1990s. Go on some podcast, do some new media. But I think having the staying power of actually beating the record and doing 25 hours will resonate with some people. This is something that I think you can push to the grassroots and energize folks and say, he is actually doing the work -- that is real work and blood, sweat and tears that you have to put into that moment on the Senate floor. That's actually, I would argue at this juncture, two years out from the midterms, a better use of Democrats time than pouring millions of dollars into a seat that Donald Trump won by 30 points in Florida, for example.
That's a much better use. Show what the message is. Have somebody articulate, give it and see where the chips fall.
SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It is a feat of longevity and I just -- I'm not sure what the point of it is. He didn't stop any legislation. He didn't hold up any nominations. He said it was a moral moment. So, I guess, you know, as a Republican, I infer that he thinks half the country is immoral. And that kind of messaging to me is exactly what's been plaguing the Democrats for the last, certainly in the last election, in the last several months, is this idea that this hatefulness towards your fellow American just because they chose a different party or, or voted a different way, and our own Harry Enten reported this morning that Congressional Democrats have a 21 percent approval rating.
So, in some respects, there's nowhere to go but up and Cory Booker, I think, is trying to fill a vacuum. There's no real leadership nationally of the Democratic Party. Obviously, they don't have any confidence in Schumer. They've had a lot of radical voices out there who are trying to take control of the party. So, maybe this was an attempt by him to try to, you know, wrest control of at least the, you know, the spiritual leadership of the National Party. I don't know if it'll work.
BARNES: This is a rebuke --
COOPER: Let's just look at Florida also for a second here, the race for the House, one seat Gay Valimont right now in the lead, 1,759 votes ahead, 37 percent of the vote in to Jimmy Patronis, who has 48.2 percent. I'm sorry, you were saying.
BARNES: No, I was going to say this is Cory Booker's speech is a rebuke of the Trump administration, Donald Trump and Elon Musk, sometimes J.D. Vance, when they feel like letting them do something. But for the people who don't agree with Donald Trump, a lot of Donald Trump voters, a lot of people who were sold a bill of goods, a lot of people who are having buyer's remorse, a lot of people who resent their own vote. Nobody voted for --
JENNINGS: Nope, none, zero.
GRIFFIN: Nobody.
[20:10:06]
ALLISON: Well, we'll see tonight in Wisconsin. We'll see. I think -- wait -- we'll see. I think you talked about morality. I didn't ask you a question, though. Let me tell you -- I think, to say Cory Booker didn't question people's morality. He was actually giving space for people to have a conversation at the very end of his speech. I didn't watch all 25 hours, but at the very end of his speech, he talked about Democrats and Republicans -- his team took time not to be so hardcore partisan, and rather talk about the American people as a whole. If you say anything about Cory Booker, it is not that he is the attack dog of the Democratic Party. He did it, he wanted this to be an opportunity, a clarion call to the nation to say most of his speech. The first three hours was all about Medicaid and Medicare and last I checked, Republicans benefit substantially from those programs and we know that there may be some risks that are coming to it.
So, he used this unlike oftentimes, when people do Hickory Dickory Dock filibusters, he used this for substance, he used this to actually talk about stuff. It wasn't calling people immoral. It was actually offering and a welcoming into a space in our democracy.
COOPER: Ashley, I mean, how closely does this Florida race House one to you? Does that matter much? I mean, now -- Gay Valimont 57 votes ahead.
ALLISON: Yes, look, I think that Florida, for a very long time, at least a decade at this point, Democrats have realized they probably are not going to win the state of Florida in presidential and in many of in the governors' race and many of the House races as well.
So, the indicator was not a w in the column, an added seat in the House. The question was, the majority of those folks, many of those folks who moved from, to your point, nope, nope, none -- none of those Trump voters who don't support Democrats now, I guarantee there's no way this race is so close, and particularly the other race with Fine and Weil that, that margin gets so close. If some of those Trump voters didn't move over to Democrats.
JENNINGS: I disagree.
ALLISON: You know, you can, you usually do. But numbers are numbers.
JENNINGS: I disagree and here's why. It's a turnout game. And this is a condition of the Republican Party that is true. We now have a party that's made up of lower propensity voters. They tend not to vote when Donald Trump's not on the ballot. They turn out at lower rates, especially when elections are happening at odd times. And this is an issue the party is going to have to grapple with. Democrats have these higher propensity voters who turn out for everything. And it -- I think it creates a mirage of what you just said, that maybe people are switching.
I don't think they're switching. I just think the highest propensity voters are turning out. Democrats have a few more of those right now. I mean, that having been said, my advice to House Republicans right now is eat healthy, get on your treadmill, try not to die if you live in a district that's any worse than either of these between now and next November, or at least now in this summer when we got to pass a reconciliation bill, because its thin margins. But the Republicans, I think, are going to hold this thin margin and hopefully hold it long enough to get Donald Trump's legislative agenda across the line.
ALLISON: Well, that sounds like a diagnosis of someone who thinks you have some flipping voters.
GRIFFIN: And while I hate to agree with Scott this early in the evening, I think it's a bit of a myth --
JENNINGS: Why?
GRIFFIN: I think it's a bit of a myth that there's this significant buyer's remorse with Republicans who voted for Trump. It just -- the numbers do not pan that out. By and large, Republicans are on cloud nine. Now, in six months, if tariffs are still in effect and the cost of everything is through the roof, then you might see some movement ahead of the midterms. But it is way too soon to expect some massive movement by Republicans going away from Trump.
COOPER: Just ahead, we are heading into an important hour when voting ends in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, and we get our first clues about whether voters are delivering a verdict on President Trump and Elon Musk in that state back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:18:04]
TAPPER: Welcome back.
We have a key race alert for you now in that other House race in Florida. Florida's first Congressional District in the Panhandle. The polls just closed there and as we've told you before in Florida, they know how to count the votes and they know how to do it pretty quickly. Already, 74 percent of the estimated vote is in and Republican Jimmy Patronis is up with 52.6 percent of the vote over Democratic activist Gay Valimont, who has 46.6 percent of the vote. Patronis, with 7,146 vote lead right now.
That's not a huge lead for this district, but it is a lead. It's interesting, John, because this is another R-plus 30 district where it looks like the Republican will likely win, but not by 30 points.
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, many things can be true at once, as we know, and a win is a win. And it looks like we're not ready to call this one yet. Let's pop it up. Florida's first district. But your eyes don't lie. You see the lead right there? That's an 8.6.
TAPPER: He's not going to win by 30 points.
KING: Six point lead. No, he's not going to win by 30 points. So in a district that's -- really, this one is more 36-37 Republican advantage. So, it's an even bigger district than the other one. So this is true. It looks like the Republican will win here. And we know the Republican won here. And so, if your Speaker Mike Johnson, you're saying I have two more Republican votes. That's what I want it tonight. That's what I got.
However, I just want to say, especially in the House of Representatives, where you have to run every two years, right. You're looking at this and you're -- so, imagine this, right, remember this. This was a district that should be plus 30 for Republicans. That looks like it's going to come in under ten Republicans. It could change a little bit to the final count, but say ten points or less, right. In what was a 35 plus district.
This one here is a 30-point Republican advantage, just five months ago, where you have an 11-point race, right. Normally 11 points, you say, wow, that's a big win. But the last guy who ran in this district in November won by 30 something. So, why does that matter? For Randy Fine and Mr. Patronis they're Republican members of Congress. Here's where this will cause some issues, okay.
[20:20:01]
Let's just come to 2024 and let's look at the House races. So, imagine you're this guy. I'm going to pop up the state of Colorado. I'm going to pop up, I was in this district just about a month or two ago. Colorado's eighth. You're Gabe Evans, a Republican who ran with Donald Trump on the Trump agenda. You just barely won in one of the most competitive races in the country. So, you're going to wake up tomorrow. Maybe not panic, but you're going to call your political team and you're going to talk to the House Republican political team and say, well, Florida didn't go that great. They were way, way below the margins. So, what's going to happen right there?
I'll give you another example, you're from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, right. So let's pop up here. Republicans were thrilled in November because they defeated a Democratic incumbent, Matt Cartwright, but just barely. They defeated a Democratic incumbent, Susan Wild, but just barely. So, you have to defend these seats in two years. So, you're looking and saying, I just eat this out. And in two districts in Florida that went 30 points Republican just five months ago, now they're going 8 or 10. Should I be nervous? It doesn't mean be nervous, but should I be nervous?
TAPPER: And we do now have a special projection -- we have a projection in the special House election in Florida's Western Panhandle, the first Congressional District. CNN is projecting that Republican Jimmy Patronis will win the House race in Florida's first Congressional District. He will defeat Democrat Gay Valimont. Patronis is the state's former chief financial officer, holding on to the seat previously held by Republican Matt Gaetz in Ruby Red Panhandle, Florida.
The Republican's narrow majority in the House just got a little bit wider, a little bit of breathing room. The GOP now has 220 House seats, compared to 213 for House Democrats. There are two vacancies still that will be decided in future elections from deaths of two Democratic members of Congress.
Dana Bash, I have to say, I was not looking at Florida 1 to be the most interesting race of the night, but we heard a lot about how weak a candidate Randy Fine, newly elected Congressman-Elect Randy Fine, is from Republican governor Ron DeSantis. There's no love lost between them. But he talked about how fine was not the strongest candidate.
Patronis is a strong candidate, and he is going to win. We're projecting a win for him. But Dana, it's not a 35-point win that it should be in Ruby Red Panhandle, Florida. DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: You're exactly right and it is the whole question of the margins, Jake. That is what Democrats have been looking at all night. I mean, we know that -- we all we all have heard, no offense to you as a politician, politicians play the expectations game. I mean, it's sort of the crown jewel of how they lead up to elections. But in this case, were looking at Florida one, and I want you to weigh in on this, since you were a representative from the state of Florida, where it was closer than expected on Florida six, where Randy Fine is going to be the new Republican member.
That was the area where your fellow Democrats were really looking at narrowing a margin under double digits to try to make a point. Now, it is clearly going to be far less than the 30 plus percentage points that Mike Waltz won back in November. But what does it tell you, understanding the voter sort of dynamics there?
STEPHANIE MURPHY (D), FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE: Yes, so, I live in Central Florida, the district that Fine -- well, ran in abut my district. I spent a lot of time in that area. That is a dark red conservative area. And structurally, like many other districts in Florida it is two to one registered Republicans to Independents. So, none of these races should have been nearly this close. So, does that mean that with money and energy, Democrats can close the structural gap that exists in some of these districts and maybe in other districts across the country.
And if so, then and that gives them some optimism. I think the other thing that's important is that, you know, money that goes into races like this in like the I-4 corridor in the heart of Florida, the swing part of Florida. They shouldn't just be quixotic efforts to win races that aren't winnable, but they should be building on infrastructure. Did he register more voters and can we build on that in the next cycle?
KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: One thing I would say, Dana, too, is that this margin that we're starting to see in Florida one, it is going to mean a lot of really nervous, maybe some slightly panicked phone calls to the Speaker's office, to the White House political operation saying, hey guys, wake up. We got to do something about this. We are going to be on track to lose the House. And I'm telling you that my reporting indicates that the person that they are going to be complaining about is going to be Elon Musk.
So, I think really the next 24 hours asking questions about what does this mean for Elon Musk and his kind of position in Trump world if anything at this stage.
BASH: Elon Musk, because of what we're going to see later tonight in Wisconsin and/or because of all of the --
HUNT: Because the enemy is done, yes.
BASH: -- And he is done with DOGE.
[20:25:09] ABBY PHILLIP, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR OF "NEWSNIGHT WITH ABBY PHILLIP": I think that also explains why Elon Musk put all of his energy in Wisconsin, because these two races, Republicans should have won them. They were pretty much expected to have been won, but they really want to blunt this narrative that there is a problem. And to do that, they need to win everything. And Wisconsin then becomes a keystone to that.
So, it is possible tonight that in Wisconsin, $20 million in for Elon Musk, you could see Republicans perhaps eking out a victory or getting a clean win there. And that changes the narrative. But I do think where we are right now for this administration is that, this is as good as it gets, okay. There are a couple of months in Trump is a relatively popular compared to Trump from the last time around.
It's not going to get any better. The economy is not going to get any better. And so, they really need to sort of keep the boat afloat for this boat.
BASH: One of the things that I -- that I've been hearing about from Republicans. I talked to a top Republican who's been involved in this. Was that Republican voters are content right now. They're happy with the way things are going, for the most part, not all of them. And whether that has anything to do with it, given the fact that there is such a huge Republican voter registration advantage over --
MURPHY: Yes, but if you look at the closing messages for these campaigns, they're about lowering costs and protecting Social Security. And in, Fine's district, 30 percent of the people there are over 65, likely collecting Social Security and also on a fixed income that's pegged to what the markets are doing. And right now, everybody's portfolio is in a nosedive.
And so, that tells some of these Republicans who are serving in the House right now, going along with this agenda might not be the best thing for their reelection prospects.
HUNT: They need their Social Security calls picked up, right.
MURPHY: Yes, exactly.
BASH: We're going to have to take a quick break. We're closing in on the first results from the high stakes Wisconsin Supreme Court race.
Coming up, why the contest is so important for both Democrats and Republicans and their strategies for future elections. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:31:51]
COOPER: And welcome back, we are here with a special election night edition of 360. We're about a half hour away from the end of voting in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race.
I want to go to Omar Jimenez in Elm Grove, Wisconsin with some breaking news. What have you been learning there, Omar?
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So Anderson, just a county over from us in the city of Milwaukee, we just learned from the executive director of the Milwaukee Election Commission that multiple sites were either running low or ran out of ballots. At least those were the reports that they were getting earlier this evening.
Now, according to the executive director, they are sending more resources to these places, trying to make sure that they have what they need. We obviously still have some time to go until polls close. We initially got that notice around 30 minutes ago. So she noted there was still an hour left, and they were trying to make sure these resources got to these places.
But seven sites in particular, she noted, had no ballots, or at least made reports of having no ballots. Now, obviously, she made the point of saying, if you are in line by the time polls close, which is expected to be in 30 minutes, then to stay in line. But she also, when she was asked why this was the case, she pointed to unprecedented turnout for a spring election.
And we knew even coming into today that there was a lot of enthusiasm coming in with early vote numbers up compared to a similar state Supreme Court race back in 2023, Anderson.
COOPER: All right. Omar Jimenez, thanks very much. We'll check back in with you.
Back with the team here in New York. Mandela Barnes, a former lieutenant governor in Wisconsin. What -- are you surprised by the running low on the ballot?
BARNES: Well, I am surprised by it. But I am encouraged because it is in higher than estimated turnout. That is the reason for the ballot shortage. I was just checking in with some people back home who were talking about this situation. And a high turnout in Milwaukee usually bodes well in a situation like this, especially with everything that's on the line.
COOPER: You think it's Democratic turnout, not people --
BARNES: It's -- I can --
COOPER: -- thrilled by Elon Musk and his motivation?
BARNES: Not a whole bunch of Elon Musk and Donald Trump fans, especially in the wars where the ballots have been short. I think that the expectation was that the turnout would not be as high. I actually got a word from a couple of my friends who were either working at polls or people who showed up to vote said that their line was longer than it was in November, which is also a good thing to know in this situation.
COOPER: Listen, I mean, it is stunning the amount of money that has been poured into this, the Supreme Court race.
GRIFFIN: Yes, the most expensive judicial race in American history. And this is on both sides, by the way. A lot of attention --
COOPER: Right.
GRIFFIN: -- has been on the Elon factor because he is the single biggest donors that --
COOPER: But George Soros --
GRIFFIN: Democrats have actually outraised. There's been more money brought in by Democrats. And I think that there's momentum on the Democratic side. Republicans are sitting kind of pretty. They've got the House, the White House and the Senate. They're not quite as animated about this race.
This is a place for Democrats to show up and have an impact in a critical swing state and actually feel like they're pushing back on the Elon Musk Trump agenda. So I wouldn't be surprised to see this go in favor of Democrats, but it's going to be razor tight because, again, there's momentum on both sides, but more with the Democrats.
ALLISON: Look, I think the last time we had a Supreme Court race like this in 2023, one of the big issues on that folks focused on was abortion.
[20:35:02]
And the candidate for -- on the ballot tonight, the Republican candidate, I mean, it's a nonpartisan race, but the person who leans more Republican, he is a very anti-abortion, no exceptions type of candidate. There have been voters on our air tonight that have said that they still want to keep some balance.
So this seat really does have real impact for Wisconsinites at -- for a very short period. But when Roe was overturned, there was a total ban on abortion in that state. So people are going to the ballot thinking about this.
I also just want to say there are election workers here. We did a lot of talk on -- I love a good election worker. My grandmother was a poll worker. They keep our democracy strong. And so, they are the people that we won't know their names, but they are the ones flagging that there are a shortage of ballots and making sure they're probably keeping voters in line so folks can actually vote. And we can see where Wisconsinites actually stand.
And then the final thing I'll say is that the reason why Wisconsin is an interesting predictor is, one, it's the closest 50-50 state. In November, the election of battleground states, Wisconsin was the closest. It has an extremely competent and capable Democratic Party chair who was actually up to run the National Democratic Party, Ben Wikler, who has done a lot of work not just during presidential elections, but in these off-cycle elections to keep Democrats engaged, keep Democrats coming to the ballot, and making sure that Wisconsin stays a battleground state.
COOPER: Scott? JENNINGS: Yes, I'm looking at the turnout here. And it's off-cycle, off-year. You know, who turns out? Did any of these mid or low- propensity voters in either party turn out? Is that evidence that the money was motivating?
I mean, $90 million is a lot of money --
ALLISON (?): Yes.
JENNINGS: -- to spend on a race like this. It was a lower turnout in Florida. I mean, fine was outspent $14 million to $1 million, I think, in his race. And he ended up winning by double digits. These are -- I would also just caution not to overread this.
ALLISON (?): Yes.
JENNINGS: It --
GRIFFIN: Yes.
JENNINGS: The turnout matrix for these off-cycle elections, springtime specials, it's just so much different. There were three specials in, I think, Ohio, Nebraska, and Minnesota in 2024 and 2022. Republicans won them by 10, 4, and 6, which sounds close. And then they won their general elections by 34, 12, and 16.
So many more voters in a midterm. So many more voters in a general election than you get in these things. So for either party --
ALLISON: Yes.
JENNINGS: -- it's easy to jump on the overreading hype tonight, but I would counsel against it.
BARNES: I am going to read really deep into the Milwaukee turnout, because I know the work that's been happening in Milwaukee. There's been organizing that has not stopped since the November election.
Ben Wikler, a good friend of my organization's, I like my own, like Power of the Polls. Like, we have been out there on the ground specifically engaging infrequent voters. That is specifically who the organization talks to.
And if we are seeing this influx of voters, which has led to a shortage in ballots, I do believe that's a good thing. These are folks who have good information.
COOPER: Coming up, Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota joins the talk here with Jake and his panel. Voting also ends across Wisconsin. That Biblical State Supreme Court race stakes for President Trump. And for Democrats, the marquee contest of the night still ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:42:44] JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: And we're just about 18 minutes away from the polls closing in Battleground, Wisconsin. That's the site of this crucial fight for control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Tonight's raised something of a gut check when it comes to President Trump's decision to give so much power to first buddy Elon Musk, putting him front and center, and all these sweeping changes he's making to the federal government.
We're joined now by Senator Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota, which is not Wisconsin, but --
SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN): But next door.
TAPPER: -- next door. Close enough. And you campaigned in Wisconsin over the weekend. And give us a sense of what you heard from people. I know that after Roe v. Wade was overturned, there was immediately abortion was basically banned in Wisconsin. Not -- it's no longer that case. But it was important then.
How much is that motivating voters? How much is Elon Musk voting -- motivating voters both for and against Mr. Schimel, the Conservative judge?
KLOBUCHAR: Sure. I think everything's motivating them. You've got Wisconsin, which is a state that values democracy. You've got a multi- billionaire coming in, throwing $20 million into the race and then giving out million dollar checks. And this is a state that the people own their own NFL team, the Packers, OK?
So this is not a state that fancies these billionaires. So that's the first thing.
Second thing is reproductive rights is on the ballot. The Conservative judicial candidate there has been very clear in his views, tried to undermine the Affordable Care Act. All that's on the ballot.
But I think what you see here, having campaigned there Saturday, is Democrats are on the offense. We're on the offense. Ask your Cory Booker. Look at what happened today out there on the Senate floor.
Look at what we are out there, every locality on Social Security, on the issues that are mattering to people. And whether it's that swing in that race in Pennsylvania where we won a Trump plus 15, the closure of these races in Florida, where while we didn't expect to win, we are beating the Trump numbers by double digits. We are fighting this in the courts and in Congress and with our constituents by our side.
PHILLIP: I do think Elon Musk is just such a big wildcard factor for, I mean, for a lot of the reasons that you talked about. But he also, I think, is, he stands to help Conservatives because they might be in a position where they do need his help bringing out voters. I mean, there was a lot of pooh-poohing of his efforts in the 2024 election.
BASH: It worked.
[20:45:08] PHILLIP: But it did kind of work.
BASH: Yes.
PHILLIP: He did get the --
TAPPER: You just heard Ron Johnson give him credit for that.
PHILLIP: Yes, I mean --
BASH: Absolutely.
PHILLIP: He handed out checks. People came out. And I think Republicans might actually need that in this particular environment where -- actually, you were saying this, Dana, they're kind of OK.
BASH: Yes.
PHILLIP: They're cool. They're comfortable. The Democrats are the ones who are energized and angry, really angry about the direction that this is going in. And I think the presence of Musk is in the atmosphere already, whether he has poured money in or not. The money is going to help them get those (ph).
BASH: And the question is whether or not -- so Elon Musk is -- in 2024, it was about all of the millions, tens of millions that he poured in. Now, when you think of Elon Musk, that's almost an afterthought. When you think of Elon Musk regarding politics, it's what he's doing with DOGE.
PHILLIP (?): Yes.
BASH: And it's also maybe that hat. But --
PHILLIP (?): Yes.
BASH: But -- so that's really the question.
KLOBUCHAR: Many people have worn those hats when they go --
BASH: I know, I know, I know, I know.
KLOBUCHAR: Yes, no, you're right. I just think that right now, people are standing back. And this is about Independents and Moderate Republicans and some Democrats that voted for Donald Trump because they thought, hey, he's going to bring costs down for me.
And, you know, Elon Musk, cool guy. And now they're starting to look at this saying, wait a minute. Costs is up. Chaos is up. Corruption is up. You've got a defense secretary who is literally putting the nation's secrets on a signal line and endangering our troops.
You've got grocery prices going up and not doing anything about what they wanted -- housing, child care. And I think when you see Elon Musk, that's a symbol of the billionaires that are getting helped by this Trump administration right now, while everyone else is just saying -- and this showed up in a CBS poll this weekend -- that they're saying, no, they're not doing enough to help me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right --
TAPPER: All right. Thank you so much, Senator Klobuchar. Good to see you. Really good to have you here.
We're now just minutes away from the end of voting in Wisconsin. And the first results in the race for that state Supreme Court seat. We'll see if Elon Musk's money and influence benefits conservatives or if it backfires. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:52:00]
TAPPER: And welcome back. We're nearing 9:00 p.m. Eastern. In just about eight minutes, the voting ends in the most closely watched contest of the night. And that is the state Supreme Court race in Battleground, Wisconsin.
This race will determine whether liberals stay in control of the highest court in that battleground state, or if it flips and conservatives take the majority. This is technically a nonpartisan race, but liberal Judge Susan Crawford is the candidate supported by Democrats, and Conservative Judge Brad Schimel is backed by President Trump, Elon Musk, and Republicans.
Musk has inserted himself into this race in a major way. It's happening into his fortune to try to influence the makeup of Wisconsin's high court. Where he does, we should note, have a personal and business state. There is a lawsuit involving Tesla pending in that state that could end up before the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Democrats are hoping that this race becomes something of a referendum on Elon Musk and controversies about him, his vast political power and him cutting jobs from the federal government. Democrats, of course, trying to seek any sort of winning message in any future races. The first results in this high stakes contest are coming up in just seven minutes and 20 seconds.
Now let's go to CNN's Arlette Saenz at Judge Susan Crawford's headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin. And Arlette, the stakes are super high, and there are lots of important cases that couldn't come before this court that could affect the balance of power in Washington.
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there really are, Jake. And as they are waiting for election results tonight, officials in the Crawford campaign believe that this will be a much closer contest than the last judicial race in the state.
Back in 2023, the liberal candidate, Janet Protasiewicz, defeated the Conservative candidate by 11 points. A campaign official tonight telling me they've never expected there to be that big of a margin in this because the dynamics of this race are quite different.
Now, there are a slew of hot button issues that could come before the Supreme Court. Justices are currently evaluating whether an 1849 abortion ban can be enacted or enforced. Abortion rights is a key motivating issue for a lot of Crawford supporters that we spoke to in the past week.
There's also collective bargaining and potential redrawing of congressional maps. And then there's that case tied to Elon Musk himself. Tesla has challenged a state law here that prohibits, prevents the company from opening company owned stores here in Wisconsin. So that is something that these justices could have to have come to hear in the coming years.
TAPPER: All right. Arlette Saenz in Battleground, Wisconsin, thanks so much.
And Kara Swisher joins our panel. Kara, something of an expert on Elon Musk --
KARA SWISHER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Something (ph).
TAPPER: How do you see --
SWISHER: I'm just saying I'm so tired of looking at him. I just can't.
TAPPER: Well, let's talk about him. You don't have to look at him, but we do want to talk about him.
SWISHER: I'm sure the voters of Wisconsin are too.
TAPPER: So, we'll bring up the picture of him with the cheese head hat on --
SWISHER: Yes.
TAPPER: -- to fill you with thrills and delight.
SWISHER: Thank you.
TAPPER: Tell me how you see the role of Elon. There it is. He's jumping up and down.
SWISHER: Thank you.
TAPPER: How do you see the role of Elon Musk in this race? It seems to cut both ways.
[20:55:06]
SWISHER: Yes, it cuts both ways, and we'll see what happens here. I mean, he's not -- his negatives are quite high, and so it depends on who's motivated more. The people who really like him or the people who really dislike him.
And I think the people really dislike him are increasing over time. And especially the state like Wisconsin which I suspect if anyone came to a state of mind who wasn't from there and started meddling, I think a lot of people in Wisconsin wouldn't like that. They want to just vote on their own. And they may like Donald Trump, by the way, a lot of these voters.
HUNT: Kara, how does Elon Musk take in his -- the political polling about him?
SWISHER: I don't think he cares.
HUNT: You don't think he cares at all?
SWISHER: No. No. Do you think he does --
HUNT: Even if it means that Tesla the place where he gets all of his money ends up suffering because of it.
SWISHER: I don't think he cares. I think you've -- you know, you've -- you couldn't say that. You know, he's moved on to the next thing and his next thing is this country is doing this. Because, you know, even though he was doing that dramatic thing about, you know, humanity will die if this does -- this election, he's done that many times before to me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
SWISHER: He one time said if Tesla didn't survive, humanity was doomed which I thought was a little much.
BASH: Yes, I mean, we'll see what happens and it is still possible that his money and the attention on Wisconsin will help Republicans. But if he loses, I mean, how about that?
SWISHER: He'll go on to the next thing. That's the thing.
BASH: He's like, oh well.
SWISHER: He's very dogged in a lot of ways. And I think, it certainly will be a reference in --
BASH: It's like putting up a rocket that doesn't work you go --
SWISHER: Right. He'll do the -- he'll blow up the next one, he'll blow up the next one. And, you know, people don't realize this but a lot of his flights don't work.
BASH: Yes.
SWISHER: Like, a lot of them don't and maybe one does and I think that's how --
BASH: How's that self-driving car going?
SWISHER: We'll see. It was just in a way though from Google, so.
PHILLIP: He has raised the stakes for this so significantly that I think that in a way it actually might help on both ends of the spectrum. He's called it the race that will determine the rest of civilization --
SWISHER: Yes.
PHILLIP: -- the survival of Western Civilization.
SWISHER: Yes, yes.
PHILLIP: And, you know, state Supreme Court cases like a lot of these sort of off-year things, most people are not paying attention to them. They're not leaving their houses for them. But he has basically told people that he thinks this is the most important thing happening in the world.
And for that reason I think a lot of people that normally are like, I don't know what this is about are going to pay attention. And there are some other things, I think for Democrats, we talked about abortion and other issues that are on the table that might get people out the door.
SWISHER: Absolutely. But I think, you know, every -- he talks about a big game about the humanity and this stuff very overdramatic. And it's just nonsense what he's doing there. But he does have a case in front of this state Supreme Court.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
SWISHER: And I always look to the money with this guy. I always think about what is his business interest in -- including with DOGE cuts. A lot of the DOGE cuts were agencies that were investigating him. Those are the first. And so he's always thinking about his own interests.
TAPPER: All right, Kara Swisher, thanks so much for the insights.
SWISHER: Thanks.
TAPPER: Appreciate it. John King?
KING: And Jake, so we're waiting once again to watch the wall fill in with votes from battleground, Wisconsin. One key difference we want to tell you or remind you at the top here, you see the two candidates here in purple, shades of purple.
Technically, on paper, by state law, these are nonpartisan elections. Anybody who's followed this race, especially the voters in Wisconsin would tell you it's been highly partisan. However, they're not on the ballot as Democrats and Republicans.
Susan Crawford is the Democratic endorsed candidate. She's a liberal judge from Dane County. Brad Schimel was once the Republican statewide attorney general in Wisconsin. He ran as a Republican then he is now a county judge in Waukesha County.
Again, they're not running as partisans. However, Democratic money backing Crawford. Elon Musk, Republican money backing Brad Schimel. So now we wait for this to fill in.
As you're just discussing, one of the reasons we're watching this inside Wisconsin, abortion rights are at issue. Drawing congressional districts, state legislative districts. There are other big issues in the state as well, including whether car dealer -- car manufacturers can have dealerships.
Elon Musk has a stake in that. Other big issues, workers' rights in the state as well. So for the people of Wisconsin, this is an evenly divided Supreme Court. The winner of this election will make the court four-three, either four-three Conservative or four-three Liberal.
So it's a huge issue in Wisconsin. But we're watching this also because of the national implications. We come back to the presidential race in 2024. In 2016 and 2024 when Donald Trump won the presidency, he won it by cracking what we used to call the blue wall.
We can't call it that anymore because Donald Trump won it twice including Wisconsin. And in Wisconsin in November just a few months ago, yes, he won by only 29,397 votes. You might say, wow, that's close. It was the closest of the battleground states. That is true.
It was also a bigger margin that either Trump in 2016 or Joe Biden in 2020. So as Kara just noted, Donald Trump has a lot of support in Wisconsin. The question is, what happens tonight?
So we'll look at this. We'll watch the map. I was just texting with organizers who say in Milwaukee, in Madison, they hear the Democratic turnout is way up from what they expected just a few weeks ago.
I was out in Wisconsin a few weeks ago. One of the reasons that, Jake, is the conversation you would just happen. They think Elon Musk money was helping. Elon Musk money was helping motivate Republican voters. They think him coming out there in person bringing all that attention on the race convinced.
Many Democrats who might have thought I'm exhausted, I have fatigue. I'm still mad about November, I'm not going to vote. These Democratic organizers, Jake, saying they think Elon Musk actually helped their turnout even as he spends all that money to help Republican turnout and we'll get votes in just a few minutes.
