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CNN Live Event/Special

Now, Polls Open in West, Including Battleground Nevada; All Eyes on Seven Battleground States in Race for White House; Tonight, Harris Holds Watch Party in D.C.; Trump Watches in Florida. Aired 10- 10:30a ET

Aired November 05, 2024 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[10:00:00]

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, I'm Anderson Cooper in New York. Welcome to CNN's special coverage, Election Day in America.

Right now, polls opening in several western states, including California and Battleground Nevada. Americans are entering their final hours of casting in-person votes in a race that is simply too close to call. A polarized nation will finally make its choice, either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump.

They each spend their final full day of campaigning in all important swing states, pitching their competing visions of America. Control of Congress is also up for grabs today. Democrats hope to flip the House. Republicans want to capture the Senate. And with so much at stake, the FBI has established an around the clock command post for election related threats. Investigators say there's been a slight increase in threats this election year.

Our correspondents are fanned out across the country and in the all important battleground states that could decide the presidential race. There's a lot to get to throughout this hour. The single most important battleground may be Pennsylvania with its 19 electoral votes, and as Danny Freeman is in Lancaster County.

So, what are you seeing there?

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Anderson. You're right. We're in Lancaster County in the great battleground state of Pennsylvania. I'm right now in Millersville Borough. It's a little town just a little bit southwest of the city of Lancaster. We're at a polling place here, which is interesting. Actually, it's in the middle of two polling places. There's one here at a funeral home, and then there's one where we are here at the municipal building.

I'll take you a little bit inside just to give you a flavor of what we're seeing here today. The judge election says that we can be only about ten feet away from the polling plates itself. But we can see you have both parties right here, the Democrats and the Republicans. And then, of course, behind us is where folks are voting. Now, this particular spot is interesting, Anderson, because Lancaster County, this is a traditionally red area. Former President Donald Trump won it both in 2016 and 2020. It's the biggest traditionally red county here in Pennsylvania. But Democrats, they're trying to compete here. And if they can get their margins up, that could give us an idea of just how close the commonwealth will be.

At this particular polling site earlier this morning, there was a line, according to the head of the polling site, really around this corner right here. They've gotten to almost 300 ballots cast today. They have 1,100 ballots ready to go at this polling site. And, again, the judge elections here, the one who runs the polling place, says that, so far, turnout is looking good.

So, we'll be monitor here, talking to voters as well. Oh, do we have one voter that we can speak with real quickly? Hey, how you doing ma'am?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Janice.

FREEMAN: My name is Danny. You just voted or you're about to vote?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just voted.

FREEMAN: How was the experience?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Quick and easy.

FREEMAN: Quick and easy. We like to hear that. Can I ask who you voted for?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

FREEMAN: Who did you vote for?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Donald Trump.

FREEMAN: Why? What brought you out to vote for former President Trump here today?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The economy, more than anything.

FREEMAN: That was the biggest issue for you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right, and his stance on immigration.

FREEMAN: And how do you feel about the level of turnout? I mean, Lancaster County is going to be very important if former President Trump hopes to carry Pennsylvania, right?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Probably, yes. I think it's going to be pretty close in this county.

FREEMAN: Do you think so?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, in this county, yes. FREEMAN: Are you nervous about the former president's chances out here today?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A little.

FREEMAN: Why is that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I'm pretty confident from what I see in -- except in the city. So, that's where most of the votes are.

FREEMAN: Sure. Well, thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate it. And thank you for voting. That's the most important thing. Have a good one.

So, yes, just a little flavor of what's happening out here, again, traditionally red county. We'll see if there are more voters like we just met as we spend more time out here today, Anderson.

COOPER: All right. Danny Freeman, thanks very much.

The polls now opening in Nevada, the National Guard on standby there. Stephanie Elam is at the stadium in Las Vegas, Allegiant Stadium.

Stephanie, what are you seeing there?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There is a lot of excitement here today, Anderson, and that is because people are very excited to vote here at Allegiant Stadium. They just opened up the gates at 7:00 A.M. local time. And if you look through there, they were standing out here, but they've now gone in through there, and they're making their way into Allegiant Stadium to cast their vote.

[10:05:04]

We talked to two women who got here at 5:00 in the morning, even though they didn't open the parking lot until 6:00 A.M., and voting didn't start until 7:00 A.M. They were just very excited to come and vote on election day. I would also be remiss if I did not mention that there were a whole lot of Raiders fans who were just excited to get inside the stadium today to vote as well.

But as you were mentioning, you do have the National Guard that is on standby. Governor Lombardo here in Nevada putting 60 National Guard troops on standby as they've done in other elections. Also, Oregon and Washington, where we've seen some ballots burned, they also have the National Guard on standby. All of this, as many different municipalities are looking to make sure that this is a safe and fair election in their states and the energy is going to be continuing to ramp up here in Nevada.

We're here at Allegiant Stadium. The Raider rads (ph) are going to come by later on. So, that's how they're keeping people enthused with some D.J.s as well throughout the day here, as people make their way, as more of these people are doing here right now, making their way inside Allegiant Stadium so that they can cast their vote just now as the polls are opening, Anderson. COOPER: All right. Stephanie Elam, thanks. We'll check in with you shortly.

Now to Wisconsin, CNN's Josh Campbell's at a polling place in Madison. What's it like there, Josh?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Anderson. You know, I love Election Day. I served as an election worker as a precinct captain and just seeing the inspiring moment here. We have people coming out to vote and the work of all the volunteers who are spending their time to make democracy work.

I want to get straight to some of the voters. Let's bring a couple guys here. We've got Guillermo and Joey. Guillermo, you are a first time voter, you're second time, both seniors at the University of Wisconsin. Tell me why you came out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. I mean, I think it's one of those few things that everyone's afforded to be able to do. So, I think it's important that everyone come and, you know, speak their mind and have a say about what goes on and what happens.

CAMPBELL: Any particular issues, Joey, on your mind that kind of drove you out to the polls?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Definitely the economy. That one is huge. You know, I do think this is the most important election of our lifetime and, you know, it's so important to vote, especially for young people. So, I do urge any young person watching to go out and vote today. But, yes, so many issues on the ballot, so many things to vote for. To be honest, they're all just as important as the other.

CAMPBELL: And as a first time voter, what's your message to people who might say, well, my vote doesn't count?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, man, every vote counts. I mean, you're the one that's going to have to live here and experience whatever comes through from your vote. So, it's important that you accept that and come here and have a say in what goes on. So --

CAMPBELL: And just in case people are curious, are you comfortable telling who you voted for, for president?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll keep that under wraps, but I do urge everybody to go out and vote. Obviously, it's super important that, at the end of the day, you know, there are so many people out there, especially people I know who, you know, have that same mentality of my vote doesn't count, but, you know, when you have a bunch of people that think that it's going to sway an election. So, let's get out there.

CAMPBELL: Let's be the system. Anderson, the vote is secret. No one knows how you actually voted, but just the important part is they are actually coming out here to vote.

Finally, it's worth pointing out that this state, Wisconsin, is one of nearly two dozen states where you can actually register the same day. Just like Guillermo did, went through the process. What you need to do is bring some form of identification, that could be a driver's license, a military I.D., a passport, as well as. proof of residency and you can vote. So, officials continue to get that message out. Even if you haven't registered to vote yet, if you live in one of those states, there's still time, Anderson.

COOPER: Yes. Josh, we should point out in Wisconsin, Joe Biden won by I think about 20,000 votes in 2020. So, obviously, every vote certainly in Wisconsin vitally important as it is everywhere. Josh, thanks very much.

Both campaigns. believe they have multiple paths to 270. Let's go to Phil Mattingly at the magic wall. So, kind of game this out for us. Let's take a look at for each candidate.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CHIEF DOMESTIC CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Anderson, as we stand in the magic wall right here waiting for votes to actually start to come in and then be recorded, we will be reporting those out later tonight, this is a forecast, CNN's road to 2 70. Where you see gold, those are the seven battleground states. We've been talking about them every day, every hour, every minute for the last several months.

There are two clear pathways, one for each of the candidates. I think if you talk to the campaigns, they would say that's the easiest way to get to that 270 electoral vote threshold. Let's show where they are.

If you're the Harris campaign, all you need to do is win three states and you can get above 270. We're actually can get right at 270. What are those? Well, they're the blue wall that we constantly talk about that Donald Trump imploded on his way to victory in 2016 for the Republican side. Joe Biden won those states back. They are Wisconsin, Michigan and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. That would get to Harris to 270 even if she loses North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada.

Now what about the Trump campaign? What's their clearest path? Watch the candidate visits, watch where they're spending money. It will tell you exactly what they're thinking. And when it comes to the Republicans, when it comes to the Trump campaign, they are spending a ton of money and spending a ton of time, or have been, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Georgia. If they hang on to the only battleground state that Donald Trump won in 2020, North Carolina, Donald Trump is at 270.

So, if you're the Harris campaign and you lose Pennsylvania and you lose Georgia, two states that Joe Biden won back in 2020, does that mean it's over?

[10:10:02]

Not necessarily. And this is what's important to note. As this moves along, this is a different election. Not everything is going to track with what we saw in 2020 or 2016. If -- we've seen Donald Trump in North Carolina a lot over the course of the last several days, very concerned inside the campaign about where that might go. Say, Kamala Harris flips North Carolina for the first time towards Democrats since 2008, wins Michigan, wins Wisconsin, all she would need is either Arizona or Nevada to put her over the top.

So, Anderson, there are multiple pathways here for both of these candidates. And I think the big question right now is are voters, are the trends of a lot of these states going to follow what has happened in the past?

One thing I do want to point out, this is the map we're waiting to fill in. This is 2024. Go back to 2020, a couple counties in those blue wall states in particular that we're going to be watching throughout the course of the night. And they matter not necessarily because they're going to tell the be all end all of the race, but what they're going to show people is places.

There's two counties in Wisconsin that Barack Obama won twice, Donald Trump won in 2016 and Joe Biden won back in 2020, Door County, Sauk County move over here over to Michigan, there's one county, Saginaw County, extraordinarily close county back in 2020 when Joe Biden was able to flip it back. We'll be watching that as well.

What about the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania? Well, there are two clear bellwethers in this commonwealth, this critical state, Erie being tops among them, really a blue collar town where the older populations in the communities, in the counties, that will be critical to watch as well, but also North Hampton. This is a critical area of the state for both campaigns. We will be watching. Again, Obama to Trump to Biden. What happens tonight? You see how close the margin is. We'll be watching those throughout the course of the evening, Anderson.

COOPER: All right. Phil Mattingly, thanks so much.

We're joined now by CNN Senior Political Analyst Gloria Borgier and CNN Senior White House correspondent M.J. Lee, who is in Washington.

Obviously, Pennsylvania, I mean, for both candidates, incredibly important.

GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Oh, it's the most important not only because of the 19 electoral votes, but they both need it to win. And that's why you see them spending so much time there. And, you know, you look, he was talking about bellwether counties. You look at Bucks County, for example, in Pennsylvania, very wealthy county. It used to be Republican. It's trended Democratic since 1992. So, you can look at that tonight, even though Pennsylvania is not going to finish counting early, we know that from history, you look at that county tonight, you're going to see which way it goes and that can tell you something about whether it's going to be a good night for Kamala Harris or for Donald Trump.

But, you know, there are so many large questions, I think, out there that need to be answered tonight, not only in Pennsylvania, but in all these other states. And I think the question to me is, did Kamala Harris succeed in distancing herself from Joe Biden enough? You know, 70 percent of the country thinks it's on the wrong track. How did she overcome that? It's very -- you know, it's a very difficult hurdle for her, and she's emphasized character. But, you know, the question is, is she able to overcome the questions about the economy and immigration?

COOPER: Yes. M.J., what is the president doing today? Has he already voted?

M.J. LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. You know, the president obviously is in such a different position than what he expected the position he would be in even a couple of months ago. Just to sum up, I mean, this has been such an extraordinary and unlikely campaign in so many ways. The president, of course, after that CNN debate where he had such a poor performance that really shocked so many across the party ended up having to drop out, and that is the reason why we now have a Kamala Harris versus Donald Trump race.

The president, for the most part, actually, in the last couple of weeks, has taken a back seat. We've seen a number of times where he has misspoken or had these political gaffes, which is exactly what Democrats had feared all along. And it's clear that as the vice president is trying to forge this path forward and create a campaign and a candidacy that is completely her own, there has been a little bit of distancing.

You know, we heard the vice president go from saying, you know, I can't think of anything I would actually do differently, then the president has over the last three and a half years to saying my administration is going to be completely different from that of the president.

So, this has been a balancing act, obviously, for the vice president. And I think again it's been stark, the ways in which we have seen the president not have a prominent role in this campaign. He has not been out there campaigning aggressively alongside the vice president, and that's not been a coincidence at all.

COOPER: It's incredible, Gloria, I mean, just to think of -- you know, it has been such so fast-paced for -- I mean, it feels like years, but, certainly, over the last several months since that debate that nobody anticipated it having the calamitous effect it had on certainly President Biden's campaign that it had, and just the sheer velocity of this race.

BORGER: Imagine how Joe Biden feels. He's going to be watching election returns in the White House tonight, and it's not his race anymore. And this happened so quickly. And I think, you know, he's a big boy and he understands that Kamala Harris had to run her own race, but he also understands that he hasn't really been asked to be out there a lot because he is made a lot of mistakes and because he's deeply unpopular in the country. That's a hard thing for a president to swallow.

And the question that I have is, does he still believe that he could have beaten Donald Trump. And does he believe that he could have done a better job than Kamala Harris is doing? I mean, we don't know the answer to that and we probably never will.

COOPER: Yes. Gloria Borger, thanks very much, M.J. Lee is as well.

Stay with CNN. Our special coverage of Election Day in America continues after this short break,

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[10:20:00]

COOPER: Right now, voters are sitting on polling sites across the country in one of the most consequential presidential elections in American history. Former President Donald Trump is expected to cast his ballot in Palm Beach, Florida any moment now.

Let's check in with both campaigns. CNN's Eva McKend joins us from the Harris election headquarters at Howard University in D.C. Alayna Treene is live in West Palm Beach at Trump's headquarters.

Eva, what does Vice President Harris have planned for today?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anderson, we're going to hear from the vice president in a series of radio interviews. And it comes at a time when the campaign is confident in the discipline operation that they have run. They never viewed this as a base-only election. Yes, the vice president spoke passionately about restoring reproductive rights, expanding Medicare, but she also aggressively courted Republicans with a country over party message, really about restoring democracy.

And she returns to Howard University tonight, a big homecoming for her. This is a place the community describes as the Mecca. Here's how she's thinking about this. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So tonight, the watch party is at your alma mater, HU. What went into that decision?

KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: You know, so let me tell you, the first office I ever ran for was freshman class representative at Howard University. And to go back tonight to Howard University, my beloved alma mater, and be able to hopefully, you know, recognize this day for what it is, is really -- it's full circle for me. And, you know, if elected, I'll be the first HBCU president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: And the campaign's still viewing this very much as a workday as they still continue to try to turn out the vote here. But they're comfortable ultimately with the message that they've landed, and that is casting the vice president as an optimistic leader who wants to be president for all America. Now, it is time for the voters to decide. Anderson?

COOPER: Eva McKend, thanks very much. Let's check in with Alayna Treene following the Trump campaign. Elena?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, Anderson, good morning. And I know you said this earlier, but we are waiting for Donald Trump to arrive at the polling station this morning, where he is going to be casting his ballot.

Now, we both know there's going to be probably a lot of reporters around him. I think a big question is whether or not he's going to talk to them, you know, answer questions. We'll see what happens, but stay tuned for that. It's going to happen at some point this hour.

But I do want to get into some the vibe in Trump world this morning. And one thing I am consistently hearing in my conversations with his top advisers is that, really, in these final hours, it all comes down to one thing, and that is turnout.

Now, I know that seems obvious. Turnout is, of course, always important on Election Day, but they argue it is even more of a concern now given how tight this race is. And they recognize it could be a coin flip. And so they're really closely watching a lot of the data coming in, a lot of the early data that they've already seen, and trying to read the tea leaves as much as they can even though, of course, and we have to say this, we don't know and they don't know anything that is going to happen today. Polls are hours away from closing, but that is how they are spending their day.

Now, one key thing about that turnout that I'm told is that there's a couple of things that they found some spots of encouragement for, but also some signs of potential weakness. One thing we know is that the Trump campaign has had a massive problem in courting women. And we've seen from the early voting data that women have outpaced men so far in the election and in early voting. So, that's one key thing I know that they're looking for regarding turnout.

But they're also, and they tell me this, that they are encouraged by the number of male Democrats. They believe that the turnout among male Democrats is not as high as they had anticipated, arguing that is a sign of encouragement as well.

But, again, they are currently with Donald Trump. They're looking at what's going on, and they're preparing for tonight for their election party and potentially having Donald Trump come out and speak to that crowd. Anderson?

COOPER: All right. Alayna Treene, thanks very much, Eva McKend as well.

I'm joined now by Republican Senator Marco Rubio, who's campaigning on behalf of the Trump campaign. Senator Rubio, good to have you on this morning.

What are your expectations?

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL): Well, I mean, the expectations are the ones everybody has. There's going to be a close election decided in, you know, not just seven states, but like, you know, 19 to 22 counties. I mean, you think about it, the presidency of the United States comes down to very narrow margins and a bunch of 19 to 22 counties across the country.

So, you know, my expectations are, you know, we're going to be up a little bit tonight. I do think after this election, we got to ask ourselves, you know, why does it take so long? I mean, there are countries out there that don't have our resources, who are delivering votes pretty quickly.

[10:25:00]

There are counties like where I live in Miami-Dade County, a million people, over a million people live here, and the results come back very quickly. I think when this is all said and done, we got to ask ourselves about, you know, do we want to continue to be a country that has to spend two weeks counting ballots?

But tonight is the election that we have, and so, look, it's going to be a late night. I think you're going to be up late, we're all going to be up late. But I'm very hopeful that Donald Trump will be the 47th president.

COOPER: What are you -- I mean, you know, you've run campaigns. You know what this is like. What are you going to be looking for tonight once polls close as early indicators of the way things may be going? I mean, do you have like, you know, your own cheat sheet of where you look for telltale signs?

RUBIO: Yes, it's called Pennsylvania, obviously. And -- but, yes, and a couple other places like that. But I think one of the things you look at, as you know, every one of these states is counting their ballots differently and separately. Obviously, you've seen Republicans have done better in the pre-election day vote, whether it's through mail or in person. So, really, that Election Day vote is going to be really critical.

Do Republicans have the same margins of victory? Are we performing at the same levels in terms of turnout and the like that we have in past elections? So far, I mean, not every state is reporting on an hourly basis. I can tell you here in Florida, we see very strong numbers for Republicans. It's not a state a lot of people are focused on anymore. We're not considered a swing state anymore. We're going to be looking for that and in other places as well.

But, you know, you go into this feeling like we are going into Election Day in a much stronger position than we were in 2020. In terms of the number of votes from our side that are already in, obviously, we've got to see what happens on Election Day. And we don't know how people voted, but nowadays, given how polarized things are, party registration is a pretty good indicator of how people plan to vote.

COOPER: We were just hearing Alayna Treene talking about the -- you know, more female voters seem to be going for Vice President Harris, obviously that, that's what the polls have shown. It seems like the former president has really looked at trying to turn out and reach out to lower propensity voters, men, you know, through the Joe Rogan podcast and others. Do you think that has been successful? Do you think that was a smart play on his part?

RUBIO: It is. I mean, look, I think one thing we're missing here is that for young men in our country, between the ages of 18 and 35 years of age, it's really tough. I mean, the job opportunities are very difficult to find, the sort of things that were available to previous generations by your mid-20s that you would have a job that pays you enough to own a home and start a family and begin to save for your future and so forth, it's harder today than it's ever been. Now, you have to turn that frustration into a vote and into policy changes that actually make life better for working men in our country.

And, look, it is a population of voters. That's not -- you know, they don't follow, we aren't political junkies. These are people that every single day are trying to get ahead in life. And you have to turn that frustration into a vote, that they come out and take political action so they put people in office that actually care about what they're facing and will put people forward policies and things that help people like that.

So, not only do I think it's a smart play politically, I think it's essential for the future of our country that that issue be confronted and that that issue be solved. And I think obviously we're going to find out today whether those efforts were effective.

I most certainly think President Trump enjoys a tremendous amount of support among younger men in our country. That support has to turn into votes, and that's what we will be watching for today and what we're hopeful of.

COOPER: Vice President Harris in her closing day or two wasn't even mentioning the former president by name. I just want to play something that the former president said after midnight last night at his final campaign rally. Let's take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: She's a crooked person. She's a bad person, evil. She's an evil, sick, crazy -- oh no. It starts with a B, but I won't say it. I want to say it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: He was actually talking about Nancy Pelosi there. Are you -- I mean, do you wish -- I mean, obviously there was a lot of people in his campaign who had a very clear idea of what they wanted his closing argument to be, the economy, the border. Are you concerned about some of the tangents he's been going off on the last couple of days?

RUBIO: Well, this is a guy that's been called, I mean, compared to Adolf Hitler. This is a person who supporters have been called subhuman garbage and worse, you know, compared to Nazis by major media outlets. So, if you're going to punch him, he's going to punch back even hard. COOPER: You used to call him fraud. So, I mean, the language has been that for a long time.

RUBIO: Yes. Well, let me tell you something. When, when we keep being compared -- I mean, after you call somebody Adolf Hitler, there's really nowhere else to go. I mean, that's probably the worst thing you could label anybody.

COOPER: Right. That was his vice president who called him Adolf Hitler.

RUBIO: No, no, no, no. That was not. That was the major outlets in this country on the eve of an election --

COOPER: J.D. Vance called him America's Hitler.

RUBIO: Comparing his rallies to Nazi rallies, putting up imagery. No, Anderson, you know what it is to put up imagery, maybe it wasn't your network, although I can point to things in your network that basically just label anything he says as violent rhetoric, including jokes, including things that are clearly off-the-cuff.

[10:30:05]