THAT IS UNANSWERED TONIGHT BUT
WILL LOOM ENOUGH EMBER.
>> ENERGIZED, MOBILIZED AND
ENGAGED, THAT’S EXACTLY HOW WE
DESCRIBE YOU, STEVE KORNACKI,
ON ELECTION NIGHTS.
WE ARE LUCKY THAT YOU’LL BE
WITH US HERE ALL NIGHT.
NOW, I WANT TO BRING IN OUR
LEAD OFF PANEL THIS EVENING.
IT’S A GOOD ONE, NBC SENIOR
REPORTER SAHIL KAPUR, WHO IS AT
SUOZZI úS HEADQUARTERS.
FORMER DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN,
MY FRIEND, MAX ROSE.
AND MARK CHIUSANO, AUTHOR OF
THE NEW MUST READ BOOK, THE
FABULOUS, THE MALIGNED,
HUSTLING, LEGEND GEORGE SANTOS.
IT’S A MUST READ AND OUT.
NOW SAHIL, YOU HAVE BEEN
TALKING TO VOTERS FOR THE LAST
COUPLE OF DAYS, PEOPLE CAME
BACK TO VOTE FOR THIS GUY,
RIGHT?
DEMOCRATS HAD LOST GROUND.
WHAT WAS IT IN HIS UNIFYING
MESSAGE THAT WIN OVER VOTERS,
WHAT DID THEY TELL YOU?
>> THAT IS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT,
STEPHANIE.
TO TIE TWO BIG STORIES
TOGETHER, NOW, YOU SEE WHITE
HOUSE REPUBLICANS WANTED TO
IMPEACH ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS
BEFORE THE SPECIAL ELECTION,
BECAUSE THEY DID IT WITH A
SINGLE VOTE MARGIN.
THEY DID NOT HAVE THAT EXTRA
VOTE, TOM SUOZZI WAS SWORN IN
FOR THAT IMPEACHMENT, IT WOULD
NOT HAVE PASSED.
THAT WAS THE IMPORTANCE OF ONE
SINGLE VOTE IN THIS WAY FOR
FINN HOUSE REPUBLICAN MAJORITY.
YES, VOTERS DECIDED TO FLIP AT
THIS DISTRICT BACK FROM BLUE TO
RED AND NOW BACK TO BLUE.
IT WAS WON BY GEORGE SANTOS IN
2022, AS STEVE JUST LAID OUT,
JOE BIDEN WON IT IN 2020.
IT’S ONE OF THE FLUID, SUBURBAN
BELLWETHER BATTLEGROUNDS THAT
HAVE BEEN SO DECISIVE AND
ATTRACTED THE NATIONAL MOOD SO
CLOSELY, WHICH IS WHY DEMOCRATS
BEHIND ME FEEL SO HAPPY ABOUT
THIS VICTORY.
IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT THIS ONE RACE.
IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT MAZI VERSUS
SUOZZI, AS IT HAS BEEN
AFFECTIONATELY CALLED AROUND
HERE.
-- THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT
IMMIGRATION.
THERE WERE CONCERNED ABOUT
CRIME.
THIS HAS BEEN A MAJOR
VULNERABILITY FOR DEMOCRATS.
THE ONE THING THAT I TOM SUOZZI
WAS ABLE TO DO WAS GO ON
OFFENSE WITH THE BOARD, OR
ENDORSED THE BIPARTISAN DEAL
AND ASYLUM BORDER LAWS.
MAZI PILIP REJECTED IT AS
INSTALLED TO THE INSTRUMENTS IN
OUR A PARTY.
THAT IS THE ARGUMENT THAT HE
MADE ON THE DEBATE STAGE DOWN
THE STRETCH.
IT’S UNCLEAR IF IT WOULD WORK.
NOW WE HAVE OUR ANSWER.
IT WORKED.
HE DID 20 POINTS BETTER THAN
THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE IN THE
QUEEN SLICE AT THIS DISTRICT
BACK IN 2022.
NASSAU COUNTY, WHERE
REPUBLICANS HAVE HAD HAD A
RESURGENCE OVER THE LAST
SEVERAL YEARS, THEY HAVE FELT
GOOD AND ENERGIZED GOING INTO.
THIS TOM SUOZZI IS LEADING IN
THEIR NASSAU, WRITER PART OF
THE DISTRICT.
IT LOOKS AT THIS MOMENT,
STEPHANIE, LIKE A DECISIVE
VICTORY.
>> HE’S GOT CHARISMA, GOT A
UNIFYING MESSAGE, AND LET’S
TALK ABOUT IMMIGRATION, MAX,
BECAUSE WE TALKED ABOUT THIS
TOGETHER ON THE SHOW.
IMMIGRATION HAS BEEN A VERY
BIG, VULNERABILITY FOR
DEMOCRATS, FOR YEARS.
IT WAS FOR SUOZZI, RIGHT?
THEY WERE CALLING HIM SANCTUARY
SUOZZI.
HE TURNED AROUND, TOOK THE
FACTS AND PUNCH THEM RIGHT IN
THE FACE OF THEM.
WHAT CAN OTHER DEMOCRATS LEARN
FROM THIS?
>> SURE, YOU HIT THE NAIL ON
THE HEAD.
WHAT DEMOCRATS HAVE ALL TOO
OFTEN DON IS ONE DAY ARE HIT
WITH A VULNERABILITY, THEY
COULD BE AT THE BORDER, COULD
BE ANYTHING ELSE, AND I’LL TRY
TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT.
I KNOW YOU ARE, BUT WHAT AM I?
LET’S TALK ABOUT THE ECONOMY,
DESCENDED.
CERTAINLY, DEMOCRATS SHOULD GO
ON THE OFFENSIVE ON A MYRIAD OF
ISSUES, BUT WHEN YOU ARE HIT
WITH SOMETHING THAT IS BOTH NOT
TRUE AND THAT THE VOTERS ARE
THINKING ABOUT, TALKING ABOUT,
EMOTIONAL BOW, YOU HAVE TO
RESPOND.
TOM SUOZZI DID NOT JUST
RESPOND, HE DID IT RIGHT TO THE
CAMERA, MULTIPLE TIMES AND DID
IT QUICKLY IN A WAY THAT BROKE
THROUGH.
THAT IS A LESSON.
>> THAT IS MY QUESTION.
HOW DID A BREAKTHROUGH?
THE PRESIDENT HAS TO DEAL WITH
MISINFORMATION EVERY SINGLE
DAY.
LOOK AT WHAT IS HAPPENING AT
THE BORDER.
JUST A WEEK AGO, I WAS TALKING
TO A REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN WHO
SAID, WELL, JOE BIDEN MESSED UP
STANDING TO DEFUND THE POLICE.
JOE BIDEN EVER STOOD TO DEFUND
THE POLICE.
HE WAS CLEAR ABOUT IT.
HE WANTED TO REINVEST AND
RETRAIN POLICE DEPARTMENTS
AROUND THE COUNTRY, BUT
SOMEHOW, THAT MESSAGE DOES NOT
LAND.
WHY DID IT FOR SUOZZI?
BECAUSE HE HAS A MUCH SMALLER
UNIVERSITY NEEDS IT TO LAND
WITH?
>> I THINK THAT SUOZZI THERE’S
SOMETHING THAT IMMEDIATELY
DESCRIBES U.S. COUNTER
INTUITIVE.
HE THREW THE CAMERA REPEATED
THE REPUBLICAN TALKING POINT.
HE SAID, THEY ARE SAYING THIS
ABOUT ME.
POLITICS 101, OFTEN DICTATE,
NEVER DO THEM.
DON’T GIVE THEM AIRTIME.
THEY ARE SAYING THIS ABOUT ME,
BUT IT’S NOT TRUE FOR THESE
REASONS, AND THEN HE BROUGHT IT
BACK TO VALUES.
CENTERED IT AROUND HIS
COMMITMENT TO FAMILY, THE
COMMUNITY, AND HIS LONGTIME
SERVICE.
HE SAID, YOU KNOW ME, THIS IS
NOT TRUE, THAT, IS, OF COURSE,
SOMETHING THAT PRESIDENT BIDEN
SHOULD REPLICATE.
>> MARK, HOW MUCH OF THIS IS
THE GEORGE SANTOS EFFECT?
IT’S HUMILIATING FOR PEOPLE ON
LONG ISLAND, IN QUEENS, WHO
SAID I VOTED FOR THIS GUY.
HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE JUST
RUNNING FROM REPUBLICANS AND
SANTOS AFTER WATCHING --
>> I HEARD A LOT ON THE
CAMPAIGN TRAIL, OH, MAN, I AM
SO SORRY, A FEW SABATTUS ONE.
THIS IS WHAT VOTERS WERE
SAYING.
THEY FELT ALMOST GUILTY THAT
SANTOS HAVE BEEN ELECTED, ON
BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE.
INTERESTINGLY, SENT THIS WAS
ONE OF THE FEW, QUASI-THINGS HE
CARED ABOUT WAS MAYORKAS,
IMPEACHING MAYORKAS.
THIS WAS A THING HE SUPPORTED
EARLY ON.
THERE IS AN EYE OR --
>> HOLD ON, DID SANTOS REALLY
LEAN INTO ANYTHING, OR WAS IT
JUST A GAME OF SURVIVAL FOR
HIM?
WAS THERE EVER A MOMENT HE
ACTUALLY WORKED ON CONSTRUCTIVE
POLICY, LET’S BE HONEST?
>> I THINK IN TERMS OF
MAYORKAS, THIS IS ONE OF THE
POLICIES THAT HE WOULD FLICK AT
WHAT IS LARGER SORT OF BEND
WAS, FARTHER RIGHT-WING, FOR
EXAMPLE.
I DON’T THINK THAT THIS WAS
SOMETHING HE HEARD A TON ABOUT
PERSONALLY.
IT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS WHERE
HE WAS GOING ALONG WITH THE
TIDE.
HE WAS VERY GOOD AT LISTENING
TO WHAT PEOPLE WERE SAYING,
WHERE THE WIND WAS BLOWING, AND
THAT IS THE GEORGE SANTOS THAT
WE KNOW.
>> REPUBLICANS WANTED TO GET
THE IMPEACHMENT VOTE IN TONIGHT
BEFORE THE RISK OF SUOZZI.
WELL, NOW, IT’S HERE, HE’S
HERE.
WHAT’S NEXT ON CAPITOL HILL?
THIS FUNDING FOR OTHER
LEGISLATION, A THREAT OF A SIT-
DOWN?
>> ABSOLUTELY, STEPHANIE.
SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON ALREADY
HAD A PAPER THIN MAJORITY.
WHAT IS THINNER THAN PAPER?
I THINK SPEAKER JOHNSON IS
ABOUT TO FIND OUT.
THIS GOES TO 219 FOR
REPUBLICANS THAT 2:13 FOR
DEMOCRATS.
HE’S ALREADY DEALT WITH A SMALL
BAND OF REBELS, ON EITHER END
OF HIS PARTY.
EASTER JUST BEAT THE FAR-RIGHT,
BUT RECENTLY, SENATE
REPUBLICANS ARE GETTING IN ON
THIS, FORMING SMALL COALITIONS
AND REJECTING SOME OF THE
MEASURES THAT HE WANTS TO
ADVANCE.
THEY SIMPLY CANNOT PASS BECAUSE
SPEAKER JOHNSON HAS LARGELY
BEEN TRYING TO MOVE THESE
REPUBLICAN ONLY PARTY LINE
BILLS, SOME OF THE MESSAGING
BILLS AND STRUGGLING TO.
SO, TOM SUOZZI WILL BE SWORN
IN.
WHEN WILL HE BE SWORN IN?
WE CAN REPORT THAT HE WANTS TO
BE SWORN IN AS EARLY AS
THURSDAY.
THE REASON BEING, TOMORROW IS A
LITTLE TOO SOON.
THERE’S THAT IS THE LAST DAY
BEFORE A WEEK AND A HALF
PERCENT.
THIS IS ACCORDING TO A SOURCE I
SPOKE TO A FEW MOMENTS AGO,
FAMILIAR WITH HIS THINKING ON
THIS MATTER.
HE COULD BE SWORN IN AS EARLY
AS THIS WEEK.
IF NOT, IT WILL BE ABOUT TWO
WEEKS FROM NOW, GIVEN THAT THE
HOUSE IS ON RECESS.
AGAIN, YOU HAVE GOVERNMENT
FUNDING COME-ING UP, EFE
REAUTHORIZATION, A FARM BUT
THAT HASN’T BEEN DONE, SOME
SERIOUS BUSINESS THAT HAS TO
GET THROUGH CONGRESS THIS YEAR,
BEFORE THE 2024 ELECTIONS, FOR
THE WHITE HOUSE, OF COURSE, AND
CONGRESS, ARE UP FOR GRABS.
AGAIN, THIS BATTLEGROUND
DISTRICTS, DISTRICTS LIKE
THESE, ARE AMONG THE FEW THAT
FLIPPED IN 2022 AND GAVE
REPUBLICANS CONTROL OF THE
HOUSE.
SURELY, DEMOCRATS WILL FEEL
GOOD ABOUT THIS.
THE FINAL THING I’LL POINT OUT
HERE, STEPHANIE, REPUBLICANS
ARE POINTING OUT ALREADY TO
SPECIAL ELECTIONS ARE SPECIAL.
THAT THERE ARE LIMITED AMOUNTS
YOU CAN ENGAGE INTO THIS.