Power & Politics: Democrats celebrate big wins, eyes turn to governing; Jeffries' historic rise

Welcome to Power in Politics. I'm your host, Natalie Hernandez. A blue wave across the country has Democrats celebrating big midterm wins. But winning elections is only part of the challenge. From New York's governor's race to the battle for Congress and a potentially historic speakership on the horizon, we're breaking down the results and what comes next. For you. First, a major political upset in the Hudson Valley, where Democrat Kate Connolly unseated two-term Republican Congressman Mike Lawler. Senior political reporter Tara Rosenblum spoke with her about her victory and her priorities in Washington. Anyone who saw your victory speech last night, it was very evident. How excited, how overjoyed you were with these results. I saw you jumping up and down, fist in the air. But I want you to take me behind closed doors. Like the moment you first heard the news, who were you with and what was your initial reaction in that moment? So it was really with our team as we saw the numbers coming in from, you know, Dutchess and Putnam and Rockland counties and the reflection of so much work that was poured into this. In the lead-up, I have to tell you, the incredible volunteers that we had who poured their heart and souls into this election fight. We knocked over 350,000 doors in this general election bid. I mean, that's crazy. This district has never seen that kind of mobilization and just volunteer energy and excitement. And so truly, so much of it was... Just a culmination of incredible, incredible sacrifice and work by so many people all across this district. We obviously don't have the final numbers yet, but already this looks as another example of the polls getting it wrong again here in New York. Because if things stand as they are now, this wasn't as tight a race as the polls predicted they would be. So what message do you think Hudson Valley voters were trying to send last night? And at the end of the day, do you think affordability was really the deciding factor here? Absolutely. I think this election was really a referendum on what government is doing to make lives of people in the Hudson Valley harder. You know, it's watching this administration, and candidly, a Congress that has failed to rein it in, and failed to be the check that it's supposed to be. And as a consequence, when you see policies coming out of the Trump administration, like the reckless tariffs that we've talked about before, like the average Hudson Valley household is paying $4,200 more because of these tariffs that were unnecessary. We talk about the Iran war and the cost on families here, where, yes, it's at the gas pump, but now I'm hearing more and more, including myself. I just filled up my heating oil tank. You know, we're talking about 30% more for heating oil. And so you are just watching as families who are already stretched so thin. I get stretched even further because of the recklessness of this administration and policy choices. And I think that's what last night was really about. And zooming out, the Democrats, of course, didn't just flip NY 17. You took back control of Congress. So what does the what are these election results tell us about where the country is going to be heading in 2027? The American people are saying, we're not going to tolerate an administration who puts the interests of billionaires and corporations ahead of working people. And that type of corruption and abuse, regardless of who is doing it, needs to end. And what we've seen is this culture in Washington where we have far too many elected officials focus more on the next re-election than the next generation. And that's not leadership. That's self-service. And so we need to stop that. And reaction now from the other side of the aisle. We've heard now President Trump talking to reporters. He said that Republicans didn't win because he wasn't on the ballot. And then we heard from J.D. Vance today, and he said these results are because of the Iran war. And then we also heard from the GOP chairman here in New York at Cox. He said Republicans up and down the ballot here in New York. Simply couldn't overcome the national political environment. So the question for you becomes, how much do you attribute these results to rejection of Donald Trump versus an endorsement of you directly? I would say that it wasn't just Donald Trump who let all this happen. You know, Congress, to include Mike Lawler, allowed and enabled and in many cases voted for it to happen. And so, no, I believe this was accountability on elected officials who failed to put the people first. This isn't just about one man. This isn't just about Donald Trump. It's about the harm that has been caused by this administration and by a Congress that has voted for it. It has been about holding elected officials who have failed to meet the moment for people accountable for their failures. We talked about what has contributed to this cost of living crisis and exacerbated it in the last two years. We already mentioned the tariffs. We already mentioned the Iran war. Also the one big ugly bill. That gave permanent tax breaks for billionaires by cutting health insurance, by cutting Medicaid, largest cuts in American history. So I actually think last night wasn't about Trump. It was about voters, sick of politicians making excuses for not doing the hard things. And demanding better. You've mentioned now accountability a few times, so I want to ask you, I just sat down recently with Hakeem Jeffries, and we spoke for quite a while, and he, you know, has said that on day one he will, quote, hold the crooks accountable, and in our interview he did not rule out impeaching President Trump again. Where do you stand on that issue? And a two-parter here, because I also want to know, do you think that there should be congressional investigations into the business dealings of Trump's family members? I think there's a really important connection here that has to be made. This isn't just corruption in isolation. We have seen how corruption is literally leading to higher costs for the American people. These are your tax dollars that are going to billionaires and grifters instead of to programs that will benefit you and your family. We had tens of millions of dollars in nutritional assistance programming cut from our district. And tax dollars somehow, though, went to the reflecting pool and a sole source contract I'm back for a bunny in Mar-a-Lago. This is the type of corruption that is literally mismanagement of taxpayer dollars, leading to the jacking up of costs, and it's wrong. I do believe that us taking back Congress in January, our focus must be on lowering costs for families, for people, because that That's where folks don't have longer to wait. But accountability is also the job of Congress. And so we have to do both at the same time. Do I think impeaching President Trump should be a day one priority? No, I think delivering on lowering costs needs to be. Should it be a priority? I think it depends on what he does, right? You never take anything off the table because you never know what's going to happen. But right now, what we need to focus on is how do we lower costs and deliver for the American people? The one person that I do believe should be impeached is Pete Hegseth. And I did hear your answer on the president's on on his family members. Should they be investigated by Congress? I think it goes back to what are the issues, right? Like any type of abuse of federal power. Should be investigated. Let's go back to your fellow New Yorker, Hakeem Jeffries, now, because, of course, he now is poised to become the first Black House Speaker in United States history. In a previous interview with me, you indicated that he can count on your support. So what would you like to see him do differently? Then the current Republican leadership and also what is your message out there to other Democrats who won last night, namely downstate like Daria Liza Chevalier, who have yet to indicate their support for Hakeem Jeffries? I think last night what we also saw was the American people are sick of the hyper partisanship and the political polarization that has made government dysfunctional. They want government to do its damn job. And so I think it is incumbent on everyone when we take Congress in January, regardless of what political party you are in, whether you're in the Democratic Party or Republican Party, anywhere on that spectrum. We all have the same responsibility and job, and that is to get in there and to deliver for people. And you knew it didn't take long. I mean, everyone was bracing for it already this morning, woke up, saw the headlines. The Democrats win. The Civil War begins. You're pretty much a moderate. Some of your fellow Democrats who won last night downstate are much further to the left. So how do you prevent these differences from derailing the agenda that Hudson Valley voters elected you to deliver on? I think this goes back to people across New York State and across the country share the same needs right now. We are in a cost of living crisis. Full stop. And shame on anyone who makes anything else a priority other than serving their people, especially in their moment of need. Your victory came amidst an extraordinary Election Day meltdown here in Westchester County, where we still have thousands of ballots being counted as we're sitting down talking right now. Do you think there needs to be an independent investigation? What needs to happen going forward to ensure accountability here? Yes, look, the democratic process is so important. Democracy is the foundation of who we are as America, and this is where I do give credit to Mike Lawler. You know, I think yesterday he and I were very clear that what is more important than the outcome of yesterday's election is ensuring the security and integrity of the process and people's trust in it, and that every vote needs to be counted, and that today we are seeing play out where we still have more work to do. The Board of Elections is still working. But we do want to make sure that people have confidence in the execution of the democratic process and its security, its integrity. And so, yeah, I know we can do better going forward. So we'll certainly see the lessons learned here and make sure that, you know, this doesn't happen again. You had praise there that you just offered for your now former opponent, Mike Lawler. Have you spoken to him since he conceded? We spoke last night when he did call me to concede the race. What did he say to you? Hi, great race, you know, and that he wished me well, and there is a resource if I ever need it. And so class act in terms of a call, and I give him tremendous credit, and again, I think how we handled yesterday, showing the bipartisan emphasis on the process, and how that is so much more important than any outcome.