I'm super excited today, folks, to be joined by California Governor gavenuesm Governor. Great to be here important day. Prop fifty Election Day. What are you seeing right now across your state?
Just unbelievable energy And the turnout already has been extraordinary. What I mean by that is election Day has been going on for weeks and weeks and it ends at eight o'clock tonight, and we've just seen no remarkable number of ballots that have already been dropped off and dropboxes have been sent in mail and the registrar's office. So this is going to be we think it's going to
be a big, big night. It's going a big, big statement about not only who we are in California, but a statement about who we are across the United States. Since this is really galvanized folks from all fifty states in a way that I never began it with, you never fully could have imagined.
Well, I mean, I guess I got to ask you, Prop fifty, what's democratic turnout?
Like?
I mean, are you seeing enough right now in early voting trends? Do you think we got this in the bag?
Yeah? Look, I mean, you know, when I ever say that I don't want to fix that on election day. I'm not naive, but I also you know, it's not just feelings, not just intellectual I mean, it's we've we've really stress tested this and we kicked the tires. We don't screw around with these elections, and so we're looking at every angle where you know, if we see a good poll, we're like, no, what are we missing about this?
And you know, so we've we've really you know, we've we've digested not only that anxiety, we've also organized them around it, with two hundred and fifty organizations that have been on the ground, one of the largest grassroots campaigns that I've ever been involved with, and this is only eleven twelve weeks old. The fact that we had to literally ask people to stop sending us money because we
had one point two million contributions. We blew past our small dollar amount, and I was very sensitive at a time when we're cutting food stamps and healthcare premiums are going up, people are feeling the anxiety around a jobs market that's not obviously as robust as a well. I was six to eight months ago that ten dollars twenty dollars matters, but we're sort of we're dialing it up. Even though we dial back the fundraiser, we've dialed up our grassroots in our ground game, and it just it
feels right and it feels good. But it is a special election, and anything could happen. To your point on a special election, Well.
I got to ask you before I we talk about kind of what this means nationally and the kind of next steps for the party. I want to ask you about a report that I kind of put out over the past day or so, and that's the Trump administration was considering sending a deputy ag out to California to monitor elections. They were sending federal monitors. People messaged me, they said that they were worried, just generally hearing that the dj was sending folks out to California. Do you
have a response? Are things going kind of smoothly right now?
Yeah. Look, we're flooding the zone. For every one person they put out there, we're gonna have ten people monitoring the monitors. We're not scoring around, Nor is Donald Trump screwing around. And you may have seen her what he just sent out this morning. Just a few hours ago, Donald Trump sent Social saying he's looking at criminal investigation because he already is alleging this election is rigged again.
He knows he's going to lose. This is the Election Rigging Response Act, because he also knows he's going to lose the twenty twenty six midterms. And this is why I keep saying, everybody eyes wide open. This is not just about the maps here in California. He's mapping out a way of guaranteeing his victory in the midterms in twenty twenty six and beyond, as you say, sending out election monitors that are not needed, that have no basis, has no business being out here in a state wide
election for a statewide constitutional amendment. He has MASSI men like Greg Bovino that showed up at the campaign kickoff of Proposition fifty to intimidate folks. That is a preview of things to come at polling places all across the United States. If you thought we were overstating things in June around the federalization of the National Guard, where we set in June, this is a preview of things to
come across the United States. We've seen it in DC, in Portland and Chicago, and you're going to see it now as he starts to put Trump personnel in military braces all across the United States, and he's organized that very openly come this January to have quick deployment. This is all around twenty twenty six. A leedging that Prop fifty is already rigged because there's mail in ballots and alleging criminal suggesting criminal activities occurring is chilling. But trust
me to your question. Forgive the long winded response. We're not screwing around. We've set aside millions of dollars for our legal defense. We're there today making sure we're monitoring the monitors so there's nothing happening that is not going to be recorded. And I think that has to be our postures Democrats with that kind of vigilant going through twenty twenty six.
Well, I want to talk about twenty twenty six. What do you think tonight means for twenty twenty six? I guess nationally because all trends show not just Democrats winning potentially in Prop fifty in California, but also Virginia, New York City, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. I mean really across the board. So what does a Democrat win tonight across the board, tell you heading into twenty twenty six, Well.
The people showed up at the people watching, they had our backs and they gave us a spine to the folks watching. You showed up not just for yourselves, but for each other, seven million of me. You showed up, you know, talking about the fact there are no crowns,
there's no thrones, there's no kicks in this country. And you're going to show up in extraordinary numbers in New Jersey, in Virginia, that set the Supreme Court race in Pennsylvania obviously with this, you know, remarkably gifted young man who believe the next mayor in New York City, and the energy and the clarity, the message that you will send is powerful and that the Democratic Party, to your question, is back on its toes. We're not on our heels.
We're winning again, and we're finding our confidence, we're finding our sea legs. We're winning the message nationwide on healthcare to universal because we're connecting to universal values. It's not a Republican or democratic framework. It's about all of us all being better off. We're all better off, focusing on hunger, focusing on food. These are universal frameworks that I think just are going to create some remarkable momentum. This is a big do not understate this. This is a big
knight for this country. It's a big knife for democracy. It's a big knife for the Democratic Party.
Did you feel like the tide is kind of shifting? I mean I have messages every day of folks telling me I feel the energy shifting. I write for the first time in nine months. I kind of feel hope, I feel positivity, I feel something different. His approval rating is out of all low disapproval on an all time high. Do feel like things are changing a little bit?
Look across the spectrum and you saw that numerically. To your point about the fact that he's historically unpopular, even more unpopular than he was after January sixth, higher disapproval rate, He's hit every category at every issue, name an issue on crime, the border, immigration, name an issue he's under I mean, it's extraordinary. So he is a weak president. He's failing. The fact is I think coming crystal clear. I think he's absorbing that fact again. Is what was
the election bringing Response Act all about. It was about the fact that he knows he's going to lose the midterm elections unless he breaks the election. That's why he needs not just Texas, but that's why he's going to need their help in the special session up there in Indiana and Missouri. What he just was able to do in North Carolina, and obviously what he's going to try to do in Florida. But again, that's weakness. And I'm not even sure he's mass gating Hiss strength anymore. It's
just weakness across the board. So and you can see this, you can read between the lines. The last few weeks, I just feel like there's he's he's one click behind. He's nowhere to be found. There's no clicks. No one wants to be associated with him in Virginia, in New Jersey, certainly in California. I mean, he's this guy is on on an island. Honestly, I felt like he was away last week and he didn't he didn't even really matter. I mean, there was no deal that it was, it
didn't matter. So something I sense. I'm not I don't want to overstate this. You saw him today trying to get in the game. Hey what about me with Cuoma? What about me out here? And you know, saying he's gonna sort of investigate us for criminal activity in California. Something's happening. So I think those folks that are saying
that to you are absolutely right and spot on. But we have a lot of work to do going into twenty twenty six because of those dark clouds, and this guy will get more desperate, and again the rules do not apply to him. It's the rule of down and we have to I think be mindful of that.
Listen. I tend to agree with you. I mean, I think the fact that an incumbent president is in campaigning in New Jersey, is in campaigning in Virginia. Why isn't he holding a rally? You would think if he was popular, if the voter supported what he was doing, he'd be out on the ground for Seers or for Chiarelli in New Jersey. But that's not happening right now.
It's a little no association. Look this guy, and you're seeing it. You're seeing it in the inflation numbers and the job numbers. I mean, he said we were going to be richer and healthier. We're poor and sicker in this country. And it's dawnie on everybody that this guy is wreckingness. He's a wrecking ball. I mean, it's not just the symbolism the East Wing, it's the substance. And I think it's really starting to Honestly, I really believe this.
I think even as supporters have to start feeling some real deep anxiety about this moment and this presidency. And so that's why we have to dial things up. This is the beginning of I think our rebirth and renewal as a party. And what I also love about this is I hope we don't get in this all binary, this notion that it's either or is MONI in the future of the party, or is it these two remarkably
gifted governors in these two more moderate states. I think it's both and And I think that's the bigger picture of this opportunity that we're building a bigger tent as a party, that we need to bring more people into this party, many parts, one body, And I think if we can stay there as a party and be a little bit judgmental around which direction we need to go. We know that the obstacle is the way we've got
to address Trump and trump Ism. But as we find our way back, we also know the message that matters, and that's this economy is broken for too many people. The economy is not nourishing for enough people. We've got a generation thirty and younger that are not doing better than their parents' generation. For the first time in US history, we've got ten percent of people that own two thirds of wealth in this country. We have to democratize our economy to save our democracy.
Now, though, before I let you go, you talk about we have a lot of work to do. Give people a call to action. What are people watching this need to know heading after tonight into twenty twenty six, into twenty twenty eight, just beyond give them a called action.
Well, I think they're doing it. You know, it's sharing our passion with action. It's showing up, it's actually being present, it's continuing to organize. It's about citizenship. At the end of the day, Justice Brandi said this beautifully setting. In a democracy, the most important office is office of citizen, active non inert citizenship. And so this notion of self organizing community, people coming together across their differences. You're seeing it not just in terms of the large rallies, but
you're seeing in these organizational constructs. People going online getting offline, standing in line for one another, lifting other people up, and continuing to call folks like me to a higher level of responsibility and accountability, to be more clear and more focused on messaging, flooding the zone, winning arguments, setting the agenda, and being more forceful moving forward. So again, I just think, continue to do what we've done because
people have been given up. This guy thrives on one thing, exhaustion. He wants to exhaust us stock in awe just become overwhelmed. And I think it's becoming overwhelming the obvious to Donald Trump that he's losing and we're winning. And so we have to keep this momentum. Eyes on the balls, folks on the ball. It's twenty twenty six. Please I pray that we don't get ahead in that twenty twenty eight race. Please don't. It's all about twenty twenty six. It's all
about restoring a coequal branch of government. It's all about the rule of love so that we can maintain this framework a popular sovereignty. So we'll have a free affair election in twenty twenty eight.
Call Frank, Governor Gavin has some great to be here. Good luck tonight. Thank you so much for joining me today. Really appreciate it. Thank you, great to be with you, Tatism, thank you