Franklin, its great to see you. Thanks for your time tonight. Thank you. That is our show for this evening. Now its time for the last word with lawrence odonnell. We have what we call a quorum here at the last word. We have three senators joining us tonight. Well, okay, wait. Adam schiff, who is one Election Night away from becoming the next senator in california. Hes going to win. Because republicans cannot win statewide there. Hes going to join us. Sherry brown, who actually is currently a Senator Running for reelection is joining us. And the big, Big Winner In Texas Last Night on his way to the general election in november. Senator cruise. Cruz only one by three points last time. This could be the time. Its senate night here. You might be able to hash out a plan for Immigration Reform in an hour. And later, actually, Andrew Weissman and Melissa Murray are going to join me and we did something unusual for tonights segment, alex. We rehearsed it. We rehearsed for an hour in from a Live Audience at the 92nd Street Y. Will bring all the melissas best jokes and andrews best jokes, tight. Down too much tighter version during the show. I heard about the musical number at that event, so im super excited about it tonight, lawrence. Things, alex. And then there were two. It is now the biden versus Trump Campaign for the presidency. The challengers dropped out of the republican and democratic primary today, as expected. Nikki haley managed to win one state last night, vermont, before dropping out of the campaign today. Dean phillips one absolutely nothing, as expected, before dropping out of the Democratic National primary today. The campaign was run on the assertion that joe biden is too old to be president. Democratic primary voters almost unanimously agreed that joe biden is not old enough to be replaced by dean phillips. Omalley dillon, the chair of the Biden Harris Campaign after serving as a Brilliant Campaign manager for mac years ago, the Winning Campaign measure, released a memo today on the state of the race. If you choose to Pay Attention to one campaign operative this year, it should be jen omalley dillon. She was right about everything she said about the biden president ial Campaign Last year. Today she said upwards of 10 of the voters remain undecided, much larger than the current margin between trump and biden in pulling. And these voters are highly supportive of the politics policies of the bidenharris administration, like protecting abortion access, lowering the cost of Prescription Drugs, and defending the Affordable Care act. These undecided voters are also the least tuned into politics of any group. As the general election ramps up the campaign will aggressively engage these undecided voters, highlighting the states of this election to secure their votes in november. A significant share of moderate and haley voters across the country are saying that trump cannot count on their votes in a general election. So far at least one in three republican primary voters think that donald trump would be unfit for the presidency, if convicted of a crime. Obviously, there is nothing more important this year for the democrats and democracy itself then winning the presidency. The next best thing, the next most important thing, is the United States senate. I, for one, dont believe donald trump is going to win the president ial election, but if youre one of the millions who is worried that he will you should find ways to help elect democrats to the United States senate. The United States senate should be campaigned objective number two. Because of democrats control the United States senate they can stop every single thing that donald trump tries to do legislatively. They can stop every single thing every president ial appointment donald trump makes that requires senate confirmation. Everyone of them. So, no, with democrats in control of the Senate Donald Trump will not have an Attorney General in charge of helping donald trump get away with crimes and commit more crimes. With democrats controlling the senate to donald trump will not have a Secretary Of Defense is willing to violate the law controlling the use of american troops within the United States. The democrats in control of the Senate Donald Trump will not be able to confirm a single federal judge who would take away your rights. Not one. The senate is more important than the house, because it controls the confirmation process. Tonight with every other News Broadcast focused entirely on the two names that will be on the top of the president ial ballot in november, this program will focus on the second most important names you will see on your ballot. Candidates for the United States senate. We begin tonight with the winner of the Biggest Senate campaign in the country last night, in the biggest state. In a real democracy. If its california would get at least two senators for californias population is 40 times larger, 40 times larger, then the population of each dakota. Because democracy was not the first principle in the design of the United States senate, or the presidency, the people of california are stuck with only two senators and the presidency is winnable by the candidate who gets the least votes, because Electoral College formula is based on these same antidemocratic formula that has given us two senators. State. For most california voters that i know it has never been more painful to be stuck with only two senators, as it is tonight. And that is because in california, in the Senate Campaign, there are three Democratic Candidates running for senate against each other for the same senate seat and democrats had to choose. The chase was difficult and the choice was confusing. Many democrat voters believed that the candidates who lost the senate race, the democrats, would remain in house of representatives. Those voters didnt realize that other candidates were on the ballot yesterday for the house seats currently occupied by adam schiff, katie porter and barbara lee. Each of those candidates made the All Or Nothing decision to go for the senate, knowing that they could not legally at the same time run to keep their house of representative seats just in case. Each of those Democratic Candidates would have one this race if the other two were not in the race. The last polls before the election showed adam schiff in first place with republican steve garvey, a former baseball player from the doctors, who has never held office in second place. Katie porter in third place and barbara lee in fourth place. Almost every democrat that i talked to about this wanted to see the democrats wind first and second place, because the top two candidates then face off against each other in november and there will be no worries, because a democrat would absolutely win. I knew some voters who have their minds made up easily for adam schiff, katie porter, barbara lee. My daughter loves katie porter, so it was an easy decision for her. Of course, most democrats always want to see republican candidates crush at the ballot box in california. They didnt want to see steve garvey in that top two. But thats not what happened. Adam schiff, who had speaker Nancy Pelosis endorsement, and by far the most campaign money, came in first. Steve garvey, the republican, came in second. So it will be adam schiff versus steve garvey in november, which means in reality , tonight the campaign is over. No republican has been elected statewide in california in over 30 years who did not fully support the roe v. Wade established rights to reproductive freedom. The last republican governor, arnold schwarzenegger, fully supported roe v. Wade. The three Democratic Candidates introduced themselves to california voters this way. When our democracy was invaded we stood up. Adam schiff took on a corrupt president who fought to protect our values and the rule of law. Now we face an even greater danger. We need adam schiff more than ever. Im adam schiff and i approve this message. Washington u. S. Senate, drowning in Wall Street Money and big pharma lobbyists. Katie porter says enough. Time to shake the senate up. Democrat katie porter has been called the leadership we desperately need, the watchdog, congresses toughest question. Katie porter working for you. Detailed porter plans to make housing more affordable, battle climate change, cleanup political corruption, and disarm Washington Special interests. Fighting for you. Katie porter, senate. Im katie porter and i approve this message. A lot of people talk about courage. But for barbara lee, courage is more than a word. Its her life story. Growing up in the Segregated Town and successfully fighting to overturn her schools ban on black cheerleaders, that took courage. Leaving an abusive marriage, earning a Masters Degree as a single mom and winning a seat in congress where few look at her, courage. Braving Death Threats to cast the sole no vote against forever wars. Brokerage. Speaking out for families and poverty, fighting for affordable healthcare, good schools and legal abortion. Courage. Barbara lee lives it. When we fight we win. Its time to reelect barbara lee to the senate to represent all of us. With courage. Tough choice. Imagine having choices like that on your senate ballot. Adam schiffs campaign, which had tripled the amount of money of his nearest competitor, katie porter, produced twice as Many Television ads, including a group of ads that reminded voters what is at stake in the United States senate by aiming that ad at the republican in the race. Do you want to know how steve garvey feels about donald trump and maga . Just ask. He did an exceptional job. We will see for under him. No wonder garvey supports trumps border wall. Steve harvey stands for trump. When they tell us who they are we need to listen. Steve garvey is too conservative for california. Those ads helped adam schiff , but at the same time apparently helped steve garvey. California republicans he saw those ads decided they wanted to but for steve garvey. Those ads might have lifted steve garvey to second place. Katie porter thinks that they did and said as much in her concession speech last night. Strategically, the Democratic Party is probably, and i mean this strategically, much better off having one Democratic Candidates for Senate Facing one republican in california where the republican is guaranteed to lose, as they always do. If two democrats were running against each other for the same senate seat in california, the biggest state, the most expensive states, it would be the most Expensive Senate race in history. That title currently blunts to pennsylvania where the senate race of John Federman one in 22 cost 373 million. That money was used only on the senate race, none of it was available for any other campaign. Pennsylvania has two expensive media market, philadelphia and pittsburgh. Neither one of those markets are as expensive as the three big California Media markets, los angeles, San Francisco and san diego where the campaigns halved by tv ads. A hardfought Senate Campaign could cost half 1 billion in california. And with two democrats on the ballot all of that money would be coming from Democratic Party donors. And none of that money would be usable for the president ial campaign or for other crucial Senate Campaigns. Adam schiff might not want you to know this, he doesnt want you to know this, but according to recent president s he doesnt need your money anymore. You can send it to other Senate Campaigns. Because the last Senate Campaign in california cost the winter 4 million. And the winner is someone most people, even in california now, havent really heard of. Senator alex padilla. Senator padilla did not have to spend real money in his Reelection Campaign to win 61 of the vote against a republican, because thats what happens to republicans running statewide in california. No matter how much money you spend. And that is what is going to happen to steve garvey in california. Its over. At a the shift campaign attacking steve garvey in campaign ads. Ask yourself, would it have been better if the democrats attacked each other in campaign ads . They didnt do that. In a fair world are really would have become a senator a long time ago. But that would have required Dianne Feinstein to decide not to stay in the senate for 30 years. In a fair world katie porter would be moving up to the United States senate this year and adam schiff would be moving up to the United States senate this year. And in a really fair world california would not have only two senators. This years California Senate election is yet another hard reminder, life isnt fair. And politics isnt fair. Doesnt feel fair. Sometimes. It also reveals a problem that only the Democratic Party has, the problem of more political and governing, political talent governing ability and people like katie porter and barbara lee then there is currently room for in elected office. You can hope that the Biden Harris Administration puts katie porters skills and barbara lees skills to work in their next term. In office. Newly elected senators can often feel intimidated the first time they rise to speak in the senate chamber. Almost all of them do. When senator schiff does that next year, rises to in the senate chamber, it will not be his first time. He has betrayed our National Security and he will do so again. He has compromised our elections and he will do so again. You will not change him. You cannot constrain him. He is who he is, truth matters little to him. Whats right matters even less. And decency matters not at all. Heading off with our discussion tonight is senator elect, adam schiff. Congressman shift, i know its premature, but i also know its california. And i know whats going happen to steve garvey. So, here we are. That moment and those days on the senate floor, as an Impeachment Prosecutor in Donald Trumps first Senate Impeachment trial, how much did that come up when you were talking to voters in california . I remember thinking at the time how powerfully you were delivering that prosecution. How prophetic it turned out to be. And how it must have been registering in the minds of people who were watching. Lawrence, i found on the Campaign Trail Up And Down the state, really two things motivating voters. The first was, yes, a deep concern about the direction of the country. About even the potential, the prospect, the possibility of returning to the madness of donald trump. They wanted somebody in the senate that knew how to fight him, that knew how to defend our democracy if the worst came to the worst. I also found, even more prevalent, a desire among californians that, like senator feinstein, they wanted somebody who knew how to get things done. That knew how to take on, yes, the big fights, but also knew how to work with others, how to deliver more for affordable housing, how to bring down childcare costs, how to make sure the people could afford healthcare and access healthcare. So those very bread and butter issues and a desire for someone who can deliver, has a record of delivering, that was also, and maybe even more, potent a message and more resonant with voters than even the democracy issues. Steve garvey, your opponent, has admitted to voting for donald trump twice. What else do california voters and what else will california voters learn about steve garvey between now and november . A great deal. He has been very unwilling to say too much about his views, because he knows theyre completely out of step with california. But we know that he shares the mager views of the border crisis and demonizing immigrants. We know he is not going to defend reproductive freedom or seek to restore it, notwithstanding his, he supported the consummate to show commitment to ban abortion. We know hes not going to stand up to the nra and 54 common sense gun safety legislation. We know hes perfectly happy with the minimum wage being paltry seven dollar