Rachel Maddow takes a look at the days top political news stories. As has peter baker, correspondent for the New York Times thanks to all three of you for staying up late. Congressman, again, just a civics and kind of a Physical Plant question. The winner gets to be an incumbent member of congress. The winner will go, will get really bad office space. Theyll be on the bottom of the seniority list. Hell get his predecessors office. You do inherit the office space . How does that work . I replaced the most Senior Member of congress. For eight months as a freshman, i had the best office on capital little. You had a beautiful view of the dome. Then reality sets in. But they cant move in. They cant feel as much as anyone can move in with a twoyear term. Lets say its 12 weeks before the next election. House is out till labor day. Because it is an election day, theyll be in for about three
weeks. Whoever the incumbent is, they will be an incumbent for all of about three weeks. What they will do is spend every day back home and continuing to raise money. Youve got constituent services and questions and what happened to my Social Security check that Dont Stop Coming in. Thats the tough thing about a special election. What happens when somebody resigns is the staff stays in place likely till last night under the direction of the clerk of the house. Constituent services can continue. But all those constituent services now get picked up tomorrow. They have to be staffed up. I think politically tonight what were seeing is this. Its very hard to see a scenario where republicans keep the house in november. The trend is simply getting away from republicans. If you look at the conor lamb race, tonight, republicans are underperforming by historic proportion. And we have yet to see a race in the last two years since donald trump got elected in a truly competitive district in a 5050 district. November, theres going to be 40 or 50 races where the Playing Field is level and watch out. Democrats could probably pick up every single one of those. Kimberly, do you expect this to have a slow motion Concussion Wave like the Old Black And White flips of Nuclear Tests as it as the realization of what congressman jolly is talking about continues to roll over all the republican members up on the hill . I think so. I think you definitely see this. Theyre going to be a lot of people looking at the playbook and trying to figure out exactly how they can change it to sort of staunch the potential bleeding that could be ahead. Its worth reiterating no matter what the president said, this was a district that republicans should have won easily. And the fact that they didnt really changes the entire strategy here. I think republicans a few months back thought they could talk about the new tax law and talk about immigration and really bid a lot of support there moving into the midterms. It seems pretty clear that those issues arent taking hold exactly the same way that they hoped that it would be. Perhaps the president is being a distraction with his twitter account. Dont forget that he did insult lebron jails right before this election, too. Theres a lot of variables here. And republicans dont have that Clear Strategy that i think they thought they would have by now. Democrats dont either. But theyre doing a better job in terms of at least getting out the vote so far. You have both parties taking a close look at this race to figure out what they do next. Peter baker, your role is reminding us what else will be going on in the background as all these folks, all these incumbents campaign to stay in office, all the challengers campaign to unseat them and congressional districts times 535 across the country. Thats right. Congress wont be in session very much between now and the election. A lot of dynamics are locked into place when it comes to their legislative records. One exception will be the issue of keeping the government open. Passing the spending bills necessary to move into the next fiscal year. The president has talked about how he wishes he could shut down the government in order to leverage money for his border wall. That sent Republican Leaders on the hill into pa roxism of panic. They dont like the idea of doing that right before an election every time they experience aids Government Shutdown in the past, they havent done well in the polls after the election. Therefore, Balderson Doesnt Want to be the one vote he takes before he has to head back to the voters all over again in ohio. Right now most of the legislative actions or inactions as it were have been taken and they have the record to run on and have to defend or attack as they see fit. And peter baker, i couldnt
help but watch because we live in a television april, these two events in ohio tonight. Backdrops were not word class or ready for Live National television coverage. Everybody looked the way youd expect everybody to look. But there was televised live because were in the trump era. And theres now a laser beam of attention everywhere two people are on a ballot. Thats exactly right. This is the first time this particular district has had this kind you have National Attention in decades. This is not a competitive district for the most part. You dont see a lot of Media Attention or attention by the national committees. You dont see the kind of money flowing in theyve had. Suddenly theyre the focus of the political word. Not because this one race matters that much. That one vote isnt going to change anything between now and the election whether he it cops to the house. What it did have was the potential for a big embarrassment for the president. The larger trends are still there and consistent with the other special elections weve seen for the last 18 months. Theyre worrisome to republicans because they dont see the path to enernizing their voters to come out in a way that will stop this socalled blue wave that the democrats hope is building. Cant thank you all enough. You helped us greatly covering the news. David, kimberly atkins, peter baker. Coming up, he has likely visited more Public Schools in america than any other american alive today. Sadly, hes attended funerals for dozens of young people gunned down in chicago, illinois. Coming up, we will be joined by chicagoan and former education secretary arne duncan when the 11th hour continues. Where id. Aah . I would have said you were crazy. But so began the year of me. I discovered the true meaning of paperless discounts. And the indescribable rush
of saving drivers an average of 620. Why does fear feel so good . I fell in love three times once with a woman, once with a country, and finally. With myself. So, do you have anything to declare or not . Isnt that what im doing . Now im gonna tell my momma that im a traveller im Gonna Follow The Sun now im gonna tell my momma that im a traveller im Gonna Follow The Sun transitions™ light under control™
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74. 12 of them sadly were killed. According to the chicago tribune, it marked the worst violence of any single weekend in chicago since at least before 2016, the year in Which Hop Sides hit records unseen for two decades. This afternoon, the Police SuperintendentEddie Johnson announced as many as 600 Additional Police officers are being deployed. He says theyll be in the hardest Hit Neighborhoods by the weekend. We are happy to be joined tonight by arne duncan, a proud chicagoan, former head of the chicago Public Schools and as a member of the obama cabinet, one of the longest Serving Secretaries of education in our nations history. His new book how schools work, an inside account of failure and success from one of the nations longest Serving Secretaries of education, is available starting today. Mr. Secretary, thank you so much for coming. This is not a book about firearms. Its not a book about violence and survival though i have to
ask you because the topics are not mutually exclusive. Violence in a city like chicago and education in a city like chicago. Theyre absolutely enter twined. Im obsessed with reducing violence at home. This weekend is no way to sugar coat it, its devastating. What i say everyone may not agree with, the police have a role to play but i dont think we can arrest our way out of this and incarcerate our way out of this. Were working directly with young men 17 to 24 years old most likely to shoot and be shot and providing job training for them, providing Mental Health services, providing trauma counseling, life coaches. And guy who have been on Street Shooting at each other are walking away from that life and want to do Something Different. We have to solve an economic problem, not a crime problem. These men will eat, pay rent, they have to make a living. Its our choice whether they do that in the illegal economy which leads to violence or the legal economy. In my heart i believe over the next couple years, these men will lead us as a city to where we need to go. Lets hope youre right. We have to hope youre right. Youre cruising along. There are stories about chris christie, great story about john kasich. You come to the point where youre writing the book in reeltime and parkland happens. Last time i saw you to interview you was at the march that have shooting. Ten years from now in this country, will Something Better have happened in American Society because of that the awful tragedy . It has to. Ive been very pessimistic on this issue since the sandy hook massacre. That was the worst day of president obamas presidency, my worst day in d. C. When 20 babies get killed and five teachers and a principal and we sti get nothing done in terms of common sense gun legislation. That was devastating. These teenagers across the country have been raised on mass
shootings. Theyve been raised on gun violence and not tolerating it, not going to stand for it. That march was Something Different in the air. Young people from parkland, from chicago, young people im working with from across the country are stepping up. We as adults and parents have failed frankly and i apologize all the time to young people. They will lead the country to a place that is much safer, much more free of fear. Im more hopeful on this issue than ive been in a long, long time because of the leadership and courage of our nations young people. Growing up as i did in jersey across the river, you listen to new york radio and tv as a kid. There was a guy on the radio, a new york haberdasher name the cy sims and he used to say, at sims an educated consumer is our best customer. Ive always thought that was a wonderful slogan. We like to think an educated voter is our best voter in this country. You believe youve seen signs that is not a universally held
standard. I wish everyone came to the Voting Booth Thinking about education. Youre talking about politics tonight. My constant question i dont care an much. Are they coming to Voting Booth Thinking about, is this congressional leader or mayor or governor or senator going to help raise Graduation Rates and make college more affordable and increase access to prek. Specifically with President Trump, i dont think he wants to have the best educated citizenry in the world. I think when you have authoritarian tendencies and call the press the enemy of the people and want to become the only source of knowledge and truth, i dont think its in his selfinterests to have the best educated citizenry in the world. That deeply troubles me. The job you held was own created in the eisenhower era, not that many people have served as education secretary. There are not that many living former education secretaries. The current secretary betsy devos, has she reached out to you . Have you talked shop at all . Its stunning. She never reaped out. I talked all the time to my predecessors, margaret spellings, secretary bennett, republicans, democrats. Its a small club. I was the ninth serving. These are very wise people and at the end of the day, were all working together. She never reaped out. Thats all i can say. I wish you luck with the book. How schools work by arne duncan, former secretary of education during the obama administration. Thank you. I know as the a politically busy night. Thank you for visiting us here in the studio. Thanks so much for the opportunity. Another break for us. When we come back, weve been talking about how its Election Night in other places. Aside from the 12th District in ohio. Steve kornacki brings us up to speed on all the races were covering tonight right after this. The day after chemo shouldnt mean going back to
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himself in the homestretch was the kansas gubernatorial primary siding with chris chris kova kr. Boy, this is a nail biter. Kris kobach is leading right now doing the math by about 687 votes over, this is jeff colyer. This is the incumbent governor. The Lieutenant Governor who took over when brownback, the republican governor left. This is sort of an unelected incumbent governor here seeking a full term in his own right being challenged by kobach playing the role of insurgent. Trump coming out for kobach at the wire yesterday. Bob dole, as soon as trump did that he endorsed colyer. Outstanding vote, trying to get a sense where thats from. Theres a not insignificant portion of the aring vote in
kansas from johnson county. We talked so much around columbus, upscale suburbs, the equivalent in kansas city, johnson county, that you would expect colyer may get more boost out of that than kobch. This thing just an absolutely squeaker right here. The electoral implications for republicans, theres a poll that shows colyer if hes running leading the democrat by ten points. Flip it around, kobach, if hes the nominee, a dead even race. Greg or mann is going to run. Thats a big story in kansas. One other in michigan, the numbers very confusing. Im looking myself here for the first time. You had Gretchen Whitmer sort of the favorite here. El syed. Youre not seeing a lot of vote counted. You might see more vote in. This is from the Secretary Of State site. Theres been disparities between what the Secretary Of State is reporting and what other folks are getting from their people. Weve got the can of states numbers here. Gretchen whitmer. It would be an upset if she loses. We had a house race. Long time democratic incumbent lacy clay being challenged by cory bush, the significance here, cory bushs most wellknown endorser alexander ocasiocortez. We watched her topple a giant in National Democratic politics, joe crowley in new york. She endorsed cory bush and said folks in missouri, you can do it, too. Bush falling short though. So you dont necessarily have a part two. We wanted to see if there was energy somewhere besides that energy in new york. Not a great showing for clay. But certainly still hes not necessarily sweating at this hour. Hes going to win that thing. The Big Outstanding Drama is in kansas, this governors race. Im clicking to see if weve got anything new. Kobach ahead by hundre