talked to is troubled by the way donald trump handled this. but the intensity of the feeling really has to deal with the persuasions, the political persuasions of veterans we talked to. for example, people who really like donald trump tend to say, yes, john mccain is a hero, but this is the way president trump is. he says a lot of things, and that's his personality. but others including democrats and people who didn't vote for donald trump are very angry with the president. one man telling us that donald trump says he loves veterans, but i think the only veterans he loves are those who love him. john. >> gary, thanks so much. don't miss where you pick up some of the stories that get covered. you can see at week nights at 6:25 eastern. the news continues. time now for chris cuomo. "cuomo prime time" starts now. thank you, j.b. i am chris cuomo. welcome to "prime time." a new trump conspiracy theory is born. google is out to get trump. he believes it, so now the government is looking into it. but is this about a legit

infraction or another distraction? we're going to take it to a white house insider, get their opinion and of course we will put the president's words to the test. more midterm primaries are under way right now. a trump pick came through with a big win. so why is the president preaching fire and brimstone to evangelicals that if the gop losses, there may be hell to pay? we also have more insight into the catholic church scandal. the big question is what the vatican and maybe even the pope knew. we have a monday senior tonight who sounded the alarm about abuse and was ignored. who knew? he's going to tell us. so what do you say? let's get after it. the president woke up this morning, started a witch hunt of his own. and while you can guess it involved the media, it primarily focused on google. the president fired off a series

of tweets blasting google in terms of search results about him being rigged. no evidence, but conservative content is suppressed. that's his theory. that's not all. trump has now apparently tasked the administration with investigating. let's get a take of where this is coming from and where it will go. marc short, president trump's former white house legislative affairs director, good to have you again, sir. >> thanks, chris, for having me on. >> let's do a little housekeeping to get it out of the way. when you were leaving the white house, you signed some type of document that is being called an anti-disparagement document, and now that you're giving commentary, people are going to say, well, are you allowed to be negative about the president? what do you have to say? >> there is no anti-disparagement document that i signed. prior to joining the administration, there was what i think is a pro forma nondisclosure that prevents you from disclosing secret secure information, national secrets or classified information, private conversations with the

president. and something that said that if you were to do a tell-all book, that those proceeds would go to the federal government and not to your own benefit. but before i signed a contract with cnn, my personal lawyer spoke to white house ethics lawyers and confirmed there are no restrictions for me coming on air and giving my unvarnished opinion about the administration. so, you know, chris, we've had this conversation. i look forward to continuing to be a part of your network. >> critical or complimentary, you can say what you want? >> absolutely. >> so you're not bound by any contract. let's see if you still choose to defend this fugazi google notion that the president came up with today. look, i'm going to argue later on, i'm not saying google is clean. i'm not saying any of the big providers are, search engines or otherwise. but what proof does he have of something that seems very conveniently timed as a distraction? >> actually, this has been an issue that has been rising in conservative circles for a while. i think there's a concern about bias in the mainstream media, so therefore more and more are getting their news from social platforms. obviously google is a large

provider of that. if you look at martha blackburn's campaign this year, she tweeted out a pro-life statement that google decided to take down. that is not something that has happened to pro-abortion candidates. it has happened to pro-life candidates. >> why did they say they took it down, marc? because there's more to that story with that with blackburn. why did they take down a pro-life statement? >> i think that as i recall, their concerns were about there were certain parts of the pro-abortion industry that was marketing fetus hard body parts and marcia had made that case and i think very factually correct she had made that case. >> right. i think it was twitter, not google. >> you're correct. 100%. >> this is complicated, all right? i did all this reading today about shadow banning and algorithms and searches and what they say. there's no question we could know more but i say the president is playing that to negative advantage. he's taking the unknown and trying to create a certainty. what they say is sometimes people who wind up being harder

to find, it's because they're generating content or reactions to their content that often violate the protocols of decency and abusive behavior and language. so they're almost kind of being a victim of circumstance of what they're putting out. that's not really on the platform. that's on the community. >> chris, that's an admitted tension point, but i'll give you another example. the california republican party if you did a google search this year earlier would come up as another search would be the nazi party. and so those are algorithms and you have to ask yourself why is it so biased that you're associating the republican party with the nazi party? i do think that where the administration has to be careful is limited government people, we do not want more government regulation. it's important to make sure that that is not a step that the administration takes. but i do think to your point about algorithms that there should be a transparency, and that is something that all americans should know what is in the algorithms so they can make their own choice about who their search engines are. >> i'm okay with the concept. what i'm saying is the convenience of this.

you know, is trump banging on them because they haven't come clean about what they should be doing to protect our democracy, 0er if you and i have an e-mail conversation about where we want to go bird hunting, all of a sudden i'm getting cabela's ads popping on my screen. but when it's about him and what somebody tells him about himself, we all know who had this on tv last night. it's no coincidence that he did it this morning. >> so, chris, i know you think there's a pernicious plot here. i want you to know when we come back after labor day, congress has already called hearings into this. and there are several people including the facebook ceo will testify. google's ceo today said he will not. in fact this is something congress has already been looking into. you might believe this is a witch hunt. you might believe this is pernicious and conveniently timed. in fact this is an issue that has been growing and i think the president is raising more attention to it, i think appropriately so. >> marc, again the concept i'm with you on, certainly about our democracy, what they do, their

transparency, fine. but with specific to trump, i did some googling of him on google about news. i saw fox news in there. i saw other outlets. they're trying to call this p.j. media, which is just a conservative site. it's not a research clearinghouse. it's not the kato institute. it was used because it had a headline that said 96% of media -- of news coverage of trump is negative from liberal groups. reuters? cbs? of course cnn. those are fringe groups? 96% is negative. that's the reality of coverage with what the president puts out. >> so then, chris, you should have no concerns whatsoever to making the algorithms transparent for the american people to decide whether there's a bias or not. >> none. have the government do it. i think that's fine. i just don't think you do it because trump says it's rigged against him. >> it's been an issue that has been rising in concern among many republicans, and i think there's a concern that many conservatives turn to these platforms to get information because they believe the mainstream bias --

>> google trump news and fox news popped up in the top of the cache. i don't know where they're getting this from except one fox show that put out one p.j. media conservative article, which was a guy -- you know, some people putting the search into googles on different computers. that's fot research. >> chris, we're all delighted that you're now reading p.j. media and fox news. >> i bet you are. let me ask you something else. he goes to meet with evangelicals and says, i need your help in the midterm election. if we lose, there's going to be violence. violence, he said twice. do you agree with that? >> i don't know that there will be violence. >> you don't know or you think it's highly unlikely? >> i think one of the hallmarks of american democracy is the peaceful transfer of power and that's been going on for a long time. i do think there's several things this president has done that has been in concert with evangelical voters and they're excited to see the pro-life agenda. they're excited to see what this president has been doing on judges and any believe he's defending them on religious freedom. i don't think there's any doubt

democrats look to unwind that agenda -- >> violence? >> i'm not saying -- >> why would they have to be violent if they win by the way? >> i'm not saying there whether be violence. >> he is. >> okay. but i'm saying -- >> should he say that? >> -- to pull back on what has been the legislative and other -- >> that's fine. that's not what he said. >> well, okay. i'm telling you what i think is a concern, which is not a violence concern, but i think is a concern about pulling back and unwinding the success of this administration. >> i hear you about that. that's what happens when you go from one party to another. >> yeah. >> but saying it's violence. do you think that's the right thing for a president to do, to scare people like that about the outcome of an election? >> chris, i don't think that hopefully there won't be violence and -- >> i'm not saying what the outcome is going to be. i agree with you. should the president go to people and say, help me because if we lose, there's going to be violence? >> i don't know the full context of the conversation and what he said out there, chris. i know it was a closed door

setting. i know parts have been leaked out, but i'd rather have the full context before i comment on that. >> all right, marc short. at least i know you're not contractually bound to defend stuff like that. you're just doing it because you want to, and you're welcome back here to make the case, and we're going to have you many times. marc short, thank you and be well. >> thanks. all right. so, this google complaint that it's rigged against the president has trump says, is there anything to it, or is this just another don't believe what you are seeing and hearing stunt? the truth always comes out at the magic wall. i don't even know how it gets in there. next. okay we need to get all your school supplies today... school... grade... done. done. hit the snooze button and get low prices on school supplies all summer long. like this case of paper for only $29.99 at office depot officemax.

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(vo) go national. go like a pro. see what i did there? looks like president trump has a new way to avoid mccain's legacy and mueller's reach. a hot notion that google is out to get him. now, he's choosing fertile ground to launch a conspiracy. shadow banning and legitimate questions about the search engine google and other major platforms that go to our privacy and their algorithms and their larger responsibility to protect our democracy -- all legit. not to mention why i get ads for all kinds of supplements when i'm e-mailing my friends about fight class. there's a lot going on that we have to know more about, no question. however, what is the proof of the president's pernicious plot with google? here's his pitch. >> i think google is really taking advantage of a lot of people, and i think that's a very serious thing, and it's a

very serious charge. so i think that google and twitter and facebook, they're really treading on very, very troubled territory, and they have to be careful. it's not fair to large portions of the population. >> sound indefinite? more feeling than fact? that's because it is. it's actually almost completely devoid of any fact of apparent insight. but then what do we learn? it was on fox last night, and the president tweeted just this morning. what a coincidence. the charge is when you google trump, it shows if you look for trump news, it shows mostly negative results. frankly i'd be more suspicious if the cache came back mostly positive. the basis for the fox frenzy is a lone article from p.j. media, a conservative website, but what a headline they put out. 96% of google search results for trump news are from liberal media outlets. but if you read past that, the methodology, meh. the writer typed trump news glunt google on a bunch of computers and much of the

results were negative. after for the -- they're dismissing cbs, and cnn as niche agenda drivers which ironically is what p.j. media is. just because trump's theory smells of tripe on this basis, it doesn't mean google and others are in the clear. just today the company's ceo was criticized for refusing to testify before the senate intel committee about russian meddling. now, those are serious questions that have a basis in fact. as for this current matter with trump, google says search is not used to set a political agenda, and we don't bias our results toward any political ideology. not good enough for trump, who had a senior adviser announce that your tax dollars will be used to investigate trump's concerns. but i can tell you for free that this whole deal this morning was as much about distraction as it is about discovery of a pernicious practice by google. this is what he does most. he finds something that can

divide, that has a little bit of a fact gap, and then he exploits it to advantage. once again, the facts just aren't on his side. now, if we're going to talk about something that's rigged, i'll tell you what is not rigged. our great debate. we're going to take up this issue and some news of the day that matters to you. two gentlemen. you can google them on the break. they won't complain. next.

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i am going to vote ok, for myself using nothing but this remote and the sound of my own voice! vote for... wait wait, that's not a talent. any xfinity customer with an x1 voice remote can do that. watch this... i want to vote for... obviously not you. ooh that guy... cast your votes during every live show.

just say "vote for agt" into the x1 voice remote. we've got some breaking election news for you. the projected winner of florida governor will be president trump's pick, desantis. trump also backed the current governor of florida, rick scott, who cnn predicts will be taking on incumbent bill nelson for the senate. we don't know what's going on on the democratic side. we're following it. we'll let you know. trump was quick tonight to use twitter, one of the websites he's now criticizing, to celebrate. here's the twist. if things are going well in these early races and primaries for the president, why all the fire in the theater talk about vierns from the left if the gop

loses? let's take it up with our great debaters, van jones and mike shields. mike shields, why worry? why tell the poor evangelicals that the left is going to come kill them, violence, violence he's quoted as saying twice if they lose. why? first of all now you're adding the word "kill." >> yes. >> i think we should be careful. >> should he be careful or should just i be careful? >> probably both. >> same standard for me and the president? >> i would hope that the media would have a standard of being careful with those types of words when you start -- >> but he's not, and that's okay. so you start off with criticizing me, not him. why? >> i haven't even finished answering the question. >> i know but the way you started i didn't like so i'm checking you. i'm exaggerating for a point. is he doing the same? >> look, i think the rest of what he talked about is really important to know. if the left wins, they're going to try and impeach the president. they're going to investigate him, have subpoenas and republican-based voters need to know that and come out and vote. >> violence he said twiez. >> i will tell you this.

>> antifa, violence. >> we're in a congressional cycle where a congressman was shot. where members of congress had to get extra security at their town hall meetings because of death threats coming through. i have a couple of clients who have received death threats and their crime was being a republican congressman. so it is not beyond the realm of our conversation to talk about the fact we're in an era where these things do get kind of scary and we do need to be careful. i don't know what he said inside that meeting -- >> yes, you do. there are plenty of quotes from people who were there and relayed the information, so we're not dealing with some vacuum of knowledge. >> of course we are. we don't have the context of it. we weren't in the meeting. >> so, van, context aside because i see that as an excuse, not an explanation here. violence, violence. if you people win, van, you're coming for the gop. >> well, that sounds to me like panic on the part of the president trying to stir up his own base with baseless fears.

that's unfortunate. listen, donald trump has achieved some pretty extraordinary stuff. he started off as an outsider. he was able to lead an insurgency, take over his party, win, and actually govern d.c. and florida. he's not only the king. he's the king maker. he doesn't have to stoop to the kind of stuff he does. he's actually on the merits from his point of view doing a really good job. but then he does stuff like this, and when you add this to the google thing where he's threatening private companies, where he's lying about a violent agenda -- you talk about the unfortunate violence against that congressman. there has been violence from the right as well. we had a woman murdered in broad daylight with isis-like tactics from a nazi group. yes, that is happening at the margins. but the fundamental thing that's happening in this country is that people are concerned about the direction. people are concerned about what's going on. and the president rather than allaying fears and bringing us

together, continues to throw out this red meat and alarm people frankly on both sides. it's a cheap way to govern when frankly on the merits, he's actually been achieving most of his objectives. she just talk about that. >> mike, i know the topic of google, even though i suggest that the president saw what was on fox last night. he saw that pj media article. he decided to tweet about it this morning. him and his concerns about himself aside, you see an issue. >> yeah. i mean first of all, vice news, hardly a conservative news outlet, is the one who really broke the story about shadow banning, and you should read the article on twitter about how conservative members of congress and conservative commentators are harder to search for. kevin mccarthy -- and full disclosure, i do work with him -- is leading in congress to bring hearings. these hearings are happening. so the idea this came out of nowhere i think is completely misplaced. a candidate for congress had her videos not shown on youtube -- >> but why?

you have to look at why. i've seen this happen a lot online. look, as i was talking to marc short earlier, there are real questions for google and -- >> i would think the media would -- why is the media against transparency hearings and finding out what's happening on social media to find out what their algorithms -- i think you would say great job, mr. president. you're right. >> why are you such a broad brush there and make it a criticism of the media when really it's about the context of what trump is saying? he doesn't have any proof of this being done to him. >> i just graave you proof. >> you gave me no proof of it happening to trump. none. >> well, there's the pj media article. >> that's not proof. >> i know you've questioned that. their job by the way is to question the media. a lot of media organizations you listed on there are media organizations that have a left-wing bias. i know you -- >> cbs, reuters, and cnn. they are left-wing media groups. >> come on here. >> come on, mike. >> i give cnn credit because you let me come on your show and

criticize the media, which i appreciate you for. but the fact of the matter is if google and these other platforms were as socially responsible as they're claiming to be, then their algorithms would allow you to see both sides of coverage of someone -- >> but you're not 2telling a material fact. sometimes when you're harder to find, it's because your content is generating comments or reaction that abuse -- >> but that's not what google -- google's response was today, we take algorithms that basically create what we think is supposed to be on there. that's what they said. >> no. they said search isn't used to motivate a political agenda. we have the quote. >> the second part of their statement. >> van. >> listen, this is complex. let me just say a couple things. the algorithms that google uses and tweaks and re-tweaks and whatever, there's a whole industry built up called search engine opt mization, trying to

figure this thing out every day. every company, every candidate has to deal with the fact that there's an algorithm out there that frankly we all have to deal with. the idea that you start calling foul and bloody murder because your content doesn't rise to the top, to me, it's cheap. honestly, this particular thing you guys are quoting and talking about, they believe that alex jones' infowars is a center-right publication, which is so extreme and so -- >> that is not what vice news reported. >> i'm not talking about vice news. you're the one that put out the p.j. thing. so what got this whole thing started is not an honest set of concerns about the lack of transparency, which left and right share. it's not an honest concern about too much power for silicon valley, which more people, right and left, are beginning to have. it's a cheap line that has now taken off on the right that they're out to get us in particular. and the reality is there is no evidence for that. you can cherry pick a bunch of things but -- >> hey, van, let's just do it in

realtime. i just googled -- you know, i'm always listening. i always got one ear on you, you and mike both. i care about you like you were my brothers. but i just googled trump news. first of all it was the first thing that came up in the cache, and the -- [ overlapping voices ] >> hold on a second. can't have it both ways on this show, my brother. >> it's the same thing. >> you accept the methodology for them, so now i'm using it. >> i'm saying there's a question. [ overlapping voices ] >> that's the point. i just googled it using their method and the first thing that comes up is fox news. >> same with me. >> come on. >> i literally just did this. part of the thing is -- and here's something we all have to be concerned about. there's becoming now i think a mainstream sentiment among conservatives that all of the mainstream media is just liberal left-wing. >> van, that's not becoming. i've been working in politics for 25 years and we've had a left-wing bias in the mainstream

media. this isn't a new phenomenon that -- >> i've heard the political bias thing my whole career. but i think something is happening now where when you have the whole fake news thing, it's not just saying you're biased. it's saying the entire mean stream media establishment is the opposition party. >> true. so th >> it puts you in a situation where we are right now where if just a normal person searches for something and they find cbs news, they are now being tricked and hoodwinked into being part of the liberal -- cbs news gets a lot of links. that's why they come up. >> there's something important to bring up here, van, which is why aren't the media asking how this came about? president trump didn't just say things and suddenly all of his voters -- by the way, the inference is you're saying they're all stupid. >> no cheap shots, mike. make real points. you can do this. >> they suddenly decided this happened. this bias has been going on for

years and the media refuses to analyze itself, to ask hard questions of it itself of how did we get here. president trump took advantage of that system. he didn't create it. it was already there and he rode it into office, and there's still no yeses among the mainstream media to ask themselves how did we create this. >> i see it slightly differently. i understand your frustration. i'm from a red state, born and raised in jackson, tennessee, proud of it. and i do understand that there is a difference in the way that the heartland folks where i grew up with see the world and, say, folks in california and new york. that is true, and that does influence the media. so i give you that point. but this is being exploited, and it's being used, and it's being weaponized in a way that i think goes beyond the facts and goes beyond what's fair. and the danger is once you get to a point now where then you have half the country that believes that good, hard working, mostly broke journalists at places like, you know, cbs news are a part of some conspiracy against them,

that's very dangerous, and i don't think it's fair. i think the president should be very careful about stuff like that. >> i'll agree with you on one thing. i believe in a strong media. i believe the media is essential, and i believe the media has to be trusted. let me give you an example of just today. dweert blew up and said -- reporters tweeting and stories were written that said president trump's adviser today said he wants to regulate google. when you look at the question he was asked, would you consider regulation? he said we're looking at it. he didn't say we want to regulate google. he was responding to a question. those types of hyperbole, we've got to run to twitter, got too be first, got to get clicks in our industry, lowers people's trust so the media does it to themselves. >> fair point. it works both ways. the president has harnessed it and he does it worse than anybody in the media i've ever seen. remember this as well. if there were any type of campaign to keep it one-sided, mike, this conversation wouldn't be happening. my bet in starting this show was that i know that i can have people on from all different parts of an issue, and as long

as we're decent, as long as you make good points and there's no cheap shots, people will come. they will listen because there's a hunger for it. and, van and mike, you add to the stew. i appreciate you both for doing it. be well. >> thank you. all right. the church. we're staying on this story. the crimes, the cover-ups. why? it's not over. we need to talk to the people who know the truth. we have a catholic priest. he blew the whistle years ago on abuse. he's going to tell us why he did it and what happened, next. if you have psoriasis, ... little things can be a big deal. that's why there's otezla. otezla is not a cream. it's a pill that treats moderate to severe plaque psoriasis differently. with otezla, 75% clearer skin is achievable. don't use if you're allergic to otezla . it may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. otezla is associated with... ...an increased risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have  a history of depression or suicidal thoughts,... ...or if these feelings develop. some people taking otezla reported weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight

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difficult for people to speak up, especially if they are on the inside in a position of power. take, for example, father ramsey. he spent almost two decades trying to raise concerns. father ramsey is here tonight. it is good to have you on "prime time." >> thank you. >> it would be remiss of me to avoid the obvious. i know father ramsey well. he is a part of my extended family. he married me and my wife, so i know you well, and i know you as a man of integrity. and you were in an educational environment. >> right. >> you heard things. you had reason to believe things. you decided to record them and send a letter to -- >> the nuncil in washington. that was in 2000. that was archbishop montalvo who was the vatican ambassador to the united states. i sent him a letter and of course we're talking about theodore mccarrick, the former

archbishop of washington who, when i knew -- when i first knew him was archbishop of newark. that's in the 1980s when i was teaching at seton hall university in the seminary that was attached to seton hall university. that's when i first knew about theodore mccarrick, and i knew about how he acted with the seminaries. >> not gossip. you had reason to write it down and send it to somebody. >> right. it was gossip to the extent that i wasn't there to see the archbishop doing what he did, but i certainly heard directly from people, yes. i heard directly from people. >> and what happened? you sent it up the chain of command so to speak. >> that's correct, yeah. >> and what happened? >> well, i know that the letter was received. this is we're talking about november 2000. i know that the letter was

received. i never got a response, however. but i know that the letter was received. >> what did you want to do after that? >> well, i waited, i guess, you know. i thought, i've sent this letter, you know. i just -- i didn't know what to do after that. i just waited, and then it came up again. i spoke with different people at different times, might my concerns felt. i spoke with cardinal eagan in 2004. clearly he was embarrassed by this and didn't want to talk about it. and then the next time i guess i actually wrote a letter was 2015 to cardinal o'malley of boston. >> mm-hmm. >> and i wrote in detail about what mccarrick did.

i assume it was pretty much the same letter that i wrote to the nuncio 15 years before. i don't have a copy of that letter, so i can't say. >> what do you draw as a conclusion that for 15 years, you know if boniface ramsey knew, other people knew. now we know from the grand jury report lots of people knew lots of things. >> right. >> people come to you at adjacent joseph's here in yorkville and manhattan. they say to you the obvious. why would they cover this up? why would something so obvious not be acted upon? what's your best guess? >> you know, for one thing, it's hard to confront a fellow bishop. i think only a bishop could have done that, and it didn't happen, i suppose. for another thing, the church just didn't want to -- just wished it would go away. i'm sure that's the case. and also, you know, what we did

know at that time until just this past june when "the new york times" made its revelation about his abuse of minors, all we knew was his harassment of sem inarians, you know, sharing a bed with another seminarians. >> should have been enough? >> you think that would have been enough and prevent him from rising as he did, but it wasn't on the same level as abuse of minors. >> understood. >> they must have just assumed, well, you know, that's pretty bad, but it's not illegal. >> but it's something that we've seen -- well, it depends on the age, on the consent, on the dynamic. there's a lot you would think you would hold yourselves to the highest level possible given that you're not making widgets. this is the catholic church. then the a.g. comes out with his report in pennsylvania. he says, i believe the pope knew.

now, vigano writes his letter, former vatican insider. >> correct. >> we don't know if he's been co-opted by anti-pope groups or whatever. we don't know yet. that story is not told. but do you believe there's a chance that pope francis, who people hold faith in him as a reformer, knew about mccarrick, knew about some of these things, and didn't drop the hammer on that? >> there's always a chance. there's always a chance. in this case, i don't know what, you know -- what kind of chance it is. is this a 90% chance or a 3% chance? i don't know. but there's always a chance, i think. >> and it's worth asking and it's worth the vatican speaking to him? >> yes. >> father, the reason i brought you in is because i know you. i trust you, and i know why you were doing this, and i know it wasn't easy for you to play this part in the church. but we've got to hear from the people who tried to stop it. >> right. >> because whether people are catholic or other, they're not

really sure whom to believe anymore within the church. >> correct. >> so i know this isn't an easy conversation for you. i appreciate you being with us. we're still married. thanks for that. and thank you for telling us the truth about this. we're going to stay on this story. >> good. >> father, thank you very much. >> you're very welcome, chris. we also have breaking news for everybody here on election night. there has just been an historic upset in florida. it appears to be a coup for progressives. this -- you're looking on your screen right now at the mayor of tallahassee. he is someone who was not supposed to win. this is big. why it happened, how it happened, what happens next -- next. behr presents: ordinary versus overachiever. behr premium plus, "behr" through it all with a top-rated paint at a great price. find it exclusively at the home depot.

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big breaking news out of the race in florida. history was just made. an historic upset in the democratic primary for governor in florida. 39-year-old andrew gillum edged out two challengers who had tons more money, tons more organization, and tons more time. now, you're going to hear that senator bernie sanders was a backer of his. he went down and campaigned for him in these final weeks, and that's all true.

but gillum really should get the praise on his own shoulders. nobody saw this coming. he's the mayor of tallahassee. he is an unabashed progressive. he went after the state about guns in a way that no other elected were really doing in that state, even on his party's side. when parkland happened in flori florida, he was there with those kids first, early, and often. and now he is the first african-american to be on the democratic side in a race for governor in that state's history. do we have sound for him, or are we just going to play what we're doing there? all right. so we're going to get better sound of what he's been saying. again, i want to say that because we don't make history in a good way very often. he's the first ever african-american nominee for governor in florida. such a major state, yet he is the first. now, what is he about? repeal of florida's stand your ground law. medicare for all. now, the specifics of how he would pay for it, we don't know yet. a $15 minimum wage.

so these are big-ticket items. this is more proof of a division within that party, a kind of a battle of definition. so let's bring in don lemon. this was a big deal. i'll be honest. i've been watching this race. i did not think gillum could do it. i thought there was too much organization against him, and i was wrong. >> as a former congresswoman, you're right. there's also the former mayor of miami beach. you know, gillum says i'm the only millionaire. i'm the only one who's not a millionaire in this race. i think this is the direct of finding people on both sides. you have a black candidate in a state that is 30% black and hispanic. i think it is a big surprise.

who knows what it means for november. it certainly is a shock. nobody thought he would win. nobody thought he would get the nomination. now he has had a lot of money come in over the last couple of weeks. even gabrielle union endorsing him on twitter the other day. >> he has a lot of charisma. he has a lot of grass roots momentum. this is an interesting time for the democratic party. he beat two high dollar, high organization candidates and he did it the old fashioned way. >> he is not running carl azas conservative like. >> he is not that at all. >> he is running as a pure progressive -- >> as mayor of tallahassee he took on the whole state. he sued the governor and got in a legal battle about guns. he has created a following for himself. now he is one man to watch.

>> georgia one state over. stacy abrams, african-american candidate, as well. we shall see. >> i'll be watching you in nine minutes. >> nine minutes. it's an appointment. so history made in that race. that is why we have to follow them. you don't talk about polls when you get close because you never know. what a matchup. you have gillum against a trump-backed conservative. what a matchup. the world will be watching that one. the world of politics in this country. we will continue our coverage coming up. mom: okay we need to get all your school supplies today... school... grade... done. done. hit the snooze button and get low prices on school supplies all summer long. like this case of paper for only $29.99 at office depot officemax.

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in florida. cnn projects andrew gillam will be the nominee. it is proof of a couple of things, a division in what the democratic party is about and the power of people. tallahassee mayor went after the state about guns, an unpopular thing. he worked with the parkland kids. he was down there, really religiously for their cause against stand your ground, a progressive on different ways. bernie sanders came in and campaigned late. how did this happen? >> you saw maybe a late surge at the end for gillam. this was a big surprise. >> huge turnout throughout the state of florida.

jacksonville, tallahassee, orlando, down to broward county. gillum picked up votes. when the election day vote came in you saw the big surge for gillum. >> is it true he won miami? did that offset the ratios? i think the state county over county is just about 30% african-american. he was playing to population centers not just the black vote. >> he was definitely playing to population centers. miami dade is another great example where if you look at the early vote the former mayor of miami beach won in the early vote. when election day vote came in gillam overtook him. >> this is that bernie sanders momentum. i'm slow on that with gillum.

so much of his politics are personal to him, the guns, the stand your ground, the need for populism. he is medicare for all. i don't know what the meat on the bones is of that yet. he does advance different progressive types of issues. was it his posture or the populism? >> i think it is probably a little bit of everything. populism didn't play well a african-american voters back in the 2016 primary and gillum did well there. the other thing i will point out is gillum was a hillary clinton surrogate. it's a story of a candidate who was able to connect with different parts of the party. what will be interesting is whether or not the different parts of the party come out in the fall to help them. >> it really came out of nowhere. how does he look? >> the early polling shows a tight race. the difference between the two candidates here is probably the greatest in the nation. republicans wanted gillum and

democrats wanted desantos. both sides got what they wanted. it will be one of the top races. >> couldn't have picked somebody who is less like trump on the democratic side than andrew gillum. i wonder if that reads in, as well. thanks for scrambling into that chair. cnn tonight with don lemon starts right now. history made. first african-american nominee for governor in a major state like florida. >> we covered a couple of these rece recently. if it is like this come mid terms we can have a really interesting night. period of change, my brother. >> i'm going to get to the breaking news. this is cnn tonight. i'm don lemon. huge breaking news out of florida. a big