poersch. is jjb at 8:00, our conversation with author carl cannon. greta: this week on newsmakers, j.b. poersch, the senate majority pac president here to talk about senate democrats efforts to defend 23 seats up for the vote in 2018. thank you, sir, for being with us in studio. we also have sean sullivan of the washington post, political reporter, and alex roarty, political reporter for mcclatchy newspapers. welcome to the two of you. sean sullivan with the first question. sean: thanks, jb, for being with us. i want to start with a question about something that is in the news squarely this week. the president's comments on the deadly violence in charlottesville which have been roundly condemned by both democrats and many republicans.

will senate majority pac seek to remind voters as we move closer to the midterm elections about the remarks he made this week? if so, how soon can we start to potentially see an investment in making that argument? j.b.: good morning. thank you for having me. the president's comments were a disturbing reaction to what happened in charlottesville. and i think former vice president biden said there is only one side. there can only be one side and we need to stand up against hate, bigotry, against white supremacists. i suspect these will be issues in the campaign. the president has already made clear that he has a different view on. i suspect they will see it first in republican primaries. that there are clear divisions that will be brought out in

several primaries that exist all over the country. we will probably shortly talk about as many as six to eight republican primaries. i think that is the likely first place where you will hear and see some of these divisions. alex: j.b., is there any hesitation about using trump's words in ads? i know it is early in the election cycle, but in the last election cycle there were such a heavy focus on donald trump and then candidate trump. obviously, the democratic party did not have the elections they had hoped last year. there was some talk afterward there was too much of a focus on trump and not enough on the congressional republicans. j.b.: that happened more at the presidential level. i think it senate races we recognized early on the president was defined for many voters as a change element.

in fact, did not weigh in on racism in the same way. that said, there was no escaping the presidential race. i think it is early to tell what the president's impact in part of the campaign. i think, as you know, when you go from cycle to cycle you have to be careful not to fight the same war. i suspect that the president's eroding job approval tells us the failure to move his agenda is likely to be an issue, and he is likely to be part of the campaign as well. greta: steve bannon, white house chief strategist, just said to a couple of reporters that as long as democrats are talking about race identity politics, we win. i'm paraphrasing here. agree, disagree? j.b.: whether he said it on or off the record is part of it, too. this is broader than just race. it is race, it's division in the

country. i do not agree with him. i think most americans are horrified by what happened in charlottesville. i think most americans want to have a conversation about moving forward, about uniting. if that is what the campaign is about, i think we are on good grounds. sean: the president is also inserting himself to varying degrees in some republican primaries, including arizona, where jeff flake is running for reelection. the president on a twitter seem -- seeming to suggest or indicate support for kelly ward. jeff flake's challenger. how do you see the landscape there, and do you plan to potentially try to influence the outcome of that primary, as we have seen in past elections where democrat claire mccaskill, last time she ran was able to influence the outcome of the republican primary to her advantage? could we see something similar from you guys in arizona russian mark -- arizona?

j.b.: a year and a quarter out, we will have to make a lot of decisions about right steps. we are interested in winning. we do what we need to in order to win. that said, there is an awful lot that is going to have to play out in arizona. i am not even sure i can tell you who would be the best opponent right now. senator flake starts with egregiously low job numbers, i think lower than we normally see for an incumbent. i could say something similar about dean heller in nevada. he is in a precarious place where he seems to be finding a strategic way to say that he is more conservative than donald trump. i think that will be a hard place. we don't even know if we are seeing all the republican candidates in at this point. as you know there are rumors about other candidates who might get in. as of this taping, it looks like the president is siding with

kelly ward. she would be an interesting candidate for the republicans to rally behind. i would imagine the progress the democrats have made in arizona -- remember six years ago, we only lost in arizona by just 3 points. hillary clinton was 3 points shy in the state as well. this is a state that is growing more democratic and i expect will be a very good opportunity for us. greta: what about in alabama? roll call's nathan gonzales has changed the rating for the special election from solidly republican to a tossup, saying the polarizing potential nominee of roy mohr could give democrats a shot at takeover. will your group spend money in alabama? j.b.: this is obviously a tough target. i think it is fair to call it a long shot.

that said, if you look at the, dynamic that has played out in house special elections so far where you have seemed energized democratic base that usually turns out at a higher level, and you have seen a higher performance in arguably hard states like georgia and south carolina. i imagine that will play out in alabama. that race in the general will not be until december, so we have a long way before we have to make decisions. democrats have a particularly good candidate in a former federal attorney in jones, and i expect he will have a real candidacy. it is a little too early to see how this is going to play. greta: are you open to the idea? j.b.: we are open to the idea. anywhere we have an opportunity to win, we will have a hard look. alex: does roy mohr have to be the opportunity for you to possibly win there? j.b.: i think both former judge

mohr and senator strange seem to have ethical challenges. i think they both have hurdles to climb. i wouldn't say that moore has to be the candidate, no. we will have to watch. i expect that the next 30 days are going to be very competitive between both of them. i guess i would expect that senator strange is a bit of a favorite given the institutional support that he is already getting, the financial support. he was outspent ten to one and still won the first round. that will be a fun one to watch. sean: when you look at the public polling we have seen in the last few months, it seems like a few things are clear. the president's popularity is seeming to decline. another thing we have seen is democrats are pretty unpopular. the democratic party is very unpopular.

voters seem to not have a clear sense what the party stands for. i want to ask you one, why do you think that is? and two, will the senate majority pac clarify for voters what it is this party stands for, aside from just opposing trump? j.b.: i think both parties have shown erosion. clearly, the democratic party has room to grow in the eyes of the american voters. i will say as an aside that where you can see disappointing job numbers in both parties, you still see an advantage for democrats going into this election and most generic ballots, whether it is house or general. that said, we have a ways to grow as a party. more of a focus on the economy is crucial. i am encouraged by the steps that the senate caucus has shown

for a proactive strategy that is focused on economic issues. that is something we support. that is something in early television and digital that we have tried to echo in some of our advertising. so, we play a role. hopefully this is all a step in the right direction. alex: are you concerned -- there is so much energy in the activist left right now, as seen in the women's march and has included any special elections. are you worried that not everyone in the democratic party or in the liberal movement is on the same page? a you can face primaries, you can have liberals that demand democratic candidates embrace something like single payer health care. how much of a concern is that for you? j.b.: well, divisive primaries, at least in senate races, doesn't look to be likely. there are a couple of situations we will have to watch.

i am sure at the house level there will be a little concern. i am just as concerned that the democratic establishment doesn't listen to an activist base and learn from it. i think this is a really important opportunity for us to come together. i think people are obviously smarting from the results of the last election, but moreover, where we are as a country and where we are headed. i think we have to come together and make smart steps so we are winning next november. sean: along the same lines, there is debate in the democratic party right now about whether a candidate's position on abortion should be a litmus test for supporting that candidate. is that something you will look at when you look at different senate races that you may or may not play in? should a democrat's stance on abortion be a litmus test?

j.b.: most of our candidates are pro-choice. there are a couple of exceptions that happen. we are going to stay focused on the candidate's agenda. i think you will see that the party will stay united. it is a big tent. alex: let me ask you about another issue i mentioned a bit ago. single player health care. there are a lot of liberals that look at this as a key to energizing the democratic base. there are strategists that i have talked to that are worried because we have been to a health care fight and politically speaking, it did not work out so well. where do you stand on that issue? j.b.: i think with single-payer, i think it is an issue that will have a strong debate about in 2019 and 2020.

i would expect we will have a number of candidates that will be running for president two to three years from now. i imagine single-payer will be part of the debate. i think what is in front of us now is where we are with aca, and i think more urgently or alarmingly -- i don't have any reason to believe we won't have future votes in the senate. i think that is what the president wants. i think there will be real pressure on mcconnell. i think that is where the focus is going to be. and taking it a step further, the focus here legislatively is continuing to tear down the system. there was another path. there was an opportunity for this president and for the republican majority to talk with democrats and maybe make the system we have now better. i think that is a deal to to be had. it doesn't appear to be a real

conversation. those are all things i think we have to get our focus and energy before we really sink our teeth into single-payer. sean: as you look at the senate map in 2018, obviously a very difficult map in general for democrats. you are defending seats in states that trump won. given trump's declining popularity and given the democratic base seems to be more energized than ever, is there a potential possibility of democrats taking back senate majority? j.b.: i think the first part is true. i think this is a very challenging map. there are 10 states where donald trump won at the presidential level, and we are defending 25 states overall. clearly, we have our work cut out for us. but certainly, as you have seen in many elections, the environment is often king and between things we have cited

already, the generic ballot, and the president's declining job approval, there is reason to believe in challenging states like missouri, like west virginia, like indiana that we can bring back our incumbents. it is encouraging in those states that our senators there are so well-defined and most of them well-liked. in the polling that i have seen in nearly every situation where we start with a lead, that is encouraging. greta: is this energy showing up in your fundraising efforts? j.b.: we are ahead of where we have been in past cycles. i hope we continue to stay on that and certainly am pleased with where our incumbents are. the incumbent fundraising has been particularly strong in places like ohio, missouri, and florida. that is encouraging. alex: let's go through some of the individual races.

do you see someone like joe manchin -- he is in a state that donald trump won by a lot and we will leave it at that. how is he able to survive when he as of yet has not been able to cooperate with president trump on anything? j.b.: i think it always starts by the ability of an incumbent to champion the state and constituency and almost nobody does it better than joe manchin, who is well-liked and is popular. both, yes, in terms of the data, but you can see it in west virginia, too. he has been willing at times to work with the president where he has had an opportunity already passing a significant piece for retired miners on health care that the president supported. i think if he keeps his

constituency in front of him, he will be back in the senate. alex: are there any lessons you can take away looking at 2016 and looking at the kind of campaign hillary clinton ran and looking at the campaigns some of the democrats ran that you can apply to next year and any mistakes you don't want to repeat or are actively trying not to repeat? j.b.: i agree with what you've heard from leader schumer that we have to keep the the economy first. i think there were times in the last election that we lost sight of how many americans are still struggling to get by. that hasn't changed. the economy continues to grow and yet, we have not seen significant wage growth and

families are going to still want candidates that have their needs in mind. we have to put the economy first. alex: when you assess the map, how do you see someone like bob casey or sharon brown or tim kaine, who are people when they began people thought they were said to have potentially difficult general elections? in some cases, they have already drawn republican opponents. how do you see those races, and have you seen a division at all between races in pennsylvania and ohio versus ones in indiana and missouri to more other conservative states? j.b.: i go in assuming all the races are going to be challenging. i wouldn't take virginia for granted and that this is a midterm election and turnout will be different.

so i expect competitive, -- competitive elections. that said, you pointed to three particularly well-liked and successful senators in casey and brown and tim kaine. what i believe about brown in ohio, which is a challenging state where our presidential candidate fell 8 points short. he has won here before twice and i think he is smart about standing up for workers' rights and standing up for an economy that makes sense in ohio. i like our chances there. i do not suspect we will see much of a difference in the election that we had six years ago in ohio with the same

candidates, the same flawed candidate on the republican side. i expect he will come out of that one. sean: which of the races keep you up most at night? which races to you worry about the most? j.b.: well, obviously they are all challenging. those first five in the so-called deeper red states are obviously ones that we stay focused on. that said, initial polling was encouraging because of how well defined machin, heidi heitkamp, tester, joe donnelly, in all the are particularly liked candidates. it is a good place to start. like i said they start with, leads. that is encouraging. they are challenging states. alex: traditionally midterm elections are seen as a referendums on the incumbent president. this president is different in

many ways. do you expect that tradition to continue? do think this will be a referendum on president trump? j.b.: here is what history shows. history shows that opposition senators opposite the current president incumbents in a midterm election, since 1982, only four have lost. it is remarkable. it is both republicans and democrats. only four incumbents have lost. so can this president overcome history? if he could, part of it is how challenging these states are, and i have to give that credit. but i do think we are not in the same place that we were a year ago. i think the erosion in the president's approval is significant. we have already talked about the energy in the democratic base. i expect you will see that play out around the country.

the president's eroding approval suggests, though, that there is concern with independents, and that will be an important factor and even potentially the republicans should be concerned about their own turnout abilities in 2018. those are big hurdles. and it is a little early. that is what the republicans need to overcome. greta: it is early. beyond the president's numbers, though, what could be the one issue that works in democrat's favor or could be a problem? j.b.: health care is already a wedge issue. it is certainly a timely issue. it certainly was a proving ground for the republican party newly in power and across the board to show that they really had working families' interests at heart. i'm not sure what we saw play out in the house or senate proved that at all. i think the concern and anger is

still real. it is interesting to watch how little support various republican plans were getting across the country, with only so much information. i think there was a concern early on that this seemed more about taking apart the current system without replacing it with anything that seemed to address people's concerns about quality of care and affordable care. health care is not going away as an issue and it won't be the only issue on the table, but it is going to be a big part of it. greta: we have a few minutes left. sean: what about the russian investigations? that is obviously consumed a lot of attention here in washington, but is it an issue that moves voters? is it an issue you look at and you think you can use to persuade voters to support democratic candidates for the senate in 2018? j.b.: i think from listening to voters around the country and

looking at data that even the so-called trump base shows concern about whether our election was -- whether the russians -- to what degree they were able to impact that they did have some level of impact. i think going forward that raises security concerns. i think americans are concerned about that. i think most americans are glad that there is an investigation that is going forward looking at it. clearly, this is something that has had some impact and undermined the president in terms of people viewing his effectiveness. i do not think there is any escaping it. i think it is an issue. whether candidates are running on it, i think you will find candidates are more focused on

the economy, but it will be part of the election. it already is. alex: let me ask about something that has been a white whale for democrats for years. even -- maybe even decades. texas. it has a senate election next year. ted cruz is running. polls show his number are a little soft. democrats have a candidate, the congressman from el paso. is that a race that could become competitive? is that a race you will look at? j.b.: i would say about texas what i said about alabama, it is fair to say it is still a long shot. i think the congressman out of el paso is a really promising candidate. and the fact that he enthusiastically got into this race as early as he did -- there is a level of donor interest and activist interest in texas.

i think the growing hispanic population and the growth of young people in the state shows promise for democrats in the long run. whether we can put texas on the map this time, i think it is a little early to tell. but again, in this environment, you are going to see a shift and you will see a map that will continue to change right up to election day. let's see if texas can be part of it. greta: j.b. poersch, we thank you for your time. thank you for being this week's newsmaker. j.b.: thanks for having me. greta: we are back with our reporters of the washington post, let's begin with what we heard. where they plan to spend the money, the resources for defending senate democrats. sean: i think it is clear that his top priority is the -- defending the democrats

running in the states that president trump won. montana,ive areas like west virginia, things like that. but it does seem like he is opening the door to potentially investing in alabama and arizona. i sense a cautious tone. i sensed their priority is on playing defense. they had a lot more defense to play in the half opportunities to go on offense. alex: i heard a guided conscientious of the challenge democrats face. even though he'd knowledge is he feels a lot better than six month ago, i don't think he will fully own up to that and no that's how a lot of democrats feel right now. the alabama race will be interesting. lot of the thought of democrats because of the controversial past. that is something that will be a fascinating race. democrats have all of this energy.

turnout is way up, but they haven't been able to get over top any special elections. which like alabama had been a conservative area. greta: how do they know their base is energized and they will turn up? sean: i think they didn't necessarily zero in one -- he talked about health care, he talked about the russian investigations. he didn't seem to think that would be the thing that put them over the top. we talk about issues like single-payer and things where there is some level of dispute in the democratic party. it doesn't feel that democrats have found that one thing that they can go to their voters and guarantee that they turn out, because democrats have not been good at turning out voters and midterm elections. listening to him, it sounds like they are still searching for that thing. they don't know if it's health care or something else. greta: couldn't that one thing be the president? alex: you know, he said it. the midterms are a referendum on the president.

i think there is still some caution because a lot of those candidates in house races focused heavily on president trump. obviously it didn't work out great for them. his comments reflect a lot of what we see, we focus on the economy, the economy, the economy. they rolled out the agenda a few weeks ago trying to make the conversation about that, but it is difficult. you have something that happened have -- like what happened in charlottesville this the weekend, you can't ignore that. a few weeks ago it was the transgender ban in the military. democrats feel compelled that they have to respond to this but it takes them away from what they want to be talking about politically. greta: steve bannon said keep talking about that. we win every time democrats do that. have they brought democrats into the trap? alex: we will see if democrats can turn out voters, if it is an issued that gets new voters to

turn out. if there are voters that look at what the president said about charlottesville and say i'm going to go register to vote. i have never voted in a midterm and that what mr. bannon said is wrong. if they don't, it can be difficult for them. it is interesting. alex pointed out that j.b.'s focus on the economy, it is difficult for democrats to make that argument right now because when we look at the indices, when he comes in the economy, unappointed numbers, stock market, these things are looking pretty good and trump is already taking credit for those things. taking credit for that. they will have a difficult time doing that if the economy continues to farewell. greta: what role do they play? alex: they have a lot of money. that is the short answer. there have been sleeper pacs

-- super pacs that are able to raise money from big donors and able to spend millions of dollars in senate races. as much as the campaigns and parties matter, so to do these super pac's. we should mention sometimes they can be truly independent organizations. j.b. is a veteran democratic operative. you can expect that the kind of ads he will run will be similar to campaigns. >> he has a counterpart on the republican side, but tell us more about him, what is his background? >> he knows the politics, the nitty-gritty, what to advertise on. a lot of what these super pac's do is negative advertising. he is skilled at the art of

attacking republican senators, signaling those issues. that is the key. can you find those one or two things you can unearth and andify about the candidate, can you go to the voters and say, here is why this person is not qualified. simpaticoid he was an with others. with senator schumer. at those two bet tht are of very like mind when it comes to campaigns. >> thank you for being part of this week's "newsmakers." >> thank you. shows,he morning talk the debate over confederate statues was a -- statues was a main topic, as well as the