paul ryan expected to talk about a number of policy issues. he's at the national press club in washington. begins at 4erage p.m. eastern. you can watch online at c-span.org or listen live at the free c-span radio app. communicators,he assistant homeland security secretary for cyber security and communications talked about cyber threats against the u.s. and how the country is working to foil for an efforts to interfere in the 2018 midterm elections and emergency communications. everyry single day, system, whether it is the federal agency or bank, local government office, you are constantly battling actors who are trying to get into your networks. if you have sensitive data, if you have a system that powers you have important,

everything from your everyday hacked of this for some purpose that they believe is important to criminals, which i believe is the majority of what most people deal with. all the way to nationstates trying to gain access to either sensitive information or trying to be in a position where the structure health is at risk. >> tonight at eight eastern on c-span two. josh kraushaar, who reports for "national journal." he is their political editor, here to talk about the november election. good morning. how would you say, overall, how kavanaugh plays out? guest: he plays to both partie'' bases. asocrats are as energized they have ever been, and republicans have gotten a boost in momentum, especially in the places with conservative turf.

democrats look in position to take that the house, but republicans have gotten a jolt of energy in the senate. host: we even heard mitch mcconnell talk about republican enthusiasm. already hadrats momentum. even though this energizes women, liberals, there was not a whole lot more to be gained, given that you look at the elections of the last couple of years, democrats are showing up. republicans were not. there was some republican apathy and even overconfidence in some of the more conservative parts of the country. to gainlicans have more from this battle, especially in these red state senate races. host: on the house side, remind how many -- or my people how many seats have to be overturned in order for democrats to take control of the house. guest: democrats need to win net 23 house seats. there are over 93 seats in play

that republicans hold. so the battleground map of districts that democrats can win is getting larger and larger. and they are predominately taking place in suburban parts of the country, where the president is not particularly popular and where the base, spent -- especially suburban women and independent women are turning away from the republican party. host: you spent time in kansas. what were you looking at? guest: i was in the suburbs of the -- in the suburbs of kansas city. -- is facing a challenge from a first-time political candidate, who surprised a lot of democrats in the primary and is leading. it is one of the most affluent parts of the country. these are the types of demographic parts of the country

that has moved away from the president. davidshy is sharice having such a showing? guest: she is certainly energizing the base. she would be the first native american congresswoman from kansas. she raised $2.7 million in the last three months. that is the type of money that senators raise, not first-time house candidates. energy.e is a huge any democrat or anyone who looks at the kavanaugh hearings and gets upset on the left are showing up at the polls and doing a lot to organize. host: from the money she raises, is that coming from all in-state? guest: there is a lot of outside money coming in. that is to be excited, given this is a nationalized political environment. -- that is to be expected, given this is a nationalized political environment. that is an issue that kevin yoder is attacking her on.

he says he is raising money in-state, she is going to fundraisers in new york to get cash. host: let's show the folks watching what ads look like in kansas, particularly when it comes to this race. [video clip] >> congressman kevin yoder and democrat candidate sharice davids were scheduled to debate today. >> then, the democratic candidate pulled out. >> kevin yoder was there, but sharice davids was a no-show. >> he voted to do away with projections. >> with pre-existing conditions. >> meaning my breast cancer. >> meaning my heart condition. >> could cost thousands more for coverage. >> or would be denied from care. >> i am no longer voting for him. >> this voter -- >> is not for yoder. >> i'm sharice davids.

i approve this message. host: break these down. ad is a running theme from the congressman who is trying to portray himself as the underdog. when i was in kansas, he was at a local bar association of them that the democrat decided to skip. he is making the case that she is running like the front runner, trying to avoid voters. now they have put that message up on television, it remains to be seen if that will work. ad by david's drive some -- by davids drives home a point that a lot of democrats are talking about. health care. protections for people with pre-existing conditions. democrats believe the issue of health care and the republican

votes to appeal obamacare is a winning issue for them, not just in more democratic parts of the country but in hearts of the country there are more conservative. that is a driving theme of davids' campaign. host: when it comes to mr. yoder, how much support is he getting from national republicans and from the president? guest: the national republican congressional committee, which funds the most vulnerable in comments on the republican side, pulled out some of the money in kansas city. but there is another super pac which is also still there and is putting quite a bit of money. so yoder was trying to say he is fighting this race on his own, but in reality, there is still outside republican money going into kansas city. host: our guest is here to talk about the november elections. you can ask him thoughts about specific races and as came -- ask him overall about the election. (202) 748-8001 for republicans.

(202) 748-8000 for democrats. independents, (202) 748-8002. if you want to post thoughts on twitter, you can do so, @cspanwj . is there something to the yoder race that can be played out, especially with the other races you are seeing in the house? of thethis is emblematic challenge that republicans face holding the house. when you have a democrat who no one really knew about a year ago raising record amounts of money. you see the energy on the left that is at a peak in suburban districts. when you look at the battleground of house races, many of them are taking place in a flowing -- in affluent, suburban battlegrounds that republicans once held comfortably. the yoder district once voted for mitt romney by double digits , but voted for hillary clinton in 2016.

democrats are doing well with the romney-clinton voters. host: let's go to virginia. comstock versus jennifer wexton. guest: this is an even tougher district. norther is a veteran virginia politician and has been able to hold the virginia suburbs. but this is an area not far from washington, d.c. where anti-trump sentiment is high. you also have government workers. so whenever the president attacks the government, the swamp, he is talking about comstock's district. the super pac is not spent a dime trying to help comstock out, that money being spent by the national republican congressional committee. host: why did she win in the first place? guest: there are a lot of swing

independent voters in this district. the assumption was hillary clinton was the favorite to win the presidency, so a lot of these swing voters wanted a check, a balance, with a republican member of congress. now, republicans control all branches of government, and the check would be jennifer wexton. host: talk about the president's role and influence he may have and the evidence that he is having an influence. guest: he is campaigning aggressively, but he is staying in the conservative rural elements of the country. he was in topeka, kansas saturday night for a rally. kevin yoder was not there. he did not want to have a trump shout out at that rally, because he knows trump is not popular in his district. but in the more small town, rural elements of the country, and the big senate battlegrounds

taking place in north dakota, missouri, indiana, montana, you will see a lot of the president. that is where the white house wants to position him. host: josh kraushaar is with us, covering these elections we are talking about as political editor for "national journal." the first call comes from california, democrats. stephanie, hello. caller: good morning. i believe the republican bump is a temporary result of the kavanaugh -- i believe the democrats will is aout like it presidential year. we do have to stand up and put a check on this president. there is a lot going on that we do not agree with. and there are republicans that want us to come out and win. i believe all of this hoopla about the republicans are close, this, that, and the other, i do

not believe they will maintain control of the house. and i do believe the senate will change as well. i think the electoral college put trump in, and as a result, we got kavanaugh. but i believe the democrats are going to step up to the plate, because we have no choice. we are calling on all democrats to come out as if it was a presidential year and put a check on this resident. host: thanks. the caller mentioned the senate. i think the senate for bing would be unlikely. north dakota, heidi heitkamp is the most vulnerable senator. in northats cannot win dakota, they would have to win either tennessee or texas. hold thecruz and then red state seats. there is a reason mcconnell sounds confident about his

chances. host: there is a story about heidi heitkamp in one of the papers, saying she knew she would have a difficult vote. on "60 minutes" last night. she gave a well reasoned reason for voting against kavanaugh. the problem is it does not play in her state. i think she took that vote knowing -- there were two public polls that came out before her vote on kavanaugh that showed her down by double digits. i think that vote was also a recognition that she is in trouble. vote to helptake a her party rather than try to survive. host: and the california dental .- the california 10th district denham ish harder -- a battle tested incumbent.

he tried to position himself more to the center. it will be a good bellwether. host: texas, republican line joining us. go ahead. , andr: in the election with the ballot in the senate, 25 seats are not held by republicans, currently. of thehe election cycles last 10 years, there has always been top from mitch mcconnell and the like that we only need a handful of seats to get over that line. where is the go big or go home mentality? i recognize there are voting trends and statistics and polls and voter turnout results to look at, but the reality is

this is a competition. what is the point of putting up a candidate if you're not going to support that candidate and really push to try to take a seat? host: thanks. guest: i am not sure which specific race the caller is talking about, but she is right map,the map, the 2018 regardless of the political environment, is about as a verbal to republicans as you can get. even if republicans pick up a is possible,which under a hillary clinton presidency, they could have gained eight or nine seats. republicans are playing offense, democrats are playing defense. with atays 51-49 republican majority, that is good for the democrats. it means they have a chance of taking back the senate in 2020. are in texas, the u.s. senate race between ted cruzand beto o'rourke, is

playing defense these days? host: he is playing a little offense, given the kavanaugh hearing. historic sumscing of money for a democrat in texas. he is running a very independent-minded campaign that is awfully competitive. has notas -- texas elected a democrat to statewide office since the mid-1990's. given that the basis that into come home for republicans, given that ted cruz has an issue to use, i think he is a solid favorite. host: here are some of the ads being played in connection to the texas senate race. [video clip] >> i am ted cruz, and i approached -- approve this message. >> beto o'rourke blasted police as the new jim crow. of shootingpolice

people based solely on the caller of -- on the color of their skin. >> you have a senate democratic candidate saying maybe you are a bad guy. >> there has been a war on police in several years. his rhetoric is insulting and dangerous. >> you may have seen some of these negative attack ads seeking to scare you about what we are trying to do for the state and our country in this critical moment. we can be defined by our fears or we can be known by our ambitions. i am confident that when we see each other not as democrats or republicans but as texans, americans, human beings, there is no stopping us. that is why i am running to represent you and everyone in the state of texas. host: two different kind of ads. guest: cruz is leaning on the cultural wars. raising the specter of nfl

players kneeling during the national anthem. it is telling, though, that on the defensive. when you have to cut an ad saying this is where i really stand, you are on the defensive. cruz is hitting 50% in the polls. i think you'll get great democratic turnout. he will do great in the suburbs, dallas, houston, san antonio. but in a state like texas and running as left as o'rourke is, your hitting a ceiling. o'rourke is running the campaign. i do not think he has a top pollster in his campaign. he is running an unconventional race that is proving to be successful in its own way, raising historic sums of money and exciting the democratic

base. but ultimately, he is playing defense. he is not attacking cruz. he is trying to show where he really stands on an issue that cruises attacking him on. -- cruz is attacking him on. host: here is catherine in gainesville, florida, independent line. caller: yes. i am astonished to be on, because i have been dialing for days. bernie in ther last election in the primary, and then i voted democrat. and i think that we have been suffering from the fact that, in this 2016 election, 24% of registered democrats voted. that is why we do not have a democrat, because if all of them voted, we would not have trump. and also, with gerrymandering over the -- all over the country

and democrats do not vote in the interim, so republicans have managed to redistrict so there is no way for anyone to win. they cannot even get rid of the republicans they do not like in some areas because they are so gerrymandered. host: thank you. guest: the energy is not something democrats have to worry about. we have enough off year elections, governors races, to look at. it is clear that in every election, from oklahoma to california, democrats are turning out like we have not seen in many years. turnout on the democratic side is not much in doubt. minorityaveat is in majority districts, those voters are not showing up, those democratic voters are not as energized as we might expect, especially given the antipathy towards the president from some

of those communities. , a district near the border, he is leading by double-digit against his democratic opponent. in miami, there is a close race, even though it is a very democratic district that voted for hillary clinton. we are seeing white-collar suburban voters are singing to the democrats, and that is having a big impact. but some of the more minority majority raises -- districts are remaining resistant. , he isarlos carbelo running against a woman. guest: she is in one of a historic wave of women running for congress, running predominantly on the democratic side. 50% to 60% of the nominees in

big battleground areas are on the democratic side. democrats are poised to win back the house because of this blue wave, but it will also be a pink wave. we will see a historic amount of women elected. host: on the republican line, colorado. caller: perfect segue to your last comment. let's suppose the democrats do wind the house and pelosi is speaker. comment on the amount of pressure that will be on her to have an impeachment proceeding against judge kavanaugh, which i do not think she will do, and how her refusal to do that is going to then split the democratic party wide open. if they do win, they are more than likely to win on this wave of the #metoo movement. i think there is a danger for the democrat party in them winning the house back.

i would like your comment on that. guest: first things first, if democrats win back the house, nancy pelosi is going to have a tough time winning the speakership. there are a couple dozen top democratic challengers that have committed to not supporting policy for speaker -- not supporting pelosi for speaker. she will have a math problem if that democratic edges narrow. democrats will not want to fight although some, liberal democrats have raised the specter of impeachment. they will have to unite the left and moderates that will win the close races and think about governing and legislating. host: let's go to maryland. this is where david is. democrat line. caller: i have a comment and question.

listening to the contrasting ads you are playing in the dish -- in the different districts, it is interesting the democrats talk about themselves and the republicans talk about the democrats. rarely do the republican ads have anything to do with republican candidates. in maryland, so close to west virginia, i wonder what you think of the joe manchin vote. it seems to me that he voted in an effort to appease the trap voters -- the trump voters. trump is telling his voters to vote for his opponent. it seems like he shot himself in the foot. guest: i disagree. i think joe manchin resecured his -- secured his reelection by voting for kavanaugh. there is no real liberal democratic race in west virginia

like in missouri where claire mccaskill is running for reelection. there are pockets of liberal base that need to be energized for these democrats to win reelection. the no votes from a casco and donnelly have political -- from mccaskill and donnelly have political motive. featuring senator mccaskill and josh holly, where does that stand? guest: very close. i interviewed josh hawley, who is probably one of the leading challengers. that race is that and it. -- is neck and neck. not for claire mccaskill, it is likely you will vote for one of her challengers as an independent. wley has a legal background.

he has been running ads on kavanaugh. a closehawley -- it is race. i think he has a slight advantage. host: and in indiana? guest: another very close race. these are the tossups when it comes to the senate. slight lead, but aun has a lot of money in the race. host: iowa is where our next call is from, republican. caller: good morning. i was calling to gauge your guest's opinion on the iowa races, especially the senate race between senator bloom and -- senator blum and abby finkenauer. guest: the upper midwest is a problem for republicans. iowa is a big example.

the governor's race is looking like it is leaning towards the democrats. things have gotten so bad in iowa that problem -- that rod blum is not getting any republican help for his race. ankenauer, the democrat, is clear favorite. and the third district race between david young and cindy axne, a freshfaced democratic challenger, that is a tossup. the momentum in the des moines area is going towards democrats. host: (202) 748-8001 for republicans. for democrats, (202) 748-8000. independents, (202) 748-8002. while we are on the subject of iowa, cory booker was there. he talked about the november elections and also hinted at his personal interests in future elections. [video clip] >> how long?

not long. until we elect a governor in the state who will stand up for women, stand up for planned parenthood, stand up for public education. how long? not long. until we elect people who represent all the people, not just the fortunate few. how long? not long. until we not only believe women but elect some great women to congress. how long? not long. until we flip the state house and the state senate. how long? >> not long. >> until we take back the house of representatives. how long? >> not long. >> until we answer the president's hates with our universal love. how long? >> not long. >> until november. host: expand on what he is saying. guest: we think he is running

for resident -- he got his start term in the kavanaugh hearings as one or two possible presidential candidates on the senate judiciary committee. that was a caffeinated speech. i think he was trying to rally the base and come up with a national message for iowa voters. democrats are at least -- democrats, at least, are hungry for change. booker is a little too hot. obama did so well in iowa. booker may be trying to build a similar coalition. host: there is a story in the "new jersey -- there is a story in the "new york times" about new jersey. guest: menendez, because of ethical issues, should be toasting. but ultimately, when you have a blue wave in a democratic state like new jersey, it is hard to

see how menendez does not win another term. the environment is so good. there are at least three house races in new jersey that democrats are likely to pick up. that is an environment that will help menendez win another term. host: democrat line, ohio. caller: i wondered if climate change will be a big issue in any of these races? guest: it is a question a lot of liberal activists want to care about, but it is not coming up in democratic campaigns, for the most part. if you look at the messaging on the airwaves, democrats are talking about health care. they are not talking about the environment, not talking about climate change. while that issue energizes base voters and younger democratic voters, you are not seeing it as a huge issue. host: one viewer on twitter says any politician that will

publicly support medicare for all will not be getting my vote. does that topic even come up anymore? guest: a lot of democrats are now embracing a more liberal vision of health care. medical or -- medicare for all is a safe catchphrase. raiseicans are trying to the specter of socialized medicine. that is the attack republican candidates are employing. but there was a study that showed half of all democratic ads in the country are focused on health care. health care was an issue that drove majority in -- drover publican majorities in the house in 2010 and 2014. to tables have turned medically. especially on the issue of protections for pre-existing conditions. host: josh kraushaar with us, political editor at "national journal." from minnesota, independent line. hello. caller: hi. i am 60 years old it in my

lifetime, every time i go to work for somebody and they pay me, i am expected to do what they want me to do. now we have congressmen and women and senators that are working for us, the people, who do not give a damn what we say or what we want. they vote so they can be reelected. how can they get away with this? guest: i would argue that a lot of members are simply voting based on the mood of their constituents. we live in a very polarized time, i very polarized environment. so if you're a republican, you're moving further right. if you are democrat, you're moving further left. i do not think it is because of money or campaign donations. i just think we live in a tribal times. host: from north carolina, democrats line. caller: hello. i am 87 years old.

i have traveled all over the world. i'm the widow of a veteran. the not like the way democrats have behaved themselves throughout everything. and i will be voting straight republican ticket. thank you so much. guest: there is some of this negative polarization that we have seen in the light of the fight.gh confirmation that voters think that even if they are not fans of trump, they dislike the democrats' behavior, the rush to condemn kavanaugh. i do not think it will have an impact. republicans generally will vote republican to -- and democrats will generally vote democrat. democrats worry that

went too far in the kavanaugh vote. host: let's go to the race in georgia. stacey abrams -- how is she doing? guest: stacey abrams -- a very close race against the secretary of state, brian kemp. what is making this fascinating is she is running on a campaign that focuses on rallying the base instead of appealing to swing voters. then you have brian kemp, who won the primary against the lieutenant governor because he got an endorsement from the president. now he is trying to run to the middle and appeal to the center. downis a race that will go to the wire. you may have a runoff in georgia. you need to get 50% of the wind -- of the vote to win. ce is possible that that ra may not be decided on election

day. host: how could senate elections change governors races? guest: in the midwest will getrly, democrats a lot of pickups. so scott walker in very serious trouble in his bid for another term. kim reynolds, the iowa race, democrats are optimistic about that. areichigan, democrats optimistic. minnesota looking to be a democratic hold. the midwest, a region where trump did so well -- picked up wisconsin, pennsylvania, michigan -- those states are reverting back to their democratic form. host: california, we will hear from joann. republican line. caller: i am so perplexed by my district, california 49th with darrell issa. i see lots of ads for the

democrat levin and nothing for the republican harkey. guest: i have some bad news. i think that race is moving the democrats' way. mike levin has l >> washington journal, we will leave this now and take you to a debate between area cantwell and her republican challenger susan hutchison. in're watching live coverage tacoma, washington on c-span.