s and start enjoying rewards like these, and so much more in the xfinity app! and don't miss jurassic world:dominion in theaters june 10th. ♪♪ good day, everyone. welcome to a special edition of "andrea mitchell reports." we are live from philadelphia. all eyes here are on battleground pennsylvania in today's primaries. on the republican side, a major test of donald trump's endorsement power as candidates for senate and governor, even those he did not endorse, compete for who can appeal to the trump voters. the former president called into a rally for his candidate dr. oz. late surging candidate kathy barnett could pull off a major

upset fuelled by her support for the stop the steal movement and a big focus since the leaked draft decision on roe v. wade on the abortion issue. barnett is spotlighting her support for a total ban, no exception. her personal story about being a product of rape, born after her mother was rainraped at 11. she's being forced to defend images showing her marching on january 6 with proud boy members. they were leader indicted. she says she never entered the capitol. the pennsylvania senate primary say chance for democrats to add a senate seat to their slim majority, that 50/50 senate. the vice president deciding key votes. the leading democratic candidate fetterman is recovering from a stroke suffered on friday. he says he is fine. his wife has been campaigning for him. one of the candidates for senate

is state representative malcolm kenyatta. he will join me to discuss the focus from him on this open seat that democrats hope could give them a pick up in the senate. president biden is in buffalo. he is in buffalo, new york, paying respects to the victims, ten victims who died at that racist shooting targeting african americans over the weekend. new york senator chuck schumer is there with him. we will have the latest from buffalo coming up shortly this hour. we will hear from the president. first to the big pennsylvania primaries. joining me now is vaughan hillyard in langhorne, pennsylvania. dasha, first to you. you have been covering this. you spoke to kathy barnett today

and david mccormack yesterday. both not endorsed by trump. saying they embrace trump. he cut that ad showing him with donald trump praising him from the oval office desk. dasha? >> our team has been on the ground here for the last few weeks. right now, the only thing we are expecting is the unexpected. you mentioned there have been so many twists and turns in this race. perhaps the biggest is the surge of candidate kathy barnett. she was here this morning casting her ballot. we were here with her. barnett is a candidate who first rose to prominence on claims of election fraud, including in her own election back in 2020, she ran for congress here. i will say, she has recently taken a turn in her messaging on that. last night, she instead of talking about her loss because of alleged election fraud, which

we know to be false, she instead talked about the fact she lost by fewer points than trump. when she was here, we asked her whether voters she's asking to turn out for her, whether they can trust the process. >> make sure you are coming out and voting. don't allow anything to discourage you. every republican, you need to be at the polls. you need to make sure your voice is heard. i'm so excited. >> win or lose, will you back the republican nominee? >> i will. >> do you have any connection to the proud boys? >> thank you so much. >> mccormack made his way across pennsylvania, making his final case to voters. we caught up with him at one point. i asked him about some of the insults that the president has hurled his way in the last couple of days as he has been

pushing for his candidate dr. oz. he told me he is used to rough and tumble. he believes the former president knows he is the america first candidate and just quickly, we ran into dr. oz's in-laws here today. they are excited for their son-in-law. >> he has the trump endorsement. the question is whether barnett has a big surprise finish. dasha, thank you. former president trump's endorsement power is put to a test, his backing of dr. oz has divide the party. let's talk to vaughan hillyard about that. >> reporter: we 50 minutes north of you. these are the suburbs that we are going to be paying so heavily close attention to tonight. these are the areas where they were going head to head. kathy barnett is expected to do

well in the rural parts of the state. what inroads is she able to make in these suburbs? from the hours we spent at this location this morning, well-off conservative suburbs, we have been talking to a lot of oz voters. tonight, if oz pulls off a win, the reasoning we will be going back to is two things. number one, that trump endorsement. we have been talking to a great number of folks who said trump is the reason that they are backing him. i was talking to an oz voter here. the other information is the individuals who don't follow politics that much. they acknowledge that. where do they know oz from? from his television show. for nearly two decades, he was broadcast throughout these suburbs on tvs. they know and trust him because of those years. it's not political experience.

they trust his word. that's why they decided to vote for him. this is close tonight. it's the suburbs that we will pay attention to. >> vaughan hillyard, thank you so much. that would not have been possible before donald trump, before "apprentice." the same reality tv affect. that's what propelled his candidacy with no political experience and a checkered medical past with a lot of criticism of some of his television doctoring. sahil kapur, john fetterman, the 6'3", democratic candidate, campaigns in hoodies and gym shorts. laid up friday with a stroke. they didn't say anything until late saturday or sunday. his wife is campaigning for him. he hasn't been able to do any get out of vote himself. what's the impact of that?

>> reporter: that's right. the democratic side had been a relatively drama free affair, or so we thought until just two days ago on sunday when the frontrunner, john fetterman, announced he had a stroke. he said he is open i had way to a full recovery. he is off the campaign trail. he solidified a lead, according to every available public and private polls. he is in a strong position. as to how this might impact the case, we are not clear it will. his wife voted around 8:00 a.m. in the small town near pittsburgh, 20 minutes from why i am now, where fetterman was once the mayor. we talked to her. i asked her about him. he is doing well. she expects him to have a good night tonight and hit the campaign trail soon. she didn't say when. further on on his health, she said, they are just another american family dealing with a

health scare. >> like any other family, i have to get the kids to school and our family stays strong. we are not different than any other family. we are facing a health scare like so many other americans do. he is a good guy who cares about people and cares about issues. wants to listen to everyone, wants to connect with folks. people relate to that. he is a real person. >> reporter: she plans to host the election night party in pittsburgh nearby later this evening. john is not going to be there. she said we might hear remarks from him when the polls close. he is in a strong position to win the primary and face the republican nominee. he has let to lock it up. speaking to senior figures on the fetterman campaign, they have begun to map out their strategy for the general election. [ no audio ] >> thanks to sahil. we lost a little audio there at the end. thank you very much for your

reporting out west. with fetterman grounded, and he is an important candidate, person to person candidate, that's a part of the magic of his campaign. we have to see how him not being out there today. thanks to dasha and vaughan as well. joining me now is senior political editor mark murray and philadelphia reporter andrew sideman. thank you both. mark, let's talk about how important pennsylvania is. joe biden defeated donald trump because of the big margins that biden rolled up in the philly suburbs. includes republicans and independents who voted for him. how is the landscape changed now that the president's poll numbers nationally are so bad just a year and a few months later in this adopted home

state? he was born in scranton. >> the reason why we circles this on our calendar, because the reason that you are in pennsylvania is because of its importance as a presidential battleground state. even when you end up looking at the senate map, the candidate who ends up -- the party that ends up winning control of this might end up having a leg up in control of the united states senate. there's a reason why we are all talking about pennsylvania. i think our nbc news poll that came out over the weekend is really instructive, setting the mood music for the primaries that we are seeing in pennsylvania and elsewhere through the country. that is a public that's pretty frustrated and disappointed right now. 75% of americans think the country is in the wrong track. 16% think it's in the right direction. that kind of formula has produced the potential for a lot of instability and chaos that we are going to see in the races in pennsylvania and elsewhere.

for example, the rise of kathy barnett. also, a can't like john fetterman. when connor lamb seemed so out of central casting for a democratic candidate. we look at a primary challenge in oregon. i look at that sense of disappointment in americans, really disappointed with the direction of the country. >> andrew, it is true that connor lamb was a central casting candidate as far as what the democratic party would think they would want in the general election. he would appeal to republicans and moderates as well as traditional democrats. then you have fetterman coming. he is an elected official. he has that going against him. he is the lieutenant governor. he is so unlike any other

elected official, campaigning in a hoodie and shorts. >> absolutely. i think that a lot of pennsylvania democrats maybe at the outset underestimates how popular john fetterman was, how well-known he is. the lieutenant governor is not traditionally a very high profile position. he used it to great affect, promoting his brand, his family, his supporters know his wife, they know his kids, they know his dog's twitter account. he is a superstar in some democratic circles. i think that was really tough to overcome for someone like connor lamb who doesn't have a statewide profile. he won some high profile elections against trump-backed candidates, fetterman was the better known candidate and had an online fund-raising machine tough to catch up to. >> mark, you had interesting numbers in the national poll on sunday about abortion and how

that late breaking story, the leaked draft opinion of the supreme court, if that's the way they go, would mean overturning roe v. wade. how much would that energize voters here? i was talking to voters in the suburbs. people on both sides really cared about that issue. the candidates haven't been talking about it very much. they think it's going to energize the democrats more than those who have always voted on this issue. people i talk to, they brought it up themselves. >> our poll showed a couple of things when it comes to the issue of abortion. number one is that it really has energized a lot of democrats. the enthusiasm for democrats in the upcoming midterm elections has increased from our poll in march. democrats still trail republicans on overall enthusiasm. but they have made up ground. the other thing that our poll shows is that abortion has

really risen to the middle of the pack among the most important issues that people are looking at heading into november. still topping the list are issues like inflation and the economy. but in march in our poll, abortion was at the very bottom. now it's rising up to the middle of the pack. >> in terms of their interest in the issue, the focus on the issue and whether they think they will vote on the issue, the democratic women -- well, both sides republican and democratic women were talking about it. they brought it up as their most important issue. we will see how that plays out. mark, thank you. andrew, great to meet you. >> thank you very much. joining us now is democratic congresswoman madeleine dean of pennsylvania. good to see you. you ran against and defeated kathy barnett by 20 points for your seat two years ago. what is her appeal?

are you surprised she managed to take her stop the steal support for donald trump, even though he didn't endorse her, into something that has made her a surging republican candidate? >> i'm delighted to be with you and delighted you are in philadelphia and in my home district there in huntington valley. i ran against kathy barnett last time around. i defeated her by nearly 20 points. she went out on a tour to find the fraud. she was going to go door to door. i don't know what she thought she would find to find the fraud. she found none. that didn't stop her. her campaign continued. what's troubling to me is that when she ran, she was -- it seemed when she ran against me, she was more interested in promoting a book she had written. she didn't seem really focused on the issues. then pivoted to the big fraud and kept that going for a couple of years.

when she ran against me, she revealed herself and her values. islam islamaphobic, homophobic, the disinformation and autocracy. it's troubling to me to see that that somehow might have an appeal among the republican base. what i want to do is lift up the extraordinary contrast and the extraordinary three democrats who are running, lieutenant governor john fetterman, who served us so well. i pray for your speedy recovery, john. i know my brother bob is in touch with his wife. we hear good things about your health. speedy recovery. you are a fabulous choice for senate. my friend and colleague, connor lamb, who is a governing partner with me. i honor and admire him. best wishes to you. also state representative malcolm kenyatta. malcolm is a talent of passion

and aspiration for his community. the contrast could not be greater. we have two out of staters on the republican side. we have an election denier, sadly, sadly, homophobic, islamaphobic person on the other side. we have three incredibly qualified democrats. you know it's a closd primary. the most we will see is turnout. we will not see cross voting. i was talking to a constituent of mine over the weekend. i stopped at the post office to pick up my mail. a constituent said, you don't know me. i'm a moderate republican. keep doing what you are doing. there are moderate republicans out here who support you and many of the democratic values. those are the voters we have to find. we will find them in the general election. >> how important is the governor race? governor wolf has been vetoing

abortion issues. how important is it to not have one of the republicans, since they are against abortion rights and these are republican conservative state legislatures, so they keep putting up the bills? >> it could not be more important. thankfully, we have attorney general josh shapiro, a mentor and friend. i served in the pennsylvania house, served with the governor, governor wolf as he used his veto pen to veto crazy bills that would really destroy women's rights, reproductive justice. the responsibility and the opportunity for choice in our health care. it could not be more important, because we have a republican controlled house and senate right now. i hope that will change in the fall, frankly, with perhaps we will take a majority in the

house. josh shapiro is an extraordinary man of talent, of faith, of family, of service. he is willing to take on the tough fights. he will protect reproductive freedom and justice for women and girls, who are half of the population of the commonwealth of pennsylvania. i do wish him well as he recovers from covid. >> thank you very much, congresswoman. it's good to see you. good to be back in philadelphia. >> come back more. >> thank you. joining us is one of the democrats in the race to replace retiring republican senator pat toomey, statehouse representative malcolm kenyatta. you heard madeleine dean praising you. you are young, vigorous, a black candidate, running against a lot of odds here. what's your major message in this campaign? >> i think what people are

really looking for -- you know pennsylvania well. what people are looking for is is somebody who will stand up for working people and working families. i think over and over again, we have sent the same types of candidates with similar resumes down to the senate. it hasn't served us well. what we need in this moment is more than another candidate asking for your vote. we need somebody who understands people's lives, who is not talking about something i heard when i talk about the need to raise wages, talk about the crisis of inaffordability as it relates to drug prices, talking about what it means to working families when you see an increase in anything, particularly at the grocery store. if we will win this race, we need who can go anywhere and everywhere and speak with the type of urgency and authenticity about what's broken, what we're going to fight for and also be able to really take the fight to the republican party. >> how do you feel when political pundits say, well, malcolm kenyatta is not a

general election candidate in this state, that john fetterman is a better democrat to appeal to the red parts of pennsylvania? >> what i will say is, thank you for mentioning me. please keep saying my name. i will take all the press that i can get. what is the undercurrent is there has never been a candidate like me. i think that's the point. we haven't had somebody who people know is going to get to the senate and not be afraid of mitch mcconnell, who is going to take on kathy barnett or any of these out of state luna tilunat running on the republican side. they know in me they have somebody who represents the working class majority in pennsylvania. being working class is not about what you ware. it's about what you know. what i know is that right now, so many families are being squeezed. we don't have somebody right now who they can trust is going to be in d.c. fighting for them. that makes me the strongest candidate.

>> we will have to cut this off right now, because the president is speaking in buffalo. he is about 45 minutes early. right now, the first lady is about to introduce the president. let's listen to what dr. jill biden is saying. this, of course, is the president and first lady visiting buffalo in the aftermath of that horrendous racist shooting. >> majority leader schumer and senator gillibrand and congressman, thank you for taking my call. i said, i would like to maybe come up if it's okay. she said, this is a big scranton. come. come. you are doing a heck of a job. thank you for your heart as well as your head. mayor brown, you have been wonderful. thank you. i know this is a lot of -- when a presidential trip shows up, there's all kinds of

paraphernalia and people. i know it's not easy. i want to thank your law enforcement officers for not just what they did in this crisis but for accommodaing us and the officers, first responders and faith leaders here today. jill and i have come to stand with you. to the families, we have come to grieve with you. it's not the same, but we know a little bit what it's like to lose a piece of your soul, a son, daughter, husband, wife, mother, father. the feeling of having that, as i said to some of you when we talked privately, you feel like there's a black hole in your chest. you are being sucked into it. you are suffocating, unable to breathe. that's what it felt like to us. i'm sure some version of that feels that way to you. the anger, the pain, the depth of a loss that's so profound. we know it's hard to believe,

and you probably can't believe it, but i can tell you from our personal experience and many others who we met, the day is going to come -- it will come when your loved one brings a smile as you remember him or her, as you remember her, it's going to bring a smile to your lip before it brings a tear to your eye. it takes a while for that to happen. it takes a while. might take more than a season. our prayer for you is that time comes sooner or later. i promise, it will come. as a nation, i say to the families, we remember them. we were reading about them. we visited a memorial where the show for love for them and you have shown by the supermarket. brain cancer survivor, church goer, bingo player, went to buy

strawberries to make her favorite shortcake. daughter and sister, moved back home to help take care of her brother after his bone marrow transplant. she went to buy groceries for dinner. made everyone in the room laugh and smile when she walked in. 53, worked at a restaurant, went to buy his 3-year-old son a birthday cake. asking, where is daddy. 72, a writer and advocate who dressed up in costumes at schools and cut the grass in the park and helped with local elections. the glue of the family and the

community. 52, school bus aide. went to buy snacks for weekly movie night with the family. survived by his wife and three children and a stepdaughter. the center of their world. 67, father, church deacon, fed the homeless at the soup kitchen. gave rides to the grocery store to neighbors who needed help. putting food in the trunk of others when he took his final breath. retired buffalo police officer aaron salter. for three decades, three decades. loved electric cars. gave his life to save others on a saturday afternoon. had that man not been wearing

that vest that he purchased, bulletproof life, a lot of lives would have been saved. a beloved father and husband. geraldine talley, 62. known for her warm, gentle personality. mother and grandmother. ruth whitfield, 88, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother. sang in the church choir. a caretaker of her husband. bringing him clean clothes, cutting his hair, holding his hand every day she visited him in the nursing home. heart as big as her head. pearl young, mother, grandmother, missionary of god, public schoolteacher. ran a local food pantry. loved singing, dancing and her family. all three are injured, shot in

the neck, but fighting through it. jennifer warrington, christopher, both with injuries on a long road to recovery. individual lives and loves, that speaks to the bigger story who we are as americans. a great nation. because we are good people. jill and i bring you this message from deep in our nation's soul. in america, evil will not win. i promise you. hate will not prevail. white supremacy will not have the last word. evil did come to buffalo. it has come to too many places. manifest in gunmen who massacre innocent people in the name of hateful and perverse ideology.

it has taken so much. ten lives cut short in a grocery store. three other wounded by a hate-filled individual who had driven 200 miles from binghamton, in that range, to carry out a murderous, racist rampage that he would live stream to the world. it's domestic terrorism. violence inflicted in the service of hate. a thirst for power that defines one group of people being inferior to any other group. a hate that through the media and politics, the internet has radicalized angry, alienated,

lost individuals into falsely believing that they will be replaced. that's the word, replaced by the other. by people who don't look like them. and who are in a preverse ideology that they possession and being fed lesser beings. spread the lie for power. political gain. [ applause ] we have seen too many times the deadly and destructive violence this ideology has. we heard the chant. you will not replace us.

coming out of the woods in virginia and charlottesville carrying torches. accompanied by white supremacists and carrying nazi banners. i said, no. those who know me, i wasn't going to run for certain. i was going to be darned. i won't get going. we have seen the mass shootings in charleston, el paso, pittsburgh. last year in atlanta. this week in dallas, texas. now in buffalo. in buffalo, new york. white supremacy is a poison. it's a poison. [ applause ] it really is. running through our body

politic. it has been allowed to fester and grow in front of our eyes. no more. i mean, no more. we need to say as clearly and forcefully as we can that the ideology of white supremacy has no place in america. none. [ applause ] look, failure saying that is going to be complicity. silence is complicity. it's complicity. we cannot remain silent. our nation's strength has come from the idea -- this is going to sound corny but what's the idea of our nation? we are all children of god. life, liberty, universal goods, gifts of god. we didn't get it from the government. we got it because we exist.

we are called upon to defend them. the venom of the haters and their weapons of war, of violence and the words and deeds that stalk our streets, our schools. this violence cannot be the story of our time. we cannot allow that to happen. i'm not naive. i know tragedy will come again. it cannot be forever overcome. it cannot be fully understood either. there are certain things we can do. we can keep assault weapons off our streets. we have done it before. i did it when we passed the crime bill last time. violence went down. shootings went down. it can't prevent people from being radicalized to violence. we can address the exploitation of the internet.

it's a danger this hour. hate and fear are given too much oxygen by those who pretend to love america. who don't understand america. to confront the ideology of hate requires caring about all people. not making distinctions. in the scripture, seeing we are all part of the divine. that's the america i know and jill knows. most deserve the most -- look, we are the most multiracial, most dynamic nation in the history of the world. now is the time for the people of all races, from every background, to speak up as a

majority in america and reject white supremacy. these actions we have seen in these hate-filled attacks represent the views of a hate-filled minority. we can't allow them to distort america, the real america. we can't allow them to destroy the soul of the nation. as president of the united states, i travel the world all the time. other nations ask me, heads of state in other countries ask me, what's going on? what in god's name happened on january 6? what happened in buffalo, what happened -- they ask. we have to refuse to live in a country where black people going about a weekly grocery shopping can be gunned down by weapons of war deployed in a racist cause. we have to refuse to live in a country where fear and lies are

packaged for power and profit. we must enlist in this great cause of america. this is work that requires all of us, presidents, politicians, citizens, none of us can stay on the sidelines. we have to resolve that here in buffalo, that from the tragedy -- this tragedy will come hope and light and life. it has to. on our watch, the sacred cause of america will never bend. the america we love, the one wi love will endure. to the families from your pain, may we find purpose. to live life worthy of the loved ones you lost. from a hymn sung at my church, may he raise you up on eagle's

wings. make you to shine light the sun and hold you in the palm of his hand. that's my wish for us. we can do this if we resolve to do it. if we take on the haters. those who don't even care. it's just about profit and politics. may the soul of the fallen rest in peace and rise in glory. may god guide the united states of america now and always. to the families, my grandpop used to say when i walked out of his home in scranton, spread the faith. my grandma would, yell -- he would say, keep the faith. my grandma said, no, keep the faith. we are thinking of you. hold on to each other. stick together. you will get through this. we will make buffalo and the

united states a better place to live than it is today. [ applause ] >> we heard from an emotional, passionate joe biden. the president of the united states, first lady is there, they met with the families of the ten victims, first responders as well and community leaders in the wake of saturday's mass murder of ten people in a grocery store, just out shopping on a saturday afternoon in buffalo. we are in buffalo. emily, the president was passionate about this. some would say that they have not done enough in the white house on the gun legislation that he promised. he is going back to the roots of his campaign origins which were charlottesville, white supremacy, speaking of this as domestic terrorism and saying it's a poison. >> reporter: that's right.

a poignant speech who was speaking at a community center in response to this horrific attack at the supermarket tops. i'm standing in front of it. killed ten people, injured another three. he called this dmestic terrorism. he started his day outside of the supermarket. they walked over to the memorial. you could feel a hush fall over the crowd. they placed a bouquet of flowers. this hate-fuelled attack. before then, we were told they met in a private meeting with the victims' families. he offered condolences and his empathy. when he spoke before a crowd at that community center, by the way outside tons of people surrounding eager to get in, hear from the president. he offered empathy. says he understands the depth of a profound loss in a remarkable way. he if a sized how evil, hate

will not prevail. called for change. he spoke of a need to address assault weapons, assault rifles. address the hate and dangerous rhetoric going on. particularly, poignant moment, he went through all of the names of the victims, sharing what happened to them to memories, one that security guard a hero who so bravely stood up to the shooter as he entered the store and lost his life doing so. another person trying to help someone load groceries into the car, community activists who ran food banks and, of course, the father who was trying to bring home a birthday cake for his son. president biden speaking, offering his love and condolences and a message of hope, this is a time where the country and the nation needs to stand together to stand up against white supremacy and hate. at such a vulnerable time, andrea. >> what more do we know about

the investigation? we know the gun was purchased legally. it was a 16th birthday gift from his father. the magazines, all that ammo, that was illegal and must have been bought across state lines. >> reporter: i'm losing you there. a lot of things coming out. new details with each day of the investigation. one of the things we have been talking about throughout the week is that the suspect had we're told by authorities, had been on site canvassing the area before the attack. police confirming he also was in the area back in march. that is also confirmed by several different -- a series of chat messages that appear to be from the suspect. the fbi confirms they are investigating that really show that this appears to be the suspect going into detail about back in march, mapping out the store, scoping out other

potential areas to unleash his later attack. i spoke with several employees who recall actually seeing him in the supermarket tops back in march. a number -- one of the things that investigators are looking into in this attack -- the other thing about several of the guns recovered on here, one of them, we are learning, was a gift from the suspect's father. >> indeed. emily, thank you very much, in buffalo, new york. an emotional day after the terrible tragedy. coming up, back to politics on this primary election day in pennsylvania, north carolina and several other states, kentucky, oregon, the trump factor. despite scandalous stories and more than a few run-ins with the law, freshman congressman cawthorn is defending his seat with the bagging of former president trump. will that make a difference? you are watching a special edition of "andrea mitchell

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welcome back to a special edition of "andrea mitchell reports." we are live in philadelphia. voters are heading to the polls in north carolina today. a controversial congressman, cawthorn, is fighting for a second term. the 26-year-old has had run-ins with the law, including speeds and attempting to take a gun through airport security. he appeared in sexually suggestive videos and photos and has accused unnamed colleagues, senior lawmakers of his party, of drug use. he has been endorsed by donald trump. will that make a difference? trump said to his supporters, give madison a second chance. antonia hylton is at one of the

busiest precincts. >> reporter: president trump's support for congressman cawthorn is his saving grace. he has beenmired in con electrosverre iz -- controversies. some of the voters here this morning, republicans who would typically support him, were on the fence. we had a conversation with one voter who was on the sidewalk, actively debating whether he could throw his support behind congressman cawthorn. he was looking at one of his challengers, state senator chuck edwards, because he was concerned that the 26-year-old was no longer fit to lead. take a listen to my conversation with him. >> i think he has potential. i think he has made some bad mistakes.

we're all human. we all make mistakes. he would do north carolina good, just not sure yet. >> reporter: we just checked in with him. that voter told us that he ultiy went with his gut and did vote for congressman cawthorn, but he also told me 50% of the republicans that he knows are right now on the fence. still today on voting day, primary day, trying to decide whether they can support the very young congressman. >> that's such an interest race. thank you for bringing that to us. back here in pennsylvania, we're taking a close look at one of the closest races, the closest political congressional races. they call it a tossup after the supreme court adopted a new congressional map making this district a lot more competitive for the democratic incumbent. joining us is congresswoman

susan wild. she represents pennsylvania's 7th district. you're a two-term incumbent. but now you're facing head winds now. it's more republican district. how concerned are you about the democrats being able to hold the seat in keeping the seat. >> good afternoon, thank you for having me. i'm feeling quite confident about holding on to the seat. the voters of pennsylvania know me well. they have they know what i have done for this district. they know what i have brought back to the district. they know i'm a voice of moderation in an often times crazy world. and they like that. the voters of pennsylvania don't tend to vote for extremes. they really want to know that somebody is going to go and put their head down and work hard and get things done for them. that's exactly what i have done. i think that will pay off in november. >> how big a problem is it for

you that president biden's approval rating is below 40% nationally? this is his adopted home state. he's always so popular in pennsylvania, but does that hurt fellow democrats? >> well, it's not a good thing. i hope that the president's approval ratings start to go up as people recognize the incredible good this administration has done. having said that, i have always run a very localized race. i intend to continue to. i don't think that people associate me as being completely aligned with either the administration or with the leaders of my own party. i have often spoken out about against things that have happened. in the party, in the administration, but i have spoken in favor of the many good things that have been done by the democratic party. passage of the american rescue plan was huge. i have broken that down and talked to people in my district about just how much it means.fr

deal, what that is going to mean to pennsylvania seven and how essential it is that we get that money flowing. the main thing that we are trying to do right now and that i have been trying to do ever since i got to congress is bring down everyday people's costs. i have been a leader in the fight to get the price of prescription drugs down. people this my district hear me talking about it all the time. they also know i'm fighting to bring down the cost of child care. and the president just announced yesterday a plan for more affordable housing in the form of grants. one of the things that people of pennsylvania seven know is that i have been really good at bringing grant money, federal money back to pa and i intend to get on that train very, very quickly. >> abortion, of course, is on a lot of peoples' minds because of the leak of the draft opinion on roe v. wade. what are you finding out in the field when you're talking to

people, talking to voters? let me tell you what i was told. talking to women in suburban philadelphia last week. >> i think it should be the number one issue for pennsylvania voters at the moment. >> if a country loses their value for life, then i think we're lost for good. >> it scares me that it's a bunch of old men that get to dictate what the majority of the people don't want. >> do i think abortion should be outlawed, absolutely. >> so congresswoman, you're in favor of abortion rights. what are you hearing as you campaign? >> what i'm hearing is that the message that i am delivering resinates with the voters, particularly independents in my district that it is not the place of the united states government to be any woman's doctors office. people in my area very firmly believe that their medical decisions should be made by

themselves. by themselves, perhaps with a faith loader, with their doctor and perhaps with their part they are. but the federal government has absolutely no role in that decision. and that is the message i am imparting. it seems to be resinating. people have differing views about abortion, per se, but the one thing that seems to be coming through crystal clear is that this is not a place for the government to meddle. >> congresswoman, i know the democrat, you have no real primary challenge, but it's the general election that's going to tell the tale. i know that people in pennsylvania are very concerned people in favor of abortion rights are concerned about holding on to the governor's mansion because the governor is term limited and all of the republican candidates are against abortion rights. >> well, josh is the best

candidate. >> i know that he's got a leg up on some of his opponents. we're out of time. that's if for us. thank you, good luck out there. and this has been a special edition of "andrea mitchell reports." we're live from philadelphia. my cloeg continues our live coverage from pennsylvania at 2:00 as voters continue to cast their ballots in one of the most closely watched election this is year. remember, follow the show online, on facebook and on twitter. chuck todd with "mtp daily" starts right after these messages. with "mtp daily" star rtsight after these star rtsight after these messagesh invested... in green energy. and also each other. digital tools so impressive, you just can't stop. what would you like the power to do? before i got aura, twenty-four of my online accounts were hacked! he uses the same password for everything. i didn't want to deal with it. but aura digital security

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and in it. mostly. here to meet those high standards is the walgreens health and wellness brand. over 2000 high quality products. rigorously tested by us. real world tested by you. and delivered to your door in as little as one hour. good afternoon, welcome to "mtp daily." i'm chuck todd. on what is the biggest election day yet in 2022. five states are holding proi marries today including the mega battleground state of pennsylvania, the most pivotal battleground of this year's midterm elections we're going to have a le