senator ernst disagrees. she doesn't think we need greater background checks that will protect people from being the victims of gun violence. people need to know where we stand on these issues. the second amendment is like the others in the bill of rights. it is a balance between individual liberty and public good. that is why it starts out with, in order to have a well-regulated militia. she doesn't think we should have to go through a permit process to carry a concealed weapon. you should be able to take it into a bar or church. i think that is wrong. >> i am a mother of three daughters. anytime we hear of violence, it is a tragedy. i am a strong supporter of the second amendment. i think we need to enforce the gun control laws we have on the books right now. there is an underlying issue that goes along with much of the gun violence. that is of mental health. i am a huge supporter of finding ways to improve our mental health system. i have done that here in the state of iowa with mental health reform. which

jones it -- joni ernst is with us. hoping to win one of the most hotly contested races in the nation. >> i go to washington as a mom and a soldier. >> i will work with anybody who will help solve the tough albums we face. >> the campaign is getting national headlines. >> let's make them squeal. seat longwin a key held by a democrat. ernst taking on bruce braley. still too close to call. as the, head to head country watches. decision 2014. debate for i will up a senator owa's nextfor i was - senator. >> those of you watching are waiting to hear from candidates in the hottest, closest senate races in the u.s. history. one that experts say maky determine control of the senate. they are locked in a dead heat for the seat of tom harkin. the winner will be the first new senator and 30 years for iowa. from ourl be questions panel of journalists, each with decades of experience in iowa, in a format aimed at giving candidates the chance to answer in-depth. -- i am the moderator of this debate. a coin flip determined who got the

to my right is joni ernst. thanks for being with us. >> as you can see this debate is not like the others that you have watched. the candidates have previously taken part into more traditional debate. tonight we are throwing out tradition. >> no lecterns, no filtered questions, just plain talk and honest questions. >> now for some basic roles. there will be no opening statement. each candidate will have one minute to answer the question. their opponent will then begin than 45 seconds for a bottle. there will be a 92nd closing statement. out of respect to the candidates, the audience has been asked to hold their applause. join usnt to ask you to and participate by going to twitter. you can tweet us your observations and opinions and tell us if you think they are answering what they are asking. you can use the hashtag #io wadebate. we did have a coin toss to determine who would be asked the first question and braley you will have the first. let's start with your resume. you are 56 years old, has been a congress f

you ever met joni ernst? joni ernst is a republican state senator who is running for the u.s. senate in iowa. she's running against bruce braley. this is a high profile race because it's been tight as a tick for months. right now before election day joni ernst turns out to have a sharon angle problem. a piece of tape has emerged where joni ernst like sharon angle before her is threatening to turn to armed violence against the government if she doesn't get what she wants through the political process. this was first published by the huffington post. it shows joni ernst addressing the crowd at an nra event in 2012. >> i have a beautiful little smith & wesson, my millimeter and it goes with me virtually everywhere. i do believe in the right to carry. and i believe in the right to defend myself and my family, whether it's from an intruder or whether it's from a government should they decide that my rights are no longer important. i believe in my right to defend myself from the government with my beautiful little smith & wesson, 9 millimeter. this raises a specific question for thi

this question will be for joni ernst. one minute, please, to respond to this question from baby carlson. from the heart, how do you feel our country is doing? do you recognize the desperation and concern that the american people have? >> well, thank you, bobby. this is the season that i am running for united states senate, is that i do believe our country is going in the wrong direction. this is washington, d.c. waves, records of failure coming from this administration and followers like congressman braley versus our iowa values and the way we have conducted business in the past four years with my good supporter, we have implemented strong economic policy here in iowa, lowered taxes, reduced job-killing rules and regulations and a balanced budget. and we are putting more of our hard-working iowa wans back to work with new good-paying jobs. iowa has the fourth fastest growing personal income in the united states, while nationally the real wage has decreased over the past eight years that congressman braley has been there b

>> i'm joni ernst. grew up castrating hogs on an iowa farm. so when i get to washington, i'll know how to cut pork. my parents taught us to live within our means. it is time to force washington to do the same. >> braley is accusing ernst of hiding from the press. >> joni ernst canceled a meeting with the editorial board. [music] >> everybody said everyone is ready. everyone strapped in? can we do this? michael shure and david unite david united state shuster. it points do, doesn't it michael, how important this race is? >> what the republicans have seen, tony, they've seen georgia tightening. they've seen what is happening in kansas. where else can we pick something off that was an uphill battle but doable like iowa, that's why so much money and sur gates are going into that state. >> wasn't this supposed to be a pretty simple, clear-cut seat for the democrats? >> initially bruce bailey was considered one of the best senate candidates but he has made gaffe after gaffe everything from complaining not hav

to my right is joni ernst. thanks for being with us. >> as you can see this debate is not like the others that you have watched. the candidates have previously taken part into more traditional debate. tonight we are throwing out tradition. >> no lecterns, no filtered questions, just plain talk and honest questions. >> now for some basic roles. -- rules. there will be no opening statement. each candidate will have one minute to answer the question. their opponent will then begin than 45 seconds for a bottle. there will be a 92nd closing -- ninety second closing statement. out of respect to the candidates, the audience has been asked to hold their applause. >> we want to ask you to join us and participate by going to twitter. you can tweet us your observations and opinions and tell us if you think they are answering what they are asking. you can use the hashtag #iowadebate. we did have a coin toss to determine who would be asked the first question and braley you will have the first. let's start with your resume.

ernst? >> i do believe in political free speech, and this is the way that individuals are exercising their political free speech. that's a first amendment right. so whether we like it or whether we don't, and i don't, again, i'm being heavily outspent by outside interests in this race. i don't like it. but i do believe in standing up for our citizens' rights. and that is a right that they have. >> senator ernst, you know that you're not being heavily outspent by outside interests. and the big difference between us on this issue is that i'm willing to say to those outside interests, you have to come clean and take your ads down. that's the big difference between us in this case. these outside groups are lying about my record. they're doing it to distract from the real issues. i'm here standing up for everyone in this room who is sick and tired of these ads saying, i will work because the political free speech of secret donors is not more important than the political free speech of iowans. tha

it is the ad that introduced joni ernst to the republican senate candidate. >> i am joni ernst grade i drew . pigs on atrating farm. when i get to washington, i will know how to cut pork. >> it has generated a lot of

>> ernst is rung against democrat bruce b raley a four term congressman. campaign is picking up momentum in the polls now up six points in what was once a dead heat. >> we think it's about equity. >> reporter: raising the minimum wage is one of the defining issues of the campaign. he's for it, she's against. and who wins this race will go a long way to determining if minimum wage workers across the country receive a pay raise. the minimum wage here in iowa is $7.25. the same on the federal level. what would you say to those people in the stay of iowa and elsewhere, look that is what i make and it's not a living wage. >> what i would say is here in iowa we are growing good-paying jobs. that is real overarching issue is that we have to get our economy going. >> reporter: at the first senatsenatorial debate, pushinge wage well below the average. >> we're turning 4.4 billion to iowa taxpayers. >> reporter: but congressman grayley, her opponent, says io iowa's economy has left the working class behind. >> fighting for work class families. if 300,000 iowans woul

ernst up by only one point in the latest poll.g me now from johnson, iowa is someone who knows the hawkeye state's politics. news director of radio iowa. and senior politics writer dave catknees in washington. is this important? this is a second day in a row romney hits the trail with er t ernst. what is his appeal in iowa? >> the polling shows there's a bit of buyers remorse on the 2012 results in iowa. barack obama won iowa. he is not very popular here. if you look at public opinion surveys right now. so this is an appeal to the base of the party to get them energized and to get them to vote for ernst. >> and, dave, same poll they talk about early in shows ernst up by one against braley is showing romney up by one against hillary clinton. what is going on there? >> buyers remorse that kate just referenced there. mitt romney is one of the biggest stars on the 2014 campaign trail for republicans. he's going all over the country and he's banging out obama because in iowa obama is just down 39%. we're getting at that point in the el

but earlier today it was around two points for joni ernst. say she takes iowa, back to 52-48. i think last week you said -- >> i'm going here. >> 53-47, corey gardener. >> i said 52 or 53. north carolina, kay hagan still in the lead. >> colorado had a debate earlier today, mark udal and cory

i think ernst can win. voters appreciate who she is. >> i think some of those ideas are not as fringey as we think. the idea of carrying my gun, because i don't trust the government because they might try to take my gun. >> how would you use the gun? >> people are afraid, they don't think anybody's in charge. it makes sense to carry a gun. >> how would you use the gun? >> you'd shoot them. that's not as fringey an idea. there are people in america who think that's not unreasonable. >> so if you don't like the tax law, if you don't like obamacare, you pull your gun? >> how far do you take it? that's the question. >> pulling your gun because you don't like obamacare, that's crazy. but she's a much better candidate, when she said things that are on the fringe -- >> has she been sculpted by smart consultants? >> yes, absolutely. they figured out how to get her talking in a way that's approachable. that hog castration ad you were talking about before, got her on the map, helped her get through the primary and no

so ernst has the "trespassing chicken" vote sewn up. but the ultimate winner can only be decided via an old-fashioned folksy-off. >> i grew up in a working-class home in a small farm town. >> i grew up drinking well water on a southwest iowa farm. >> my dad ran a grain elevator. >> my father is a farmer, a very proud farmer. >> i got my first job in the third grade. >> i was the morning biscuit-maker at hardees in red oak. >> jon: all right. let me just tally this up. eight points for well water... grain elevator, very nice... ten points for child labor... carry the biscuit-making.... oh, my god, it's a tie! you have both achieved a "wilford brimley oatmeal" level of folksiness! one of you will take that down-home, just-folks, real-american-ness to washington to write the kind of common-sense, aw-shucks laws we need. or you would, if making laws was still what congress did. allow me to explain. all americans know how a bill become a law. >> i'♪ i'm just a bill ♪ only a bill ♪ and i'm sitting here on capitol hill ♪ in the wake of the 200

the latest poll has braley the democrat, and ernst tied at 46 for ernst and 44 for braley. but for republicans ahead now, given intensity and voter turn-out, they'll win. >> i think she will win. i also think in some sense because she was the underdog, she's seen as the challenger, versus him being the incumbent. that's why democrats have a lot of trouble coming up in arkansas, louisiana, north carolina. because even though those races might be close, the democrat is way below 50 in those seats. >> i look at this analytically. i know you don't want to end up like panetta and think the republicans are going to win, should be a loyalist. but i'm looking at one state that could throw everything out and that's new hampshire. if scott brown can waltz across the border and show up in that state and actually win a senate seat after losing one in a bordering state, it shows the wind was at this guy's back like you can't believe. the latest cbs poll from new hampshire shows jeanne shaheen with a seven-point lead, but it's been bouncing all over the place. i'm not sure of that becaus

every time you look up, you'll see joanie ernst and bruce brailly. they are hit by each other and parties. by outside money. the coke brothers have been in play. tom stier has been in play. a lot of mummy has been spent trying to get iowans to believe certain things about the candidate. not always totally correct much one of the crate things about our series is you'll see a different perspective on both individuals. >> ernst leading by 4% let's switch to north carolina. you are following that race. we have kay hagan. she is bat limbing the speaker. north carolina house. there it's a close race so far polls showing that they are about tied. republicans are going to dump a lot of money in there, very soon. the reality is money - it's a big deal in north carolina. democrats have outspent republicans in general. >> yes, well, there's a different dynamic in north carolina. because when thom tillis became speaker of the house, and republicans took over. they passed scoping changes in north carolina, that were very different from the more moderate imaging t

take a look at the real clear politics average, ernst is ahead almost a three-point lead for joni ernste polling average. braley is doing badly specifically with rural voters. only 15% support him compared with 58% for ernst. one poll responded. a self-identified democrat who grows vegetables for a living in rural iowa told the register, quote, i think he has an attitude about the voters and life in general which was indicated by what he said about chuck grassley. he thinks he knows better than us. that's a democrat talking. and the thing is, it's not like the republican candidate hasn't said her share of supercontroversial things. she's talked about the minimum wage, about supporting personhood, about impeaching the president. she said a lot of the things that democrats thought they needed republican candidates say to beat republican candidates. what the most recent polling is telling us that none of what she is saying or what she has said on those issues is breaking through because of what bruce braley said. because of this, this is giving her an opportunity to win this race. winner o

how does joni ernst in a competitive senate race make these kind of comments?who cleaned her up? somebody did something. >> that was two years ago. >> no, i meant, how did she go from -- [ all speak at once ] >> look, she was, she has moderated her image since she won the republican primary. >> how? >> two years ago she was running in a republican primary in iowa. i was covering it. these red states pull candidates like ernst far to the right and they have to move back center for the general. >> what did they do to change her? >> they had a squealing pig ad in the primary. her general election ad is straight to camera, her sittingra am-rod straight, talking in a moderate way to voters. >> how far out does this take her politically? they're for gun rights, sportsmen rights, general second amendments but they're not the people that live out in idaho and plan for the ultimate stand-off, you know. >> that's right. iowa's not the idaho panhandle, i agree with you, chris. and i think robert would agree with me, that yes, they're conservative out there, and yes, there

and joni ernst has taken a slight lead in this race.s in her farevor, some of which show up in your poll this morning. one is that barack obama's popularity is low in iowa. he is below 50%. secondly terry branstad republican governor in iowa is blowing the doors off right now. he is headed toward a very decisive victory if things continue as the trends have been. and also bruce braley and joni ernst are both still trying to introduce themselves to iowans. and joni ernst appears to have done a better job of that so far. she went through a very competitive primary, and iowans have gotten to know her. bruce braley despite being an eight-year congressman in iowa has -- is not as well known statewide as joni ernst. so those are some of the factors going in. we've got some things that democrats say will help pull them out in november. one is that they believe they're going to have a superior ground game at getting out the vote. secondly, they believe that they are going to be able to let voters know that joni ernst has switched from the very

the senate majority will be decided this year. >> rubio was an early supporter of ernst for senate.he bonus for him and others to come and meet iowa voters and local leaders is undeniable. >> this is the third time, i believe, you've been here to iowa since -- >> third or fourth. we've been here a few times. >> reporter: any republican even considering running for president has made a point of cropping up in the hawk eye state this election year. rick perry, rick santorum, chris christie, mike huckabee, bobby jindal, rand paul have all come to iowa multiple times in 2014 alone. paul had the good fortune of being chosen by the chamber of commerce, a powerful gop force to appear in their closing ad. >> if you're a freedom-loving, liberty-loving voter, i urge you to get out and vote for joany earnst this thursday. sometimes it can be testing when they asked him about not his own presidential prospect, but mitt romneyee. >> you'll have to ask him. >> i did. >> unlike eight years ago when barack obama denounced hillary clinton in iowa, she doesn't have much competition for now. >> one of

the poll found that ernst was now ahead by 6 points. a businessman when no political experience. >> the truth is both parties are more interested in political games than problem solving. both are failing kansas. >> that's why i am running for the united states senate as an independent. >> polls in kansas show voters now prefer orman and the margin is getting wider. joining us to talk about the implications of this anti-washington mood is michael schur. what do you make of this? >> there is so much to make of it he didn't give them immigration. he thinks he is giving them good news on the economy. it's not so simple. the white house should know it's not so simple, that if you take good jobs numbers and take good economy, if the people aren't feeling it in their pocket books -- people don't carry pocketbooks and in their wallets, it doesn't translate. i think it's a delicate balance. a lot of these senate can dazed are saying with friends like you, president obama, who needs enemies? and some of them stand to reason with that. however, th

there is excitement around ernst in the republican base.t equal on the braley side of things. >> speaking of excitement, there's a place where there's always political excitement. that's where you are now, wisconsin, scott walker running for governor for the first time. you talk about his opponent, who hillary clinton will campaign for today. give us a sense of the contest. >> well, you know, let me put it in a larger scenario here. there's been -- there's very much an anti-incumbent vibe. it's not just anti-washington. we've been emphasizing the anti-washington part of this anti-incumbent vibe a little bit and that maybe ends up hurting democrats more than republicans. in governors races, we're seeing the same anti-incumbent vibe. because there are more republican governors the ballot, they look more vun raubl. think of kansas and brownback. i'm here today with scott walker. what's interesting here is while there's republican enthusiasm in, say, some of these senate races, colorado and iowa, there's democratic enthusiasm in places like wis

punished. >> joni ernst. radical ideas wrong for iowa. >> expecting her to propel -- fulfill campaign promises. >> she was to shut down the department of education and abolish the eba. that is -- epa. that is why the extremist koch brothers want her in washington. >> joni ernst. to them too extreme for us. the league of conservation voters is responsible for this ad. >> i get very upset. >> are you ready to apologize? >> the individual had no call it education. >> i find it ironic that -- there is hardly anybody -- i get very upset. >> there is no towel service. >> a farmer from iowa who never went to law school. >> you don't have a masters or phd in health care policy. >> one of the most important places i go is to the house jim. -- gym. it have you published any articles in a peer-reviewed journal? are you ready to apologize? i get very upset. tonight, the iowa senate debate between was bravely and joni ernst. we will have that live tonight on c-span at 8:00 eastern. tomorrow night, a debate from isconsin w

iowa between bruce braley or jimmy ernst. there is a striking new ad up on the air which we will come back to later. the conventional wisdom is that the race is hers to lose. 0 democrats have had the stronger ground game for a while. they concede registration early vote. in this case, they have narrowed the gap. is going to start to have to perform stronger in the eastern part of the state where he is not doing as well now. if the ground game turns playing a pretty cautious game. out there as the warrior, i still give the edge but they have a history of a strong ground game. 0 democrats have been organized there and they have that ground game. i've made the point that you made many times, going to win by a mile. how is it that she would lose that race when they win by 15 or 12 points. >> the poll suggests likely voters are now more inclined towards a gop congressman there were a few months ago and more voters than before expecting that outcome. take a look at these numbers. who do you want to control congress? they asked the

toase send joni ernst washington. host: the iowa senate race and where things stand, also mitt romney and this continued from we are are -- drumbeat hearing, at least in the media, of a possible 2016 bid. side, shethe ernst has been a good candidate from the beginning. she is an outstanding candidate. she has hustled across the state. i think she is going to be a wonderful candidate and i suspect she is going to win in november. i read the article. he seems far less bullish about running for president. he reflects on it. like any candidate, he could have been there. my phoebe -- my feeling from reading this is that he probably enjoys the scrum of being helpful with candidates. he was always generous with his time as a candidate. chuck from charleston, virginia, on our line for democrats. caller: good morning. i wanted to ask the question of brian nienaber -- ask a question of brian nienaber. "a marriageeadline issue splits gop." it seems like republicans are split into three camps. they say there is a small but growin

i mean, iowa could be electingwac the first female to congress by voting for joni ernst. is she, is she connecting with female voters in iowa? >> guest: with some but definitely not as many as you would like to. she plays better with men and republicans in iowa than she does with women. but i know that the campaign has been trying to work on that. they have a force of women who promote her on a regular basis, including our lieutenant governor. the: you talked about outside money coming from democrats. where the outside money for republicans coming from? which group? caller: the karl rove money coming in. the koch brothers money coming in. those are the big ones. the national republicans. wiou be watcng week to go,hat >> host: so with one week to go, jennifer jacobs, what will you be watching for? >> guest: i will be watching to see if the democrats continue to play up the social issues. of course, we will be watching to see if there are any mistakes. i don't think that these candidates can just make it through. >> host: all right. jennifer jacobs. you can follow reporting

the republican is still ahead, joni ernst, by one point in the latest poll. there. mrs. obama was there on friday. couldn't get bruce braley's name correct but she was there campaigning. and bill clinton's going in, hillary's going in. also romney's going in because it's 2016 -- >> and he's actually there tonight -- or today. and we have some video of that as well. he was there actually campaigning for bruce braley. i'm sorry, campaigning for joni ernst. >> this is a bonus for the republicans. they originally didn't count this one as one they had to win. they had six other ones of embattled democrats. alaska, arkansas, louisiana, north carolina, west virginia, and south dakota. that they could win quite easily. they thought. but the field has changed. there are other seats opening up. >> colorado as well. >> right. here's the thing on the big picture with these two expert pollsters, doug and pat. have you ever seen a time when almost every incumbent, both republican and democrat, is so low? they're all under 50. >> let me try to offer a little perspective qui

ernst didn't have an easy republican primary.ere was mark jacobs who had a tremendous amount of money. she was able to easily best him and a crowded field and the irony is that bruce braley didn't have a primary. he was able to amass a tremendous amount of money but did it create an identity political identity for himself other than he was a democrat who had said some maybe impolitic thins about chuck grassly, the republican senator and farmers. that's the situation where the race is now. democrats still think it's a marginal race. they have the ground game. they can still be able to turn out their folks. but again that's hoping and they have yet to -- they're behind in the current poll. >> something else you noted in the first read. you said updated ad spending numbers in the ten hottest battle ground races show republicans outspending democrats in every state but one north carolina. >> and, you know, that does give you a sense of the republicans do have the ad spending advantage. it's important to note that's what you include t

iowa could be electing the first female to congress bby for journey ernst -- joni ernst.t's a connecting with female voters? >> some, but not as many as you would like to. in plays better with men iowa than women, but i know that the campaign has been trying to work on that. they definitely have a force of on a who promote her regular basis, including our lieutenant governor who is a republican. >> you talked about the outside money coming from democrats. from 's the outside money republicans coming from? >> there is some karl rove money coming in, the koch brothers money coming in. then the national republicans on the gop side. >> so with a week to go, what will you be watching for? >> i will be watching to see if the democrats can continue to play up the social issues. they believe that is what will get people off the couch. and, of course, we'll be watching to see if there are can mistakes or if they make it through and get to the end. >> jennifer jacobs. you can follow her reporting on their website. appreciate your time. >> you're welcome. next, a third debate to the

ernst is a affable person. she's a warm personality. they're trying to tear her apart on the issues. she's very conservative. they're not having as much success at this point. host: we have plenty of calls, lots more as for this segment. domingo is calling from springfield garden from new york. where is that? caller: queens, new york. host: go ahead, sir. you are on the air. caller: yes. hello? host: hello? caller: queens, new york. host: domingo, you are on the air. go ahead and say what you like to say. caller: ok. what i would like to say is everybody, one -- host: going to let you go, caller. clay is calling from biloxi, mississippi. go ahead, clay. caller: yes, probably since the supreme court decision allowing the contributions by corporations unlimited and just caller souring the democratic process. thank you. guest: there is a lot of money floating in right now and you're seeing some of these outside groups spending very heavily. one of the interesting things on the outside is they poured a ton of money on the house races. the o

is joan jip ernst to extreme. >> i do not support a federal minimum wage. >> joanie ernst doesn't think there should be a national minimum wage. >> reporter: why are you against the minimum wage being hiked under federal level. >> on a federal level it needs to be decided by the state. the cost of living is low compared to other states. what might be right in texas, california, and new york city, may not be right in iowa. they should make that decision. the u.s. chamber of commerce and a small group of business owners support raising the minimum wage to $10.10. mike draper is one of the, he owns a clothing store. >> we make more money when more people purchase more things. if more people have more money, more product is purchased. it's a simple formula. >> full-time workers at his store start at $12, above wages for retail workers at large chains, where many receive food storms, subsidised housing and other benefits. >> 30-40% of retail workers qualify for federal subsidies. when ever my tax money supports employees, that's when i think things should be changed. >> the restaurant associ

joni ernst is a great example. the hog castration ad, i didn't know about joni ernst except that she grew up on a farm castrating hogs. >> part of it is braley shot himself in the foot a couple of times. >> yep. >> i don't think most -- most iowans are pretty serious people. all things being equal, she doesn't win, but when you have a candidate that kind of appears a little better than everybody else and a candidate that castrates hogs, it's funny, too, because her implication, which she doesn't say, i'll go not just cut some pork, i'll go and castrate some of these guys. >> you're a very successful governor in vermont, but you're not from vermont, you grew up in new york, you came from a fairly educated, affluent family. >> right. >> vermont's a very different place. at some point you had to go talk to vermonters about who you were and be honest to yourself but also convince them that you're one of them. >> being a doctor helped a lot. i had a record in the legislature and as a lieutenant governor, that helped. ve

the republican is still ahead, joni ernst, by one point in the latest poll.oing in there. mrs. obama was there on friday. couldn't get bruce braley's name correct but she was there campaigning. and bill clinton's going in, hillary's going in. also romney's going in because it's 2016 -- >> and he's actually there tonight -- or today. and we have some video of that as well. he was there actually campaigning for bruce braley. i'm sorry, campaigning for joni ernst. >> this is a bonus for the republicans. they originally didn't count this one as one they had to win. they had six other ones of embattled democrats 37 alaska, arkansas, louisiana, north carolina, west virginia, and south dakota. that they could win quite easily. they thought. but the field has changed. there are other seats opening up. >> colorado as well. >> right. here's the thing on the big picture with these two expert pollsters, doug and pat. have you ever seen a time when almost every incumbent, both republican and democrat, is so low? they're all under 50. >> let me try to offer a little perspe