. >> i want to look at what matt bevin -- talk about why matt bevin isn't getting more traction against getting from ted cruz and others in washington. let's look at what matt bevin's problem is here. it could be matt bevin. >> i'm matt bevin, and i approve this message. >> mitch mcconnell betrayed conservatives to give obama a blank check. matt bevin opposes raising the national debt, period. the choice is clear. conservative republican matt bevin for u.s. senate. >> now, e.j., that's what went up as soon as ted cruz forced republicans to vote on the debt ceiling in a way that they didn't have to and forced mitch mcconnell to cast that vote. but i've got to say, if mitch mcconnell is known for anything in kentucky, it has to be opposition to everything president obama thinks about. >> right. but you know, with the republican base, the right-wing part of the republican base that bevin is trying to get, that kind of ad works very well. the notion that he'll never raise the debt ever, that means he won't be able to vote for any budget since we're going to be in deficit for a long time. it

at the same time, possibly take down matt bevin, possibly take down allison grime grimes. his number against bevin looks strong at this point. he holds a 55-29 lead. but two years ago, dick lug re had a 55-30 lead over richard murdoch. mcconnell understands the threat and he sees it's he's prepared to take it off. >> joseph, where did he stray from the majority of voters in kentucky? >> i think more than anything, it's just the level of fatigue that you get with a politician after they've represented you for 30 years. senator mcconnell was first elected to the senate in 1984. he had served a term and a half as a jefferson county judge executive, the top executive position in the largest county in kentucky for a term and a half before that. that's a long time. and you tend to make some enemies over time. and then on top of that, you have this tea party wave taking effect that just doesn't agree with some of the things he's done over the years. mcconnell has been a deal cutter. he's gone out and worked with the democrats on occasion. he's fought with them quite a bit on occas

matt bevin was caught taking a position that it was contrary to something he had said earlier. ften a matter of tone, right? so you have candidates like bevin. you have candidates like ted cruz and mike levy, the guys who run from the right, and they are not all that much more conservative than the people they claim to be rallying against. so i think i just really think that you're seeing that and bevin got caught doing it. >> he really did. andrea, you know, these people sometimes try to run to the right of members that will have like a 90% conservative index. when you have people running around saying jon cornyn is a liberal it's time to take off the tin hat and say how do the republicans win the senate in 2014. this is another example of that. >> we saw recently in virginia in a congressional race where the party pressured someone out of a race because they -- and supporting most party leaders supporting barbara comstock who is certainly a conservative, to try to differentiate yourself from truly conservative longstanding senators or members of congress or people trying to ru

mcconnell is running against matt bevin, trying to cease the tea party mantle in that state. vote probably won't be as much of a big issue as people say it is. if you're voting in a republican primary on the basis of a procedural debt ceiling vote you're probably for matt bevin anyway. mcconnell don't have the strongest standing, still winning the primary about 20, 25 points so in the driver's seat here, but has to protect his flank. the bigger challenge might be the general election against democrat allison grimes, who will have a lot of money behind her, wolf. >> coming up, assuming he gets the republican nomination. >> that's right. >> we'll see what happens. that's why we like covering politics. peter, thanks very much. >>> so are democrats big fans of bruce springsteen? would republicans rather listen to country music? pandora says it has figured out how your music choices reveal your politics and wants to turn that knowledge into profit. cnn correspondent laurie segall joining us from new york right now. let's talk a little bit about this. some folks will watch various

about matt bevin as a tea party challenger? >> not so far. not at least as far as i can see. see the anecdotal things that he has pockets of support throughout the state, but he has yet to capture a statewide, statewide mojo, i guess you could say. he is really struggling to gain traction in the poll, and unable to raise money. he has released two television a ads which are 15-second ads which will not belie a strong campaign. so he is struggling. we have obviously a lot of time before the may 20th primary, but at least right now sh, he does appear to be much of a threat. >> and is mcconnell's camp looking past the may primary and concerned about allison grimes? >> well, they are not looking past the may primary, but they are trying to fight a two-front war. and essentially what senator mcconnell is trying to do is to make it a proxy war for people like the senate conservative fund and the other tea party groups that have backed mike lee and ted cruz in the past. what senator mcconnell want ss a donnybrook and a big battle fought right here in kentucky between him and the gro

matt bevin is challenging him. >> the people of kentucky are fed up with you fighting to keep your jobhile people in kentucky are losing their jobs. >> there is a disease of dysfunction in washington, d.c., and after 30 years, senator mcconnell is at the center of it. >> reporter: for three decades mitch mcconnell has represented kentucky in washington, rising to become the senate's top republican leader, but now with his next election nine months away, a poll shows the democrat, grimes four points ahead. washington correspondent jim carroll says this virtual dead heat has the g.o.p. concerned and the democrats smelling blood. >> they seem him as the symbol of republican obstructionism in the senate. republicans want to reelect him because they feel they are this close to taking the u.s. senate. >> reporter: and he says millions of dollars are pouring in for mcconnell from outside of kentucky. grimes is getting her own bump. but republican campaign strategies say mcconnell has survived in politics by never taking an election for granted. >> it's a really long way off, and it hasn't eve

matt bevin tweeted "mcconnell caves to the left, invokes to break filibuster on the dt ceiling."ext, blank check to the president, #mitch'sblankcheck. this is score from this yesterday. the country won. no default. ted cruz 1, mitch mcconnell zero. joining me, "washington post" national political roster, robert costa. i thought this scene yesterday was incredible, robert. how much do you hate ted cruz if you are mitch mcconnell right now? >> i think senator mitch come s mcconnell is frustrated with cruz. they needed the democrats to extend the debt limit. as you pointed out, it became this political theater on the senate plofloor. he thinks cruz is pushing purely for concession from democrats, isn't thinking fully about the 2014 field and the expectations to try to get the senate majority for republicans. >> here's the thing i did find interesting. in the end, mcconnell walked the plank, himself, which makes me think actually he's pretty confident about that tea party challenger, he's going to beat the tea party challenger. polling indicates it's not a threat as of yet. is that y

>> i think matt bevin is a tea party challenger, a threat, not a major threat to mitch mcconnell. mcconnell is much more worried about alison grimes. someone could start to rise, ascend quickly if the senate conservatives fund picks up speed, if he gets small dollar donors coming his way. i think mcconnell's safe for now but nervous about episodes like this. >> yeah, this doesn't help him at all. meanwhile, this is just the senate. on the house, this statistic blew my mind. robert, you did fantastic reporting on the house version of this vote. the 28 members of the republican majority who voted if the bill on the side to raise the debt ceiling was the lowest percentage of majority on passage since the house began publishing electronic data on votes in 1991. has to rank by the lowest ever for a body to find by strict majority rule. amazing. >> it really is, chris. i sat down with devin nunes, from illinois, a republican. he said it wasn't a profile on courage. he said the scene in the republican cloakroom in the house, likely in the senate, was a lot of republicans privately were h

and courageous or is it going to hurt him in the gop primary in kentucky as you eluded to against matt bevinacking of the tea party? >> he does have the backing of the tea party and kentucky is a conservative state but mcconnell is an institution in that state and slb interesting to see what he and what we are calling the party establishment can hold off the insurgents like bevin. >> i want to switch gears to new jersey and governor chris christie. his popularity may be taking a hit in the bridge scandal but he has raised a whopping $6 million for the republican governors association. >> i think an old saying i don't care what you say about me, just talk about me. this is somebody who is very high profile right now. i think a bet among people who are in the, quote, moderate wing of the republican party that he might be their champion so they are not about to say no to him. >> they are holding on indeed. bob frankum, we thank you. >> thank you. >>> coming up, we will show you every car lover's worst nightmare next. ♪ ♪ where you think you're gonna go ♪ ♪ when your time's all gone? [ male anno

a taste of the debate from mcconnell, democrat allison lundergan grimes and tea party candidate matt bevin. >> so this fall you'll have a choice. you want to take my desk and move it over on the other side of the aisle with somebody who's going to make harry reid the majority leader of the senate. the play caller in the senate. or do we want a leader of the majority from kentucky? who believes in coal, believes in the kind of america that i think all of you and i think we ought to have. so elections make a difference. >> kentuckians don't view this race as toss-up. they're already to toss out their senior senator and someone who has failed to put them first and instead has been looking out -- the only job that he's focused on keeping is his own. and the people of kentucky are ready to finally have a voice and a champion instead of a chatter box in washington, d.c. >> he's a big government guy. he's a moderate at best. except for when he's running for re-election. gwen: so it seems we have -- the tea party, we have the mainstream republican challenginger, we have the main republican -- demo

it doesn't look like matt bevin is ready to defeat mcconnell. >> i think kentucky -- i think this race is less of a microcosm in terms of where the republicans are now compared to two years ago. i think it's more of a unique case where you have an unusually strong potential democratic challenger. you have mcnonkell, a high-profile leader, leader of the republican party in the senate and so on. but there are not as many races across the country that are likely to shape up as tea party challengers toppling old bulls of the republican party this time around. >> steve stockman in texas is -- >> we are paying a lot of attention to bevin. >> mcconnell's people are worried about bevin. they are not happy about this. >> they are foolish if they are not worried about it because if you look at the last couple of cycles, a guy has been way down and -- >> bennett, lugar. >> right. it looks as if -- and i've said it before -- that the tea party fever has broken here. so the dynamic is still there that somebody could rise up but the tea party doesn't seem to have the same power that they used to and

though, mcconnell, before he gets to alison grimes, he has to face down a tea party challenger, matt bevin. does that make is different than previous years? >> yes, you about i think he's positioned to come out of that primary okay and then draw the contrast against alison grimes in a general election. but i think mitch mcconnell's points are right. bill clinton hasn't really been that great of an asset for candidates in kentucky. 2008 and 2010, both of the candidates there in those cycles were beat handedly even though bill clinton and hillary clinton came in to campaign about them. again, this is going to be a question between the contrast of the two people on the ballot and that's alison grimes and ultimately mitch mcconnell. >> i actually think that is right. i think bill clinton is popular in kentucky. alison grimes is running ahead of mcconnell in polls and mcconnell, i've been surprised about this, that his approval rating, even among republicans is only around 60%. this guy is not the same popular politician that he has been in kentucky for the last 20 years. this is a different gu

he has a primary opponent, matt bevin, causing him heartache. he's in political quicksand. he can't move much. if you can't get close to 50% after that long as an incumbent, you're in very, very difficult trouble. >> well, you're a man of kentucky, of kentucky, for kentucky. all eyes have been on kentucky. it's been a busy day for you. appreciate you spending time with us, congressman. >> thanks very having me. >> absolutely. >>> coming up, the lawyer for the exxon ceo who didn't want the water tower that could be used for fracking in their neighborhood. they're speaking out. you've tried to forget your hepatitis c. it's slow moving, you tell yourself. i have time. after all there may be no symptoms for years. no wonder you try to push it to the back of your mind and forget it. but here's something you shouldn't forget. hepatitis c is a serious disease. if left untreated, it could lead to liver damage and potentially even liver cancer. if you are one of the millions of people with hepatitis c, you haven't been forgotten. there's never been a better time to rethink your hep

, but i think a lot of this is already baked in the cake for primary voters, and we seal see if matt bevinnger, can use that to his advantage or not. >> less about conservative versus really conservative and more about inside washington and outside washington. >> and i think back in kentucky, mitch mcconnell isn't in any worse off place than he was before this vote. i mean, he has had votes for raising the debt limit before that if conservatives back there who didn't like him wanted to use it against him they could. but, you know, i talked to one really smart reporter up on capitol hill who covers the senate and said, look, this was one of those cases where we skipped to the last chapter. we ultimately knew that this was going to have to happen on the senate side and it did, and i think mitch mcconnell will take a little bit of a hit on the early side, but he's still in a much stronger position because we'll have the debt ceiling showdown off the table. >> let me ask you a question about ted cruz. i'm reminded of that song in "the sound of music "," how do you solve a problem like maria."

it's steve king, it's michele bachmann, it's matt bevin.whole bunch of these character let's certainly stipulate that's not the majority of conservatives in america or republicans. the problem is that when they're trying to step away from that image the party has, the trouble that it has with women, the trouble that it has with minorities, the collection of these characters and the slowness to disassociate themselves from these characters is what the problem. >> you know, joe, both governor rick perry and senator cruz were asked if they would still campaign with nugent. take a listen to what they said. >> ted and i have been on the stage together. he is a proud and a strong defender of the constitution of the united states. we've all said things that we would like to reel back in. i suggest to you that this is probably one of those for him. and he does that, and i don't know. >> would you campaign with ted nugent? >> you know, i haven't yet, and i'm going to avoid engaging in hypotheticals. >> not strong denunciations, joe. >> no, not at al

that mcconnell does have a primary challenger from the right, a tea party-backed republican named matt bevinknow why rand paul was still endorsing mitch mcconnell. paul is still interested in running for president in 2016. if he can't convince glenn beck why he's supporting mitch mcconnell for re-election, how in the world is he going to convince the tea party conservatives he shares their values? perhaps that partly explains his recent repeated attacks on bill clinton. >> he took advantage of a girl that was 20 years old and an intern in his office. there is no excuse for that, and that is predatory behavior and it should be -- it should be something we shouldn't want to associate with people who would take advantage of a young girl in his office. >> with hillary clinton widely perceived as the 2016 presidential front-runner on the democratic side, rand paul's strategy seems to be in his words, "when it comes to the clintons, it's hard to separate one from the other." it's a strategy, although it might not be a very good one. >> rand paul is out there. he's banging on the clintons every day

he has a primary opponent, matt bevin, causing him heart acache. he's in political quicksand.move much. if you can't get close to 50% after that long as an incumbent, you're in very, very difficult trouble. >> well, you're a man of kentucky, of kentucky, for kentucky. all eyes have been on kentucky. it's been a busy day for you. appreciate you spending time with us, congressman. >> thanks very having me. >> absolutely. >>> coming up, the lawyer for the exxon ceo who didn't want the water tower that could be used for fracking in their neighborhood. they're speaking out. ed up. because tomorow we go live... it's a day full of promise. and often, that day arrives by train. big day today? even bigger one tomorrow. when csx trains move forward, so does the rest of the economy. csx. how tomorrow moves. she loves a lot of it's what you love about her. but your erectile dysfunction - that could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only

and he knows right now mcconnell is in, not only a real primary with matt bevin, but we see numbers heails behind a brand-new democratic challenger here in allison london-grimes who bill clinton was out campaigning for. what you're seeinging in that pause is the calculation of you know what, i messed with mcconnell a lot. this is not the week for me to pile on. and in that pause is the political grand standing that i think characterizes ted cruz. a guy who wants us to believe he's a true believer. i think those are great in both party, but he's proved to be a guy full of machinations. >> but in that moment he knows his crazy tea party audience that eats his pudding that somehow the fight to stop obamacare worked. they believe that. that he knows they're listening too. and he knew he had that line ready after the word leader. it's what's stencilled on his door. they get it. i'm not actually calling him a leader. this is the most minimal way i can -- >> it was almost like the quietest dog whistle you could ever hear. >> it was perfect. let's hear some of what he said about the leadership

however, matt bevin running against mitch mcconnell in kentucky, steve stockman running against johnnders, long shots. but cornyn and mcdonnell are both nervous that with the debt limit votes, this could get some traction. >> does john cornyn wear wool pants? i can't figure out the attack. it was just one of those things -- >> like maybe those pajamas that are nonflammable. >> it's basically weird things steve stockman tweets. you believe probably start a whole show if anybody cared about what steve stockman was tweeting. thank you. we'll be right back. we've got our valentine's day special data bank. first the white house soup of the day. it's the friday staple, raj uncajun g uncajun gumbo. we'll be right back. in good shape? yea. yea, of course. ♪ [ sportscaster talking on tv ] last-second field go-- yea, sure ya did. [ male announcer ] introducing at&t digital life. personalized home security and automation. get professionally monitored security for just $29.99 a month. with limited availability in select markets. ♪ and five simple whole grains, new multigrain cheerios dark chocol

already using the debt limit vote, this procedural vote, against him in his primary challenge by matt bevinll essentially wrote a check to president obama, a black check. so even if he says he's in the going to get involved in these primary fights, he is creating circumstances in which these groups can use against the incumbents. >> perry, i want to talk about this discharge position. let's talk about how that would work. obviously, the idea here is democrats are going to try to force a vote on the minimum wage. in essence, my assumption is, knowing they probably won't get the republican votes they need to even get the discharge petition, the point is it's about the fight over who's on your side. that's the rhetoric we've been hearing. and who's fighting for an increase in the minimum wage. we know that issue is already playing very well out in the states. >> exactly, karen. it's hard to see 17 republicans or 18 republicans signing on to this petition. that doesn't happen very often. that said, look at the polling on the minimum wage. "the washington post" had a poll a couple months ago tha

he has a primary opponent, matt bevin, causing him heartache. he's in political quicksand.t move much. if you can't get close to 50% after that long as an incumbent, you're in very, very difficult trouble. >> well, you're a man of kentucky, of kentucky, for kentucky. all eyes have been on kentucky. it's been a busy day for you. appreciate you spending time with us, congressman. >> thanks very having me. >> absolutely. >>> coming up, the lawyer for the exxon ceo who didn't want the water tower that could be used for fracking in their neighborhood. they're speaking out. [ car alarm chirps ] ♪ [ male announcer ] we don't just certify our pre-owned vehicles. we inspect, analyze, and recondition each one, until it's nothing short of a genuine certified pre-owned mercedes-benz for the next new owner. [ car alarm chirps ] hurry in to the mercedes-benz certified pre-owned sales event. visit today for exceptional offers. ♪ ♪ aflac, aflac, aflac! ♪ [ both sigh ] ♪ ugh! ♪ you told me he was good, dude. yeah he stinks at golf. but he was great at getting my claim paid fast. how fast? m

personally, i believe he has gone too astray. >> reporter: why did you switch to come to work for matt bevinvels are at historic levels and with support from rand paul mcconnell seems eager to take on bevin and the national conservative groups who are backing him. >> i've been a pretty solid conservative throughout my career. i don't think there is any particular reason for conservatives to be upset about my performance. >> reporter: allison grimes is the bigger threat. >> it's hot in here! i tell you, there must be some women about ready to make things happen! >> reporter: she is secretary of state and comes from a powerful political family. she is a pro labor democrat who wants to raise the minimum wage and she is energizing women who she says mitchell mcconnell has left behind. are you prepared for the scrutiny? do you feel like you're ready for it? >> for the past seven months we have endured $6 million worth of negative nasty attacks. if anything, i think it's shown this home-grown kentuckian is ready to go to battle. >> reporter: i'll ask you about president obama. would you want him t

matt bevin is his name and he has support from the tea party but the numbers don't show he is a threatteran to the senate. >> i think we are going to see a lot of bill clinton. >>> a rare illness is hitting the state and doctors are trying to figure out why people like this little girl is permanently paralyzed. okay, listen up! i'm re-workin' the menu. mayo? corn dogs? you are so outta here! aah! [ female announcer ] the complete balanced nutrition of great-tasting ensure. 24 vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and 9 grams of protein. [ bottle ] ensure®. nutrition inharge™. martha: another "snl" alum made his debut last night. seth myers took over jimmy fallon's old chair and his first guest, vice president joe biden who he asked the big question whether he will run in 2016. here is what happened? >> i was planning making a major announcement tonight, but i'm deciding tonight's your night. [laughter] i hope you will invite me back. s. >> absolutely. martha: leave it hanging out there. it was seth myers's night. amy foal poler was there. >> i miss john any. martha: no one will be john

before he gets a shot at the democrats, mcconnel must beat matt bevin in the primary.he far right has been a thorn in his side at home and in washington. >> we've had differences over tactics. all is well ends well. >> even though bevin and grimes may be troubled, they've been warned. mcconnel has reputation as a ruth less contender. louisville, kentucky. >> i guess i'll thank you again. erin mcpike from louisville. sorry about that. thanks so much. >>> opening bell on wall street about the ring. prices posing strongest gains since 2013. one analyst say the strongest part of the recovery is over. shares of the struggling company blackberry could get a bump as rumors swirl that it is in talks with ford to pow ter in-car entertainment system sync. >> you may be taken back considering how much blackberry has struggled lately. it's the last company you think ford turned to for him. it's doing just that. at the moment microsoft powers the sync system in ford cars. it lets drivers make hands free phone call, make texts, play music, mark dinner -- just kidding. >> sources say

she must defeat matt bevin in the primary.e shutting down the government for 15 days. >> all's well that ends well. >> reporter: even though bevin and grimes may be trouble, mcconnell has a reputation as a ruthless campaigner. polls show this race is very close. grimes father had a catering business, still does, and he catered some of clinton's inaugural events in 1993. as we know, loyalty is something very valuable to the clintons. >> we've heard about it and we're seeing it now. thanks very much. a race we must all watch very closely. >>> coming up on "new day," we'll give it the heading things must change, question mark? we're going to bring on ben ferguson to debate whether ted nugent is the bottom when it comes to political discourse. >>> and a blind man is allowed to own a gun, uses it, shoots somebody and gets off withstand your ground. is it time for that law to change. we'll debate. you decide. what does an apron have to do with car insurance? an apron is hard work. an apron is pride in what you do. an apron is not qu