i peeled back the kurt -- curtain on your race against todd aiken. it was known you decided to become involved by airing advertisements in the republican primary campaign to basically get the nominee that you did get, which is to say the one you have the best chance of beating in november. that part was known you had run advertising you never told the story how engaged you were with that campaign. tell us about that now and also your decision to just sort of be up front with people now about what you were doing. >> guest: this is a really good example of where i want women to be more comfortable with strategic decisions that are high risk. i think there's a tendency of -- at least my friends through the years that have been in situations where they had to take a big risk. there's a reluctance to go there, i think, sometimes with women. i don't want to rock the boat. i don't want to take that risk. this was pa situation where millions of dollars were being spent on me at that time. beating me up. driving mying negative up. they are all in millions bei

watching -- there's been some fear in the republican party that donald trump will become their todd aikenyou watch that, is that what you fear, are rooting for? >> a little bit. honestly, a little bit. i think he has some aiken-esque qualities to him in terms of his mouth. but there's a big difference. i will say this about todd aiken, he was a sincere man who held sincere beliefs. he had no filter but he was principled. i don't think that's true with donald trump. i think donald trump is bluster. i don't think the things he says are rooted in anything other than a demand for attention. >> claire mccaskill, the book is "plenty ladylike," you'll spend your august recess not recessing. >> when you read this book i'll figure out, i'm not running for president. >> those are my favorite memoirs. >> there's too much stuff in here. >> now you made me really want to read the book. thank you. >>> we'll be back with one more candidate who hopes his thursday night's debate will vault him. >>> can donald trump's candidacy survive? we'll go back to the panel one more time. when and why they think dona

i am a millennial, when todd aiken says the things he did on tv, in the last election cycle, it is very hard to combat. i hope young women see past it. again, carly fiorina is a very good weapon against that. >> i know you said we probably should not talk about reproductive issues -- >> we can, but i get offended, i'm a pro-life woman. there are a lot more things to talk about. >> what do you think about the planned parenthood and doctors, the compromising situation, maybe not necessarily illegal but in a gray area that does not look good for them when you see the graphic nature of it. she initially said she found it disturbing and now says she stands with planned parenthood. >> well, she is flip-flopping as the clintons always do. the videos are horrific, you can't think anything other than they are horrific. and maybe legal action should take >> so what do you think? is hillary clinton's campaign full of controversy? go to thefacebook/.comthekellyf. i'm shannon bream. this is "the kelly file". >>> right now on justice. >> drugs, no alcohol, no cigarettes. >> getting personal. and i si

i am a millennial, when todd aiken says the things he did on tv, in the last election cycle, it is verycombat. i hope young women see past it. again, carly fiorina is a very good weapon against that. >> i know you said we probably should not talk about reproductive issues -- >> we can, but i get offended, i'm a pro-life woman. there are a lot more things to talk about. >> what do you think about the planned parenthood and doctors, the compromising situation, maybe not necessarily illegal but in a gray area that does not look good for them when you see the graphic nature of it. she initially said she found it disturbing and now says she stands with planned parenthood. >> well, she is flip-flopping as the clintons always do. the videos are horrific, you can't think anything other than they are horrific. and maybe legal action should take place. >> megan, always good to see you. >> good to see you, too. >> we'll be right back on "the kelly file." where great gear, great prices and the great outdoors all meet up. have you ever thought, "i could never do that"? have you ever thought... you j

. >> they screwed up with todd aiken and now doing with 2.0?ople forget this, that planned parenthood not all that long ago was completely supported in a bipartisan fashion. now it is so hyperpartisan which is unfortunate. if you are outside of a given party stance, you're bucking that tide, in fact it should be a completely separate issue altogether. what we're seeing with trump and the others it's not helping the gop brand. >> the election is over a year away. the republicans will get their nome knee. i doubt it will be donald trump. likely to be more mainstream or pro-life. that's not a killer. as george bush was. >> even if it's not donald trump many can marco rubio says if a woman is raped she should be forced to keep the baby. forcing someone like hillary clinton -- good if that were the only issue yes. but elections are it's a patch work quilt of other issues. rising to the four different campaigns, different years have a different issue matrix. if this were the only issue i'd say yes. but there are other issues that people are concerned

conspiracy and the talking points, i am a millennial, i have a hard time talking to young women -- when todd aikentv and talks about such things as he did in the last election cycle, i think again carly fiorina is a really good other side. >> i know you said they probably shouldn't talk about reproductive issues in regards to hillary clinton. >> you can, but there are a lot of things to talk about. >> what do you think, the release of the very graphic videos? planned parenthood, and other issues, maybe not necessarily illegal but in a gray area that does not look good for them when you see the graphic nature of it. she initially said she was against it, now turned back and said she is planned parenthood. you don't think that is an issue ripe for discussion? >> well, she is flip-flopping as the clintons always do, the issues are a big issue for the candidates. >> all right, megan, always good to see you. >> always good to see you, too. >> we'll be right back on "the kelly file." take ♪ it's a calling. a love affair. a quest. the next horizon. everyone loves the chase. wi noticed benny right away. ,

. >> it's so clear in here the prep that you had for todd aiken.the worst guy you encountered in government. i have been trying to figure out how i refer to some of the story ms. this book. it is 10:00 p.m. there's need pads story in this book. can you tell it clean enough? >> sure. i went up to the speaker of the house. i was a brand new state legislator in my 20s, single and asked him if he could help me get my first bill out of committee and he said claire, did you bring your knee pads. he thought it was funny and i tried to pretend i thought it was funny and obviously i didn't think it was funny. i filed it away and it made me more determined to work around some of the obstacles i faced and try to have a sense of humor. i'm not sure i handled it right. i didn't confront. >> didn't confront him on it. >> maybe i should have but i was so anxious to succeed and be effective so i could work around them and hopefully get hired by my bosses for a birg job. as it turned out, that worked out. >> you have endorsed hillary clinton in this race. >> i have

. >> they scooped with the todd aiken legitimate rape and -- [speaking at the same time] >> are they doing the same thing now version 2.0. >> there are many examples, curiously, people forget this. planned parenthood not all that long ago was completely support ed in a bipartisan fashion now it has become so hyper partisan, which is unfortunate, because you feel that somehow if you are outside of the line of whatever given party stance is, you are bucking that tide and it should be a completely separate issue altogether. but what we are seeing with trump and the others, it's not helping the g.o.p. brand. >> the election is over a year ago. the general election. republicans will get their nominee. i doubt it will be donald trump. it will be someone a little more mainstream on these issues likely to be more pro-life probably. that's not a killer in inning ig winning a national elect. >> but you clearly have a problem here if it's not donald trump if it's marco rubio who it says a woman is raped she should be forced to keep the baby. wouldn't center right republican women prefer someone

your original question, when did he draw the red line if drew nit august of 2012, on the day after todd aiken, a missouri candidate for the u.s. senate, used a phrase, legitimate rape" claims that women's systems when they were being raped truly raped could not -- you could not get pregnant if your being being raped and it became this just electrifying moment in the campaign, and the obama campaign saw an opportunity, if they -- to put romney in a corner but to define the entire republican party as out of the mainstream on the issues of reproductive rights. so the white house was looking for a way that day to talk about it without looking like they -- so they had an impromptu press conference, come into the brady press briefing room and a generic statement on the economy, always something to report about the economy, and then takes the first question and it's on pat aiken. so, here we are three or four questions in, and i went -- the other foreign policy, it was sort of -- it felt -- you know these things when you're in press conferences. i would feel like it's -- i don't -- i'm not out there

you have a party that had senate candidate todd aiken in the last midterm election talking about so-called struggling to figure out a way to talk to minorities and to women. >> there was one woman on the stage last night. not the 9:00 but the earlier debate. carly fiorina. a lot of people sat up and reacted to her on stage. and she's also talked about being a woman and giving her a unique advantage in running against hillary clinton. what was your takeaway from carly fiorina last night? >> i thought she was the best of that lot but i think she's being a little overpraised today. she didn't have much competition on that stage. without donald trump there, she had an opportunity that others did not. how would she have played into that dine nam nick? and next time it may. >> that's what was interesting. she wasn't on the stage. not one of those candidates got into that and said you know i think that's inappropriate language. they have the excuse of the rules but rand paul managed to mix it up a little bit on other issues. i guarantee you, if carly fiorina had been on that stage, she might have