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Polls Open in New York as Voters Choose Next Mayor; Dick Cheney Dies at Age 84. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired November 04, 2025 - 06:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[06:00:20]

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: Election day in America, with polls now open on the East Coast. It's the first referendum on President Trump's second term. CNN THIS MORNING starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW CUOMO (I), NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL CANDIDATE: A vote for Curtis Sliwa is a vote for Mamdani.

ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D), NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL CANDIDATE: Andrew Cuomo is Donald Trump's puppet in this race.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: A fight to the bitter end. Today is a critical test for Democrats and the future of the party.

And the Mamdani divide. The question at the ballot box for Jewish people in New York.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The history of Passaic County has been blue historically, and -- and our county is getting worse.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: President Trump made gains with Latino voters a year ago. How parts of New Jersey could be a bellwether for his support.

And California looks to counteract President Trump. Will voters there say yes to redrawing congressional maps?

And Democrats look to retake the governor's mansion in Virginia. What could that say about the midterm battles ahead?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I chose government help, so my children and I can eat.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CORNISH: Food benefits cut in half and delayed. Could a bipartisan deal finally put an end to the costly government shutdown?

It's 6 a.m. here on the East Coast. It's a live look, an early look at Fairfax County, Virginia. Polls there just open. But of course, there's a big race there for the state's governor, where either way, the first woman could be elected to that office.

Good morning, everybody. It's Tuesday, November 4th, election day. Thank you so much for waking up with me. I'm Audie Cornish, and here's where we begin.

Voters are going to decide on a number of key races across the country. Moments ago, the polls officially opened in New York City, where the race for mayor is putting a generational divide in the Democratic Party on display.

Thirty-four-year-old Zohran Mamdani spent the closing days of the campaign appearing, frankly, everywhere. Nightclubs, subway stations.

The self-described Democratic socialist platform centers around making New York City affordable, and he's looking to defeat former Governor Andrew Cuomo after beating him for the Democratic nomination earlier this year.

Now, Cuomo says his opponent is making promises he cannot keep. We're going to soon see what voters decide.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm voting for Cuomo.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think he's just a proven, like, juggernaut in terms of he's a political animal. He gets things done. He's not the perfect candidate. But, you know, my goal isn't to find Jesus or anything to run for office.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who you voted for?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Zohran.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tell me why.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that he has a lot of good ideas. He seems like a genuinely good person, and I think he will fight for the city that he's trying to build.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, I'm not really going to vote for Curtis or -- and I'm not going to vote for a sexual predator.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: OK. Joining me now in the group chat, Margaret Talev, senior contributor at Axios; Chuck Rocha, a Democratic strategist and former senior advisor to the Bernie Sanders presidential campaigns; and Charlie Dent, former Republican congressman from Pennsylvania.

Good morning, guys. Thank you so much for being here.

The polls are finally open, and we're starting here because this is the race that has become kind of the most talked about this season, even though there are a lot of other critical races.

Margaret, can you talk about why that is? What makes this the thing that's become the proxy fight for Democrats nationwide?

MARGARET TALEV, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I mean, Zohran Mamdani does represent this wing of the Democratic Party that aligns more closely with AOC, with Bernie Sanders; that represents sort of a break in brand from the Biden era, which has left the Democratic Party in disarray.

And I think is such a stark contrast, you know, to the Trump administration but does sort of embrace the populism that has helped Trump.

So, in many ways, it seems like it's sort of a barometer for the future of the Democratic Party. Who's going to be the next presidential nominee?

And, you know, Audie, it's so interesting, because when you talk to Democratic consultants and analysts and elections analysts, they say that's not the most important race in the country. It's races like New Jersey and Virginia.

But when you talk to young Americans or people who are sort of on the edge of the political process, this is the race, because of social media, because of the future of the party, because of the fact that so many Americans are worried about the cost of goods and sort of these basic, like, affordability issues. This is the race that has captivated so many people's imagination.

[06:05:06]

CORNISH: Including the president, who has been weighing in a lot, going after Mamdani. But he finally actually weighed in last night, saying that New Yorkers must vote for Cuomo. I want you to hear Cuomo's response to this endorsement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: It's the inexperience. It's the lack of plans. It's the socialist philosophy that many New Yorkers feel is frightening.

So, that's why I think people are coming out. I think that's why the turnout is high. I wouldn't be surprised if it's a record turnout. They're talking about 2 million.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Now, the other thing he said is that basically, Trump was not endorsing him, but basically opposing Mamdani. Dent, I don't know -- Charlie, is that like semantics? Or what do you think it means for Trump to weigh in here?

CHARLIE DENT, FORMER REPUBLICAN PENNSYLVANIA CONGRESSMAN: Well, I can't imagine Governor Cuomo really wanted this endorsement.

I think Trump said it well. He said he preferred a bad Democrat over a communist. And again, but if I'm Cuomo, this -- this endorsement could be the kiss of death in New York, where Donald Trump is just not very popular.

So, I think Cuomo is right to say he's not endorsing me so much as he is opposing Mamdani. But the damage is done, and I think that Trump's endorsement is not helping Cuomo.

And look, this race is probably over anyway. We all know Mamdani is going to win, but Trump maybe helped seal the deal with that endorsement for Cuomo.

CORNISH: OK, Charlie, making the prediction. I never make predictions.

So, now I get to ask Chuck: for you, what are you seeing how this race is playing out, especially when you have people like Elon Musk and others just kind of throwing in these -- this commentary at the last minute?

CHUCK ROCHA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, I think everybody is trying to get in on election day. And there's nothing like for an old political consultant, election day in the morning. I'm excited about this morning.

We've done a bunch of work in New Jersey and in Virginia, not in New York.

And we need to stay focused on this New York thing. There's a lot of takeaways from New York, but it is not, again, the most important election.

Mamdani did a lot of wonderful things that Democrats should learn from. And other Democrats, no matter whether you endorse him, like him, love him or hate him, Republicans are always going to call Democrats socialist or communist, because that's just politics. They want to demonize the other party. I think that's part of a big problem that's going on here.

But when we move past this election to 2026, the elections will not be in New York City. They will not be in Chicago or Miami. They're going to be in the suburbs and in states where moderate and middle-of-the- road voters are.

There's three marginal seats in Virginia. There's three marginal seats in New Jersey coming up in 2026. That's why those elections probably mean way more today than the New Jersey -- I mean, the New York mayor's race.

CORNISH: All right, you guys stay with me. We're going to dig into some of these races with more specifics. I'm going to need your help.

And for those of you who want to watch election night with us, starting at 5 p.m. Eastern on CNN, you can watch it there. You can

also watch it, of course, on the CNN app.

Now, coming up on CNN THIS MORNING, red states have done it. Now California is trying to redraw their maps. But are the voters on board?

Plus, the strain on airports. sick calls leading to long delays. When does it become a safety issue?

And snapped in half. The Trump administration will pay out some Food Stamps. But will it be enough?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It feels like a slap in the face. Like really right now, especially with the holidays coming up, I feel like, you know, it's just pure cruelty. You know, like they're punishing us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:13:11]

CORNISH: It's almost 15 minutes past the hour. And here is your morning roundup.

Polls in California will open in just a few hours. Voters there will decide on a controversial redistricting plan proposed by Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As a Republican, I don't like that. And it would be the same. I mean, if I were a Democrat, I would want my district to represent me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want somewhere where we have a little bit more balance.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm very much against gerrymandering. And yet, what are we to do?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: The proposal comes in response to Texas and other red states and their efforts to redraw their congressional maps.

And he was ironically known as the hero of the resistance. The man who threw a sandwich at a Customs and Border Protection officer in D.C. And now some potential jurors who weren't selected to serve on his trial say they don't think he will be convicted. The sandwich thrower is charged with a misdemeanor assault. The

dismissed jurors telling CNN, "I don't know how a D.C. jury would convict."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONATHAN BAILEY, ACTOR (singing): Dancing through life, swaying and sweeping.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: It's the election we're all talking about: Sexiest Man Alive. Actor Jonathan Bailey winning the title from "People" magazine this year.

The "Wicked" -- "Wicked" star and "Bridgerton" heartthrob called it the honor of a lifetime.

Bailey is the first publicly out gay person to receive the award.

And after the break on CNN THIS MORNING, can they find common ground? Centrist lawmakers float a compromise to end government shutdown.

Plus, it's a New York City election. But could it impact the nation? What a Zohran Mamdani win could mean for the Democratic Party as a whole.

And voters are already out, casting their ballots in New York City.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:19:15]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: He doesn't support me. It's the opposition of Mamdani.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, does an endorsement help you? Or is it going to hurt you in this election?

CUOMO: He's not endorsing me. He's opposing Mamdani.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: The bitter battle between Zohran Mamdani and Andrew Cuomo goes beyond the city of New York. It's the first time we'll see how energized voters are after President Trump's victory at the polls last year.

So, will this election serve as a referendum for the president in the way of a Mamdani victory? He has emerged as a champion for the working class, focusing his entire plan on making New York more affordable.

Or will this all symbolize sticking to the status quo? Cuomo, a career politician, he's framing his opponent as being inexperienced. And now Cuomo has the support of the president. Whatever the outcome, it will be a crucial result for Democrats to

figure out how to move forward.

Joining us now, Eric Lach, a staff writer at "The New Yorker." Welcome, and thanks so much for being with us.

I want to start with how Democratic leaders mobilized against Mamdani. I think people are forgetting that his victory was a surprise in the Democratic primary.

ERIC LACH, STAFF WRITER, "THE NEW YORKER": Yes.

CORNISH: And all of a sudden, Democrats found themselves having to back someone who was not even officially in the party.

LACH: Yes, well, it was a range of reactions this summer. Former President Barack Obama gave Mamdani a call the day after the primary in June. Governor Kathy Hochul here in New York, you know, after sort of a chilly initial reception of Mamdani's victory, ultimately came around and a couple days ago was onstage at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens with Mamdani --

CORNISH: Yes.

LACH: -- sort of arm in arm.

And then -- and then you had, you know, much, much -- much, much chillier and more skeptical reactions from Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer. Jeffries endorsed the last minute here. And Schumer, you know, it hasn't gone that far.

So, it's been -- been sort of a range.

CORNISH: Eric, I think I have to stop you for a moment. We actually have some breaking news this morning.

ANNOUNCER: Breaking news.

CORNISH: OK. CNN has learned former Vice President Dick Cheney has passed away at the age of 84, his family confirming to CNN in a statement that he died due to complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease.

Quote, "Dick Cheney was a great and good man who taught his children and grandchildren to love our country and to live lives of courage, honor, love, kindness, and fly fishing. We're grateful beyond measure for all Dick Cheney did for our country, and we are blessed beyond measure to have loved and been loved by this noble giant of a man."

Here's CNN's Wolf Blitzer. He's going to look back at Cheney's legacy in politics.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Gradually, I realized that the person who was best qualified to be my vice- presidential nominee was working by my side.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): For most of his adult life, Richard Bruce Cheney was the ultimate Washington insider.

DICK CHENEY, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That I will well and faithfully discharge --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- the duties of the office on which I am about to enter.

CHENEY: -- the duties of the office on which I am about to enter.

BLITZER (voice-over): Named as George Bush's running mate in 2000, Dick Cheney quickly forged a public identity as a no-nonsense, disciplined gatekeeper. A powerful politician, to whom and through whom access and influence flowed.

But his appearance at the very highest levels of government was by no means his first time in the national spotlight.

He began his public service career in the Nixon administration, working in several White House jobs dealing with the economy.

After President Nixon resigned because of Watergate, Cheney worked for the new president, Gerald Ford, eventually becoming his chief of staff.

When that 29-month presidency ended, Cheney returned to the land he loved: to his home in Wyoming. But it was a very short stay.

Elected as the state's only member of the House of Representatives, Cheney returned to the Capitol and served for a decade in Congress.

He was in the Republican leadership hierarchy when the first President Bush chose him to be his secretary of defense.

CHENEY: Faithfully discharge the duties of the office.

BLITZER (voice-over): In charge of the Pentagon, Cheney was almost instantly engaged in two of the American military's largest and most complicated operations since the end of the Vietnam War.

First, he led the removal of Panama's Manuel Noriega from power, and then Operation Desert Storm, the American and allied response after the invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein.

CHENEY: We have, in effect, destroyed most of the Iraqi army. We have taken out most of the infrastructure. The lights are out in Baghdad.

BLITZER (voice-over): His experience and steadfastness were of critical importance, and those traits were not unnoticed.

Out of government for the first time in years during the Clinton administration, Cheney became head of the giant oil services company Halliburton. It was a job that kept him steeped in defense and foreign policy, and a role that later became a lightning rod for his critics. By the time his old boss's son secured the Republican presidential

nomination, Cheney's health was a major concern. Three mild heart attacks and a quadruple bypass before he was 50.

Doctors gave him a green light, but shortly after the 2000 election, he suffered another mild heart attack.

CHENEY: I've got a doctor that follows me around 24 hours a day. That comes with the job as a vice president.

BLITZER (voice-over): Cheney quickly became a became a target for Bush administration critics, especially for convening oil and energy industry representatives to a White House meeting and then declining to make public any contents of the sessions.

And later, after the terrorist attacks on 9/11, he became at times invisible to the public. Only a few people knew where he was for much of the time.

[06:25:06]

But behind the scenes, Cheney was a driving force behind some of the biggest controversies of the Bush administration, including the second war against Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

In 2007, I asked him about mistakes made and concerns among some Republicans that the war had damaged the Bush administration's credibility.

CHENEY: Wolf, I simply don't accept the premise of your question. I just think it's hogwash.

BLITZER (voice-over): Cheney's health problems returned after he left office, for a time, drastically altering his appearance.

Another heart attack in 2010 prompted doctors to implant a battery- operated device to help his heart pump blood. His health seemed to stabilize after a 2012 heart transplant at the age of 71.

Cheney largely disappeared from public life until emerging at the site of the January 6th insurrection, one year after it happened.

During a moment of silence on the House floor, Cheney accompanied his daughter, Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney, also a member of the Select Committee that investigated the attack. He was warmly greeted by the House speaker, Democrat Nancy Pelosi.

CHENEY: In our nation's 246-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump.

BLITZER (voice-over): Later that year, Cheney tried to help his daughter's struggling primary campaign after she came under fire from former President Trump and his devoted supporters over her work on the January 6th committee.

CHENEY: He's a coward. A real man wouldn't lie to his supporters. BLITZER (voice-over): When Trump ran for president again in 2024

against Vice President Kamala Harris, Cheney joined his daughter in endorsing the Democratic nominee.

LIZ CHENEY, FORMER WYOMING REPRESENTATIVE: Dick Cheney will be voting for Kamala Harris.

BLITZER (voice-over): American politicians have no shortage of critics, and Dick Cheney was no exception. But there were just as many, perhaps more, who saw him as a resolute, disciplined loyalist who wound up becoming one of the most influential and powerful vice presidents in American history.

D. CHENEY: The most important thing that -- that any vice president needs to know is to understand what it is the president he works for wants him to do.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CORNISH: OK, again, our reporting here that Dick Cheney had died -- has died at the age of 84.

And I want to talk with Republican Charlie Dent, who is here in our group, about what his legacy was, because he, of course, was a congressman. I think, served upwards of five times for Wyoming.

But he also served in administrations as chief of staff and, of course, vice president. What do you think of in terms of the kind of Republican he was? What lane was he in, so to speak?

DENT: Yes. Well, first I knew Dick Cheney. He was a -- he was a very good man. Let's be -- let's be very honest about that. He was a -- and he was a formidable political figure.

You know, his time as a congressman, I believe he was whip for the Republicans.

CORNISH: Yes.

DENT: He was a chief of staff to Gerald Ford. He was a defense secretary. He ran Halliburton. And of course, vice president of United States.

He was the ultimate, in many ways, inside operator. He knew how to pull the levers of government. He was very effective.

Yes, he had many critics, of course, but nobody should ever underestimate -- ever underestimate him and his capabilities.

And I have some interesting stories with him. I mean, in 2004 when I first ran for Congress, you know, he came in and did a fundraiser for me. And of course, he was dealing with some heart issues even then.

And I'll never forget a friend of mine, a physician, wanted to attend the fundraiser but couldn't attend. And I explained to Dick Cheney, I said, would you please sign this photograph of yourself? My friend wanted to come, but the Secret Service told him he couldn't come to the fundraiser.

And he said, well, why?

I said, well, he's supposed to be at the hospital. He's a cardiothoracic thoracic surgeon. In the event something were to happen to you, he's on standby.

And it just made Dick Cheney laugh. And, you know, he said, "Those guys," referring to the Secret Service. But that was just a story, an anecdote.

And I also remember talking with him as I was a freshman in Congress at the certification of his second reelection, along with President George W. Bush. And there was some controversy then, as you may recall.

There were some Democrats who were objecting to the certification of the Ohio election results. And I remember having a conversation with him, back of the House floor.

But -- but he was a -- but in many ways, he was -- he was very -- I thought he was very approachable.

CORNISH: Yes.

DENT: You know, he was very capable. And -- and again, you know, and so formidable. I mean, he just was a guy that you -- you had to take seriously and could pull the levers and make things happen. And that's why people had so much respect for him.

CORNISH: It's funny hearing you talk about him in this very personable way, because I think over time, his reputation in the public eye became one that was sort of punctuated by these moments of coarseness. Maybe cursing out another lawmaker on the Senate floor. I think it was the late Senator Leahy.

Also of course, his shooting that happened with a friend of his on a trip.

How do you kind of square those two images, what people know versus kind of what you knew as a freshman who was coming up.

[06:30:00]