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Erin Burnett Outfront

Countdown With Election; Turning Texas Blue?; Deadly Roller Coaster Accident. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired October 13, 2026 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:25]

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:

The breaking news, countdown to Election Day. With just three weeks until America votes, Trump traveling 3,400 miles to Alaska to try and protect what was a Republican stronghold, as the White House also scrambles to defend Trump's new press secretary.

Plus, turning Texas blue? Democrats are growing more optimistic that James Talarico can pick up a Senate seat, but what are voters on the ground saying? A special report.

And a demand for answers after a man died while riding a Six Flags roller coaster. How did he actually fall off that ride?

Let's go OUTFRONT.

(MUSIC)

BURNETT: And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett, and welcome to this special edition of OUTFRONT: Countdown to Election Night.

We are just three weeks away, and the stakes could not be higher. Tonight, Trump making an urgent cross-country trip to Alaska, traveling 3,400 miles to try and rescue a Republican senator who is on thin ice with voters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm right now going to Alaska to try and help Dan Sullivan. That's a long way away, and I would only do it if I thought he was good, and he is very good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Well, he may be good in Trump's eyes, but his campaign is in a tough spot, which is why Trump is actually going 3,400 miles to go campaign for him. I mean, a recent "New York Times" poll found Democrat Mary Peltola leading in what, frankly, is a Republican stronghold, 50 to 43 percent was that poll.

Now, six years ago, Sullivan won by 13 points. So that's obviously a massive swing if those polls are accurate. Now, Republicans are at risk of losing that crucial seat, and they're worried about it. The party spending $1 million to put out this ad today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AD NARRATOR: Mary Peltola has forgotten our Yupik values.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Whether that sort of message resonates with voters is unclear, but up until now, Republicans have been struggling to come up with an effective sales pitch. And obviously, they have not been getting any help from the White House, where, you know, Trump has said affordability is a hoax, and now several Trump advisors are calling Trump's new press secretary's first press briefing, quote, "brutal".

There was a lot in that press conference. It wasn't a long one, but there was a lot to talk about, a few moments like these where Trump talked about -- she talked about Trump's crowd sizes, for example.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATIE ZACHARIA, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Attendance is at record highs as enthusiastic, hardworking Americans are lining up and packing arenas to support President Trump and Republicans. It's not hard to see why. He had a historic one-day war, and now we have a booming economy and a great relationship with Venezuela, something President Trump is delivering on, just like he delivers on every promise. In addition to that, we will be -- we will be -- there is $54 billion tied to the Alaska LNG pipeline.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: All right, Trump needs an effective communicator. There's just 21 days before the election, obviously, and Katie Zacharia's focus on Trump's crowd sizes -- well, I mean, if you could just take that, that obviously does not add up, and it's just an odd thing to be bringing up and emphasizing at this moment.

And anyway, at Trump's rally last night in Ohio, large areas of the venue were empty, as you can see, and that includes areas that offered prime views of the president. Maybe why Republican groups are also pumping money into the Maine Senate race, where Susan Collins is fighting to save her seat. Only in this case, they accidentally aired those ads in Portland, Oregon, not Portland, Maine.

Well, while Republicans are pouring money into races they once thought were safe, they're also pulling money out of other races that they actually think they may have already lost. For example, in New Jersey, Republican groups just scrapped all the advertising for Congressman Thomas Kean Jr. Now, you'll remember he disappeared from Congress for months with no explanation from his office.

They're also cutting their losses in Iowa, pulling money from Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meek's reelection campaign, and that comes just weeks after she voted to end Trump's war in Iran, right? So, she had actually on him on the war. All of this notable, and it's a sign that Republicans are worried

about what's happening in November, separate from whatever public polling may be. Republicans, whatever internal numbers they have, are worrisome to them. And that comes in spite of Elon Musk has poured it in a quarter trillion dollars, $276 million. quarter trillion -- billion dollars, it's incredible, into the midterms to try and save the Republican majority.

[19:05:09]

But money, of course, cannot buy everything, which is why the White House is canvassing traditionally red states.

Kristen Holmes is with the president in one of them in Wasilla, Alaska.

Long, long trip, Kristen, as you just experienced yourself, to go to campaign for a seat that ordinarily he wouldn't have had to spend any time on. So, what is the latest that you're learning there?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're hearing on the ground is that people are excited for President Trump, which is exactly the point of why they brought him here. We are now 21 days to that midterm election and Republicans are seeing the same numbers that everybody else is, which is a lack of enthusiasm from Republican voters.

So, there is a hope if you put President Trump, even though his approval numbers are low in the past, he has been able to actually push out those conservative voters, bring them to the polls, but that is when his name has been on the ballot. So, now, they're attempting to try and have President Trump out here. He's likely going to say things like pretend I'm on the ballot to try and get that enthusiasm up to bring people to the polls.

I mean, Erin, it is striking that he is coming here at all, particularly 21 days until that election. This is a state that has not backed a Democrat for Senate in nearly 20 years. The last time was 2008. Now he is traveling longer likely or longer certainly that he's going to be on the ground nine -- around 10, 15 hours just to be on the ground for two hours maximum to promote this incumbent senator.

Now, we also talked to a lot of people in the crowd, and there's a lot of concern about Dan Sullivan and whether or not he's going to win this election. And it's not just a about what you are seeing on the other side from the Democrat Mary Peltola and the fact that she has raised all of this money. She just announced $17 million in the last three months.

It's also because Alaska is a vote ranking state, meaning that all four people in an open primary who get the most votes get on to the general election ballot. And this time around, there is a second Dan Sullivan. In addition to the incumbent, there's also a retired school teacher who's going to be on the ballot.

There's a lot of concern from the people talked to that most Alaskans are not paying super close attention and that could also harm incumbent Dan Sullivan on Election Day.

BURNETT: Yeah, I mean that the whole thing of the -- the same name issue has been sort of dogging this one from the beginning.

All right, Kristen, thank you very much. All the way in Wasilla, Alaska, not a place that Kristen or any other political correspondents would have expected to be.

Everyone's here with me now.

Larry Sabato, let me start with you. Trump has spent very little time in Alaska, by the way, true for many presidents, right? It's not usually up for grabs.

He had a rally there in 2022. He won the state by 13 points, okay, right? That's my whole point. It's not a swing state.

What do you make of the fact that he actually got on a plane and just hauled 3,400 miles to go there?

LARRY SABATO, FOUNDER & DIRECTOR, UNIVERSIOTY OF VIRGINIA CENTER FOR POLITICS: If this were a special election and it was the only election for Senate, maybe you could understand it. But Republican seats are in serious danger all over the country. And so, he's going to spend all this time to go over there and lecture for a couple of hours about how he's really on the ballot, which I doubt that Dan Sullivan wants him to do.

But it's obvious what's going on. Republicans are in very serious trouble, not just in the House, which Republican activists and consultants who've been at this a long time, almost as long as Mr. Begala, hardly anybody's been at it as long as he has, but they've been at it a long time. They will tell you the House is over.

The Senate, they still have hope for, but this is not a hopeful sign because if you're sending a president to Alaska, which is, as your correspondent noted, has only gone Democratic in one Senate election in the entire century, it's obvious. You don't need analysts, except for us.

BURNETT: I mean, Steph -- Stephanie, I mean that the reality of it is, is 3,400 miles is a brutal haul for anybody, but you worked with Trump. And for him in particular, you say this is a big statement, he does not like doing this.

STEPHANIE GRISHAM, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: No, he never really particularly liked taking any trips to have to go and talk about somebody other than himself. So, the fact that he's flying this far, this late in the game is exactly what Larry just said. I mean, it's stunning.

All the states he's visiting, it's panic mode, I think, for Trump and his team, and this is just yet another day in the life.

BURNETT: And yet, Paul, you know what? Elon Musk is putting in a quarter billion dollars at this moment, right? $276 million, we understand. I mean, what does that do?

Are you surprised that Alaska is actually in play?

[19:10:01]

PAUL BEGALA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I am. I mean, if the president were wise, I'm glad he's going to Alaska. There's no more beautiful place in the world than Alaska. He should get off that plane.

Wasilla is nice, but he's -- I'm a fisherman. I fished Alaska a lot. My son was a fishing guide there.

Go to the Kenai River. Go to the Russian River. Go to the Copper River. Go fishing. Go out in Seward and fish and spend the next 20 days.

Go fishing, Mr. President, because wherever he goes, he hurts his party. So, I just publicly want to thank him for doing this and for all the campaign he's doing, because all he's doing is helping the Democrats and hurting the Republicans.

Voters believe, and I think they're right, that Mr. Trump's war has jacked up the price of their gas and his tariffs have jacked up the price of their groceries. And his immigration policies have really hurt a lot of people who voted for him. And so, he's getting in their face, and it doesn't make people more excited to support him. It makes them remember why they're so mad.

It's like that old country song, how can I miss you when you won't go away?

BURNETT: You know, Larry, what are the issues, though? Because there's one thing if it's really all about the economy, that people understand elections can turn on. It's another if it's somehow, suddenly on authoritarianism and decency and other more core values.

What are the key issues that are causing the problem for Republicans now?

SABATO: Well, we lost decency years ago, so I think we can set that aside. But what is helping the Democrats and hurting the Republicans is that very unusually all the key issues fit together like a puzzle. The fact that you have very high food prices, you have very high gasoline prices, high diesel prices.

The fact that so many people can't make ends meet and then they look at the White House, and they see billions of dollars going to the Trump's and the Trump family. They see new examples of corruption every day like that woman that apparently President Trump's son dated for a while. I think they were together six years, and they were actually, she was his fiancee, but he barely remembers her.

And on top of that, you have a disastrous failing war, possibly the most unsuccessful war in modern American history, which is raising the prices and increasing the corruption. And, you know, you don't have to spend that much time on politics or in front of a TV set, though obviously people should, to put all those pieces together and to get it. And Republicans are suffering from all of it.

BURNETT: So, Stephanie, you know what, two things coming together from what Larry just said. The economy and the suffering, but when people look and they see Trump officials making tons of money. Well, when you look around, one of those people seem to be the ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, which is the other point Larry just mentioned, the former fiancee of Don, Jr.

So, she finally resigns after allegations, including one that she asked for money in exchange for access to officials and $100,000 to pay off a credit card bill. So then, to Larry's point, Trump gets asked about Kimberly Guilfoyle, former Fox News host, now ambassador to Greece. He gets asked about her today.

Here's what he says.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: No, she wasn't a member of my family. She, I guess, dated my son a long time ago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: I mean, Just to be clear, Stephanie, it wasn't a long time ago, and she didn't just date his son. They were actually, they did it for six years. They were engaged for four years.

She's -- here she is with the family on election night. She was with him after Trump had delivered his acceptance to the RNC. Christmas family cards went out with her, wedding cards with her bachelorette parties with the Trump women.

Okay, so you spent a lot of time with the family and Kimberly Guilfoyle. So, what's the reality?

GRISHAM: Well, the reality is this is what Donald Trump and the family does. They tend to just suddenly distance themselves from people. But you're exactly right. I spent four full years and almost every holiday with Kimberly Guilfoyle in the family at Mar-a-Lago or at Bedminster, and she was everywhere.

I even recall when she threw herself her 50th birthday party at Mar-a- Lago. So, she was certainly more than just, you know, a guy that or a woman that his son dated. And again, this is just what he does.

But this is a broader point. You know, he keeps saying that things are what they aren't or they -- you know, something is black when it's white. You know he barely knew her or the economy is really great or the war is going to be over tomorrow or there is now an agreement.

You know, people are really seeing that what he's saying is just not what they're actually seeing and what they know to be true. And I think that's why we're having all of this panic right now, and I think that's why the midterms are honestly I think, in my lifetime.

BURNETT: And, Paul, amidst all this, there's a new press secretary, which Trump waited a while to announce.

[19:15:03]

Now he's announced. And today, obviously, was her first time in the podium. It did not go so well. that White House official telling CNN it was, quote/unquote, "brutal". Interesting, Paul, though, you say do not blame the messenger.

BEGALA: Right. I was a staffer in the White House. And I can tell you, it's always the president, right? When things go well, it's him. When things go badly, it's him.

I believe in focusing on the organ grinder, not the monkey. Not that this nice woman is a monkey. I just mean the staffers are not the central character.

And by the way, let's give her some grace. I don't support this White House. I bet you if I knew probably wouldn't even like her very much, but let's give her a little grace. It's her first day in the job.

It's an impossible job in the best of circumstances. I saw Dee Dee Meyers and Mike McCurry and Joe Lockhart, great press secretaries, and it was hard for them.

But Trump is different. It's more curious what Stephanie thinks. He lies like I breathe. Okay, oxygen in, lies out. And he makes his spokespeople into liars.

And that's my worry about this woman. She seems like a nice woman, and I hope she's honestly, I hope she succeeds.

BURNETT: All right. Well, I appreciate all three of you very much, and thank you.

And next, we're going to take you to Texas, where Trump's handpicked Senate candidate, Ken Paxton, is deeply unpopular among a lot of Republicans. But that does not mean that they will vote for James Talarico, or does it?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Is there some reluctance for lifelong Republicans to vote for a Democrat?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is.

ZELENY: Plus, new KFILE reporting on a Republican senator fighting to hold on to his seat the Democrats have not won in nearly a century, 100 years. That could change as the senator's words come back to haunt him.

And breaking news this hour, Pope Leo diagnosed with lung cancer. What do we know about his condition tonight?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:21:23]

BURNETT: Welcome back to a special edition of OUTFRONT Countdown to Election Night.

And we have more breaking election news, half a billion dollars. That is how much money has already been spent on ads in the Texas Senate race between James Talarico and Ken Paxton, which is incredible, a race that might not even have been raised if Cornyn was running. Money pouring into that race has the White House worried the Democrats are on the verge of a major upset.

And it is not just Trump who has traveled to Texas multiple times in recent weeks. Vice President Vance appeared with Ken Paxton today trying to win over voters with this message.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You all know the saying better than I do, you don't mess with Texas. And you know why you don't mess with Texas? Because if you do, Ken Paxton's going to kick your ass that's why.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Jeff Zeleny is OUTFRONT.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tracy Rito (ph) is going door to door, trying to turn Texas blue one house at a time.

ZELENY: You said that you feel hopeful about this year.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I do. I feel like it's just a feeling that I have, that it just feels different.

ZELENY (voice-over): Three weeks before the election, Texas is different, suddenly at the center of the fight for control of the Senate.

JAMES TALARICO (D), TEXAS SENATE CANDIDATE: Thank you all so much.

ZELENY (voice-over): James Talarico is captivating Democrats who have long dreamed big in Texas.

LAURA LEEMAN, TEXAS DEMOCRAT: James has done such a great job of tapping into what a lot of people are upset about and not just from one party or the other.

ZELENY: We've heard before that this is the year for a Democrat to win statewide in Texas. This is the time. Why is this different, do you think?

LEEMAN: I think because things have gotten so ugly, since Trump came into office again. ZELENY (voice-over): We met lifelong Republican Pete Nodecker, who explains the coalition Talarico is trying to build in the race against GOP rival Ken Paxton.

PETE NODECKER, TEXAS REPUBLICAN: The Republican Party has been hijacked. They're not the Republican Party that I was a member of for all my life.

ZELENY: Hijacked by who?

NODECKER: Trump. Everything revolves around him and his ego.

ZELENY: Is this a vote for Talarico or against Ken Paxton?

NODECKER: It's a vote for Talarico in this case. He just -- he presents himself in a very positive manner. He is clearly a legitimate Christian. He doesn't just talk the talk, he walks the walk, and you can tell the difference from a mile away.

ZELENY (voice-over): Paxton, the embattled Texas attorney general, is scrambling to keep Republicans in line after defeating four term Senator John Cornyn in the GOP primary.

GLEN WHITLEY, RETIRED JUDGE, TARRANT COUNTY, TX: I'm embarrassed at the fact that he's even on the ticket.

ZELENY (voice-over): Glenn Whitley is a retired Tarrant County judge and another lifelong Republican backing Talarico.

ZELENY: Is there some reluctance for lifelong Republicans to vote for Democrats?

WHITLEY: There is, and especially as you move into East Texas or into West Texas, they just -- you know, to vote for a Democrat is a really long step. So, I've heard a lot of people say they're just going to stay at home or they're not going to vote in that particular race.

STATE SEN. ANGELA PAXTON (R), TEXAS: I'm Texas Senator Angela Paxton.

ZELENY (voice-over): Republicans are pouring more money into Texas than any other state, trying to rescue Paxton with $232 million in TV ads from September 1st to Election Day alone, compared to $65 million from Democrats.

At his coffee roasting business in Fort Worth, Marvin Rodak has been enduring the whiplash of Trump's tariffs. He voted for the president, yet is undecided in the Senate race.

[19:25:01]

ZELENY: What do you think of Talarico?

MARVIN RODAK, TEXAS VOTER: He's very interesting individual. There's some things I like about him. There's some questionable things that, like with any candidate, has started popping up.

ZELENY: What do you think of Paxton overall?

RODAK: Man, I don't know. He's a -- he's a -- a choice.

ZELENY: A choice.

RODAK: Yeah, and I'm not trying to be disrespectful.

ZELENY (voice-over): When we caught up with Talarico earlier this year, he said Texans were hungry for change.

ZELENY: Why is this year different, you believe?

TALARICO: Well, there is a growing backlash in this state to the extremism and the corruption in our government. I can't tell you how many people come up to me at the end of these events and whisper, I'm not a Democrat, like it's some kind of secret.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZELENY: And early voting begins here next week, Erin. That's why Republicans are racing to try and define James Talarico as too liberal for the state.

But in our conversations with so many voters here, that could also be motivating Democrats, independents and yes, lifelong Republicans. That is an open question here. How many Republicans who are frustrated at Ken Paxton are going to vote for Talarico or simply not vote at all in the Senate race?

That is a worry for the Talarico campaign. But again, there is no doubt in the final stretch of this race three weeks to go. Republicans never expected to be spending so much time and money here. They are. It's a very open question if it will actually rescue Paxton -- Erin.

BURNETT: All right. Jeff Zeleny, thank you very much.

And I want to go OUTFRONT now to Wendy Davis, the former Democratic state senator from Texas. She was also her party's 2014 nominee for governor against Governor Greg Abbott.

So, Wendy, you've been in these positions before. I'm curious when you saw Jeff Zeleny there, talk to two lifelong Republicans. They both said they're supporting James Talarico.

One said it is not a vote against Ken Paxton, but it is a vote for Talarico. Another saying he's going to vote for Talarico, but he's worried that lot of other Republicans may choose to just stay home because it's too hard to vote Democrat.

I'm curious as to whether you really think there are Republicans up for grabs in Texas really willing to vote Democrat this time?

WENDY DAVIS (D), FORMER TEXAS STATE SENATOR: Yeah, I do think there are, Erin. And it isn't just that there are some Republicans up for grabs. It's how well James and Gina Hinojosa, honestly, are doing with independent voters who might typically vote for Republicans at the top of the ticket. We are seeing them perform tremendously with those independent voters.

And, honestly, if Some Republicans stay home because they don't feel like they can check the box for James Talarico or Gina Hinojosa, that's actually good for us. We need to be the more enthusiastic voting group this cycle. And from everything that we're seeing in the polls, that's absolutely the case.

BURNETT: So obviously, like I said, you've been there in this position running as a Democrat in Texas. It is far from the first time that Democrats have thought they could turn Texas blue, right? There were high hopes for you in 2014 against Governor Abbott, right? You had that famous 13-hour filibuster about abortion rights.

Then there was Beto O'Rourke and people thought he could beat Ted Cruz, but Texas stayed red. I remember a 2016 presentation from the then-Hillary Clinton campaign telling us, hey, Even Texas is on the table. Texas could go blue tonight.

Why do you think that this year is different than all those other times where hopes were high and didn't come to fruition?

DAVIS: It's kind of the perfect storm. We have two extraordinary candidates at the top of our ticket, and I truly think they're the most talented that we've ever had at the top of our ticket, present company included.

But we also have, of course, unfortunately, a lot of pain across the country, and it's no different here in Texas, where people are really feeling the failures of Republican leaders. They are seeing the corruption up close and personal in way that's really impacting their lives from the way our schools are being funded to the data centers that are being built near their homes, to the border wall being built in Big Bend, to the Flock cameras everywhere.

There's a lot of discontent about what they're getting from Republicans, but not only that, people are really struggling. And when you're struggling to put food on the table and gas in your car, your concerns may be that someone's maybe liberal for you, fade in the backdrop against the failures that Republicans have been bringing day after day after day.

And that's why I think we have this extraordinary opportunity.

[19:30:00]

We also have, for the first time in Texas history, a Democrat running at every level of the ballot. And that is good for James and good for Gina, because those voters are going to turn out because someone at their local level talked to them, and it's the way that we're actually going to see these numbers get to where they need to be.

BURNETT: It's interesting, Wendy, when you talk about the real threats that people feel in their personal lives right now, economically. You talk about gas prices.

But J.D. Vance was in Texas today. And what he claimed is that Talarico is a threat to Texans and their way of life. And in this case, he was, I guess, specifically talking about sexual orientation, okay? So, when someone screamed "I love you at J.D. Vance" today during his event, okay, that was the context that "I love you".

J.D. Vance responded this way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Now, before we get started -- I love you too, sir, in a totally platonic way, to be clear. I'm the vice president, not James Talarico.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Obviously making a baseless suggestion about Talarico's sexuality.

I'm curious, Wendy, as to whether you think attacks like this and there's been a lot of this type of attack and the Talafreako nickname that Trump has thrown out there, right, that they have tried to kind of demean Talarico in this way.

Does that swing undecided voters in Texas?

DAVIS: I mean, I really don't think it does. I've been doing a lot of down-ballot work this cycle, pulling across a number of state house and county-level races. And what we see in poll after poll after poll is that people are so mad, they're scared. They're looking for someone who's actually going to put them front and center and not their big donors and end the corruption that we're all witnessing from the presidency all the way down.

And no matter what you say to them about our Democrats, knowing what Republicans may throw at them, people are staying stuck. They have made their minds up. They know they want to change, and they're ready for the kind of change that James and Gina are going to deliver for them.

BURNETT: Wendy, thanks so much. It's good to talk to you again. I appreciate your time tonight.

DAVIS: You, too, Erin. Thank you.

BURNETT: And I want everyone watching and hope you won't miss the town hall here on CNN that I'll be hosting with James Talarico in Texas tomorrow at eight o'clock Eastern. You can watch live here on CNN, streaming with an all access subscription.

And meantime, next tonight OUTFRONT, Six Flags shutting down roller coasters at parks across the country as an investigation is now underway into how a man fell out of a roller coaster and died. And Republicans worry they could lose a Senate seat that they have held onto for about 100 years.

And the worry is all because of comments like this one.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

SEN. ROGER MARSHALL (R-KS): I think that the midterms will be decided by the price of gasoline in October.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:37:23]

BURNETT: Breaking news, growing questions over how a man fell to his death from a roller coaster at a Six Flags amusement park in suburban Atlanta. The man was 42 years old and was reportedly on the ride with his son. And his wife and daughter were watching from the ground. It's just so horrific and tragic.

Witnesses say he was thrown from his seat and he hit several passengers before falling to the ground. Now 10 rides at multiple Six Flags locations across the U.S. and Canada are now closed as a precaution.

Keisha Lance Bottoms is OUTFRONT now. She is the Democratic nominee for governor in Georgia, also the former mayor of Atlanta.

And, Mayor Bottoms, I, of course, want to talk about your current race, but this accident happened in your state that you want to be governor of outside Atlanta where you were mayor. What questions do you have about how something so just horrific and tragic could have happened on this roller coaster ride at Six Flags?

KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS, DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE FOR GEORGIA GOVERNOR: Oh gosh, my condolences to the family. By all accounts, he was a beloved educator and father. I can't imagine, Erin. My first job was actually at Six Flags and, of course, you know and people across the country when you go to an amusement park, it is supposed to be about fun and enjoyment. Families are on fall break right now in in Georgia. I would imagine that's why he was there with his family.

But I can say that you know there has to be answers to this as to how a man, a 42-year-old man can be thrown from a roller coaster. I understand that a couple of children were also injured and taken to the hospital and thankfully I understand that they will be OK, but we need to have answers to state responsible for inspections of these amusement parks, these roller coasters, and I hope that we can all have answers soon.

BURNETT: Yes, yes. And obviously, if you do win as governor, all of that would be then under your purview when you talk about things like those inspections.

Last night in the debate in your governor's race, you stood on stage, Mayor Bottoms, next to an empty podium. Your Republican opponent, businessman Rick Jackson, did not participate.

Now, you did face off with him in one debate, but he says that's it. He's only going to do that one, he says, because voters don't care about debates.

What do you think about that?

BOTTOMS: Well, Erin, we actually accepted seven debates on behalf of our campaign, and he only showed up for one. And after his appearance and performance at that debate, it's very clear as to why he has not agreed to do more. And I'm just reminding people across Georgia as we begin early voting today that if this is a man who's unwilling to show up and answer questions, unscripted questions as a candidate, then you can only anticipate that he won't be willing to give answers if he were ever to be elected governor.

[19:40:15]

He didn't want to answer to the people of this state about the six week abortion ban that he takes credit for having it passed in this state. He didn't want to stand up and answer questions regarding his no-bid contracts that have netted him billions of dollars. In this state, he didn't want to stand up and answer questions about his allegiance to Donald Trump and his vow to be Trump's favorite governor.

BURNETT: So, you mentioned it's the first day of in-person early voting in Georgia, and obviously that is a big deal. According to Georgia's secretary of state's office, nearly 50,000 people more people voted on this first day of early voting than they did in the last midterm election in 2022, so 50,000 more.

Now, you obviously know what that means in terms of voting, in terms of, you know, relative relationship to population growth in Georgia. So what does that 50,000 tell you?

BOTTOMS: Well, it's very encouraging. We've been encouraging people to show up and vote early. My opponent has said that the National Guard will be called in during this election cycle, so we don't want to wait and find out. In May during the primary, we were outspent by Republicans by $100 million, and Democrats still outvoted Republicans by 150,000 votes.

So, while the billionaire that I'm running against has all the money, the people still have all the power. So, we have been supported by people across the state. We are seeing enthusiasm across the state.

Of course, Senator Ossoff is on the ballot and we're asking people if you want to support our campaign, go to keishaforgovernor.com. Meanwhile, show up and vote during early voting. Don't wait until Election Day.

BURNETT: Keisha Lance Bottoms for mayor of Atlanta, thank you very much. I appreciate your time tonight.

And we do have some new reporting tonight from KFILE. And this reporting is on a Senate race in a deep red state, Kansas. A race that the GOP is now scrambling to defend after the Republican incumbent's bold prediction about the economy is now coming back to haunt him.

Plus, more details on the rise and fall of Kimberly Guilfoyle.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:46:44]

BURNETT: Welcome back to a special edition of OUTFRONT: Countdown to Election Night.

Tonight, Republican Senator Roger Marshall facing heckler shouting "shame" and "traitor" on a campaign stop, as Republicans are concerned as to whether he can hold on to his seat. It comes as his words uncovered by our KFILE are coming back to haunt him.

Listen to what Marshall said just back in July.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

MARSHALL: I think that the midterms will be decided by the price of gasoline in October.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Well, we'll see if he's right, because October is here, and gas prices in Kansas have surged more than 57 percent since the start of the Iran War, diesel prices up nearly 78 percent. And Marshall is facing an extremely tight race against the Democrat Adam Hamilton, in a state that has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1932.

CNN's Andrew Kaczynski joins me now.

So, Andrew, well, there's a prognosis that he gave, you know, a forecast. What more did you find?

ANDREW KACZYNSKI, CNN KFILE SENIOR EDITOR: Yeah, Erin, that is exactly right. Marshall predicted multiple times the very political problem that he is now facing. You played that clip from July. Well, that was not a one-off. I want our viewers to listen to what he had said a month earlier in June.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

MARSHALL: The price of gasoline is absolutely the barometer for this election going forward.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

KACZYNSKI: And look, what we found is that throughout the war with Iran, Marshall has been one of the most consistent defenders of it, even as he acknowledged that these rising costs were causing Americans to pay more at the pump. We went back through months of his interviews, and again and again, he argued that the war with Iran was worth the economic sacrifice that Americans were making.

Take March, just weeks after the war began, Marshall was asked right here on CNN about Americans facing high gas prices. Listen to what he said right here. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARSHALL: Freedom is not free. Americans are going to have to make some sacrifices.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KACZYNSKI: Now, a month later, Marshall was asked how long Americans would be willing to pay higher energy prices, and he compared the sacrifices that Americans were making now to those that Americans made during World War II.

BURNETT: Wow. OK. Well, so we didn't just talk about sacrifices, though. He also invoked national security, right?

KACZYNSKI: Well, that's right, Erin. He went even further, saying that national security was more important this war with Iran was more important to Americans than what they were paying out of their own pocket. Listen to him right here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARSHALL: So, I'm sorry the gas prices are going up, but help is on his way. And your national security, yes, is even more important than your pocketbook.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KACZYNSKI: And as recently as August, Erin Marshall was still defending the war, even as he acknowledged that he wanted it to end. Listen to what he said in an August interview that we found.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

MARSHALL: We want them to be done tomorrow. But on the other hand, we can't allow Iran to have nukes. So, I -- this may be the price.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

BURNETT: You know what's amazing, Andrew, though, when you look through all this, even in spite of this, right, you said this is a seat that hasn't gone Democrat since, what, 1932, or back in the Great Depression.

[19:50:05]

I mean, it would be historic if Marshall lost.

KACZYNSKI: Yes, Erin, I had to look this up. The last Democratic senator elected in Kansas was born in 1879. That is the same year that the light bulb was invented. Kansas has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1932.

"The Cook Political Report" recently moved Kansas from lean Republican to tossup. So this is really, really remarkable. The Senate Leadership Fund that is one of the biggest Republican groups supporting Senate candidates has to book $10 million in advertising in Kansas, according to Ad Impact.

Now, we did reach out to Marshall's campaign to ask them all about all this, and they didn't respond, Erin, to any of her questions.

BURNETT: All right. Well, important stuff. Thank you very much, KFILE, Andrew Kaczynski.

And next, we have breaking news from the Vatican announcing tonight that Pope Leo has been diagnosed with lung cancer. We have a special report from Rome.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:55:20]

BURNETT: Tonight, sticking by Trump even after being forced out, Kimberly Guilfoyle resigning as ambassador to Greece after growing scandals, writing, quote, "My time as ambassador may be coming to an end. My commitment to President Trump will never end."

But tonight, it appears that that feeling isn't mutual. Kylie Atwood is OUTFRONT.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZACHARIA: We have asked Ambassador Guilfoyle to resign. She has been a wonderful asset to the team, and we wish her well.

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): White House press secretary Katie Zacharia breaking news at her first briefing, the departure of the U.S. ambassador to Greece coming after a series of damaging reports, including Kimberly Guilfoyle asking a longtime Trump donor to pay off her $100,000 credit card bill in exchange for access to Trump administration officials.

Guilfoyle was engaged to Trump's son, Donald Trump, Jr., for four years, but today the president downplayed her ties to his family.

TRUMP: She wasn't a member of my family. She, I guess, dated my son a long time ago, but she wasn't now. She -- she went to Greece. She was doing a good job, but we didn't like what we were reading.

ATWOOD (voice-over): Guilfoyle and Don Jr. broke off their engagement in December 2024. She was nominated as U.S. ambassador to Greece that same month, a plum post for someone who had become a high-profile fixture of the Maga movement.

KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR: We will continue to stand for President Trump, stand with him and for this country.

ATWOOD (voice-over): But her downfall began when reports of her misconduct emerged less than a month ago. First, a "Wall Street Journal" report about a lobbyist for a Greek construction company joining her in many official meetings. Then a report of Eric Deters, a major Trump donor, alleging a pay for play scheme. ERIC DETERS, TRUMP DONOR: She told me it's in the text messages. I'll be your ride or die forever in the Trump administration. I won't keep track of how many favors, how big the favors. So that's why she asked for it. There was no question it was a quid pro quo.

ATWOOD (voice-over): Guilfoyle's lawyers said those claims are false. Deters owed her for previous speaking engagements, they said, calling him, quote, "a delinquent client being asked to pay an overdue bill".

Guilfoyle acknowledged her time as ambassador was winding down in a tweet and submitted her formal resignation, a White House official tells CNN. She denied the allegations against her writing, quote, "I intend to vigorously defend my name, my reputation and my integrity."

Guilfoyle has not always been an ardent Republican. She was married to Gavin Newsom when he was the mayor of San Francisco. They divorced in 2006, that same year she started working at Fox News full time.

Newsom on a CNN said this:

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D), CALIFORNIA: She's whip smart and she fell preyed. I think the culture at Fox and in a deep way, she would disagree with that assessment.

ATWOOD (voice-over): Guilfoyle abruptly left her post at Fox in 2018 and she started dating Don Jr. that same year. She became an ever present partner, a senior adviser to Trump's 2020 campaign and key surrogate, speaking at the Republican Convention that year.

GUILFOYLE: The best is yet to come.

ATWOOD (voice-over): Four years later, she was on stage again, remaining keenly involved even while her engagement to Don Jr. was nearing its end.

GUILFOYLE: This is our last champ to make America great again.

ATWOOD (voice-over): And now, after being asked to resign, Guilfoyle says that she remains committed to Trump and his America First movement.

Kylie Atwood, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BURNETT: And breaking news, Pope Leo diagnosed with lung cancer. He underwent surgery today, and Christopher Lamb is following the story for us. He is from Rome.

So, Christopher, obviously the whole world now watching this, what are you learning?

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erin, it's been a rollercoaster of a day. Pope Leo coming to the hospital on Tuesday for surgery on his lung. We were told by the Vatican that that was successful, but there will be additional information. And then a statement came from the Vatican, written by the doctors at the Gemelli Hospital, that the surgery had removed part of the Pope's right lung and that the test had shown that there was cancer.

That news obviously coming as a shock and alarming bit of news for everyone in the Vatican and across the Catholic Church. Pope Leo now in the hospital recovering. He's expected to be here for about a week.

I did speak to a lung expert who said that when detected early, this kind of cancer can be treated and there is a good outcome.

But, of course, a lot of uncertainty and anxiety in the Vatican tonight. Pope Leo has cancelled all his audiences until the 20th of October. Further tests are likely to be taken and the next steps then will be laid out -- Erin.

BURNETT: All right, Chris, of course, prayers of the world with the pope.

And thanks so much to all of you for joining us. We'll see you at that town hall with James Talarico tomorrow in Texas.

"AC360" starts now.