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Inside Politics

1 In 3 Democrats Identify As Democratic Socialists; Democratic Socialist Vies To Be Next Governor Of Wisconsin; The Impact Of An F- Bomb In A Senate Hearing; Cursing Finds Its Moment In Washington; Axios: Musk To Re-Launch Super PAC To Boost GOP Turnout In Midterms. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired July 30, 2026 - 12:30   ET

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

[12:30:00]

MARIANNA SOTOMAYOR, CAPITOL HILL CORRESPONDENT, PUCK NEWS: -- in 2028, what kind of Democratic candidate is going to come forward in the next election? So, it is causing trouble, obviously, and there are a lot of concerns, especially like when we talk about Michigan, whether it's the Senate race or even some House races.

If these more leftist candidates do pull ahead --

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.

SOTOMAYOR: -- they're going to have trouble in the general election.

BASH: And, Nia, just look at this now, because we put it back on the screen, and I think it takes a moment to sort of digest any poll number, but especially this. This is showing that about a third of self-identifying Democrats or Democratic leaders -- leaners, identify as Democratic Socialists.

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, listen, and I think if you look, you know, at some of these races, one of the things we're also seeing is there's sort of a generational breakdown. There's a sort of a class stratification as well as a racial stratification as well.

Older, traditional Democrats, Black voters, they're not among this group that are calling themselves socialists or even particularly progressives. So you are seeing these tensions in some of these races and in a lot of these races, even though in Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed is not a Democratic Socialist. He's more of a Progressive, but you see in these other races, Mamdani in New York, obviously, they're winning, not with traditionally, you know, Democratic voters, not with Black voters, but with younger, with whiter and more college-educated voters.

BASH: Yes, and again, let's just put back that point about generations that you made, that we showed just a moment ago. Of those who identify as Democratic Socialists, 40 percent are 18 to 44, younger.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Without a doubt, and I mean, and this is sort of the, looking ahead a little bit, a glimpse into what is to come in the next fight for the Democratic Party, really regardless of what happens in November, but the 2028 presidential campaign is going to play out in the Democratic Party with these things in mind.

I mean, there definitely is a fight for the soul of the party, for the mind of the party as well, but the outcome in some of those races, like Michigan, some of those House races in other states, it's going to determine sort of which party starts, or which side of the same party starts with the upper hand on November 4th --

BASH: Yes.

ZELENY: -- the day after Election Day.

BASH: All right, well, one of the other places that we're going to be able to see that play out is in Wisconsin. And when we come back, I'm going to be joined by a Democratic Socialist who's leading the field to be the Democratic nominee in the Wisconsin governor's race. Francesca Hong is my guest next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:37:14]

BASH: Democratic Socialists are scoring big wins this primary season. One outstanding question is whether a Democratic Socialist can win in a purple state. Wisconsin, for example, is a state that's been decided by less than one percentage point in the last three presidential elections.

Thirty-seven-year-old State Assembly Member Francesca Hong is testing that question in her bid to be the state's next governor. She's the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination taking place on August 11th.

And Francesca Hong joins me now. Thank you so much for being here. As I mentioned, you are in a very strong position, according to most polls, to be the Democratic Party's nominee for governor. But the polls show in the general election that right now you would lose to the Republican nominee, Tom Tiffany.

Forgive us. OK. Live TV. Francesca Hung, are you still with me?

FRANCESCA HONG, WISCONSIN DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE FOR GOVERNOR: I am.

BASH: OK, good. I'm not sure how much of that you heard. I just want to tell our viewers, you told me beforehand you are in an area that was hit by a tornado. So your shot might be a little bit hard to keep there. But if you can hear me, I'm not sure if you heard my question. But my question is, what makes you think you are the best candidate to win in November when polls show that one of your Democratic opponents, Mandela Barnes, is best suited to do that and not you?

HUNG: Well, I would like to first clarify that the Marquette Law Poll has a margin of error where we still have a lead. We would have a lead over Tom Tiffany, and we had a full release today that has been ahead by a point. But we are seeing incredible engagement across Gen Z and millennials, many new voters.

And I think that this momentum is going to not only carry us to win in general, but the Republicans have the biggest candidate that I think we can look for.

BASH: I'm just going to interrupt you because the transmission is a bit hard. We're going to take a break and try to fix it as best we can. And when we come back, we'll pick up our interview. Thanks for your patience. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:43:50]

BASH: Welcome back. Sadly, we were unable to reconnect with Francesca Hung, the Democratic candidate in Wisconsin for governor. We hope that she comes back soon so that we can continue our conversation.

Meanwhile, another news among the many contentious moments as Republican senators pounded Dr. Anthony Fauci about the coronavirus pandemic. There was one that eroded Senate hearing decorum, whatever's left of it more than most.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was about six years ago today that I decided I'm going to give up my businesses, sell them all, run for office, run for the United States Senate. Here I am sitting in front of you six years later saying, who the (INAUDIBLE) do you think you were for doing that? It is a total disgrace what you did to this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Yes, that was a United States senator in a formal hearing directing an F-bomb at an 85-year-old scientist who devoted his life to public service and public health. Really? But it has become something that we have seen more and more. And it is because Senator Moreno of Ohio used that F-word that he broke through the cacophony of criticism hurled at Anthony Fauci yesterday.

[12:45:10]

As I mentioned, it is part of a growing phenomenon. Axios put it this way, "Political profanity is having an f-ing moment."

And my panel is back here now. The reason I wanted to bring this up is, first of all, just because of that moment. And I think it's pretty clear how I and others feel about it. But beyond that, it is the trend that we are seeing more and more in a really stunning way by members of the elected leadership, the President of the United States on down to curse a lot.

And let's just give another example of the President himself. This is just since 2025.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm telling you, these countries are calling us up, kissing my (INAUDIBLE). They are dying to make it here.

We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the (INAUDIBLE) they're doing. Do you understand that?

I didn't say (INAUDIBLE), you did. We had a meeting and I said, why is it we only take people from (INAUDIBLE) countries, right?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Nia?

HENDERSON: Yes. I don't know what to say. It will not be a curse word because my mom doesn't like when I curse. But, yes, this is a part, I think, of this effort to seem authentic, right? I mean, it is authentic to Donald Trump to do that. I don't know. In that other setting, it seemed a little planned.

I think he probably went into that hearing saying that I'm going to use the F-word against Dr. Fauci. But it is something you see, particularly sort of, I think, younger politicians doing. Francesca Hong, for instance, who you're going to interview at some point, she curses a lot in some of her public appearances.

She has said she curses because she cares. And, yes, you have seen a number of people use this. Juliana Stratton, who is a lieutenant governor of Illinois. In an ad, she had voters cursing, saying F Trump, and, you know, a number of voters saying that. And she said, you know, they said it, I didn't. That was a sort of clever, I think, deployment of profanity.

But, yes, I mean, I think it's this kind of people want to seem cool and different and iconoclastic and sort of -- like the anti-politician --

BASH: Yes.

HENDERSON: -- I think, is what's going on.

BASH: Yes, I think that's true. So Cardiff University actually researched this and we are getting this from Axios, which published it this week. Among presidents, vice presidents and presidential hopefuls since 1919, 87 percent of this cursing happened in the last 10 years, 78 percent by Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

And Jeff, I have literally had a veteran lawmaker say to me, my staff really wants me to curse more. They think that it's the best way to communicate these days in these times when everything goes viral and that's something that catches on. And I don't want to suggest that it's only Republicans and it's only the President.

Here's some examples of Democrats.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS (D), FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Sometimes people will open the door for you and leave it open. Sometimes they won't. And then you need to kick that (INAUDIBLE) door down.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D), MINORITY LEADER: It's a disgrace. So Democrats have three words for this. No (INAUDIBLE) way.

GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO (D), PENNSYLVANIA: We, Pennsylvanians, we are a state of builders, a state of doers and a state of get (INAUDIBLE) doners.

MAYOR JACOB FREY (D), MINNEAPOLIS: To ICE, get the (INAUDIBLE) out of Minneapolis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: Look, I think it is different when it is said in the moment in a heated moment on the campaign trail versus when it's set in a committee hearing. For one, I think there is a bit of decorum that might be expected by both sides. But look, it is a race to the bottom.

As Dick Gephardt said again and again about very different things. For those who don't remember him, of course, very much alive, a long time House Democratic leader. But he would often say that. And that's what this feels like to me. People are so thirsty for attention, so thirsty to show up on TikTok or something that their staffs are encouraging them to do so.

That Chuck Schumer one there was clearly such a cringed --

HENDERSON: Cringed.

ZELENY: -- self-produced thing. The Jacob Frey, the mayor in Minneapolis, that was different. The anger was for different things. So I think it's different. But in a committee hearing, it has no place.

BASH: Speaking of going back in the wayback machine, remember when Dick Cheney and Patrick Leahy were reported to have said the F-bomb? Cheney on the Senate floor and Cheney curses -- specifically cursed at Patrick Leahy over his criticism of Halliburton. It was like a huge story. And it was on the Senate floor, we didn't even hear it.

[12:50:10]

SOTOMAYOR: Yes. It's unfortunately a very different time because I think a lot of us here do wish there was decorum and people could just talk to each other. But I have seen a shift even in interviews, just one-on-one or in the hallways with a number of lawmakers who just start cursing about how they're feeling.

And I'm like, oh, you guys are legitimately taking the advice from staff. Lesson learned from 2024, especially among Democrats. If we want to be authentic, we better be cursing. BASH: Yes.

SOTOMAYOR: So I don't think it's going away anytime soon, unfortunately.

BASH: Yes. There used to be a difference in what you heard from lawmakers off-camera and off-the-record and on-camera and off-the- record with regard to littering their prose with cursing. And there's not much anymore.

Thanks, guys.

All right, coming up, Elon Musk is firing up his political machine to boost Republican turnout in November, even though he said he wasn't going to do that anymore. So the question is, will his billions do anything to shift races for Congress?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:55:44]

BASH: Topping our political radar. It's not true. That's what Democratic Senator John Fetterman is saying about speculation he'll switch parties and become a Republican.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN (D), PENNSYLVANIA: I'm not going to be a Republican. And I would just remind anybody that I've been very clear on that. Whether it's the President or the Republicans are putting down perfectly loyal conservative senators, whether it's Cornyn or Cassidy or these people.

So I don't think that Republican Party wants a pro-choice, pro-gay, trans communities, pro-union. And if you look at my voting records, you know, I disagree with my party on some issues, like Israel, for example. But, you know, I am a Democrat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Not a lot of wiggle room there about becoming a Republican. We didn't hear what he said about potentially becoming an Independent.

And Elon Musk seems to be getting back into politics. The world's richest person is reviving his Super PAC to boost Republican voter turnout in the midterms, that's according to Axios. Musk's America PAC spent more than $260 million to help Trump win the White House in 2024, making Musk the largest individual political donor in a single U.S. election ever. Sources tell Axios the PAC will focus on door- knocking, digital advertising and direct mailings.

Panel is back now. I was just looking back to see what Musk said when he peaced out of the White House back in 2025. Yes, 2025. And the end of 2025, beginning of 2026. And he said that he got too involved in politics. I got carried away. ZELENY: And he also, at one other point, said he was perhaps going to fund a third party. Well, he clearly now is back in the fold of the Trump White House, of the Trump administration, has business before the administration, and now is going to help out with a ground game. I mean, it's not insignificant.

He was a big player without question in the fall of 2024 in terms of the ground game. And Democrats have a money problem. There's no doubt about it. I mean, the DNC, which generally funds the ground game efforts, is cash-strapped, to be kind about it.

So I think that this is significant. But one thing all this money can't do is change the political environment and those headwinds for Republicans. But they can turn out votes.

BASH: So SpaceX, I'm told, has taken a dip. So instead of being a trillionaire, he's a 700-billionaire --

HENDERSON: Yes.

BASH: -- which is sad. But I hear what you're saying about Democrats not having a lot of money on -- for the ground game. Republicans do if they spend money through the President's MAGA Super PAC. They have a lot of money there. So I do find it interesting that Elon Musk is coming back.

We don't know exactly how much money he's going to put into getting people out to vote. But it's -- it is curious why he is doing it and not, at least yet, spending money from the President's Super PAC.

HENDERSON: Yes, listen, I think we'll see what he's going to do. There's some data on this that already something like $450 million by sort of billionaires has been spent on 2026, 80 percent of it going to Republicans. And you see Democrats making an issue of this, right?

The idea is, should billionaires have more of a say than average voters? But of course, Elon Musk is back in the game. Partly why he wanted to step back was because, you know, his companies --

BASH: Yes.

HENDERSON: -- were seeing some effects from his over-involvement in politics.

SOTOMAYOR: And look, Republicans are happy to take any money. I was just on the phone yesterday with a House Republican strategist who was asking, where is that MAGA, Inc. money? I had the same reaction as you. Maybe Elon Musk is getting involved because it seems like MAGA, Inc. is not going to let go of any of its coffers yet.

And I'm curious to see where he plays. For example, in Texas, the Senate race, the New York Times reported that neither SLF, the Senate campaign fundraising PAC, or MAGA, Inc. has spent at all. They're kind of waiting to see who blinks first.

And you're getting really close to the general election, right? To post-Labor Day. So if he could come in with a lot of money, I'm sure Republicans will happily take it, even though they have an edge.

ZELENY: And Trump could hold on to his money and not spend it. And that is what we've all been wondering. It's the question of this (INAUDIBLE).

HENDERSON: Yes, I think that's what he's going to do.

BASH: All right, everybody, thanks for rocking and rolling today on Inside Politics.

Thank you for joining us here. CNN News Central starts right now.