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Inside Politics

Should Democrats Be Optimistic About Winning Senate?; This Week: Can An 80-Year-Old Democrat Hold Onto His Seat? Could New Hampshire Decide Control of the Senate; Interview with Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH); Data Center Opposition Scrambles Partisan Politics; Amid Yosemite Blowbac, Trump Administration Takes Ax to Another Park. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired August 30, 2026 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:03]

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Nevada plays Curacao in the final today.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: You know, I wondered why my sister was in Ireland. She went to Chapel Hill, so now it makes sense.

WIRE: There you go.

BLACKWELL: All right. Thanks for watching this morning.

INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY WITH MANU RAJU is up next.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC)

MANU RAJU, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The road back?

With just nine weeks to go, are new paths opening for Democrats to retake the Senate? My new reporting on alarm bells ringing in Texas.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have a very good candidate. That's not a man that represents the value of Texas.

RAJU: Plus, sleeper race?

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You need to keep your eye on New Hampshire.

RAJU: Amid intense focus in the Midwest.

ABDUL EL-SAYED (D), MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE: Anybody who feels like my comments might have been hurtful, I'm really sorry. That was not my intention.

RAJU: Could Democrats actually lose New Hampshire? Democratic Senate candidate Chris Pappas joins me live. And centers of attention.

AD NARRATOR: Why are there 226 data centers in Ohio?

AD NARRATOR: Meet data center David Crowley.

RAJU: As rage over A.I. grows. Could this become the top issue of 2026?

INSIDE POLITICS, the best reporting from inside the corridors of power, starts now.

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RAJU (on camera): Good morning. And welcome to INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY. I'm Manu Raju.

Sixty-five days until the midterms, and today, new warning signs for Republicans in the battle for the Senate majority. Like in Texas, where my new reporting details how Republicans are fretting as Democrats bombard the airwaves, spending roughly seven times more than the GOP in recent weeks. And in red states where the GOP has dominated, seats like Iowa could go either way.

Then there's Alaska. Two Republicans with the same name will officially appear on the November ballot, a big boon for Democrats. But the path for Democrats to pick up four seats still is quite complicated, and they could very well blow it. Like in Michigan, where Democrat Abdul El-Sayed took steps yesterday to try to repair frayed relations with the Jewish community. And in New Hampshire, where for the first time, a poll shows a Republican ahead in a neck and neck race. And I'll speak with the leading Democrat in that race later in the show.

But first, let's get started with our political insiders. CNN's Alayna Treene, Jonah Goldberg from "The Dispatch", and Carrie Dann from "The Cook Political Report".

Good morning to you all. Happy Sunday.

A lot to digest and a new tool in front of me. The magic -- well, not new, but maybe new for INSIDE POLITICS. I want to dive into the map here.

So right now, if you look at where things are, 5347 of course, that's where the Senate is right now. Democrats have to pick up four seats, a net of four seats, to defend three of their seats in particular, and they have to pick up four. So where can they where do they have the opportunities in the yellow are what's "Cook Political Report" considers toss up states right now. And as you can see, there are six of them on the map, Alaska, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Texas, North Carolina, a Republican seat leaning to the Democrats at the moment. So perhaps let's just say we give them Democrats that say they pick up North Carolina. It's 47, 47. Let's say that then they're doing well right now, neck and neck race in Ohio. Sherrod Brown, the former senator, if he picks up that race, we have a 48-47 Senate. And then you zoom out here. There are so many more opportunities here.

Maine opportunity here. Clearly, Susan Collins, always difficult for Democrats to beat. But Democrats they have finally have a new candidate in that race. Troy Jackson 49-47 Senate. And you still have these other opportunities like in Texas and in Alaska and in Iowa, where Josh Turek is giving Ashley Hinson the Republican running in that open GOP seat in that race. If he were to win that seat, we have a 50-47 Senate, and you have other opportunities in the map. Assuming Democrats can hold states like Michigan and New Hampshire.

Carrie, you have been going all through this map. You know how it looks more than better than anybody else. Do Democrats have a better chance now, 65 days out than they did a few weeks ago?

CARRIE DANN, MANAGING EDITOR, THE COOK POLITICAL REPORT: Look, the way that we are viewing the senate overall right now is that we moved recently. Iowa, the Iowa Senate race and the Texas Senate race into toss-up. Let's just note, if you had told me that that that was going to happen a year and a half ago, I would have not believed you at all. We are in a much different place than we were even a couple weeks ago, but this is functionally made the race for the Senate overall a toss up.

However, I would say if you were to give a slight advantage either to either side, you might still -- still want to be Republicans here because --

RAJU: Structurally, the map still favors the GOP, because the Democrats have to win in red states.

[08:05:00]

DANN: But, precisely, they have to win at least two of these seats in seats that Donald Trump won by more than 10 points. That is a very tall order, despite the political environment. And they also have to play a perfect game on defense.

And I think Michigan remains a big headache for Democrats. Even allies of Abdul El-Sayed will say that that is going to be a tougher race than it might have been otherwise. And, you know, keep in mind to Mike Rogers did not have a primary. So, he's been able to spend months getting ready for the general election.

But Michigan Democrats are having to pivot very quickly. It is a little bit of a mess for them. Yeah, even at the moment. And so, if you're going to say who would you rather be? Probably would still rather be the Republicans. That said, Democrats have a real fighting chance here.

RAJU: Yeah. And we're going to dive into Michigan in a second here.

Let's talk about Texas real quickly, because we have new reporting out this morning. My colleagues, Patrick Swift and David Wright, and I report about the concern about the huge amount of money that Talarico -- James Talarico, the Democrat, has been swamping the airwaves with as Ken Paxton, Trump's preferred choice, remember, Trump pushed him through that Republican primary against incumbent John Cornyn. The Republican leader said, please, Mr. President, get behind John Cornyn. He can actually win this race. We don't have to spend a ton of money.

Meantime, MAGA Inc., Trump's outside organization, which is sitting on roughly 400 million bucks, has yet to spend money in this race. Republicans are saying, please, please spend some money. And if you look at Texas here, just to give a reminder of the race, Ken Paxton, James Talarico, of course, running in that race. And if you look at the polls here right now, one poll has Talarico, which is consistent with some other polling ahead, narrowly within the margin of error, but still up three points.

This is Texas, of course. Texas is a conservative state. Democrats have not had success winning in Texas in many, many years.

So, but why are -- why is Talarico doing better? Maybe this is why, Jonah -- 31.5 million bucks to 4.7 million bucks just since June. That's how much more the Democrats are spending in Texas on the air.

JONAH GOLDBERG, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I mean, one of the fascinating things about Texas is that there are basically two GOP at this point in Texas, and they line up the side that likes Ken Paxton and the side that doesn't. And that fault line has been moving around for a long time. It used to be more of a Cruz-Cornyn kind of fault line, but this is it on steroids.

And my bellwether for Republican hopes for the Senate are basically tracking how furious GOP consultants get about Ken Paxton being the candidate when their rage goes way up. I'm like, oh, man, they're worried about the Senate when it's like, oh, we can handle it. And then, you know, the thing this the CNN reporting about how Paxton's waiting for Trump money. Well, if "The Atlantic" reporting and other reporting is correct that the Trump money is going to go towards Trump and improving Trump's favorability numbers, I'm not sure that's what Paxton needs in the state of Texas right now.

RAJU: Why is MAGA Inc, Trump's outside organization, not spending the money that they said that they're going to do to try to help? Because this is a huge issue because the Republican leadership is waiting. They're waiting for MAGA Inc. to take the lead. And they haven't.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. And a lot of people, a lot of Republicans are thinking even at this point, like a lot of that money could be coming too late. We're so close to the elections now. Why have you been waiting to spend it?

I just reporting a couple weeks ago that they were planning to spend around 30 million, which is not a lot when you look at the sizable war chest.

RAJU: Yeah, and Texas is so expensive too.

TREENE: So expensive. And "The Atlantic" reporting is right. The president and his team do believe that boosting the president will help them. They're trying to convince voters, you know, make this about the president, pretend like Trump is on the ballot.

And I mean, obviously, I think a bit of a controversial take. Some people will say, because the president is polling so poorly at this point, but they their goal really is if they're going to be able to get enough voters out. I mean, that's the core of this. I think what Republicans and I know the president's political operation, they think it's really about turnout at this point and driving the voters who care the most fiercely about the president, getting them to show up on election day is what they think will make a difference.

But again, to people like Ken Paxton doesn't really help him out when he needs this money and also needs a huge boost. And Paxton, of course, the reason they're in this predicament in Texas is because the president forced out Cornyn and went behind Paxton.

RAJU: Let's dive into Michigan and news from over from yesterday. Remember Abdul El-Sayed, the progressive candidate in this race, had won that primary and has had to there have been a lot of Democrats saying, please pivot to the general election. Try to repair your relations with the Jewish community in particular, after such a divisive fight over the issue of Israel in that primary.

Yesterday, he took some steps to try to do that at the Michigan party convention after he had made some comments that were seen as insensitive in the aftermath of a March attack against a Jewish synagogue in Michigan.

[08:10:06]

He said this to reporters after apologizing for his past remarks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EL-SAYED: My comments might have been misconstrued to be justifying something I did not intend to justify. Right to anybody who feels like my comments might have been hurtful. I'm really sorry. I was not my intention.

We condemned that terrorist attack. We condemned it outright. What I was trying to do is offer context for why it happened. It wasn't the time for context, and you don't ever want to trample somebody's pain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: Is that going to be enough?

DANN: I mean, look, I think that it's an acknowledgment that El-Sayed is making here that he does need to do some work to repair those relationships. And if he is unable to coalesce Democratic-leaning Jewish voters as well as Black voters with whom he also underperformed, I think that he would could be in real trouble here. And again, as I mentioned, Mike Rogers did not have a primary. So he was able, in the aftermath of El-Sayed's win, to immediately reach out to some of these Jewish voters, Jewish community to say, hey, I have your back. This guy doesn't. And El-Sayed has a lot of work to do to unite the party with this.

With 65 days left to go for the election, and every day that he's talking about this issue, as much as he's trying to talk about affordability, this is a distraction for him.

GOLDBERG: Yeah. So, one of the things I think is sort of fascinating about the dynamic is we talk a lot about low information voters, right? Trump is trying to get that crowd that normally doesn't vote low propensity voters, low information voters. Some of the most interesting stories in the last of this cycle have been about high information voters, the people who actually follow politics really closely.

I think one of the reasons why Hong lost in Wisconsin in the primary was that high information voters in Wisconsin, and there are a lot of them in Wisconsin, really care about winning. The problem I think that side has in Michigan is that those Jewish voters. In America -- American Jews right now, are really scared about anti-Semitism on the left and the right, and they pay attention to this stuff really closely.

And the sort of clever parsing and backtracking that you get from side there, which I take as being sincere. It doesn't make up for his relationship with people like Hasan Piker, who he won't disavow and that kind of stuff. And those high information voters need a lot of persuading.

It's easy to sort of convince low information voters to go do what you want them to do. Once you convince them. It's a different kind of process with high information voters.

RAJU: Yeah. And as we go to break just one other state we're tracking very closely is the state of Alaska. And news from this past week about who could actually be on the November ballot in Alaska. Remember, it's a top four vote getters in that primary become general election candidates.

And you look at map here, there are three names that we have projected so far in this race. Mary Peltola, the Democrat, she got 49 percent of the vote in the primary. If you're a Democrat, you're feeling pretty good about that. Dan Sullivan, the incumbent senator, 42 percent of the vote and the other senator and -- he wants to be a senator, Dan J. Sullivan.

Yes, there's another Dan Sullivan in this race. and that is what's causing so much Republican concern because he is a retired teacher. He says he just wants to run for this seat. I asked him about why he's running for this seat. He says that he's not an imposter. He says he's not trying to confuse the electorate as -- as he has been accused of by Republicans. He said that I'm not trying to confuse voters. I'm running to promote policies that help Alaskans. And he also says he's not dropping out of this race at the moment.

So, Carrie, this is a real concern for her.

DANN: I mean, it is really hard to game out exactly the impact this is going to have because as you mentioned, this is not the kind of election where everybody goes and picks their favorite candidate and whoever gets the most votes wins. It is a ranked choice situation in which a lot of voters will rank one, two, three, four. A lot of voters also don't. A lot of voters just pick one candidate. So, it is really hard to game out exactly what this means.

However, Republicans worked really hard to try to keep Dan J. Sullivan off the ballot. I think there's a reason for that.

RAJU: Yeah, no question about it. All right. We'll continue to watch that.

And still ahead for us, we dive into the battle for the House majority. And you may be surprised to hear why Democrats have some reason to be nervous.

Plus, the octogenarian Democrat in a Tuesday primary, can he fend off a challenge from his much younger opponent?

And later in the show, is New Hampshire the sleeper race of the cycle? I go one on one with the Democrat trying to keep a Senate seat blue.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:18:54]

RAJU: The age-old question for Democrats is back and on the ballot on Tuesday. In the Massachusetts Senate primary, 80-year-old Senator Ed Markey trying to fend off a challenge from his Democratic foe, 47- year-old Congressman Seth Moulton.

Markey, trying to avoid being the 14th incumbent to be ousted this cycle far more than the historical norm. But Markey is leaning into his progressive record yesterday, bringing out the power players, including a fellow octogenarian senator, Bernie Sanders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): Are you ready for a radical idea? How about having a country where the people rule? One person, one vote? Billionaires don't buy elections. We're no longer going to allow our brothers and sisters to die because they can't afford health care.

SEN. ED MARKEY (D-MA): We need to pass my trans bill of rights. It is critical that we abolish ICE now. We need to impeach Donald Trump now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[08:20:02]

RAJU: All right. My excellent panel is back.

So, this is an interesting race because it is a generational battle, but it's different because you have a more progressive senator running against someone who is more moderate. Seth Moulton, who's trying to fashion himself as the more progressive person in this race, despite his own record. And maybe that's why the polls are showing things looking pretty good for Ed Markey right now. In fact, since June, his support has grown. According to the University of New Hampshire polling, by six -- now he's up 63 to 28 heading into Tuesday.

TREENE: Yeah.

RAJU: I mean, it's different than we've seen this, other incumbents being ousted.

TREENE: Absolutely. I mean, I think Seth Moulton really focusing on, you know, got to pass the torch. We need a new generation of leaders. I think that message is a very smart one and one that resonates with a lot of people.

And the fact that it's not really doing that much to help in this race, I mean, I'm sure it's affected, but maybe not as effective as he would like it to be, shows that -- I mean, there is a huge amount of people, progressives who are behind Markey. And I really do think that is what changes.

You saw, Bernie. But there's also, you know, AOC, you have Elizabeth Warren, you have all of them coming out in a big way to get behind him. But I -- you know, this is a huge debate that is happening all over the country. I think a lot of and it's interesting, too, because the progressives are the ones that really want, you know, the older generation to get out. But it's different here.

RAJU: And we've seen in race after race, it's usually been the younger progressives coming in to push out the older establishment members.

GOLDBERG: Yeah, I think that's one of the like, there are a lot of people on the right who want to say, oh my god, the Bolsheviks are coming, and some of them are Bolsheviks. But there is a -- the fact that a big part of the DSA thing is more about generational change, I think, than people want to appreciate, because it's -- and I think the fact that it didn't work here, I mean, like Massachusetts, it's kind of Jurassic Park before the fall.

I mean, these guys, you got these dinosaurs who like, like it's another place with high information voters. The party establishment runs everything. Markey's earned trust from the establishment. He got you know, he got the other, you know, the brontosaurus and the T-rex to come in to endorse him. And so, it doesn't shock me it didn't work there.

But I agree with you. It was -- the smart play. It just -- maybe was the wrong state for it.

RAJU: Right. All right. Let's -- let's talk -- let's shift gears and talk about the race for the house. This is, you know, you see poll after poll, there have been done a ton of data to show that Democrats have the wind at their sails as they head into the November elections. But structurally, the race from the House is much more complicated because there's so few districts that are toss-ups, and Democrats are on the losing end right now of the gerrymandering wars that we've seen play out over the past year or so.

And we look at the map here right now, it's so narrow. The House majority is 219 to 212. Republicans have the advantage. And if you look at "Cook Political Reports" ratings, look at there's just a handful of seats that are really true toss-ups here. And Republicans probably have a slight advantage when you drill down a little further.

And then the pickup opportunities for the Democrats. Some are tough races. You look at the New York 17 race, Mike Lawler, incumbent congressman, going to be very difficult to beat. It is a Kamala Harris district. So, Democrats know the absolutely have to pick that up.

And then places like in Michigan and Michigan's seventh congressional district, this is a district that they absolutely must flip. Tom Barrett is the incumbent Republican there. The Democrats have a more progressive candidate, a former DSA member, William Lawrence, who told me that he let his membership expire from the DSA. He is now running in that race. Could the Republicans pick that up? Perhaps.

Then even in you go west, there are places like in California, 22nd congressional district. David Valadao, a long time target of the Democratic Party. His district has been gerrymandered to help Democrats in this election. But still, he will be difficult to beat.

Carrie, 65 days out. Now, what's your sense on the House chances for the Democrats to flip it at this moment?

DANN: Look, you'd rather be Democrats than Republicans, but Republicans retain a path. Our math indicates that if Republicans are able to win about half of those toss ups and retain all of their defensive opportunities, they could turn out with a, you know, a majority. That would be that one that Mike Johnson still probably wouldn't want because it would be three or four seats.

But if everything goes well for Democrats, they're able to sweep those toss ups and incur into sort of that lean Republican column. They could end up with a majority of, I don't know, ten, 11 seats. Either way, your point is absolutely correct that it's just a very small playing field.

RAJU: Yeah.

DANN: We have 21 toss up seats and 37 that are even potentially competitive right now.

RAJU: And Mike Lawler, who's someone's race, will be watching very closely because as I said, Democrats absolutely have to flip that race. He was out with a new ad about this this his race. You know, he's had an interesting dealing with Trump because Trump is not popular in his district. Trump did campaign recently with Lawler there, but Lawler is trying to show him portray himself as someone who's fighting with Trump but also can work with Trump.

[08:25:04]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REP. MIKE LAWLER (R-NY): I stood up to both sides to get SALT back and make things more affordable. I had to take on the left and the right.

TRUMP: I call him Mr. SALT. He didn't stop. This guy was a pain in the (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: What do you think?

GOLDBERG: I think this just sort of highlights the problem with the strategy of Trump trying to spend money on himself. There's a lot of every incumbent White House in this kind of midterm wants to make the midterms a choice, not a referendum. And so far, at least in this century, they've all failed.

And the idea of going out there and having more exposure of a president who's in the mid-30s in approval and people -- I don't think it's going to cause a crossover. It's going to keep a lot of voters home. Just don't want any part of it.

RAJU: Yeah. We'll see how Lawler strategy works.

And coming up for us next, why a shock poll has the political world talking about New Hampshire and whether the Senate majority may hinge on it. I'll speak with a top Democratic Senate candidate in the race about the alarm bells that are now going off.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:30:36]

MANU RAJU, CNN HOST: New Hampshire has not been on the mind for many in Washington in the battle for the Senate majority. But there are worrying signs for Democrats as they seek to hold on to the open seat. Like a new poll from the University of New Hampshire that shows, for the first time, the leading Democrat in the race, Congressman Chris Pappas, down two to his likely GOP opponent, former senator, John Sununu.

And ahead of the September 8th primary, Pappas, seeing his support slip against a Democratic Socialist candidate, Karishma Manzur.

To talk about this race is Congressman Pappas himself. Congressman, thank you so much for joining me this morning. Really appreciate your time.

So, many Democrats were surprised to see that poll that shows Republican John Sununu may actually hold a slight lead in this race.

So my question to you is, do Republicans have a real chance of picking up this seat?

REP. CHRIS PAPPAS (D-NH): This is a purple state. It's a highly competitive race. It's been that way for a year. It's one of the reasons why Republicans were very interested in

recruiting any member of the Sununu family to run, because they've got universal name recognition and a brand that's been established for almost 50 years in this state.

The fact is, the polling has been close. It will continue to be tight until the very end. That's the precedent of New Hampshire Senate races. We saw that in 2022 and 2016, with Maggie Hassan's races.

And most voters are Independents, they're somewhere in between. That's about 40 percent of the electorate. They decide late. They're not going to lock in automatically for one side or the other, even though the president's popularity is so far below water here. His, you know, economic strategy is going over like a lead balloon.

We got to do some work to connect with voters in this state about building an affordable economy, taking on a reckless president, restoring checks and balances.

At the end of the day, the voters are fair here. We have a path to win this race, but it's going to be hard fought.

RAJU: Is your party not taking this race seriously enough?

PAPPAS: Party needs to focus on New Hampshire and all the other opportunities out there. But the math doesn't really work for Democrats to pick up the four seats we need if were taking steps backward in the seats that we already hold.

So New Hampshire being one of the states where there's a Democrat retiring, Jeanne Shaheen, we've got to hold this race in order for the rest of the math to work for Democrats to take back the Senate majority. And that is so essential.

RAJU: Yes.

PAPPAS: Voters here are focused on what we need to do to win and we're building the coalition. We need to do it.

RAJU: Let me ask you about your primary, because the poll shows your lead has dropped by about 20 points from January now against that progressive candidate, Karishma Manzur. And her policy positions, according to this poll, they're more popular than yours. So why is she gaining steam in this race, Congressman?

PAPPAS: Well, any one poll is a snapshot and shouldn't be overinterpreted. There are other polls that say other things. And I'm really encouraged by the broad depth of support that we have across the state.

I represent half of it right now. I've been battle-tested. I've won four tough races for Congress, and one of the swingiest congressional districts in the country. I've been through tough primaries and tough general elections.

And I'm the kind of candidate that can attract not just members of my own party, but Independents and Republicans, which is the key to success in New Hampshire.

(CROSSTALKING)

PAPPAS: So I feel good about voters understanding the track record that I have of taking on big fights, fighting for change, working to reform Washington and standing up to Trump. And I think that's going to carry the day not only on September 8th, but on November 3rd, too.

RAJU: And your primary opponent, she's part of the Democratic Socialists of America. And we've seen these DSA candidates around the country really have success in primaries.

I'm wondering what you think about the DSA. Do you think the rise of the DSA is a good development for your party?

PAPPAS: Look, what works in New York City doesn't necessarily work in New Hampshire. And this is not a left-wing or a right-wing state. It's a state where voters are somewhere near center field. They are focused on how we can solve problems.

People don't live in an ideological bubble. They want their lives to be a little bit easier. And whether it's the tariffs, the health care cuts, the war that's making gas more expensive -- they want practical solutions that are going to make the economy fairer, improve their lives, lower costs, and bring our country closer together.

[08:34:46]

PAPPAS: So that's the message that I'm really focused on here. It's having resonance, not just with Democratic primary voters, but with the kinds of voters we need to win a very tough general election against a seasoned former U.S. senator, John Sununu.

RAJU: Yes.

Well, I'm wondering about what you think about the left-wing streamer, Hasan Piker, who's had a lot of sway and been involved in a lot of some of these primaries. Do you think that he has a place within the Democratic Party's big tent?

PAPPAS: Well, look, his past statements on 9/11 on Jewish-Americans and Jewish officeholders, that is unacceptable language. I've never met him, certainly wouldn't campaign with him.

And I'm a New Hampshire Democrat. I'm focused on doing this the New Hampshire way. And what I know in my state is that voters are sick of the extremism on both sides.

They want our country to be able to come closer together. They want connection and community. They want solutions. They want people to stand up for what's right. We can do that without accommodating the most extreme voices among us.

RAJU: Let's talk a little bit more about your party, because when you look at the polling, Congressional Democrats really are incredibly unpopular with the American public. Just 23 percent in a Quinnipiac poll of voters nationally, they have

approved of your party in Congress. So I'm wondering if you win your race, do you think it would be time to oust Chuck Schumer as your party leader?

PAPPAS: Well, I do think it's time for new voices, and I'm running to be part of a new generation to serve in the Senate, to represent my state. And I think leadership was incredibly flat-footed at the beginning of Trump 2, not meeting the moment and understanding the urgency and how much more dire it was than the first term of Trump.

So we'll see who's running, and I'll make that decision after the election. I'm not measuring the drapes. We've got to win a tough fight here.

(CROSSTALKING)

RAJU: But do you have confidence that --

PAPPAS: I don't hear a lot about leadership from folks in New Hampshire, frankly. I hear about the issues that they're concerned about in their own lives.

RAJU: But do you have confidence in Chuck Schumer as Democratic leader?

PAPPAS: Well, look, he's got to make a decision about what his future is. What I've observed on the House side is that our caucus is united. We are more united than I've ever seen during my four terms in Congress.

And I think this is an opportunity for Democrats to remember where the big fight is. We've got to muster all the courage and all the fight to take on Trump, to stand up for what's right and to fight to build a fairer economy and lower costs.

RAJU: Yes.

PAPPAS: We can do that if we take the majority back. And I think that would be a unifying moment for the Democratic caucus on both sides of the Capitol.

RAJU: I want to ask you about one thing your primary opponent has been hitting you on, which is your ties to the pro-Israel lobby, AIPAC. And this cycle alone, Open Secrets has calculated that you've received more than $200,000 from AIPAC and related groups and people.

Now, AIPAC has also endorsed you. There's a big debate in your party about if about AIPAC. I'm wondering what you think. Do you think that AIPAC is a group that does good for America?

PAPPAS: Well, I appreciate the support I have from individuals out there. And I'm fighting to change the way that our campaign finance system works because it's ridiculous the amount of big money that's in politics. And that's why I lead legislation on disclosure and are working to overturn Citizens United. But the fact is, I support the ability of individual American citizens

to participate in democracy. And in our campaign, the support we've generated is from over 120,000 grassroots donors --

RAJU: Right.

PAPPAS: -- who are giving, on average, 30 bucks online. So --

(CROSSTALKING)

RAJU: But do you do -- just to be clear.

(CROSSTALKING)

RAJU: Just to be clear, just to be --

PAPPAS: -- really broad-based campaign to win this.

RAJU: Just to be clear, do you welcome AIPAC's support? Do you welcome their endorsement?

PAPPAS: Well, look, I welcome the support of individuals and I've shown how I'm willing to take on the Netanyahu government to support legislation and to support efforts to restore stability and an opportunity for peace and a two-state solution in the Middle East.

And that's what's most important here is what are the votes and how are you working to make our country safer and create the opportunities for peace and respect for innocent civilians on both sides?

And that's something that New Hampshire voters support, something that I've continued to hold at my core over the last few years.

RAJU: All right. Congressman Chris Pappas, we're going to have to leave it there, but I really appreciate you coming on -- coming on and taking the questions. Really appreciate your time.

PAPPAS: Thanks, Manu.

RAJU: Absolutely.

Coming up. They're big. They're ugly. They're expensive. And now could they actually be a deciding factor in November's midterms?

New details on why data centers are becoming issue du jour this campaign season.

[08:39:16]

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RAJU: It's the NIMBY issue of 2026. Data centers are becoming a campaign talking point in more and more races across the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARRIE DANN, MANAGING EDITOR, THE COOK POLITICAL REPORT: Husted is the chief reason Ohio has so many data centers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Meet data center David Crowley.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's an opportunity for us to really become A.I. and a data hub.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Chuck Gray, and in Congress, I'll stop data centers. No taxpayer subsidies, no special treatment, no backroom deals for big tech billionaires.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: As you can see, it's becoming a bipartisan issue with candidates from both sides, butting heads with the president. So is it changing the midterm playbook?

My political insiders are back. So not popular -- data centers. You look at the polling, perhaps one reason why everyone is talking about it on the campaign trail on both sides. Just 11 percent support when asked the question by this -- in this Reuters poll.

[08:44:48]

RAJU: Would you support or oppose a data center being built within ten miles of your home? Just 11 percent. You don't see that much bipartisan consensus.

JONAH GOLDBERG, CO-FOUNDER AND EDITOR IN CHIEF, "THE DISPATCH": There's polling that shows more people would rather have a nuclear power plant or a steel smelting factory in their community than a data center, which I think is a sign that this is partly -- there are some legitimate concerns out there. Electricity rates and all that.

This is partly a moral panic. And when you have Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, going out talking about how he's going to crack down on data centers and construction when he touted the $40 billion Google investment in his own state, you know, the winds are just shifting and people are trying to figure it out, how to navigate.

RAJU: Yes. I mean Republicans are the ones who are now jumping on this because Democrats have been pushing on this issue really for some time.

And actually this this year alone, $31 million have been spent on ads mentioning data center in 2026 alone, including this one from the Republican gubernatorial nominee in Wisconsin, Tom Tiffany.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Meet data center David Crowley.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's an opportunity for us to really become A.I. and a data hub for -- not only for the entire country, but for the entire globe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And he wants you to pay for it. Data center David Crowley wont roll back data center tax incentives.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: It just goes to show you how Republicans see this as a salient issue as well.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Data center David Crowley.

GOLDBERG: Same initials, really.

RAJU: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They love the alliteration, right?

TREENE: No, it is, I think, a huge issue. And they recognize it. I mean, half, you know, you open social media these days, you will see something about data centers and about how they guzzle water and electricity and all of that.

And it's something Republicans recognize they don't want to be on the wrong side of.

And that it is something that, you know, will it actually be the biggest issue that motivates voters in November? I'm not so sure. But they want to be on the right side of it.

And of course, that does put them at odds with the president, who believes, look, this is great for investment. We want to win the A.I. race against China. It's helping with jobs. But that argument doesn't go so far as some people's personal experiences.

I know people who live close to data centers and their power goes off often, and they complain about it, and they blame it on the data centers a lot.

I agree that, you know, is it also a lot of it really a moral issue and people not wanting A.I. to be, as ubiquitous everywhere as its starting to become. I think that's part of it, too.

But Republicans recognize they got to seize on it. The President though, not quite there.

RAJU: Yes.

Other than the president --

TREENE: Yes. Other than the president.

RAJU: That is something to seize upon, which was interesting to see how that plays out.

Now in Ohio is interesting because this is, of course, a critical Senate race. Sherrod Brown running against the incumbent Republican Jon Husted. He has been hammering the issue of data centers for months now. And Axios got its hands on a -- in a Republican memo from the

Republican Senatorial Committee warning about this being a huge impact on the race, saying that if he loses, referring to Jon Husted, and data centers get the blame politicians across the country will take notice and they will not go near the next one.

They go on to say this has become a sleeper issue for the entire election cycle. Could it turn the Ohio Senate race?

DANN: I think that's going to be a major issue in Ohio and a lot of these other races. I do think, to your point, Donald Trump said something really interesting about this recently.

He said -- because he's obviously very bullish on these data centers. And he said, if a Republican doesn't like a data center, that's ok with me.

The president doesn't say that about members of his own party very often. I think it's an acknowledgment that the politics of this are changing very quickly. And it's Republicans, not Democrats, who are mostly playing catch up.

RAJU: Yes. No question. And that's yes, you don't hear Trump saying, you know, you guys can go on your own on this one. But he, I guess he does recognize the politics of this. We'll see how it continues to play out.

All right. Coming up next for us from El Capitan to el Trump-itan (ph). Well, you may have heard the Trump administration is reportedly thinking of trading part of Yosemite National Park to a private developer.

Now there's another park where they've already started chopping down trees. That's next.

[08:48:47]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

RAJU: In 1864, President Lincoln signed the Yosemite Valley Grant Act, the very first time the government set aside scenic land for protection. And for hundreds of years now, people from all over the world have trekked to California's Central Valley to take in Yosemite's spectacular sights. UNESCO even naming it a heritage site.

But now, new concerns amid reports that the Trump administration is working to exchange part of the national park with a private land developer from Nevada.

Since Spring 2025, the Trump administration has been considering parceling off an 83-acre plot of land to Kingsbarn Realty Capital. The land would be used to build a road to give wealthy neighboring homeowners access to a part of the park currently almost entirely surrounded by national forests.

Now, in a statement, the Interior Department said, quote, "Any land exchange or access proposal involving national park service lands will be subject to all applicable federal laws, regulations and departmental policies, including required environmental review in public notification processes."

And here at home, a different national park making headlines, East Potomac Park on the banks of the Potomac River. Back in April, I went to East Potomac Golf Course as the Trump administration was working to take over Washington's three public golf courses, managed now by the National Links Trust, a nonprofit group.

Now, since then, the battle over control of the golf courses has been making its way through the courts.

[08:54:46]

RAJU: But now pictures show trees being felled at East Potomac Park, where Trump has made clear he wants to turn the low-cost public courses into one, attracting major golf championships. something that seemed implausible to the co-founder of the National Links Trust.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE MCCARTIN, CO-FOUNDER, NATIONAL LINKS TRUST: There's only about 200 acres of golf course here, and in order to host like a major championship, you need at least 350 acres.

RAJU: And it would cost a lot of money.

MCCARTIN: And it would cost an enormous amount of money. You would be building a ton of infrastructure that would be just for a tournament that doesn't really benefit the everyday golfer here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: The "Washington Post" reporting that trees are being cut down ahead of the proposed September 1st start date, even though there's been no plan or final cost (ph) released to the public about the project.

Now, as activists rallied at East Potomac Saturday to protest the takeover, an Interior Department spokesperson called the tree removal, quote, "selective" to remove invasive and dying trees as part of routine maintenance.

That's it for INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY.

Up next, "STATE OF THE UNION WITH JAKE TAPPER AND DANA BASH". Dana's guests include White House border czar Tom Homan and California Congressman Ro Khanna.

Thanks again for sharing your Sunday morning with us. We'll see you next time.

[08:56:02]

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