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Video Reveal GOP Candidate's Crude Remarks About Women; Democrats Shoulder Cash Disadvantage Two Months Before Midterms; Michigan GOP Representative Fights to Hold on in Purple District. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired September 09, 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]

ALLISON GORDON, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER/PRODUCER: Yeah, so that's just a small portion of what we dug through. And I also found examples of Herrera using sexually crass language, slang, other derogatory comments towards women, especially when he was insulting a female gun safety advocate, Shannon Watts, both her and her children. And the comments he used about her are too vile to repeat on air right now.

KASIE HUNT, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT AND CO-ANCHOR OF 'INSIDE POLITICS': So what has Herrera's team been telling us about this?

GORDON: Yeah, when I reached out to Herrera's campaign, again they characterized these comments as jokes. And they directed my focus rather to his opponent, Democrat Katy Padilla Stout, citing her involvement in a domestic violence case as an attorney in San Antonio. Now, when I reached out to Stout's campaign, they said that she was just doing her job as a court-appointed appellate attorney and that Herrera should really take account for these past comments about women.

HUNT: So Herrera has been pressed on controversial comments that he's made before about Nazis and about veteran suicide. He has said those are jokes. You spoke with a political extremism expert who pushed back on that assertion. What did she tell you?

GORDON: Yeah, this is not the first time that this candidate has been scrutinized, and he has repeatedly characterized these comments as jokes. Now, when I took that to this political extremism expert who runs a research lab at American University, she told me that she looks through this kind of content all the time for her research, and her research has shown that when you go back and look at what folks who commit political violence are consuming online, it's often misogynistic commentary, whether that be on YouTube, social media or on podcasts.

And she described Herrera's comments, particularly when he compared women's weight to that of animals, you know, the killer whales and elephants, as hallmarks of internet misogyny. And again, Herrera characterized his comments as jokes, and he pushed back on that assertion. HUNT: All right. Allison Gordon, with that reporting, Allison, thank you very much for being here. All right, coming up next here, Democrats say they're a big tent party, but how far can the tent stretch before it starts to impact crucial battleground races? DNC Chief, Ken Martin, is next.

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[12:36:30]

HUNT: With just under eight weeks to go until Election Day, President Trump has never been more unpopular. But headed into the campaign's final stretch, Republicans have a huge cash advantage as their midterm convention kicks off tonight. So which fact will count for more?

DNC Chair, Ken Martin joins me now. Mr. Chairman, thank you so much for being here. Really appreciate your time. So you've said that the one thing that unites everyone in the Democratic Party is opposition to President Trump. But unlike in 2018, when Democrats really benefited from that, we see in polling people are really unhappy with the Democratic brand. So is it enough to just be against Trump?

KEN MARTIN, CHAIRMAN, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE: Well, look, I think the reason our candidates have been winning across the board over the last 19 months is because they're running for something, not against something. They're not just talking about Donald Trump. In fact, what they're talking about is affordability. They're talking about actually making sure that people can afford their lives and actually achieve the American dream, and instead of just getting by, actually getting ahead.

They're also talking about health care access, making sure that we save health care in this country and make sure that no one in this country, the richest country in the world, is going without health care. And lastly, they're talking about corruption, the fact that this system is rigged for the powerful and the wealthy at the expense of hardworking Americans. That's what Democrats have been focused on.

Everyone from Zohran Mamdani to Abigail Spanberger to Mikie Sherrill to every candidate that has been running over the last 19 months and has won, that's because they're running for something. They're very rarely talking about Donald Trump. In fact, we don't need to talk about Donald Trump, although we will, and I certainly will.

And of course, we need to be united to put a check on this mad man's power, and that's what Democrats are going to do. But the reason we've been winning is because we've been giving people a vision of what the future will look like with Democrats in control.

HUNT: You say you need to be united, but does embracing some of the Democratic Socialists of America who've been winning in very blue places help get the candidates that are going to make your majorities over the finish line?

MARTIN: Well, what I would say is we are a big tent party. I've always said that, right? We have all sorts of Democrats running all over the country, conservative Democrats, centrist Democrats, progressives, and new Democrats, these leftists. And the reality is it takes all of us, all types of Democrats, to win throughout the country.

And while folks like you and others want to focus on the differences within this big tent party of ours, I am reminded of the fact that there is more that unites all of these disparate parts of our party. Every Democrat I know is running to put more money in people's pockets. Every Democrat I know is running to make sure we get towards universal health care so no one goes without health care in this country.

Every Democrat I know is making sure that we bring down the cost of housing and make sure that people can afford the groceries and are paid a living wage and can retire with dignity. These are core values of the Democratic Party. And whether you're on the far left or the far right of our party, the things that unite us are much bigger than the things that divide us.

HUNT: One of the challenges that you face as a party apparatus at the DNC specifically is this massive cash advantage compared to Republicans. At the end of August, the DNC had $16 million on hand, but you owe nearly $18 million. And, of course, the RNC has $130 million. What has gone wrong?

MARTIN: Nothing's gone wrong. Just the opposite. We've made a bet. And the bet is -- we've raised more money, by the way, than any DNC chair without the White House in the history of the country.

[12:40:00]

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HUNT: Nothing has gone wrong, even though you're in debt?

MARTIN: Here's the deal. We inherited a bunch of money from the last presidential campaign. We decided to pay that money off, and of course we did, and then we took out a loan so that we can make deep investments in the elections last year to win, and we did as a result. We have raised a record amount of money, over $216 million to date through July 31st, which is $100 million more than the last record holder, which was Chairman Tom Perez at a similar time.

There's no DNC chair without the White House who's raised more money. But the difference here is that we're spending the money. We're actually pushing it out to have conversations with voters, to have year-round organizing throughout the country, to support our state parties in a true 50-state-party strategy, to invest deeply in elections up and down the ballot, not just federal elections but state and local elections as well.

And as I mentioned, to start the conversations with voters earlier and often. One of the lessons from the '24 election is that we as a party and our campaign waited too long to actually start engaging voters in the conversation. The DNC made a bet and the bet was this, we're going to start early, we're going to start often, we're going to build the infrastructure to win, and as a result, by the way, we've been winning.

90 percent of the elections on the ballot, we've been winning. And look, at the end of the day, you should measure a party chair at any level on two metrics. One, are they raising the money? And two, are they winning? And on both of those accounts, we are doing exactly that.

We've raised a record amount, we're investing a record amount, and we're winning at a record rate. And you know, we'll see in 55 days what ends up happening. I'm confident we're going to win. I'm not complacent. But I can tell you what, we've been raising the resources we need to, to actually invest in the things that will help us win.

HUNT: There, of course, have been also some questions about the autopsy report that you all put out looking back at the 2024 election. And there was an aide that worked on that report who says that he gave you, according to The New York Times, a copy of a chapter of that report that discussed the former president's decision to run for reelection, Joe Biden.

You say, or you told the paper, that you've never seen that. What does this dispute say about what the party is capable of going forward?

MARTIN: Well, look, none of that reporting was accurate. And you know, the reality is for us, what we're focused on is the future. We took the lessons learned from that autopsy, the mistakes that were made in '24 and prior elections, and we've distilled them both into our lessons learned and our playbook to make sure that we as a party are incorporating those key lessons learned into our work.

We've been doing that over the course of the last 19 months, not only how we're investing money and spending money, but how we're communicating with voters. It's all a direct outcome of the autopsy and, of course, those lessons that we learned. And so, you know, there's disputes out there about what was in it, what wasn't in it. The reality is, is that what I've been focused on this whole time, our North Star is actually November 3rd and winning these midterm elections and putting a check on Trump's power.

That's what the DNC has been doing. And so while some people want to focus on the past, some people want to focus on the divisions within the DNC and within the Democratic Party, what I'm focused in on is making sure that we win in November, we put a check on his power, and then we win again in '28. And we're certainly well-positioned to do both.

HUNT: All right. Ken Martin, the Chairman of the DNC, thank you so much for your time, sir. I appreciate it.

MARTIN: Thank you.

HUNT: All right. Coming up next, President Trump tells voters to pretend that he's on the ballot. Is what -- Republicans who are actually on the ballot, is that what they want? I'll speak to a vulnerable GOP Congressman skipping the midterm convention. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:48:16]

HUNT: Many battleground Republicans will be in Dallas tonight for the first-ever Republican midterm convention headlined on both nights by speeches from President Trump. Congressman Tom Barrett isn't one of them. He is fighting to hold on to a purple district in Michigan and he is skipping the GOP gathering. And Congressman Barrett joins me now.

Congressman, thank you so much for spending some time with us today. So, unlike many of your colleagues, you're not going to the convention. The president has said that he's on the ballot, even though he isn't, right? That this is about him. Is he wrong to say the election is a referendum on his presidency?

REP. TOM BARRETT, (R-MI): Well, I can tell you what I'm talking to folks in my district about. And here back home in Michigan, they're concerned about a variety of different issues facing our country right now. And this is ultimately a binary choice on the ballot in my race between me and my opponent. And his rhetoric, his socialist advocacy, you know, he claims that he's a socialist. He's a founding member of the Democratic Socialist Movement here in the Lansing area of Michigan.

He's stood out for policies about abolishing the police, opening borders, and a whole host of other very dangerous things. He said that the nuclear family is a violent way to organize society. You know, I'm raising a nuclear family. I have four kids of my own. And part of the reason I'm home this week is to spend a little bit more time with my family as we head into election season and the challenges that that presents.

So, you know, I'm campaigning on my own merits. I'm talking to voters in my district. I was out canvassing door to door just last night and look forward to doing that again here today or tomorrow and on for the next 55 days until Election Day.

[12:50:00]

HUNT: So when you are out there working in your district and framing it as a local race, a choice between two people there, is it helpful for you when the president spends time talking about his ballroom or the Kennedy Center or all of the projects that he's doing in Washington, the reflecting pool? Or does that make it harder for you to make the case that this race is about you and your opponent?

BARRETT: Well, I think at the end of the day, like I said, when people get their ballot here, whether they're voting by mail, voting early or voting on Election Day, they're going to see the slate of candidates that are running on both sides. They're going to see me and the work that I've done challenging issues of affordability. I've done major legislation reforms around the affordability of health care and housing, as well as working on aviation safety. I flew in the military, flew the same type of helicopter that was in that tragic collision over Washington, D.C.'s airport about a year and a half ago, and got to work on making reforms there that I still want to get done. And there's still more work to do, which is why I'm running for another term in Congress.

But when folks draw their ballot, they're going to see my name on the ballot, and they're going to see my opponent's name on the ballot, and they're going to have to make a choice. Do they want somebody who spent 22 years in the Army, came home, serving my country, serving my state, and now looking to continue the work that I'm doing in Congress, or do they want to turn our country over to radical socialist voices?

This isn't an exaggeration. This is his own words and his own rhetoric talking about destroying the nuclear family, talking about opening up our borders. You know, for the first time in my life, we've finally seen a decline in fentanyl overdose deaths in America, and my opponent would completely reverse that.

I don't want to see us go back to the days of 10 million or 15 million illegal immigrants coming into our country, with drugs pouring over our border, poisoning friends of mine. The leading cause of death of Americans my age under Joe Biden's tenure as president was fentanyl overdose deaths. We've made major strides to secure our border.

We've got more work to do in Congress, which is why I'm asking to go back for another two years from the people of the district that I represent.

HUNT: So of course, one significant issue in your home state of Michigan is trade with Canada. I mean, you do $65 billion, the state of Michigan, in trade with Canada every year. And we just put out a new poll of Michigan, 64 percent of Michiganders say the tariffs are bad. But you voted against reining in Trump's tariff power. Do you stand by those votes?

BARRETT: Well, you know, when we took those votes, it was, of course, prior to the Supreme Court making their decision about relative tariff power for the executive branch and everything else. And I think that any type of tariff has to be done where it is in the interest of the United States and in the interest of our objectives to balance anomalies within the trade arrangements that we have.

And you know, Canada, for example, has taken advantage of the dairy industry. Folks that I represent in Michigan, we have a strong amount of dairy that we have in my district and they're struggling to really make market margins in no small part because Canada has really manipulated their market there that excludes Americans and Michiganders from being able to sell products in their country.

You know, I'm still advocating for cooler heads to prevail in this tit-for-tat back and forth with Canada. And I want to see us get to a point where we can have mutually beneficial trade arrangements with Canada. I'm still hopeful that we'll get there. But that has been my advocacy, both publicly and behind the scenes, is so that we can move in that direction.

And I think it's going to take movement by both sides, the United States and Canada, to get to a mutual arrangement where both sides can have -- at the end of the day, as I said, trade has to be mutually beneficial for it to work. And we have to get to a point where, you know, on our manufacturing, as you pointed out, we have processor goods that ship over the border maybe five or six times before they're put into a final assembly plant.

We have two of those assembly plants in my district. And that is something that I want to make sure we're able to continue doing in a competitive way without allowing Canada or any other country, for example, or for that sake, to take advantage of American industries.

HUNT: If you were to lose this race in Michigan, would it be because of the tariffs?

BARRETT: Well, I'm not going to lose the election, so I'm not going to go down this, you know, pessimistic path that you want to throw down there. I'm an optimistic person. And again, I think that this difference between me and my opponent is profound. You know, while I was serving my country overseas on deployment, he was trying to ban the gasoline engine vehicles that we make here in this district.

He has a conviction for resisting arrest, a felony conviction for protesting a pipeline project here in my district that provides the propane that heats homes through the winter here in Michigan. We're the leading state for home heating through propane, and my opponent would shut that down and the vital artery that provides that for not just my family, but families across my district. People aren't going to want that when they're faced with those choices.

[12:55:00]

I'm ready to go back to work and continue the job that I've been doing and continue to advocate for families like mine in Washington, D.C.

HUNT: And finally, I hear that you're a Western Michigan alum. How about that game on Saturday?

BARRETT: Yes, we are definitely going to challenge this. We are going to stop the steal of the 2026 Michigan stealing Western Michigan University's rightful win in that game. I was watching it with my son, and we're both just terribly devastated by this. I am the only Western Michigan University Bronco in Congress --

BARRETT: So this is something -- I'm calling on Chairman Jordan to hold hearings on this to make sure that this injustice doesn't stand.

HUNT: Well, let me tell you, the fact that the game was so close says more about Michigan than I wanted it to, but I will say, Go Blue, because I'm a lifelong Wolverine fan.

BARRETT: No, go Broncos. Go Broncos.

(LAUGH) HUNT: Sir, thank you so much for being with us.

BARRETT: Thank you.

HUNT: I really appreciate it. I hope to talk to you again soon.

BARRETT: Thank you for having me on.

HUNT: All right. Thank you for joining "Insight Politics." I'm going to back at 4 p.m. for "The Arena." Illinois Governor, J.B. Pritzker will be my guest. "CNN News Central" starts after a quick break.

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